The Bloomington-Normal chapter of Black Lives Matter is teaming up with the McLean County Democrats for a Father’s Day bailout fundraising event this weekend.
Ky Ajayi, part of the local Black Lives Matter leadership team, said the event is geared toward shedding light on what he called “the unfairness of the cash bail system” on minority communities.
“That bail might be $1,000, but it might as well be a million dollars for them,” Ajayi said. “They’ve been accused of a crime, they haven’t been found guilty. But because they can’t come up with $1,000 it means they can’t go to work the next day.”
He explained that high profile people who commit violent crimes can post bail with no problem and walk free until their trial, while less wealthy people who commit nonviolent offenses and cannot afford bail don’t have that luxury.
“So often they go a week, two weeks in jail which means they lose their job, which means they might lose their apartment, which means they might lose their vehicle. The consequences are enormous. And the only reason they face those consequences is because of their economic status,” he said.
The average bond for a nonviolent offense ranges between $1,000 and $3,000 in McLean County, Ajayi said.
McLean County Democrats are holding a T-shirts and tacos event Friday with all proceeds benefiting the Black Lives Matter bailout fund.
The money will be used to post bail for local fathers imprisoned at the McLean County jail for nonviolent offenses so that they can spend the holiday with their families.
The group holds similar bailout fundraising events for holidays throughout the year.
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