If you thought by getting up at midnight and parking in line at one of 48 area gas stations, you’ll be one of the first to get Dr. Willie Wilson’s $1 million worth of free gas Thursday morning, you had to think again because this time it wasn’t happening.
Dr. Wilson held an 8:30 a.m. press conference to kick off his $1M gas giveaway, which started at 7:00 a.m. He pumped his gas at the BP gas station located at 5201 W. Cermak. When he originally announced the giveaway there were 50 stations but that didn’t change the success of the giveaway.
“The need among the community is so great. Soaring gas prices have caused a hardship for too many of our citizens. The average price of regular gas has gone well over $4 a gallon for the first time in nearly 14 years and is now up nearly 50 percent from last year. The war in Ukraine, a ban on Russian oil, and high taxes are contributing to rising fuel prices,” Dr. Wilson said.
“As gas station owners we are proud to partner with Dr. Wilson to help the community. At least 50 gas stations had agreed to lower their gasoline prices during Dr. Wilson’s gas giveaway to allow more families to benefit from Dr. Wilson’s generosity,” said Khalil Abdullah one of the gas station owners.
While Dr. Wilson and his manager, Attorney Richard Boykin, had set some rules for Dr. Wilson’s second historic $1 million less-pain-at-the-gas giveaway, motorists began lining up as early as 4 a.m. However, all motorists were given numbers, according to Boykin who told the Chicago Crusader this second gas giveaway will be proper and in order with each motorists getting $50 worth of gas and a notepad. He said this second gas giveaway should accommodate 400 cars.
“We’ve been coordinated with the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, the Chicago Police Department, the Cook County Sheriff’s police, the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. “This is the largest gas giveaway by a single individual in history and in the state of Illinois,” Boykin said.
“We’re going to issue numbers for cars. Each gas station will have $20,000 worth of fuel they can give out, and we expect that amount will accommodate about 400 cars,” Boykin said.
“We are not going to allow people to stage overnight. People have to line up in the morning around 6:00 a.m. or 6:30 a.m.
They can’t block driveways. The police will make sure people can get out of the driveways. They are going to make sure that roads are closed and that there is only one way into the gas station and one-way out.
“We are going to issue those numbers 1-400, and once it hits 400 the gas giveaway is over,” he said. “We’ll have people with big signs that will say ‘Gas giveaway is over.’ We won’t allow people to wait in line when this historic gas giveaway is over.”
And, there are more rules. “There will be no gas cans allowed so people can’t come and fill up their gas cans,” Boykin said. When asked if that happened, Boykin said, “We had a guy who got about $30 worth of gas. That is the amount his car would hold; so, he pulled out a gas can and said, ‘Can I get $20 worth of gas in here?’” Boykin said the man then proceeded. ‘I said, what? I am not going to pump it in there.’” The man told Boykin, “Well, I’ll do it” and began pumping the $20 remaining gas allotment into his gas can “and wasted gas all over his shoes because he missed the gas can,” Boykin said.
Gas stations will close for one hour after the gas giveaway is over, according to Boykin, so the gas owners can assume their normal operations. The city’s Office of Emergency, Management and Communication will provide support for 12 gas stations in Chicago, and the Chicago police will be at all the stations.
One of the participating gas station owners, Khalil Abdullah, said, “As gas station owners we are proud to partner with Dr. Wilson to help the community. All 50 participating gas stations have agreed to lower our gasoline prices during Dr. Wilson’s gas giveaway to allow more families to benefit from Dr. Wilson’s generosity.”
Asked his feelings about this second $1 million gas giveaway, Boykin, who is running for Cook County Board President, said, “I think it will run much smoother because of the coordination between the city, county and agencies, as well as with the mayors of suburban Cook County.”
According to Boykin, since the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Wilson has donated more than 30 million face masks to the City of Chicago, Mount Sinai Hospital, Jackson Park Hospital, the Chicago Transit Authority, Cook County Jail, Chicago Firefighters, Fraternal Order of Police, 75 senior citizen homes, the Westside NAACP, and 22 community organizations.
Dr. Wilson has also donated face masks and monetary donations to many South Suburban West Suburban communities and downstate communities like East St. Louis, Peoria, and Rockford. Dr. Wilson has personally donated $1 million to help people who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he has donated $1 million to help 1,000 churches. Dr. Wilson continues to walk the streets handing out money to homeless people.
Here is the list of the 48 participating gas stations for Dr. Wilson’s $1 mil gas giveaway held Thursday, March 24, 2022, at 7 a.m. until the $1 million had been exhausted.
1-Super Save
48 E Garfield Blvd, Chicago, IL (Stage on SB Michigan, WB onto 55th, Enter from 55th, Exit NB Wabash)
2-Amoco
7210 N. Clark, Chicago, IL (Stage on WB Touhy, enter on Touhy, Exit on NB Clark)
3- Citgo
1345 N Pulaski, Chicago, IL (Stage NB on Pulaski, enter on Pulaski and Exit EB Grand)
4- Shell
6129 W. North Ave., Chicago, IL (Stage on EB North Ave, enter on North Ave and Exit EB North Ave)
5-Citgo
5103 W. Madison, Chicago, IL (Stage NB Leamington, enter from Leamington, Exit EB Madison)
6-Shell
6434 W. Archer, Chicago, IL (Stage on North curb of Archer, turn right on Nagle, Enter on Nagle, Exit WB Archer)
7-Marathon
340 S. Sacramento Blvd, Chicago, IL (Stage SB Sacramento, enter on Sacramento, Exit WB Van Buren)
8-Super Save
11100 S. State Street, Chicago, IL (Stage on SB State Street, enter on State Street, Exit SB State Street)
9-Citgo
6700 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL (Stage on EB 67th Street, enter on 67th Street, Exit SB Cottage Grove)
10-BP
7601 South Chicago, Chicago, IL (Stage on NE side of South Chicago, enter on South Chicago, Exit North on South Chicago)
11-Amoco
4401 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL (Stage on SB Koster, enter on Koster, Exit WB Roosevelt)
12-BP
342 E. 35th Street, Chicago, IL (Stage on SB King Drive, enter on King Drive, Exit WB 35th Street)
13- Super Save
9452 S. Cottage Grove, Chicago, IL (Stage on WB Cottage Grove, enter on Cottage Grove, Exit WB 95th Street)
14-Gulf
9901 S. Halsted, Chicago, IL (Stage NB Halsted, enter from Halsted, Exit EB 99th Street)
15-BP
3955 N. Western, Chicago, IL (Stage on NB Western, enter from Western, Exit EB Irving Park)
16-Shell
5230 S. Western, Chicago, IL (Stage on NB Western, enter on Western, Exit SB Western)
17-BP
4401 W. 55th Street, Chicago, IL (Stage on EB 55th Street, enter on 55th Street, Exit SB Kostner)
18-Clark
1201 W. 87th Street, Chicago, IL (Stage EB 87th Street, enter from 87th Street, Exit SB Racine)
19- Citgo
5150 W. Chicago, Chicago, IL (Stage WB on Chicago, enter on Chicago, Exit NB Laramie)
20-Clark
4300 S. Union, Chicago, IL (Stage on EB 43rd Street, enter on 43rd Street, Exit SB Union)
SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY GAS STATIONS
21-Falcon
8702 S. Roberts Road, Hickory Hills, IL
22-Phillips
9340 Irving Park Rd, Schiller Park, IL
23-BP
5201 W Cermak Rd, Cicero, IL (Stage EB Cermak, enter from Cermak, Exit SB Laramie)
24-Citgo
13801 S. Halsted, Riverdale, IL
25-Exxon Mobil
1421 E. Sibley Blvd., Dolton, IL
26- Amoco
1700 N Mannheim Stone Park, IL
27- Mobil
1101 N LaGrange Park, IL
28-BP
11201 W. Cermak Road, Westchester, IL
29-BP
15857 S. Halsted, Harvey, IL
30-Super Save
101 W. Madison, Maywood, IL
31-Mobile
9401 W Higgins Rosemont, IL
32-Citgo
15221 S Halsted Phoenix, IL
33- BP
5548 W 159th Oak Forest, IL
34-Citgo
11901 S Marshfield Calumet Park, IL (Stage EB 119th Street, enter on 119th Street, Exit SB Marshfield)
35-Mobil
1950 Green Bay Road, Evanston, IL
36-Shell
2474 Thatcher, River Grove, IL
37-BP
17th and Bataan, Broadview, IL
38-Mobil
431 W. Lincoln Highway, Chicago Heights, IL
39-BP
11040 S. Pulaski, Oak Lawn, IL
40-Go Lo
4005 W. 135th, Robbins, IL
41-Shell
3901 S. Harlem, Stickney, IL
42-Falcoln
18280 S. Pulaski Road, Country Club Hills, IL
43-BP
17460 Kedzie Ave., Hazel Crest, IL
44- Shell
385 Sauk Trail Park Forest, IL
45- Shell
4555 N Nagle Harwood Heights, IL (Stage on Narragansett, enter on Narragansett, Exit NB Nagle)
46-Shell
2401 Lincoln Highway, Olympia Fields, IL
47-BP
1309 N. 25th Ave., Melrose Park, IL
48-BP
1601 Oak Park Ave., Berwyn, IL
