JEWISH WORLD

JEWISH WORLD • OCTOBER 16-22, 2020 9 By ALAN DERSHOWITZ: W e must prepare now for the possibility of vio- lence following the elec- tion this fall. If it turns out to be a close or contested election, extrem- ists from both sides may likely use it as an excuse to riot and attack. This will not be a repeat of the 2000 elec- tion, when the disputes were ulti- mately resolved by the Supreme Court in a controversial decision along partisan lines. The loser accepted it and told his followers to do the same. But in this election, the candi- dates are not George Bush and Al Gore, and the country is not what it was 20 years ago. This is a very dif- ferent and far more dangerous time. We are a much more divided nation. Violence is in the air in many of our cities and has received a degree of legitimacy from people on both sides who should know better. We are not prepared for a possibility of dangerous reactions to an election that may seem unfair to people on one side or the other based on the outcome. A perfect storm may be just over the horizon, if not already here in several respects. There is a pan- demic that could worsen by November, difficulties for voting, high unemployment, continued racial protests that sometimes devolve into violence, deadly wild- fires out west that each side blames on the other, rabid hatred of opposi- tion candidates fueled by the media, and criticism and defunding of the police which disincentivizes many officers from aggressively prevent- ing or responding to violence. There is reported unwillingness of several district attorneys to pros- ecute violent protesters with whose goals they might agree, fear among some political leaders of alienating the Black Lives Matter movement, abuse of the justice system for parti- san advantage, broad distrust of government institutions and offi- cials, as well as of the media, and several Americans with foul moods caused by isolation and other diffi- culties. Such components of a perfect storm do not guarantee that there will be violence, but they surely increase the likelihood that the extremists, and perhaps even people who up to now have not engaged in violence, may very well take to the streets instead of, or in addition to, the courts. Both sides are gearing up for potential legal battles as they should do. But we should also be preparing for potential street battles this fall. Preventing and responding to vio- lence has to be our bipartisan con- cern. Neither side benefits from reckless actions, and both sides ben- efit from stability and the rule of law. Only the most extremist ele- ments over both sides, who desire revolution rather than evolution, benefit from violence. Yet there are those on both sides who subtly apply a different standard to vio- lence based on its source. Some on the Left "understand" if not justify violence against perceived racial injustice and police misconduct. Some on the Right "understand" if not justify violence against those A Dour Forecast Are we ready for post-election violence? continued on page 13 Preventing and responding to violence has to be our bipartisan concern. Neither side benefits from reckless. PERSPECTIVE A photo of the riots reminds us of what the riots represent: chaos.