A clemency hearing for popular youth mentor and advocate Stephen Jackson has been set for April 14 at 9 a.m. in room 09-040 at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago.
Leading community members, including past Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 board president John Phelan and current D200 board member Sara Dixon Spivy, have launched the Stephen Jackson Clemency Project — a bid to petition Gov. Bruce Rauner to pardon Jackson so he can work full-time as a mentor at OPRF, a position he held through Oak Park Township before he was terminated last year.
Jackson’s status as a convicted felon is considered the major obstacle keeping OPRF from hiring Jackson as a full-time mentor. The D200 board recently created a full-time motivational mentorship position that the school district would fund on its own — as opposed to the position being funded by the township.
According to Spivy, the Clemency Project is allowed to take letters of support for Jackson until March 23. The group is asking anyone interested in vouching for Jackson to mail letters to the Stephen Jackson Clemency Project, 159 N. Marion St., #241, Oak Park, IL 60301.