Responding to Political Violence, Rep. Mike Levin Calls for Community Over Chaos
“I can’t control every voice in our national conversation. But I can control how I use mine. And I promise you this: I will keep using my position, however small, to bring people together instead of driving them apart.”
Download the video HERE. Watch the video HERE.
Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) discussed the rise of political violence in America and called for our nation to show unity and respect in times of chaos.
Key Excerpt:
[…] I’m asking the peacemakers among us—Republicans, Democrats, Independents alike—to speak louder. Lower the temperature. Refuse to share the cheap shot or the rumor that deepens the division. Remind your neighbors and coworkers that disagreement does not mean destruction.
I can’t control every voice in our national conversation. But I can control how I use mine. And I promise you this: I will keep using my position to bring people together instead of driving them apart. I will keep listening whenever I can. And I’m going to keep showing that community can triumph over chaos.
Read the full transcript below:
Levin: Friends, I want to speak to you about something weighing heavily on my heart. Across our country, political violence is on the rise. We’ve seen respected public figures and ordinary Americans targeted simply for their beliefs.
This isn’t about left or right, Democrat or Republican. It’s about the safety of our neighbors, the health of our democracy, and the kind of country we want to leave to our kids.
Charlie Kirk and I disagreed on almost everything politically. But he was a husband, a father, and someone who loved this country—just like I do, just like so many of you do. As parents, as spouses, and Americans, we share far more than divides us.
Our founders built this nation so we could argue passionately about our future and still come together as one people. Debate is healthy. Disagreement is essential. But violence is a betrayal of everything America stands for.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen threats and attacks aimed at elected officials, judges, school board members, journalists, and activists of all stripes. It’s dangerous and it’s unsustainable. It creates fear, silences voices, and weakens the democracy that generations fought to preserve.
When people feel they might be harmed for speaking up or voting their conscience, we lost— all of us lose. It doesn’t just wound individuals—it poisons communities, it erodes the freedoms that make America strong.
I know the trust in our system is low. I hear the frustration everywhere, and I feel it too. But I’ve also seen what we can accomplish when we choose respect over rage. I’ve watched as Democrats and Republicans in Congress have worked quietly together to expand veterans’ benefits, to protect our coasts, to protect infrastructure. It is still possible.
So today I’m asking the peacemakers among us—Republicans, Democrats, Independents alike—to speak louder. Lower the temperature. Refuse to share the cheap shot or the rumor that deepens the division. Remind your neighbors and coworkers that disagreement does not mean destruction.
I can’t control every voice in our national conversation. But I can control how I use mine. And I promise you this: I will keep using my position to bring people together instead of driving them apart. I will keep listening whenever I can. And I’m going to keep showing that community can triumph over chaos.
Our opponents are not our enemies—they are our fellow Americans. We can fiercely debate ideas without dehumanizing each other.
If we remember that, if we choose compassion over hatred, if we choose community over chaos, I think America’s promise will remain stronger than anger and division. And I think together, we can build a future that is actually worthy of our children.
###