Tyler Perry Donates $98,000 to Pastor Holding Vigil on Roof


Actor-producer Tyler Perry has donated just under $100,000 to an Illinois pastor who has been camped out atop a roof for a little over three months.

The pastor who received Tyler’s generous donation, Corey Brooks, had set up a camp in a chilly tent on top of the roof of a vacant motel located in Chicago’s Southside since November of last year.

Part of the reason for the pastor’s unusual vigil was to hopefully raise money–about $450,000–to purchase the derelict motel, which would then be torn down and replaced by a community center. The larger goal for the vigil, however, was to stand up against growing violence in the area.

“We’re living in the killing field. We’re living in a place where you can just be walking to the store, going to get something for your kids and you can be shot and killed,” Brooks said.

Perry heard about Brooks’ mission to tear down the vacant motel, a hotspot for violence and drug abuse, and decided to donate $98,000 to help out the cause. This put the pastor over his goal, so Brooks came down from the roof on Sunday, putting an end to his 94-day vigil.

“We’re here tonight because of young men who have lost their lives,” Brooks told the crowd. “We’re here tonight because on any given night on the South Side of Chicago or the West Side of Chicago some young black man could be killed and his life could be gone prematurely.”

Source: Chicago Tribune

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