Building Community Resilience? Community Perspectives of the Countering Violent Extremism Pilot Program in Minneapolis/St. Paul

In August 2011, international recruitment to terrorist groups became a growing concern for the United States. The Obama administration started a public–private partnership pilot program focused on countering violent extremism (CVE) in the United States. This program was the first of its kind. It directly addressed the administration’s concern about domestic violent extremism and radicalization in the United States. The Twin Cities’ program, Building Community Resilience, focused primarily on prevention of radicalization through a community and government partnership. This article analyzes tensions between government-sanctioned CVE approaches and the communities where programs are implemented. Until now, research and analysis have not been performed on this specific program from a community perspective.