By Phillip C Parrish, Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
August 27, 2025
As a lifelong Minnesotan, educator, director of education at Gerard Treatment Programs, and 21-year veteran intelligence officer and counter-terrorism expert, I’ve dedicated my career to protecting the vulnerable and confronting the root causes of societal decay. Today, on August 27, 2025—the very day our state reels from the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where two innocent children, ages 8 and 10, were killed and 17 others injured—I’m compelled to speak out. This tragedy, perpetrated by 23-year-old Robin Westman, who committed suicide after inscribing anti-Trump messages on weapons, is not just a senseless act of violence. It’s a symptom of deeper failures that our current leaders, including Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, are exploiting to push their intellectually and morally broken agendas. Their reflexive blame on guns, Republicans, or external forces distracts from the real culprits: unaddressed childhood trauma, mental health crises, and a culture of denial that enables perpetrators. The question we must ask: Is this negligence, or nefarious ill intent designed to perpetuate generational harm?
Exploiting Tragedy: Blaming Inanimate Objects While Ignoring Human Agency
In the wake of this massacre, Governor Walz quickly ordered flags at half-staff for “victims of gun violence” and described it as a “horrific act of violence,” while being briefed on the incident. Mayor Frey, sitting on the church steps, lamented the horror and urged against mere “thoughts and prayers,” implying a need for action—yet his history and the Democratic response point squarely to renewed calls for gun control. Attorney General Ellison, though silent on this specific event in immediate reports, has a track record of advocating for stricter gun laws, as seen in his statements on past shootings like Uvalde. Democrats, including these leaders, are renewing pushes for gun control, framing the issue around “weapons of war” without addressing the shooter’s documented mental instability and anti-Trump fixation.
Guns don’t commit violence—people do. This intellectually broken mindset, which blames inanimate objects for human failings, is not new. It’s a deflection tactic that avoids personal responsibility and root causes, leading to social decay. As we’ve discussed, those who blame external forces like guns or political figures for despair and harm are complicit in perpetuating it. History shows this pattern: From Prohibition’s failed blame on alcohol, which fueled organized crime, to witch hunts scapegoating the innocent for societal ills, misdirected blame has always escalated harm and death. In Minnesota today, Walz, Ellison, and Frey’s agendas amplify this by politicizing tragedies to erode Second Amendment rights, ignoring that only 29% of U.S. adults with mental illness receive treatment. Their focus on guns distracts from the shooter’s agency, echoing a broader refusal to confront how childhood abuse breeds sociopathy and narcissism.
The Hidden Truth: Denial of Childhood Trauma and Enabling Perpetrators
At the core of these tragedies lies a truth too many families and leaders choose to ignore: Childhood physical, sexual, and emotional abuse is a common thread in the development of sociopathic and narcissistic behaviors. My professional experiences—from teaching troubled youth, directing trauma-informed programs at Gerard, to analyzing terrorists—reveal this undeniable link. Research substantiates it: Meta-analyses show strong correlations between early abuse and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), with physical abuse as a key predictor. Narcissistic traits often stem from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), fostering maladaptive coping like grandiosity. Yet, some sociopaths emerge innately, due to genetic factors accounting for up to 50% of antisocial traits.
Why do we hide from this? Stigma, shame, and systemic barriers lead to underreporting and avoidance, perpetuating cycles where unaddressed trauma turns victims into perpetrators. In Minnesota, leaders like Walz and Frey talk vaguely of “community responsibility,” but their actions fall short. Frey’s calls for action post-shooting ring hollow without addressing mental health gaps or abuse prevention. Ellison’s office handles child torture cases, yet broader policies under this administration prioritize gun control over expanding trauma care.
Worse, intellectually and morally broken ideologies enable perpetrators. The normalization of pedophilia as “minor attracted persons” (MAPs)—framed by some as stigma reduction—blurs lines between attraction and action, potentially amplifying harm. Critics argue this relabeling, originating in pro-pedophile communities, fosters environments that justify abuse, as seen in online echo chambers escalating from fantasy to offense. In a state grappling with child abuse convictions and generational trauma, such mindsets indirectly enable more victims by desensitizing society. Walz’s administration, through progressive policies, risks complicity by not forcefully rejecting these narratives, further entrenching harm.
Is this negligence—a failure to connect the dots—or nefarious intent to maintain power through division and dependency? Their exploitation of tragedies like today’s shooting suggests the latter: By blaming guns and Trump, they perpetuate a victimhood culture that externalizes blame, eroding personal accountability and deepening social decay. Minnesotans deserve better.
A Call to Action: Confront the Truth and Break the Cycle
Fellow Minnesotans, it’s time to stop hiding. We must cope with the truth: Violence stems from human brokenness, often rooted in unhealed trauma, not tools or politics. As your next Governor, I pledge to lead with honesty, rejecting deflection and embracing evidence-based solutions. This is your call to action—join me in demanding accountability from Walz, Ellison, Frey, and others. Vote for change in 2026, but start today by facing family histories of abuse, supporting survivors, and advocating for real reform.
Here are proven, actionable steps we can implement to tackle root causes legitimately:
1. Adopt Trauma-Informed Care Statewide: Expand programs like Minnesota’s Department of Human Services (DHS) Trauma-Informed Care, which uses therapies like Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) to address PTSD in youth. Proven effective by SAMHSA, TF-CBT reduces symptoms by 50-70% in abused children. Mandate it in schools and child protection services.
2. Screen for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): Implement universal ACEs screening in healthcare and education, as recommended by the CDC. This identifies at-risk children early, preventing escalation to disorders. Minnesota can build on existing child protection programs to integrate this, reducing long-term costs by over $200,000 per victim.
3. Enhance Mental Health Access and Abuse Reporting: Increase funding for residential programs like Gerard Treatment, focusing on trauma recovery. Strengthen mandatory reporting laws and public awareness campaigns to combat denial, drawing from NCTSN’s policymaker guides that highlight successful community resilience models.
4. Reject Enabling Ideologies: Legislate against normalizing pedophilia or similar paraphilias in education and media, prioritizing victim protection. Promote forensic psychology-based prevention, ensuring therapy for non-offenders without blurring ethical lines, as critiqued in stigma reduction studies.
5. Foster Community Accountability: Launch intergenerational workshops on recognizing and healing from abuse, inspired by NEA reports on school trauma. Encourage families to break silence through support groups, reducing recidivism by 30% as seen in criminology studies.
These steps aren’t partisan—they’re proven. By acting now, we honor the victims of Annunciation and prevent future tragedies. Minnesotans, the truth sets us free. Let’s build a stronger state together. Join my campaign at parrish4mn.com and demand real leadership.
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