Tempe police have arrested a suspect who hung a suspicious bag containing white powder from several political signs lined with razor blades in Ahwatukee.
The same suspect has been charged in three separate shootings at DNC offices in Tempe in recent weeks, the department said.
Authorities identified the suspect as 60-year-old Jeffrey Michael Kelly.
Kelly was arrested on charges including unlawful discharge, shooting into a non-residential structure, terrorism and criminal damage.
Paul Lenze, a political science professor at NAU, said political violence is not new, but it has certainly received attention recently in broadcast and social media.
“I think because of the vitriol that has been injected into our politics over the last 20 years, what we are seeing is more of a conflict between different camps, us versus them. that we have lost the ability to reach common ground,” Lenze said.
A political science professor believes that limiting the amount of money allowed in politics can help ordinary Americans feel more valued and heard in a two-party political system. I believe.
“They don’t feel that politicians represent their interests. What they feel is that politicians represent big business issues,” Lenze said. he said.
Lenze said harsh political rhetoric and a lack of bipartisanship among politicians are creating similar problems among Americans.
He also believes social media has become a soapbox for people to share their political views without knowledge or fact-checking.
“It’s okay to have different opinions with people,” he said, “but you need to follow up those differences with facts.”
