This special report from Princeton’s Bridging Divides Initiative draws on real-time monitoring throughout 2025, combining datasets such as START’s Terrorism and Targeted Violence tracker, ACLED protest data, the Crowd Counting Consortium, Gun Violence Archive, and BDI’s own threats database, alongside a survey of local elected officials and interviews with more than 30 community-safety practitioners. It identifies five trends for the year, including a 34.5% rise in targeted political violence (including high-profile assassinations), a sharp spike in threats against officials, escalation risks tied to federal immigration operations, and a record-high number of demonstrations (nearly 20,000) that were overwhelmingly nonviolent. The report also highlights de-escalation and preparedness models that BDI found effective for communities facing these pressures.