As we mark the fifth anniversary of the insurrection that took place on January 6, 2021, let us pause and reflect, not just on the unnecessary events that unfolded and included the worst kind of political violence, but also ask ourselves how we’ve grown from it. Our civil discourse has become more challenging in the last several years, with too many instances of incivility, division and hostility.

You don’t need to look any further than our own backyard in Pennsylvania, where we had an assassination attempt in Butler County two years ago, along with a brazen attack on the Governor’s Residence last year.

The Pennsylvania Municipal League (The League)  has been proud to join with Search for Common Ground, part of the Pennsylvania Resilience Network, in taking down the temperature in our civil discourse while attempting to build bridges. This year marks the beginning of our third year working collaboratively to bring leaders in public service, our faith-based communities, agriculture, business, law and nonprofit organizations to create local cohesion while building collective resilience.

In November, The League partnered with Search for Common Ground, along with the Butler Township manager, on a webinar to discuss the assassination attempt and how all forces were mobilized in response to a tragedy that left one person dead. This session was our highest-attended webinar ever, with hundreds registering, showing that political violence is a major concern in local government. We were able to share resources with participants while also talking about best practices in handling a crisis in a straightforward and practical way.

We in local government are too aware of how closely these events can hit home.  We see the impacts on our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers and those we see at the grocery store or church on Sunday. We also recognize that there is more that brings us together than what separates us.  We all want the same things: safe streets, good schools for our children, clean parks and the desire to leave our children better off than ourselves.

Across our nation, nearly 80 percent of Americans see political violence as a serious problem, with 87 percent exhausted by it.  An overwhelming majority of Pennsylvanians want to bring people together across dividing lines while transforming conflict into collaboration.

Two months ago, The League participated in the annual City Summit, sponsored by the National League of Cities and held in Salt Lake City, UT. There we listened attentively to a Dignity Index presentation provided by Project UNITE and led by Tim Schriver, whose parents created and founded the Peace Corps and Special Olympics respectively. 

The Dignity Index is a powerful tool aimed at preventing violence—verbal, emotional or physical—easing tensions and solving problems. 

It ranks responses numerically from one to eight, with “one” representing complete rejection of a person’s value and viewpoints, all the way to “eight,” which concludes with “We treat everyone with dignity—no matter what.”  

The Dignity Index, available online at www.dignity.us, is also accompanied by a scoring guide that explains how responses differentiate from one number to another.  

We realize that honoring and recognizing a person’s dignity can be challenging, especially when situations get heated and tough words are used. At its core, the Dignity Index asks all of us to approach disagreements with curiosity, pausing before speaking, listening to understand rather than responding, challenging ideas and not people, acknowledging logical or interesting points and taking the opportunity to build rather than tear down.

The League will not only continue amplifying the Dignity Index, but also invites everyone to go online to examine it. It will continue working with mayors, councilmembers, township supervisors and others in taking down the temperature in all interactions.

John S. Brenner is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Municipal League. The league’s mission is to strengthen and empower effective local government through advocacy, education and support for its members