Chicago Pastor Who Interrupted Trump Rally Attempts Suicide, Sparks Feud Over Dead Nephew
Warning: This story contains profanities.
The Rev. Jedidiah Brown, a Chicago pastor and activist who disrupted one of Donald Trump's presidential rallies last March at the University of Illinois, attempted to take his life while listening to gospel music in a Facebook Live broadcast Sunday. He was saved after local police intervened.
Police told DNA Info Chicago that Brown, 29, parked his car around 5 p.m. east of the Lakefront Trail near Queen's Landing at 500 S. Lake Shore Drive during the broadcast. A team of SWAT officers worked for more than an hour to bring the situation under control. An expletive laden recording of the standoff between Brown and the police was later shared on social media.
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In the video of his apparent suicide attempt, a distraught Brown places a gun to his head while gospel singer Shana Wilson's "Give Me You" blares from the speakers of his car.
He explains that he was grieving over the death of a relative and frustrated by his work as an activist on the South Side of Chicago.
"I've always loved this city and I love my family — I love everybody and I'm so sorry, but it's over, I can't recover from this," Brown says in the video.
Prior to the start of the broadcast, Brown revealed in another Facebook post that he discovered that his nephew, Travis Mensah, who reportedly drowned in Lake Michigan last August at the age of 14, committed suicide.
"Today I was told the truth and my heart will never heal...God didn't take my son. He committed suicide. It's my f*** fault! I killed him caring about this dumb a** city... F*** CHICAGO! F*** THE CHURCH! F*** THIS LIFE," he noted.
A woman identified on Facebook as Asia Love and the mother of Travis Mensah, however, called the pastor a liar and accused him of child molestation.
"He's a liar! Call the news station so that my CHILD can finally REST, DAMN! Lie after lie! Gay child molesting pastors that stunt for their own agendas will NEVER rest! He's a tortured soul because that closet holding him in prison is killing him slowly! Come out SIS it's ok! I've been knowing since you were 7 but you will NOT lie on my dead son again!!!!!!!!" she wrote.
"I KEPT him from you because you molested other cousins! I have death reports and EYE witnesses that KNOW my son would NEVER kill himself under NO circumstances!!!!! Travis Bittersweet Mensah please rest son!" she ended.
Brown started streaming the distressing episode at 5:15 p.m. Sunday, according to DNA Info. Police arrived within 10 minutes and were able to talk him down. He was taken to the University of Chicago hospital for treatment.
The pastor and the founder of Young Leaders posted on Facebook Monday that he no longer wanted to take his life after being encouraged by supporters.
"I had the worst day of my entire life and I'm just picking up the pieces but what my eyes are seeing is a lot....I however am encouraged by the humanity displayed by SSA, CPD, other nationalities, Journalist, elected officials, other countries, activist, family, friends, reporters, clergy, peers, etc. I'm not wanting to die anymore but whoa the pain is cutting deep," he wrote.
"I however have no more to lose, gloves are staying off. This freed a part of me that must take away the power of pain in passion. I must get my healing but I need Chicago to truly see why we are getting no better," he added.
[N.B. Videos below contain strong language]
