Smollett Charged With Crime

[bèlla]

The idea of two people (of any color) in Chicago walking around wearing MAGA hats was the first thing I thought was unlikely. And then shouting "This is MAGA country!" was when I told Mrs.tulc I think this is not going to be real.
tulc(could see two guys getting jumped for wearing MAGA hats in parts of Chicago being much more likely then the opposite)

If he'd staged this in Bridgeport it might be believable. Streeterville is calm and caters to affluence. No one would have bothered him. That's why I questioned it.

 

[bèlla]

I don't know how far this would have went. This has happened before. Usually the victim gets a settlement. After spending a lot of time in prison . By that time the statute of limitations runs out.

I think he was prepared to let someone go to jail. And I don't think he felt he'd get caught; hence the hiring choices. ;-)

 

[rambot]

The alleged motive...

Jussie Smollett, Upset Over Salary, Staged Assault, Police Say

Jussie Smollett, upset by his salary and seeking publicity, staged a fake assault on himself a week after writing himself a threatening letter, the Chicago police said Thursday after the “Empire” actor surrendered to face a felony charge of filing a false police report.

The Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson, visibly angry at a morning news conference, said Mr. Smollett had taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism, draining resources that could have been used to investigate other crimes for which people were actually suffering.

“I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention,” he said, referring to the news media.

The police say the staged assault was carried out by two brothers to whom the actor had paid $3,500 and that they have a copy of the check Mr. Smollett used to pay them. Also recovered, they said, were phone records that showed Mr. Smollett speaking to the brothers an hour before Mr. Smollett said the incident took place, and an hour after that time.

Whoa. This guy is a complete idiot. Paying your hitmen with a freaking CHEQUE??

While I would say that I initially ere'd on the side of believing him, I'm glad I didn't get to be too sucked into this episode.

I will always begin on the side of the victim. Always. But I will not submit myself to casting aspersions on alleged attacker until things feel more clear.

 

[TheBear]

Being the political activist he is, the last thing Smollett will admit is that this whole thing was set up as an anti-Trump/anti-Trump supporter false flag attempt, painting Trump and his supporters as racists, bigots and homophobes ... twice - once through mail fraud, and when that failed to get traction and gain national attention, plan B. There is no 'mental issue' about it. The whole thing was calculated and planned. He doesn't need counseling. He needs to have the book thrown at him, and spend a few years in prison. On top of that, a class action lawsuit should be filed against him for every penny he's worth.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

Men

I think he was prepared to let someone go to jail. And I don't think he felt he'd get caught; hence the hiring choices. ;-)

Mental problems or desperations is my guess. I don't think he thought anyone would have been caught. I just think he thought he would get more jobs, sympathy or money out of this.

 

[bèlla]

Whoa. This guy is a complete idiot. Paying your hitmen with a freaking CHEQUE??

We can cite multiple errors in this debacle. I would not have chosen minorities to perpetuate a racial hate crime. But alas, I think differently.

I will always begin on the side of the victim. Always. But I will not submit myself to casting aspersions on alleged attacker until things feel more clear.

I don't readily believe anything. There have been too many instances when things aren't as they appear. I prefer to wait and see how it shakes out. This is the lone instance when I voiced my suspicion because I live in the area and have for a long time. It didn't smell right.

 

[rambot]

We can cite multiple errors in this debacle. I would not have chosen minorities to perpetuate a racial hate crime. But alas, I think differently.



I don't readily believe anything. There have been too many instances when things aren't as they appear. I prefer to wait and see how it shakes out. This is the lone instance when I voiced my suspicion because I live in the area and have for a long time. It didn't smell right.

As someone who works and has worked with ACTUAL victims of abuse and attack, it behooves me to support them and believe them.
What you mean when you say "too many instances", I'm not totally sure but false reports of rape/assault are, what 5%. That still means 95% of reports are legitimate.

I often here the cries that our justice system is broken because it doesn't reflect the suffering of victims and murderers get off too light. And yet prejudgement, there are many who are willing to let the victims suffer. I find that a shame.

 

[bèlla]

Men

Mental problems or desperations is my guess. I don't think he thought anyone would have been caught. I just think he thought he would get more jobs, sympathy or money out of this.

A rational minded person can't make sense of this. I don't know if he's ill or diabolical. That's for the professionals to sort out.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

A rational minded person can't make sense of this. I don't know if he's ill or diabolical. That's for the professionals to sort out.

I just hope he can move on from this. He doesn't know how lucky he is, that he got caught. He need support from family and friends. Because the media wont be so kind.

 

[bèlla]

What you mean when you say "too many instances", I'm not totally sure but false reports of rape/assault are, what 5%. That still means 95% of reports are legitimate.

While I understand that is part of your job it isn't mine. Nor will I jump to conclusions about any criminal allegations until the evidence has been sorted.

I often here the cries that our justice system is broken because it doesn't reflect the suffering of victims and murderers get off too light. And yet prejudgement, there are many who are willing to let the victims suffer. I find that a shame.

Are you speaking of public support or something else?

 

[Ana the Ist]

As someone who works and has worked with ACTUAL victims of abuse and attack, it behooves me to support them and believe them.
What you mean when you say "too many instances", I'm not totally sure but false reports of rape/assault are, what 5%. That still means 95% of reports are legitimate.

Where are you getting those figures from?

I often here the cries that our justice system is broken because it doesn't reflect the suffering of victims and murderers get off too light. And yet prejudgement, there are many who are willing to let the victims suffer. I find that a shame.

I don't think there's anything wrong with believing someone's claims...so long as there's something to them more than the claims.

Everyone on the left is all worried that people won't automatically believe "victims" in the future. It's as if they don't see that's why they were wrong about this...and Covington...to begin with.

There's nothing wrong with approaching each incident with some basic level of critical thinking. For some reason, the left seems to easily grasp the idea that someone's race or gender or sexual orientation is never a good reason to believe they committed a crime....but when it comes to believing a victim of a crime, that same reasoning goes out the window.

 

[Ana the Ist]

I hate to say I told you so...but it looks like Smellit is going to blame the police for this.

Jussie Smollett “Feels Betrayed” After $100K Bail Hearing; Says He’s Innocent

"Mr. Smollet is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing,” read a statement sent out late Thursday on behalf of the Empire actor.

“Today we witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system,” the hyperbolic statement added. “The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a Mayoral election,” it also noted, tossing more political edge into an already sharply political affair."

I'm not sure if this is just the prelude to a better argument against the police...but it seems rather silly to me. The police, as far as I can tell, did everything right. They investigated it as if Smollett was the victim until they had evidence that showed otherwise.

If, perhaps, this statement is referring to the statements made by police at his hearing...the police aren't obligated to "presume" anyone's innocence once they've arrested and charged them lol. That doesn't even make sense. They charged him precisely because the evidence is for his guilt. It's now the obligation of the court...which includes a jury...to presume his innocence.

 

[(° ͡ ͜ ͡ʖ ͡ °) (ᵔᴥᵔʋ)]

So some narcissist fakes a hate crime for attention and that means that no one should believe reports of hate crimes?

No, it means that the media should get the facts before they report false information.

 

[(° ͡ ͜ ͡ʖ ͡ °) (ᵔᴥᵔʋ)]

We know that's not true. White supremacists voted for Trump, as did anti-Semites, and the guy the FBI just arrested was a Trump supporter and wanted to kill Democrats.

How many "white supremacists" do you know? I would argue none. I sure don't know any. This is because there are an extremely few in number in this country. As a result, the left needs to invent them in order to propagate their identity politics and ideology. It is certainly possible that the less than 1% of Americans who consider themselves "white supremacists" voted for Trump just like the less that 1% of Americans who consider themselves to be black nationalists voted for Barack Obama.

 

[bhsmte]

One thing that seems poorly thought out and makes no sense is why he would have 2 black guys wear red MAGA hats and say, "This is MAGA country" if he wanted to paint his attackers as being Trump supporters and racist against black people. If the staged incident would have been caught on camera, people would have seen how little sense it made. On top of that, if the camera would have seen it, his two friends could have been identified and put in jail for a hate crime. Were those 2 guys willing to endure that for the $3500 they were paid???

The answer may be simple. The dude was arrogant enough to think he could get away with it.

 

[bhsmte]

No, it means that the media should get the facts before they report false information.

Most of the media, is going to jump on a story that fits their narrative and give that story prominent coverage. We see it with fox, we see it with cnn and others.

That is the reality with most of todays media outlets.

 

[super animator]

seriously? I suspect if you think real hard about that post there's a part that you might want to rethink using. Not because I think you meant it bad, just that it might not be the best word to describe a black gay actor.
tulc(just thought it should be pointed out)

If you think they didn't meant it bad, then it is not an issue. Context matters.

 

[Hank77]

How many "white supremacists" do you know? I would argue none. I sure don't know any. This is because there are an extremely few in number in this country. As a result, the left needs to invent them in order to propagate their identity politics and ideology. It is certainly possible that the less than 1% of Americans who consider themselves "white supremacists" voted for Trump just like the less that 1% of Americans who consider themselves to be black nationalists voted for Barack Obama.

Just a few years ago my friend was buying groceries in a little town in the eastern portion of my state. She heard a black man being told by two residents that he had better be out of town before dark and the grocer refused to sell anything to him. How many showed up in Charlottesville?

The point isn't how many there are but who they voted for.

 

[rambot]

Everyone on the left is all worried that people won't automatically believe "victims" in the future. It's as if they don't see that's why they were wrong about this...and Covington...to begin with.

So, 1.....2....

There's nothing wrong with approaching each incident with some basic level of critical thinking. For some reason, the left seems to easily grasp the idea that someone's race or gender or sexual orientation is never a good reason to believe they committed a crime....but when it comes to believing a victim of a crime, that same reasoning goes out the window.

I object to the idea that I am not using critical thinking when I support a victim off the bat. I object to the inference that I believe a victim of assault because of their race, gender or sexual orientation.

 

[Aldebaran]

As someone who works and has worked with ACTUAL victims of abuse and attack, it behooves me to support them and believe them.
What you mean when you say "too many instances", I'm not totally sure but false reports of rape/assault are, what 5%. That still means 95% of reports are legitimate.

The police seem to have done a pretty good job at detecting the deception. They deal with actual and imagined offenses all the time and are trained in determining which ones are which.