Chicago minister on march to Washington
‘We Want to Live’ tour meets with Gary mayor, city officials
Gary City Hall was the first stop outside of Illinois for the “We Want to Live” walking tour led by the Rev. Anthony Williams in an effort to bring awareness to the issue of violence.
“Every American resident wants to live,” Williams said.
People want to be live healthy and safely and without violence.
Williams, senior pastor of the Martin Luther King Community Church in Chicago, was joined by the other three members of his walking team, Gary Mayor Jerome Prince, members of the Common Council and city staff and three pastors from Gary.
Williams called violence the “No. 1 problem of the 21st century” and urged action to change structural violence impacting communities across the country.
Too often the focus is on the violence itself, particularly gun violence, he said. Gun violence is a symptom of violence. Racism is a symptom of violence, he said.
Williams, who lost a son to gun violence in 2018, said the group is walking to Washington, D.C., to call on President Joe Biden to sign an executive order calling violence a mental health disorder and providing the appropriate resources to manage the crisis.
Like COVID-19, violence is a pandemic and must be dealt with as such. He said Biden could sign an executive order making gun violence a public health crisis, just like Illinois Gov. J.B. Prtizker did in April. The designation could create opportunities for funding to change the way we discuss and address violence in the streets.
“We have got to get America healthy,” Williams said, adding that people, especially those in urban areas, do not feel safe in their neighborhoods or homes, walking on the streets or driving in vehicles due to the potential of violence.
“We cannot live like this,” he said. “We need to stop talking about the symptoms of violence and deal with the system of violence.”
Prince said Gary can certainly align with Williams’ efforts.
“Clearly, there is a need for this type of attention,” Prince said of the group’s efforts.
“Every American resident wants to live,” Williams said.
People want to be live healthy and safely and without violence.
Williams, senior pastor of the Martin Luther King Community Church in Chicago, was joined by the other three members of his walking team, Gary Mayor Jerome Prince, members of the Common Council and city staff and three pastors from Gary.
Williams called violence the “No. 1 problem of the 21st century” and urged action to change structural violence impacting communities across the country.
Too often the focus is on the violence itself, particularly gun violence, he said. Gun violence is a symptom of violence. Racism is a symptom of violence, he said.
Williams, who lost a son to gun violence in 2018, said the group is walking to Washington, D.C., to call on President Joe Biden to sign an executive order calling violence a mental health disorder and providing the appropriate resources to manage the crisis.
Like COVID-19, violence is a pandemic and must be dealt with as such. He said Biden could sign an executive order making gun violence a public health crisis, just like Illinois Gov. J.B. Prtizker did in April. The designation could create opportunities for funding to change the way we discuss and address violence in the streets.
“We have got to get America healthy,” Williams said, adding that people, especially those in urban areas, do not feel safe in their neighborhoods or homes, walking on the streets or driving in vehicles due to the potential of violence.
“We cannot live like this,” he said. “We need to stop talking about the symptoms of violence and deal with the system of violence.”
Prince said Gary can certainly align with Williams’ efforts.
“Clearly, there is a need for this type of attention,” Prince said of the group’s efforts.
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