Bodycams, dash cams, cell phone cameras—they’re the tools we use to hold police accountable these days. But too often, the footage shows violence already inflicted upon citizens, and it’s far too late to help the victims. Not so with the case of Grace McKinnon, 24, a licensed social worker who, armed with only her phone, her professional training, and a wealth of basic human decency, appears to have singlehandedly saved a fellow citizen from death by cop.
It all began on the afternoon of November 7, in Washington, D.C.
McKinnon [...] was on her way back to her office [...] when she said she noticed a confrontation occurring between U.S. Capitol Police officers and a homeless man by the name of Anthony Williams.
She immediately stopped her car, got out and began recording.
“I knew I had to help,” McKinnon told The Root. “I saw it happen. I had to get involved.”
What happens next is hard to watch, but a beautiful example of what de-escalation can do. What compassion can do. What love can do.
See for yourself.
“You see him trying to shoot me? I ain’t done nothing to nobody,” Willams, who appears to be in his late teens or early 20s, desperately says to McKinnon. She calmly says “I do,” just before she asserts her right to record. The panic in his face is heartbreaking; clearly, Williams does not want to die.
Obviously under duress, frustrated, and possibly in the midst of a mental health crisis, Williams asserts he doesn’t have the knives that cops insist he has. While the police officer shrieks commands at Williams, McKinnon calmly tells him to follow his orders to get down. Her cool voice is soothing, even just as a viewer of the tense scene.
Just get on the ground, bruh; hey bruh, just get on the ground. Don’t die, this is not worth dying for.
Just listen to him. It’s not worth dying for.
They killing us out here. This shit is not worth dying for.
McKinnon gently touches Williams, and helps him get his hands behind his back in compliance, as he lies on the cold concrete. Only then do the cops calm down, and in reasonable voices, they finally tell Williams—who again, may very well have been in the throes of a mental health episode—to relax.
McKinnon recalls the tension of the moment in an interview with The Root.
“In that moment, it was fight or flight,” she said. “I wasn’t focused on guns or knives. It was a matter of getting that young man to get down on the ground and comply with police.”
[...]
“I have never done that before—stood in front of a gun—but I am always out here trying to help people. It may be amazing and heroic to others, but I was just being myself. Given a fight or flight situation, I always fight.”
McKinnon said once Williams was in custody, she went back to her car.
“I was in shock and started crying as I drove off,” she said.
So why’d she do it? While McKinnon tells The Root that she was once homeless herself, her instinct to help Williams goes deeper than that shared experience.
“When it comes to instances like this where we have an option to do something, always do what you can,” McKinnon said. “This was a decision I made in a direction of love. It has to be aligned with love. The more we can see ourselves in others, the more we can unite.”
“I do this for my brother,” she added. “He died by suicide. I saw my brother in him [Williams]. I saw my brother in him. That’s what my brother wants me to do. I have not just a moral obligation, but a spiritual obligation as well.”
U.S. Capitol Police charged Williams with a slew of crimes: Assault on a Police Officer While Armed; Carrying a Dangerous Weapon; and Possession of a Prohibited Weapon.
McKinnon has since opened (and closed!) a GoFundMe campaign for Anthony to help him get a fresh start; before McKinnon stopped accepting donations, over $25,000 had been collected.
In an interview with Invisible People published this March, Williams opened up about his experiences in his two-plus years on the streets—and the defining event that left him without a home at such a young age.
Anthony's mom was the primary provider. When she died from colon cancer he ended up on the streets homeless.
Anthony has been homeless for two years now. He has gone from place to place and has tried most homeless shelters. Anthony didn't feel safe in the shelters so he now sleeps at Union Station in Washington DC.
Learn more about Anthony Williams and his everyday experiences, in his own words, below:
In an interview with WUSA, whose anchors have nicknamed her “Amazing Grace,” McKinnon got emotional while discussing the incident, admitting that she’d once considered suicide herself. Tears broke through as she realized that if she’d gone through with it, she wouldn’t have been there to help Williams.
I’m thankful. Life is beautiful. If you’re considering suicide, please do not kill yourself.
Your life has purpose. You never know who you can help. You matter.
The social worker has taken some time for self-care after all of this; in addition to raising awareness of and educating folks on mental illness and suicide, the hero is keeping in touch with her new friend, while keeping everyone up to date via social media.
No matter who you are, it takes a village to survive in this world—and Anthony Williams sure is fortunate to have Grace McKinnon as a part of his.
Remember, you matter. If you’re contemplating suicide, help is available. I’ll just leave this here.