WBAL TV did a story on a group of citizens who took part in nonviolent active bystander training. In a role-playing scene where a woman is being threatened, those around her learned how to redirect the person being harassed from the situation.
"Try and train everyday people in the principles of non-violence so that we can de-escalate dangerous situations. We've seen a spike in hate crimes and similar actions," said Dr. Kelly Quinn, with the Community Engagement Center.
The effort was run by the University of Maryland, Baltimore, social work students. Similar training went on in 23 locations simultaneously at sites in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
See a video of the story at http://www.wbaltv.com/article/citizens-take-part-in-non-violence-workshop/8622615