By The Chicago Community Bond Fund
Devoureaux Wolf, better known as “King Detro,” is Chicago’s footwork king.
Reigning from Chicago’s West Side, Devoureaux has won countless dance competitions, hosted WalaCam, and started Dance N Out, a program aimed at bringing kids off of the street and onto the dance floor.
In April 2016, the King was assaulted by Chicago police officers who then arrested him and charged him with assaulting them. The King was sent to Cook County Jail, not because he had been convicted of a crime but simply because he couldn’t afford to pay the $3,000 bond that was the price tag on his freedom. Due to his incarceration awaiting trial, Devoureaux lost his housing, his connection with the community he served, and nearly his career.
On Tuesday, December 18, Chicago Community Bond Fund and Sensitive Visuals are proud to digitally release Reclaiming the Crown: The Footwork King’s Battle with Money Bail, a short documentary film capturing the story of Devoureaux’s battle with money bail and pretrial incarceration. Get ready to join Devoureaux on his journey from the dance floor to Cook County Jail and back to his spot on the throne.
The film will be made available on the Chicago Community Bond Fund’s Facebook page at 10 a.m. Tuesday. You can watch a trailer here.
The Chicago Community Bond Fund was founded in 2015 by a group of activists, attorneys and community members who had been impacted by Cook County Jail. As part of a nationwide, grassroots movement for bond reform, CCBF has campaigned for the elimination of money bond because it is the primary cause of pretrial detention in Cook County and is fundamentally unfair. Additionally, CCBF has operated a revolving bail fund that has helped free 179 people from Cook County Jail or house arrest.
–
See also Chicago magazine’s The People Who Bailed Out The King.
–
Comments welcome.
Posted on December 14, 2018