LegalRideshare LLC is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrests and convictions of carjacking offenders, in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Tribune reported that carjackings in Chicago rose 135%, in 2020. Rideshare drivers, who spend hours every day on the road, are victimized at a disproportionate rate.
“We refuse to sit idly while our friends live in fear,” LegalRideshare attorney and co-founder Bryant Greening said. “Rideshare and delivery workers are essential to our community, especially in the last year. It’s devastating that they have to look over their shoulders at every red light.”
Greening said rideshare drivers contact his firm daily about the terrifying work conditions. Even when drivers are not physically injured during carjackings, they lose their vehicles and, therefore, their ability to work. “Gig workers rely on their ability to drive. When a criminal takes their cars, they take their livelihood,” Greening explained.
In an effort to halt the crime spree, LegalRideshare LLC is offering $10,000 to any person who provides information leading directly to the arrest and conviction of a person who carjacks a Chicago-based rideshare driver. To be eligible for the reward, the information must be provided to LegalRideshare LLC and the Chicago Police Department, on the same day as the carjacking.
“Time is of the essence. If police don’t arrest the offender quickly, the likelihood of locating him, with sufficient evidence to convict, decreases greatly,” Greening said. “We want these criminals off the streets immediately.”
LegalRideshare LLC regularly uses its resources to protect rideshare and gig workers. Last year, the firm offered a “sick-day” program for drivers who lost wages due to COVID-19, and publicly denounced the rideshare companies for failing to support workers. In 2018, the firm secured drivers’ right to advertise in their cars, providing a source of income for workers who often struggle to earn more than minimum wage.