​Pennsylvania Uniters' Public Statements

Pennsylvania Uniters Call for Collective Action to Prevent Targeted Violence

[York, PA] – August 2023 – We are an ideologically, racially, and generationally diverse group of 28 community members in south-central Pennsylvania committed to working across our differences to prevent targeted violence in our communities and our country. 

We were selected through a competitive application process for the Uniting to Prevent Targeted Violence in South-Central Pennsylvania (UPTV) program, an 18-month, non-partisan civic engagement program led by Urban Rural Action.

We have come together to take action on targeted violence because, unlike random violent crime, targeted violence degrades our society by making entire groups feel unsafe based on an aspect of their identity. While the number of mass-casualty events in the United States has stayed flat over the past decade and a half, targeted violence is on a sharp upward trajectory. The number of extremist-linked violent plots has increased by 2,400 percent over the past three decades, according to two University of Maryland databases on radicalization.

​It may sometimes seem that targeted violence is senseless or random, but targeted violence is intentional and planned. Those at risk for committing acts of targeted violence exhibit predictable patterns of behavior. This means that, if we know what indicators to look for, we can intervene early so that potential perpetrators can get the help they need.

Given the scope of the problem, to meaningfully address targeted violence we must work across our differences. Unfortunately, our society suffers from toxic polarization; we too often demonize and even dehumanize people who are different from us and/or hold different views from us. When we dehumanize others, we are more likely to consider violence as a way to resolve our differences. And those who feel dehumanized are more likely to act out in potentially dangerous ways. 

We believe that our ideological, racial, and generational differences are a source of strength. By working across those differences, we recognize our common humanity, promote dignity for all, and foster new relationships. Relationships that transcend our differences contribute to empathy for those different from ourselves, thereby reducing the likelihood of targeted violence.

We encourage you to join us in learning about targeted violence and taking action with our fellow Americans to prevent it.

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Allison Stephens
Amanda Batista-Brgulja
Ann Wofford
Betsy Hower
Carl Helman
Christine Marriott
​Cindy Richard

Dan Walston
David Roeting
Destiny Neumann
Donald Marritz
Doug Dobbs
Ismail El-Guemra
​Janon R. Gray

Jevon Thompson
Kurt Danysh
Lance Walker
Maggie Manning
Maria Banks
Mel Kesler
​Patti Robinson

Paul Mancenido 
Pearl Sweeting 
Robert Aims
Shane Falwell
Stephanie Harbaugh
Thomas Cassara
​William Anderson

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Media Contact: Logan Grubb, UPTV Chief of Staff, UR Action, logan@uraction.org

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, opportunity number DHS-22-TTP-132-00-01.