Dueling Demonstrations Break Out Over Jussie Smollett Case

Two demonstrations broke out in Chicago on Monday, April 1, and they both had to do with how the case was handled involving Empire actor Jussie Smollett.

While one demonstration was lead by the city police union who are demanding the resignation of the Cook County state’s attorney Kimberly Foxx, another group gathered in defense of her.

These demonstrations come just one week after Foxx agreed to drop all 16 felony charges against the actor after he was accused of reportedly staging his own hate crime. While some people support Smollett and believe he’s innocent, there are others who believe Foxx did not do her job.

“Foxx must go! Foxx must go!” demonstrators chanted in front of Foxx’s office. However, just a few feet away, another group marched in support of Foxx, who just so happens to be the first African-American woman to serve as the state’s attorney in Cook County.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson have both expressed disappointment in how Foxx handled the case, but they did not attend the demonstration. However, Kevin Graham, who is the president of the Fraternal Order of Police, was present.

“We expended a lot of manpower and we’ve done a lot of work to make sure that this case was brought to trial, and it wasn’t. That’s a lot of money to just throw away,” he told ABC News at the demonstration.

However, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said he and the members of Rainbow PUSH Coalition stand by Foxx and believe the acts against her are “unreasonable, unjustified, and politically motivated.”

Smollett has maintained his innocence throughout this entire ordeal, and he hopes to get back to work on Empire, but it’s unclear if he or the Fox show will be returning for Season 6 in the fall. As soon as any information is available, Entertainment Hub will let you know.