Cook County, Illinois , State’s Attorney Kim Foxx slammed the legal team behind the criminal prosecution of Jussie Smollett , writing in an op-ed that the „justice …
Cook County, Illinois, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx slammed the legal team behind the criminal prosecution of Jussie Smollett, writing in an op-ed that the „justice system failed“ just hours after the disgraced Hollywood star was sentenced to jail time for his hate crimes hoax conviction. „At its best, our justice system should make people safer, hold accountable those who seek to harm others and earn the trust of its citizenry. At its worst, the system can be easily manipulated in furtherance of thinly veiled political agendas,“ Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx wrote in an opinion piece published in the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday evening. „On Thursday, the damaging, costly, and disingenuous criminal prosecution of Jussie Smollett came to an end.“ She added: „Smollett was indicted, tried and convicted by a kangaroo prosecution in a matter of months. Meanwhile, the families of more than 50 Black women murdered in Chicago over the last 20 years await justice.“ Smollett, now 39, told Chicago Police on Jan.29,2019 that he was attacked by two masked men, whom he believed were White, in the city’s downtown area at about 2 a.m. He alleged that the pair placed a rope around his neck, poured some „unknown substance“ on him and made homophobic and racist comments. The Black man, who is gay, reportedly claimed they said, „This is MAGA country“ during the confrontation. Unable to find video of the attack and amid conflicting reports regarding the events, police released images showing persons of interest one day later, the two people whom they sought for questioning. Meanwhile, celebrities, public officials and civil rights activists flooded social media with messages of support for Smollett. Police later questioned two men – but then released them without filing charges, and announced they wanted to re-interview Smollett. On Feb.20,2019, prosecutors accused Smollett of filing a false report and charged him with felony disorderly conduct after police obtained evidence that Smollett paid the two men – brothers – to help him fake the attack, officials said at the time.
