Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson speaks during a press conference at police headquarters, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Chicago, after actor Jussie Smollett turned himself in on charges of disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. The “Empire” staged a racist and homophobic attack because he was unhappy about his salary and wanted to promote his career, Johnson said Thursday. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Democratic politicians and celebrities called it a shocking instance of Trump-era racism and hate. Republicans now depict it as yet another example of liberals and mainstream media rushing to judgment while disparaging the president’s supporters as bigots.
The case of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett encapsulates the polarized state of political discourse in America.
With Smollett now accused of staging a racist, anti-gay attack on himself, the case seemed to inflame political tensions even more while creating potentially damaging consequences for genuine hate crime victims in the future.
“The danger is that it will cause people to respond with skepticism whenever they hear reports of hate violence, even though the overwhelming majority of those reports are completely true,” said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
Smollett, who is black and gay, is accused of filing a false police report last month asserting that he was attacked in Chicago by two men who beat him, targeted him with slurs, and yelled “This is MAGA country” – an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.