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North America Regional Hub: Mid-Atlantic Regional Convening on Preventing Hate and Maintaining Social Cohesion in Times of Crisis – A Roundtable for Mayors and Cities

Publication Date:

04/06/2025

Content Type:

Event Reports

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Crisis PreparednessNorth America Regional HubPublic EngagementSocial Cohesion

Summary

On 4 June 2025, the Strong Cities Network North America Regional Hub convened mayors and other local elected leaders, city and state officials, and community-based partners from across the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. This day-long, in-person event, which was part of the Strong Cities Global Crises, Local Impacts Initiative, explored threats and challenges to social cohesion facing communities in the region and the role of elected local leaders, local and state governments and community-based partners in preventing and responding to them.

The convening took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in partnership with three local community organisations – Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Peace Islands Institute Pennsylvania and The Welcoming Center – and with funding support from the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation. Forty participants discussed challenges in urban and rural communities; proven partnerships, policies and practices for cities navigating local impacts of global and national crises; and the health and wellbeing of elected local leaders and government officials who are increasingly the target of hate and harassment.

Key Themes

1. Laying the Groundwork for Social Cohesion through Partnerships for Prevention – Before Crisis

During the convening, participants highlighted the value of long-term investments and engagements to building trust and accelerating change before crisis strikes. They agreed that consistently coming together over shared values, hopes and experiences can provide platforms for more difficult conversations and interactions to occur organically. These conversations lead to what one participant described as “durable relationships that can survive intense pressures of polarisation,” which are sustained through the impacts of global and local conflicts and contribute to greater societal resilience over time.

Local partners for the convening (Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Peace Islands Institute Pennsylvania and The Welcoming Center) discussed the importance of their friendships and relationships to the sustainability, longevity and impact of interfaith efforts – not only with one another, but with local members of the Philadelphia City Council, Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, and Philadelphia Police Department (who were represented at the convening). These relationships have been starting points for ongoing dialogues with faith leaders and impacted communities; formal interfaith celebrations and opportunities for learning about various traditions; and communications, programming and local interventions in collaboration with City Hall. After 7 October 2023, these community organisations, along with other organisations like the Anti-Defamation League, collaborated on educational programming and action, including solidarity marches, centred in allyship.

Representatives from the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations highlighted its work to maintain inter-communal cohesion in the wake of October 7^th. It shared how the city’s Interagency Civil Rights Task Force spoke directly with communities on the impacts of those attacks as part of the City’s ongoing commitment to promote peace and conduct meaningful dialogue, with the underlying understanding that long-term and consistent engagement with those communities impacted by October 7^th would be necessary for healing and repairing inter-communal divides. These efforts included messaging campaigns and communications in multiple languages to share information about community safety concerns, as well as partnerships with community and federal partners to identify intervention points and referrals for local incidents, including online threats issued by students in schools around the Israel-Gaza crisis.

2. Committing to Social Cohesion through Conflict and Change – for Everyone

Representatives from across the mid-Atlantic region shared heightened trends of loneliness and isolation experienced by both old and new residents, despite consistent platforms to connect in virtual spaces. Allentown (Pennsylvania), for example, has witnessed large demographic shifts between the late 70s and early 2000s, as well as more transient populations over the past decade. With both newcomers and long-term residents experiencing a potentially unfamiliar growing city, the point was made that local government must play a key role in investing in physical spaces to connect residents and foster community. Participants further emphasised the importance of local governments helping faith and other local leaders navigate the impacts of important global issues and conflicts on their residents (particularly contending with mis/disinformation available online) as part of a wider effort to enhance belonging and connectedness in their city.

Leaders from Allentown and Delaware County (Pennsylvania) stressed the significance of public third places for engagement and dialogue, particularly in addressing misperceptions or lack of engagement across urban-rural divides. Third places function as open, public spaces outside the home or work where individuals can freely gather. A representative from Urban Rural Action shared that while available resources and collective experiences navigating challenges can differ, experiences across rural and urban communities can be strikingly similar. Perceptions of other groups and lack of opportunities for collaboration – despite a willingness and desire to engage – can create barriers to cohesion. The representative shared a dialogue series they facilitated between farmers and faith groups around deportations, which provided a space for participants to share common experiences across urban-rural divides, strengthen norms of working together to find solutions and rebuild a belief that “things are difficult, but we can do it together.”

Participants echoed the importance of belonging and connectedness for communities, such as new residents, youth and even fellow elected officials. East Orange (New Jersey), for instance, prepares welcome materials for all newcomers to the city to introduce them to important information about local events, resources and “who to contact when you need something.” The Office of Pennsylvania State Representative Joe Hohenstein added an example of a partnership with their Office of Demographics to identify new residents so they could receive resources, welcome communications and other support. The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General’s Division on Civil Rights also shared its No Hate in the Garden State campaign, which includes a focus on youth participation and engagement to catalyse youth to become change agents. Other initiatives by the Division furthering social cohesion include interactive youth competitions around inclusion and civil rights and youth ambassador programmes in schools and investments in community-based violence programmes and violence intervention in hospitals.

3. Strengthening Local Governance through Supporting Local Officials and Structured Public Engagement

In a discussion on impacts of global crises on the wellbeing of local officials, representatives shared that colleagues were experiencing hypersensitivity and enhanced civic fatigue due to threats to them, their loved ones and staff, as well as targeted disruptions to general functions of government such as public meetings. However, one representative of the Office of Pennsylvania State Representative Joe Hohenstein reaffirmed the value of being able to see, feel and touch government in daily life, with the Mayor of East Orange also sharing efforts to meet and speak consistently with different communities and residents. Participants encouraged greater access to trauma-informed services and support, peer-to-peer sharing and learning opportunities, and civic and legislative training and education for elected officials so that they can “take care of themselves and, in return, take care of the community.”

Participants reflected on the importance of ensuring local government institutions, such as city boards and commissions, are equipped and prepared to engage with all residents. Delaware County pointed out how this led to the formation of a county immigrants commission that is reflective of the communities it serves, which has contributed to trust between the local government and new arrivals to the region. The county’s Junior Council programme also allows young people across the county to take ownership in their local government. The Pennsylvania Municipal League identified the important local role of human relations commissions in municipalities, particularly as they connect communities to resources from the state and federal level and encouraged wider accessibility and development of similar offices for sustained engagement.

4. Exploring City Preparedness for Online and Offline Hate and Recruitment Efforts

Caroline Wade, Project Coordinator at the Strong Cities Network, provided an overview of the threat landscape across the mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Drawing upon research and analysis undertaken by Strong Cities’ parent organisation, the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), she noted a general shift of threats in different parts of the United States from post-organisational terrorism to loose (often online) communities and individual actors, highlighting the role of the online ecosystem in shaping the offline threat landscape. Through tools and inflammatory content like generative AI or false narratives, a mix of foreign and domestic actors are encouraging people to action, with threats like doxxing, targeted violence (including use of incendiary devices or vehicle rammings), vandalism, or vigilante activity targeting communities and/or perceived allies.

Caroline identified that targets could vary by movement and group, but selections often followed high-profile events and developments both domestically and internationally, and varied from marginalised communities, religious communities, physical infrastructure or election infrastructure, current and former public officials and government institutions, and more. Drawing on ISD’s data, Caroline shared that there has been an increase in threats to public officials of all levels and roles across the United States, with 25% of credible threats of violence targeting public officials involving threats to both Republicans and Democrats. Motivations included violent extremist ideologies, news reporting or events and/or perceived grievances.

Caroline noted that school shootings and threats were on the rise as well, with content glorifying mass violence more readily available (and created by, or tailored to, appeal to minors) and online communities revering young mass killers driving activity. In response to some elements of the presentation, participants highlighted the role of local governments in supporting educational initiatives to combat online hate targeting vulnerable communities and recruitment efforts, particularly of susceptible youth, and how improvements in civic education can help fill the vacuum created by mis- and disinformation targeting youth and other communities. 

4. Communication and Collaboration – Key Lessons from Scenario-Based Tabletop Exercise on Crisis Response

Informed by the Strong Cities Guide for City-Led Response, participants worked through a hypothetical scenario-based tabletop exercise exploring the role of mayors, other city officials, as well as community-based organisations in responding to a hate-motivated public safety threat to a large-scale sporting event. The exercise highlighted the importance of the mayor and local government proactively establishing open lines of communication to ensure clear, timely information can be relayed around any issues that may arise; affirming and standing by city values; condemning violence in any statements around incidents; deescalating situations before they can become unsafe and acting as a trusted mediator between any parties or communities who are at odds; collaborating with all levels of government to ensure communications are consistent and cohesive; and actively listening to communities to build trust, provide any mental health or other support to impacted individuals and communities and prevent future incidents.

Next Steps

Participants mentioned the need for more in-depth convenings of this nature in the region. Strong Cities will convene its next Global Crises, Local Impacts Initiative webinar on 9 July 2025, focusing on the impacts of vehicle rammings on social cohesion and will continue to highlight and build upon collaborative approaches to hate prevention and social cohesion across the mid-Atlantic. Please sign up for the Strong Cities’ mailing list to receive invitations for upcoming webinars and other events.

Additional Resources

• Countering Hate Speech in Times of Crisis: Considerations for Mayors and Local Governments, Strong Cities Network, December 2024
• City-Led Prevention of Hate, Extremism and Polarisation: Leveraging Local Youth Councils, Strong Cities Network, December 2024
• Global Crises, Local Impacts: Key Findings & Recommendations to Date, Strong Cities Network, Strong Cities Network, April 2024
• Managing Migration: City-Led Approaches for Being an Inclusive, Welcoming and Socially-Cohesive City, Strong Cities Network, December 2024
• Creating Safe, Cohesive and Resilient Cities through Urban Planning & Design: Ten Considerations for Mayors and Local Governments, Strong Cities Network, December 2024
• Global Crises, Local Impacts Initiative – with links to event reports from previous webinars, Strong Cities Network

Partners

We are grateful to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, Peace Islands Institute Pennsylvania and The Welcoming Center for partnering with us for this event.

Donors

We are grateful to the Joyce and Irving Goldman Family Foundation for their support in making this convening possible.

Contact Information

For more information on the Strong Cities North America Regional Hub, please contact [email protected].

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