I spent fourteen months in Cook County Jail because I could not afford to pay my money bail. Due to my pretrial incarceration, I lost my home, my business and I nearly lost custody of my two children. Thanks to my family and the Chicago Community Bond Fund, my bond was paid and I was released from jail but I was placed on house arrest with electronic monitoring. For the next five months, I was on electronic monitoring, unable to leave my home to work, run errands or even take my children to school. My pretrial incarceration harmed me, but it also harmed my children and my ability to care for them. Now, nearly three years after my case resolved, my time in jail and on electronic monitoring continues to impact my family. 

In September my daughter will begin her first year of studies at Columbia College where her major will be American Sign Language but we need your help. Currently, we are $3,750 short in covering tuition for her first year. Had I not spent nearly two of the last four years incarcerated because I could not afford to post my bond, covering this portion of her tuition would not have been a problem for our family. My daughter was separated from me for more than a year for a crime I had not been convicted of, and now she is now being punished again because of the lasting impact of my pretrial incarceration. 

We’re asking for your help so that my daughter can focus on her studies and make the most out of her first year in college. Erica is a fantastic student, she was a member of the National Honor Society and she was also a recipient of the Barack Obama Presidential Award. Any and all support would be greatly appreciated.