Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson unleashed righteous anger over “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett’s staging of a hate crime that collectively “slap[ped] everyone in this city in the face.”
Speaking to reporters following Smollett’s arrest, Johnson explained how the actor exploited legitimate fears about racism and homophobia to advance his own career, in the process stoking skepticism about hate crimes, using police resources, and dragging Chicago’s reputation “through the mud” as celebrities, commentators, and presidential candidates jumped on the initial reports.
If anybody has a right to be outraged over the attack, it’s the police who did their jobs, pouring resources into investigating the matter with Smollett initially treated as the sympathetic victim of a heinous crime, only to see facts lead in another direction.
“This announcement today recognizes that “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Johnson said. “I’m left hanging my head and asking, ‘Why?’ Why would anyone, especially an African American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile? How can an individual who has been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city in the face by making these false claims? Bogus police reports cause real harm. They do harm to every legitimate victim who is in need of support by police and investigators as well as the citizens of this city. Chicago hosts one of the largest pride parades in the world, and we’re proud of that as a policy department and also as a city.”
He went on to explain: “Chicago has real problems; we know that. We have problems that have affected people from all walks of life, and we know that. But to put the national spotlight on Chicago for something that is both egregious and untrue is simply shameful. I’m also concerned about what this means moving forward for hate crimes. Now, of course, the Chicago Police Department will continue to investigation all reports of these types of incidents with the same amount of vigor that we did with this one. But my concern is that now hate crimes will publicly be met with a level of skepticism that previously didn’t happen.”
He said: “We do not, nor will we ever tolerate hate in our city, whether that hate is based on an individuals’ sexual orientation, race, or anything else. But I’m offended by what’s happened, and I’m also angry. I love the city of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department, warts and all. But this publicity stunt was a scar that Chicago didn’t earn and certainly didn’t deserve. To make things worse, the accusations within this phony attack received national attention for weeks. Celebrities, news commentators, and even presidential candidates weighed in on something that was choreographed by an actor.”
Johnson explained: “First, Smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic, and political language. When that didn’t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago’s reputation through the mud in the process. And why? The stunt was orchestrated by Smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary.”
Let us hope that assuming Smollett is found guilty, that he is punished to the full extent allowable by law.
