Letter: Will Co. Sheriff Candidate Calls Out Legislator's Funding Of Black Lives Matter Will County

To the Editor:

State Senator Rachel Ventura recently steered more than $316,000 in taxpayer dollars, funded through the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program, to Black Lives Matter Will County. That decision is indefensible and an insult to law enforcement officers throughout Will County.

The president of that organization, Karl Ferrell, is a convicted felon with multiple prior felony convictions, including drug-related offenses and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. Those convictions already barred him from holding elected office in Joliet Township. On top of that, he currently faces 16-count felony charges for allegedly defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program of nearly $40,000 and improperly receiving state unemployment benefits while doing so. The case remains pending.

Handing hundreds of thousands of dollars in public money to an organization led by someone with this record is a betrayal of the taxpayers who fund it. It is especially galling when that same organization and the broader Black Lives Matter movement have repeatedly promoted rhetoric and activism hostile to law enforcement, the very men and women who put their lives on the line every day to keep Will County safe.

As a career law-enforcement officer with more than two decades of service and the Republican nominee for Will County Sheriff, I will not stay silent while our state senator treats taxpayer money as a political gift to groups that undermine the police. Public funds should support public safety, community programs with proven results, and organizations that operate with transparency and integrity, not those whose leadership has a documented history of felony convictions and pending fraud charges.

Senator Ventura’s decision prioritizes ideology over accountability. Will County residents deserve better. I call on her to explain this choice and on state leaders to demand proper oversight of every dollar awarded through these programs. The people of Will County work hard for their money. They should not be forced to subsidize corruption or anti-police activism.

— James “Jim” Reilly
Republican Nominee for Will County Sheriff