If Jussie Smollett’s goal was to make headlines, he pulled it off spectacularly. But I doubt that an arrest and a scathing rebuke broadcast on national television from Chicago’s Police Superintendent was in his initial script.
In making all those headlines — first about a fake attack and then about the unraveling of his publicity stunt — Smollett stole, not only police resources, but also sucked political oxygen from real problems facing Chicago and communities across the country.
And, as Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson angrily pointed out during a press conference about the case Thursday morning, there are plenty of issues that deserve national attention, including a rash of homicides in Chicago. Johnson made his feelings clear, telling his audience, “It’s just despicable … I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention.”
He’s right, and since Smollett first reported his “attack” at least 18 people in Chicago have died from gun violence. Instead of focusing on violent crime, including the shooting of a 1-year-old boy, the nation has fed its obsession with political mischief-making, hungrily watching TV coverage, and taking to social media to air partisan grievances.
Of course, not all of the blame for that publicity falls on Smollett’s shoulders. The Chicago police chief rightly pointed out in the press conference about the case Thursday morning, national media, celebrities, and even presidential candidates were drawn to the case like flies to honey, all too happy to obsess over the sordid tale.
Johnson, however, is correct, we need to give more attention to real problems like Chicago’s gun violence, which don’t make for such easy partisan pot shots and won’t be resolved with an single arrest and a press conference. Unfortunately, focusing on day-to-day violent crime with few easy solutions is never going to be a sexy as the made-for-TV drama of a story like Smollett’s.
