Tired Of Lip Service To Violence, Pastor Launches U.S. Senate Run

CHICAGO — "C'mon, man," could be the campaign slogan of Pastor Anthony Williams, who on Friday announced plans to run for U.S. Senate as a Republican.

That's the cynical catchphrase I hear from Williams every time we talk about the lip service that politicians give to the issue closest to his broken heart: the never-ending surge of violence that plagues America and took his son's life.

For instance, ask Williams about Gov. J.B. Pritzker's election-year executive order that calls for $250 million in anti-violence funding, and he says, "C'mon, man. … that's throwing money in a hole."

For years, the King International Minstry United Church Of Christ pastor has led a movement aimed at convincing politicians to create legislation that deals with the structural systems that cause violence, in hopes of shifting the conversation away from a focus on illegal guns and the "big business" of government funded anti-violence charity organizations.

He's lobbied for changes to state law in Illinois and marched from Chicago to Washington D.C. to further a campaign that calls for civility, rebuilding violent neighborhoods neglected by government for generations and a focus on a mental health crisis in America at the center of spiking shootings, murders and other street violence.

"People's mental health is off the chain out here. We see it every day. This chaos has got to be addressed intelligently, or it's going to devour us. " Williams said.

"Robert Kennedy did a great speech after the death of [Martin Luther King Jr.]. …. on the mindless menace of violence in America. If you listen to that 10 minute-speech, it's as if Kennedy is speaking today. … Violence serves no purpose. It's public enemy No. 1. It's a threat to all citizens. It's a threat to your national security. So it must be addressed."

As far as Williams is concerned, politicians in Illinois and across America have "tanked" efforts to stem violence by refusing to focus on reducing violence with laws and funding aimed at restoring the health of citizens rather than symptoms, including illegal gun trafficking.

"C'mon, man. I ain't accepting this behavior. We can't live like this. That's why I'm running for senate. To keep pushing this issue," Williams said. "The CDC says violence is a public health crisis. The medical community says it's a disease, but not a contagion. The process is this, we must educate our citizens. We must put emphasis on civility. And we must make sure we have effective public policies with funding going in the right places."

Williams, who has run for office as a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian and Green Party candidate, hopes to best a field of projected Republican senate candidates that lack name recognition and funding to square off with Sen. Tammy Duckworth in the November general election.

"All of our federal elected officials have failed us and the state of Illinois with their lack of commitment to address the issue of violence correctly," Williams said. "This is the issue of the 21st Century and if we don't address it, violence will annihilate us."

I asked Williams if he thinks he has a shot at winning. He said he likes his chances in the primary, but winning doesn't matter as much as furthering his push for a more civil America that cares about the health of citizens suffering due to the plague of violence that permeates society.

"I'm putting it all on the line. Somebody has got to have the common sense and the courage to address this issue properly. We see violence everywhere, particularly in the Republican Party. I see violence in the church. We have a two party system, and one doesn't care whether citizens live or die. If you're waiting for the return of Donald Trump, that ain't gonna happen," Williams said.

"Take Jan. 6. That was a violent attack against the American government and the American people. That's an example of violence, like what we're seeing on these streets, children getting shot and killed. C'mon man. It's got to stop."

The preacher doesn't just want an amen. He wants your vote.

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docuseries on CNN and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary "16 Shots."

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