Dr. Wilson bails out 58 detainees

Businessman Dr. Willie Wilson bailed out 58 Cook County Jail detainees. His efforts are part of his goal to bail out more than 100 men and women in time for Thanksgiving Day.
Businessman Dr. Willie Wilson bailed out 58 Cook County Jail detainees. His efforts are part of his goal to bail out more than 100 men and women in time for Thanksgiving Day.

Dr. Wilson bails out 58 detainees

CHICAGO – The iconic businessman Dr. Willie Wilson bailed out 58 Cook County Jail detainees recently including some women who were pregnant and could not make their $50 bond, but remained in jail awaiting a January court date.

The 58 detainees Dr. Wilson freed is part of his goal of bailing out more than 100 men and women in time for Thanksgiving Day where he plans to invite them to an 11 a.m. holiday dinner at the New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church, 4301 W. Washington, headed by Rev. Dr. Marshall Hatch, where he will be joined by Gov. Bruce Rauner.

“I will give each person I bail out $200,” said Wilson. When asked why, he said, “If they don’t have the money to bail themselves out, at least they will have some money to buy food.”

Besides freeing 100 detainees, Dr. Wilson will have 10 not for-

profit organizations present, representing 75 similar groups that work in prison ministry. Their commitment is to provide housing, jobs and clothing for the former detainees.

Also, on Monday, December 5th, Dr. Wilson has set up a meeting with Gov. Rauner and representatives of the 75 not for-

profit organizations to talk about restoring their funding needed to provide a safety net for the freed detainees.

According to Dr. Wilson, Gov. Rauner has also agreed to support a bill, which will be introduced by Rep. Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-34th) and supported by Rep. LaShawn Ford (D-8th), that will get people out of jail who were charged with a misdemeanor, according to a press release.

Wilson is grateful to Cook County Comm. Richard Boykin, Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown for helping him work with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart in freeing the detainees, a press release stated.

“One woman was in jail for 221 days for stealing two candy bars. You should not be held in jail on misdemeanor charges or waiting in jail for months for your trial,” said Dr. Wilson in a released statement.

“Some are in jail for small amounts of marijuana or trespassing on property. They don’t arrest people in wealthier communities for similar crimes. The law should treat people equal in all communities,” Wilson continued in a released statement.

To help get those low level, non-violent people out of jail, Dr. Wilson has put aside $50,000 of his personal funds to bail out more than 100 detainees by Thanksgiving Day. The detainees he set free recently were black, white and Hispanic.

“I will not discriminate with my mission to free nonviolent

offenders who have obviously made a mistake in life. I was troubled to see women, some pregnant, in jail for misdemeanors and who had very low bonds,” said Dr. Wilson. “This is a very serious problem.

“When they show up in court, I can get my money back and recycle those funds to free even more detainees,” said Dr. Wilson.

Next week, Dr. Wilson will be freeing 50-60 additional

detainees.

To donate to Dr. Wilson’s bail bond program, visit drwilliewilsonfoundation.org or text to give 312.818.4975. “I am asking all of Chicago to support this program, but if they don’t, it will be just me and Jesus,” he said.

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