CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A South Side pastor is preparing to walk to Washington, D.C., demanding that President Joe Biden declares violence a national mental health crisis.
Standing on a busy street corner on the South Side, Pastor Anthony Williams of King International Ministry on Sunday told reporters that he has sent a letter to Biden asking him to sign an executive order making all violence a public health crisis.
If the letter goes unanswered, William said he is prepared to bring a crowd to the nation's capital D.C. and ask in person.
"Violence is a public health crises. The CDC has called it not just an epidemic, they've called it a pandemic. So we've got to address this issue of violence being a pandemic. It is going to destroy us all. We cannot continue to accept an abnormal behavior as a normal behavior. We can't live like this anymore," Williams said.
Williams said violence is often a symptom of traumatic experience and adds that more resources could go to treatment if violence was considered a mental health issue.