The "Empire" star claims he was a victim of a hate crime and almost lynched while he was walking to get food.
Fox TV's "Empire" star Jussie Smollet was attacked by two suspects in an alleged hate crime in Chicago, Il., on Jan. 29. The brutal assault left Smollett hospitalized after he claims he was punched repeatedly, doused in an unknown chemical substance and nearly lynched.
Smollett, who came out as gay on The Ellen Show four years prior to the incident, also stated during his assault, the two suspects were yelling pro-Trump slogans along with racist and homophobic slurs.
Not much was known about these attackers because their identities were hidden by wearing masks and dark clothing. Two potential suspects, brothers Ola Osundairo and Abel Osundairo, were arrested on Feb. 15 but charges have not been released.
As the investigation progressed, sources have alleged that the brothers were paid $3,500 by Smollett to attack him and with a promised additional $500 after the job was complete. These same sources state that the attack was rehearsed days before and that Smollett purchased the rope used in his own potential lynching.
The supects were questioned and have since been released, leaving more to discredit and scrutinize Smollett's testimony of the assault, according to CBS Chicago.
When the news first broke of the attack, dozens of celebrities such as Michael B. Jordan and Kelly Rowland spoke out and stood in support of Smollett’s testimony.
View this post on InstagramStand with my brother @jussiesmollett sending you light and love. Be strong ?? We got you
Smollett was released from the hospital a day after the attack and has since expressed his gratitude for those who stand beside him in solidarity. However, not everyone has been rallying behind the actor in this traumatic time.
In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, Smollett’s eyes filled with tears as he expressed his pain towards those who don’t believe the assault took place.
Many skeptics were quick to point out that Smollett seemed to have no solid evidence of his attack, regardless of the star being hospitalized and filing a police report.
Smollett told police he was on the phone with his manager, Brandon Z. Moore, during the alleged racist and homophobic attack and said he was called derogatory terms while they chanted “Make America Great Again”.
Moore confirmed he heard those remarks during the phone call, leading police to want the phone records to confirm. According to Chicago Police, Smollett refused to hand over phone records to help the case.
Once he did, information was redacted. According to Smollett’s spokesperson, Chris Bastardi, the information was "redacted in order to protect the privacy of personal contacts or high-profile individuals not relevant to the attack.”
People have expressed their disbelief towards Smollett’s story, questioning why he was out so late or why he didn’t hand over his phone to officials.
Though Smollett answers all of these heavy questions, stating he went to a 24-hour Subway because he was hungry and he has private information on his phone he doesn’t want to get into the wrong hands-there is still a lingering doubt for many.
It’s important to note that taking Smollett’s attack and dismissing it as an intricate lie is something that damages both the black community and the LGBTQ+ community as a whole.
It’s no secret that victims of assault, whether it be sexual assault or just a plain brutal attack, have faced scrutiny within the past few years, especially when these victims finally come forward and reveal what has happened to them.
Putting these victims underneath a microscope, taking their shaken words at complete face value and jumping to conclusions has the ability to dismiss hundreds of other victims of hate crimes or aggravated assaults.
Smollett believes “if (he) had said (the attackers were) Muslim or a Mexican or someone black, the doubters would’ve supported (him) a lot much more.”
Those who doubt Smollett are paving the way for many other victims of hate crimes to withhold sharing their story or filing a police report.
With a three percent increase in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes in 2017, according to NBC News, it’s important that we make it known if an individual is assaulted, with a homophobic or racist motive behind the attack, they will have a safe space to go or someone to tell, without their story being diminished simply based on their sexuality or the color of their skin.
“There’s a level of pride there,” Smollett said when asked why he hesitated to alert officials of the attack.
But there shouldn’t be. There should be no hesitation to alert someone when something as cruel as an attempted lynching in 2019 takes place.
The world needs to start supporting the victims of these assaults rather than immediately tearing them down and diminishing the victim’s words to nothing but lies.
At the end of it all, there are hundreds of other victims who will see the way the media has treated his story and they will refrain from sharing theirs. The voices of those victims will be weakened and there will never be a change.
