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Jussie Smollett leaves a Chicago courthouse Tuesday, shortly after prosecutors have dropped all charges against him. The movement has angered local authorities and confused many spectators.
Paul Beaty / AP
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Paul Beaty / AP
Jussie Smollett leaves a Chicago courthouse Tuesday, shortly after prosecutors have dropped all charges against him. The movement has angered local authorities and confused many spectators.
Paul Beaty / AP
It does not matter if you are confused.
Many people – including the highest authorities in Chicago – also seemed troubled on Tuesday when prosecutors suddenly announced that they were abandoning all charges against Jussie Smollett. the Empire The actor had been indicted under 16 counts for filing a false police report … until, in a reversal that seemed to take even the police and the mayor by surprise, the Cook County State Attorney's Office had stated that he would not prosecute them.
Now that the dust is down, you can ask yourself questions. Well, here are some answers – as well as some notes on what we have no answer for at the moment. here is a chronology of important dates in the case, by the way, in case you are blurry too.
Click on a question below to access its answer or simply scroll down.
What were the allegations?
First, to recap what Jussie Smollett himself says:
The actor, who is black and gay and plays a gay character on the Fox series, EmpireHe received a threatening letter in January from the Chicago studios, where the show is filmed, with a powdery substance and a coarse drawing of a man hanging from a tree, a gun pointed at him. Smollett too say that the abbreviation "MAGA" – a reference to President Trump's slogan, Make America Great Again – was scrawled where the return address should have been.
A week later, on January 29, Smollett announced that he was taken in the early morning hours in downtown Chicago by two masked men who used racist and anti-gay insults. According to the actor, they assaulted him physically, hitting him, throwing him a chemical and wrapping a rope around his neck before escaping. He then went to the hospital with minor injuries.
Now, here's what the Chicago police say has happened:
Last month at a press conference, Superintendent Eddie Johnson stated that Smollett s is sent this threat letter in an offer of attention. Johnson said the reactions of public opinion did not satisfy him. Smollett paid $ 3,500 to African-American brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo for a false attack.
In the proffer This was read aloud at the Smollett bail hearing, the authorities said to have plenty of evidence, including suspicious SMS, surveillance footage and a copy of the check that the actor had write to the brothers, to support their cause. The brothers themselves also involved Smollett in a police interrogation.
In the end, the allegations resulted in the arrest of the actor and an indictment against Smollett, made on March 7 by a county grand jury. Cook. Each charge dealt with criminal disorderly conduct, each of which could lead to up to three years in prison.
Smollett, for his part, repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
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Why did prosecutors drop charges?
The attorney general's office of Cook County, in Illinois – charged with prosecuting Smollett – announced sharply Tuesday that he would not pursue the charges against the actor and that the case file had been sealed by the judge.
As the supreme district attorney in the Chicago area, the office has the right to do so.
As for Why they did, the office met the deluge of questions with a brief statement.
"After considering all the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollet
"Every day, in the business with which law enforcement partners work hard, there are people who benefit from similar arrangements, people who are distracted by the law, people who are facing sentences that are probably not what some people would like, every day, "Foxx told WBEZ.
"I think the example we're trying to show is that our criminal justice system needs mechanisms that hold people accountable, that justice is fair, and that our resources are used appropriately." she added. "And so I hear, I hear the concerns and I do not think it's up to the prosecutors to suggest to set an example, because when we did that, it had disastrous results – not just for the exemplars but for those who are in the same situation ".
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How common is this type of thing?
Attorney General Foxx told WBEZ that the only new or unique thing about what had happened with Smollett was all the attention he had received from people who had never paid attention to this kind of thing.
"For people who do not understand the complexities of the justice system, who do not understand prosecution, diversion or alternative decisions outside of jail or a long probation period, it's a hard thing to deal with. "she said.
His office supported the argument in his clarifying statement issued Tuesday.
"In the past two years, the Cook County Prosecutor's Office has submitted more than 5,700 cases to alternative prosecutions," he said. "This is not a new or unusual practice."
This view was not shared by one of Foxx's predecessors. Richard A. Devine, Cook County State Lawyer from 1996 to 2008, told the Washington Post that "it was particularly unusual that prosecutors do not seem to alert the police of their decision before it was over." it is announced.
"In the future, there is significant tension between the police and prosecutors, which is not a good thing," he told the newspaper, adding: "This raises questions At the moment, many people are very puzzled.
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Why are the Chicago authorities unhappy?
One of the important reasons seems to be the one mentioned above: the Chicago Police Superintendent, Eddie Johnson, said at a press conference held after the announcement of the dropping of charges that his gesture had taken unawares: done. "
But he was also upset because he felt that his investigators had developed a strong case against Smollett and that the actor was now emerging without being punished or excused.
"If you want to say that you are innocent of the situation, then you spend your day in court," he said. "I would never want – if someone accuses me falsely – I would never hide behind a negotiated deal in secret, period."
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel makes a harsh criticism of the prosecutors' decision to drop the lawsuit on Tuesday, as Chicago Superintendent Eddie Johnson (far left) looks on.
Teresa Crawford / AP
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Teresa Crawford / AP
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel makes a harsh criticism of the prosecutors' decision to drop the lawsuit on Tuesday, as Chicago Superintendent Eddie Johnson (far left) looks on.
Teresa Crawford / AP
The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, who also spoke at the press conference, was much more direct with his critics – and largely based his critics on the same principle as his lawyer. State, Foxx, cited to defend the decision: the universality of the law. But unlike Foxx, who said Smollett's case was treated the same way as the lower profile, Emanuel criticized the office for treating it differently.
"Where is the responsibility in the system? You can not have, because of the position of one person, a set of rules that apply to him and another set of rules applying to everyone "said Emanuel.
"This is without a doubt a money laundering," he added, "and this sends a clear message: if you are in a position of influence and power, you will be treated to One way – the others will be treated from one another Then there is no responsibility in the system – it's wrong, that's all.
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Is the case really over?
The case in Cook County, centered on the so-called false police report, appears to be closing now that prosecutors have chosen to drop the charges. Speaking with reporters after the hearing Tuesday, Smollett's attorney, Patricia Brown Holmes, also said that there should be "no deferred prosecution".
That said, there is also the issue of the threat letter.
According to Fox News and ABC News, the investigation into the source of the letter has been entrusted to the FBI. ABC and local media reported that a federal investigation took place despite the legal turmoil at the city level. The federal authorities, for their part, refused to comment publicly on the case.
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