Every week, Illinois residents read headlines announcing felony arrests, yet few truly understand what those charges mean. What's the difference between a Class 4 Felony and a Class X Felony? Does every felony result in prison? Can someone receive probation? In this edition of Justice Explained, Fighting4Freeport breaks down Illinois' felony classification system, explains how sentencing works, and clears up some of the most common misconceptions surrounding felony charges.

After publicly claiming that Juneteenth supporters are "destroying the community," Lena resident Korey Merkel became the center of a heated social media controversy involving racial and homophobic comments directed at Fighting4Freeport Chairman Joshua T. Atkinson. A review of more than twenty years of publicly available court records reveals a history of felony convictions, misdemeanor convictions, jail and prison sentences, probation violations, court-ordered treatment programs, and a recent Order of Protection. The findings raise an important question: Who is really destroying the community?