Matt Williams returned to Chicago last year to live out his dream of becoming a rapper. He wanted to be a part of a movement to bring about social change in Chicago and lost his life to the same type of violence he fought against. | Photo from Facebook
By BRITTANY REYES
Homicide Watch Chicago
Chicago anti-violence activists lost a powerful voice when the life of 21-year-old Matthew M. Williams was taken in another senseless act of violence.
Williams was born in Chicago and raised in Virginia, but returned to the city last year to follow his dream of becoming a rapper. He planned to study music at Columbia College, while serving as a proponent for social change in the community.
To those who knew him best, Williams was a jokester with a bubbly personality who always wanted to have fun. But when it came to protests, he knew how to put a serious face on, according to his friend, Ja’Mal Green.
Matthews Williams (right) and Ja'Mal Green were motivated by the same cause. The two protesters worked together to advocate for social equality in the city of Chicago and Green says Williams was one of the group's best and brightest leaders. | Photo Provided
The two met about three years ago when Williams became a familiar face to Chicago protesters, and Green said what impressed him most was the passion.
Williams pushed for a change in leadership within the Chicago Police Department and Chicago Public Schools, and wanted “to be a voice for that,” according to Green.
“Matt was a dedicated person. He really wanted to be involved and was constantly coming to protests--at first, much as a regular person,” Green explained. “But he kept being at every single event that we did, and he really wanted to make it known that he wanted to be on the front lines.”
The week before Williams was fatally shot on Feb. 5 while playing Xbox in a friend’s apartment in Park Manor, Green was with Williams driving to an event downtown.
When told of Williams’ death days later, Green said he didn’t believe it at first, then tried tricking himself into thinking it was someone else. But when he came across Facebook posts and articles confirming the news, he was shocked and angered.
While Matthew Williams was a dedicated protester, his other passion was music. According to friends, he hoped to start his own record label after earning a degree from Columbia College. | Photo from Facebook
Torrence Perry, a fellow protestor who only knew Williams for a short time, explained how details of the murder bothered him. And while he was hesitant to talk about the death at first, Perry said it’s become “necessary to talk about his life, especially since there have been some people who have spoken negatively about Matt.”
To those who have expressed ill will against protesters and their efforts toward police reform, Perry retorts, “Those people don’t know us. They talk about who we are and what we do, but they don’t know us.”
While Perry admits some individuals may use protests as a claim to fame, he believes his friend was not like that. Williams was truly dedicated to rebuilding the community and fighting for the safety of future generations.
James Crum, 29, has recently been charged with the fatal shooting, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. Despite the arrest, however, Antonio Dyson says the city’s protesters are still on the defensive and remain actively cautious about their surroundings.
Fellow protester Antonio Dyson (right) described Matthew Williams as a kind-hearted person, encouraging friend and powerful public speaker. The two attended many protests together and Dyson said he's still in shock of Williams' death. | Photo Provided
“This whole experience has shocked me, but it’s let me know that any day you can wake up and be gone,” Dyson said. “That’s why activists need to push while we’re alive. We need to keep moving forward, and it’s important for CPD and people in the neighborhood to do this as well.”
With a platform aimed at getting new government officials into power, Williams’ friends are urging the public to “put their guns down, and hold elected leaders, and people expected to protect and serve, more accountable,” Dyson said.
“They’re claiming they can’t stop crime but there’s people wrongfully being killed for doing nothing,” Perry said. “This is their job. How are you claiming you can’t stop crime but you’re the force in the streets that we are paying for our protection?”
The protesters will be marching with one less voice from now on, but Green believes Williams’ death will serve as a catalyst to make the message stronger.
“There’s a definite impact from this. We understand now that we have to protect each other more, we have to be together more, we have to call each other more, and just check up on people to make sure we’re all OK,” Green said. “We’re not at war with ourselves or our feelings, we’re at war with violence.”
Funeral services for Matthew Williams were conducted Feb. 12. An outpouring of support on social media was extended to Williams' loved ones as his family mourned the life of another Chicago youth taken by gun violence. | Photo from Facebook
When funeral services were conducted Feb. 12, Green was there to honor Williams with a heartfelt speech. Though he struggled to look at his friend in the casket, Green regards the experience as a wake-up call and has been in constant contact with Williams’ family.
“I’ve been trying to make sure they’re OK, because their son and brother was in Chicago for just a year, and he was killed by the same thing he was fighting against,” Green said. “It was heartbreaking and hurt a lot, but we have to use this situation to appreciate things better, and do more and live our lives in a positive way.”
“Matt was always that person who wanted to be the difference people wanted to see in the world, and he was so passionate about that. I just want people to know he was a great kid who would never hurt a fly," Green said. "This was one of our soldiers, one of our future leaders that we lost.”