Godsta

Do You Know Who You Are Getting Your Hot Dog From?
Newly Opened Felony Franks in Chicago Employs Ex-Offenders
By NATHALIE TADENA
July 20, 2009

For Bob Fitzgerald, finding a job with multiple DUI convictions on his record and no driver's license was no easy task. Then in July, the 56-year-old recovering alcoholic found employment—his first job since his last conviction in 2003—at a newly opened hot dog stand in Chicago.

Name of Illinois hot dog stand that employs ex-felons has caused controversy.

"I spent the last three years in and out of institutions, living in public housing," the Chicago resident said. "This is the first time I'm able to pay for anything."

Fitzgerald is an employee at the aptly-named Felony Franks, a local business that employs rehabilitated ex-felons looking for a chance to improve their lives. Most of Fitzgerald's co-workers have been convicted in the past of drug-related crimes, including dealing and illegal activities to support drug habits, such as theft and armed robbery.