CHICAGO — A gas giveaway by entrepreneur and former mayoral candidate Willie Wilson caused a headache for some Chicagoans Thursday morning, and not from fuel fumes: Cars reportedly lined up overnight in anticipation of the 7 a.m. start time, causing backups near the preselected gas stations around the city.
Wilson pledged to give away $200,000 of gasoline via $50 gifts to motorists filling up Thursday, on a first-come, first-serve basis — and hit that limit before the morning was over. But social media posts and interviews with people who went out for free gas described chaotic, Black Friday-like scenes.
“I literally sat in the line for about an hour til I got almost to the front,” said Chantine Adams, a Humboldt Park resident who tried to get gas at a location at Pulaski Road and Grand Avenue.
