Jussie Smollett was cleared of all charges on Tuesday, March 26, but the Chicago Police Superintendent and the Chicago Mayor both disagree with the decision.
In a press conference following the announcement, superintendent Eddie Johnson revealed his disappointment.
“Do I think justice was served? No. What do I think justice is? I think this city is still owed an apology,” he said.
“I heard that they wanted their day in court with TV cameras so America could know the truth. But no, they chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system. … I stand behind the detectives’ investigation.”
Mayor Rahm Emanuel also revealed he thinks Smollett did this for self-promotion.
“I’d like to remind everybody that a grand jury indicted this individual on only a piece of the evidence that police had collected,” he said.
“… This is a whitewash of justice. A grand jury could not have been clearer. He did this all in the name of self-promotion.”
He continued, “He used the laws of the hate crime legislation that all of us through the years have put on the books to stand up to be the values that embody what we believe in.”
Emanuel also believes he got off because he is a famous actor.
“Where is the accountability in the system? You cannot have, because of a person’s position, one set of rules apply to them and another set of rules apply to everybody else,” he explained.
“Our officers did hard work day in and day out, working to unwind what actually happened that day. The city saw its reputation dragged through the mud.”
It’s unclear if or when Smollett will return to work on Empire.
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