Amid the skyrocketing gasoline prices in the United States, a Chicago-area businessman gave away $200,000 worth of gasoline for free.
According to the Chicago media on the 17th, unexpected traffic congestion occurred in various parts of Chicago from early this morning.
This is because drivers have been lining up in long lines in front of the gas stations since dawn on the news that 10 gas stations in the city can refill gasoline for free from 7 am.
Willie Wilson, a businessman and activist from southern Chicago, announced on social media on the 15th that he had pledged to donate $200,000 of gasoline and would get $50 worth of refueling per vehicle for free.
He said last week that he checked the gasoline price, which was the highest in 14 years, at a gas station and thought about what other residents would do if the business was burdensome, he said.
The average price of gasoline in Chicago was $4.84 per gallon as of the 17th, up more than $1.56 from a year ago.
The $50 free gas tickets provided by Wilson were supplied to the first 4,000 people on a first-come, first-served basis and were all sold out before noon, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Residents who visited the gas station to refuel free of charge said it was crowded like a Black Friday shopping mall, and some drivers suffered from traffic jams and had to turn around without refueling.
Wilson ran for Chicago mayor twice in 2015 and 2019, winning 10% of the votes each.
After declaring his candidacy for mayor in 2018, a church in the southern part of the city gave away $300,000 in cash to 2,000 attendees.
At the time, Wilson said it was part of a charity work he had been practicing for more than 30 years and that he had nothing to do with elections, and that he wanted to use his wealth to tackle inequality.
Wilson became a franchise owner after working as an hourly employee and manager at McDonalds, and is known to have raised money by importing and selling medical supplies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he distributed 30 million masks free of charge to prisons, police and hospitals, and donated millions of dollars to more than 1,000 churches, Tribune added.
