Who is ‘Gary from Chicago’ at the Oscars?

For those who watched last Sunday’s Academy Awards, likeable ‘Gary from Chicago’ stole the show as a random tourist invited into the Dolby Theater to witness the Oscars and rub elbows with celebrities.

He became an instant social media sensation and everyone wanted to know ‘who is Gary from Chicago’?

Well it turns out, Gary is Gary Alan Coe who was released from prison earlier that week after spending 20 years under California’s “Three Strikes Law” for a petty theft in 1997.

As it turns out, Gary, who is now 59, stole a perfume bottle in 1997 (strike three), grand theft $400 in 1995 (strike two) and attempted rape in 1975 (strike one) when he was a teenager. Yes, ‘Gary from Chicago’ is also a registered sex offender.

It will be interesting to see how people react to Gary now that his past is known. Will people accept that it’s been over forty (40) years since his sex offense and he deserves to shed the label? Will they be outraged that a petty theft can get someone 25 years to life as a “third strike” in California? Will they wish him well, having done his time, and hope he’ll have a successful re-entry? Or will Gary be villainized for the rest of his life as is every other registered person?

It remains to be seen…