Media Claim Two MAGA Fans Attacked Actor. Here Is The Full Story.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Josh Hammer - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/fb3S0Jpl.jpg

CORRECTION: An initial title of this article suggested that the actor himself politicized the nature of his attackers. Rather, the only ones confirmed to politicize the nature of his attackers are sources close to the actor.

On Tuesday morning, black, openly gay actor Jussie Smollett — best known for his work on the Fox show "Empire" — was horrifically assaulted in Chicago by two men carrying a noose and a possible "chemical substance." The Boston Globe reports:


Smollett, 35, was walking on the 300th block of E. North Lower Water Street around 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday, "when two unknown offenders approached him and gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs towards him," the Chicago Police Department said in a statement to The Washington Post. ‘"The offenders began to batter the victim with their hands about the face and poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim."

The police could not confirm the gender of the offenders nor identify the chemical substance.

Following the terrible attack, Smollett is now recovering and is in "good condition" at Northwestern Hospital.

The Daily Mail reports that the Chicago Police Department is investigating the case as possibly being racially charged or homophobic in nature. The crime is also being investigated as possibly being premeditated, as Smollett had received a letter, dated January 18, stating, "You will die black f*g."

Some media outlets reporting on the assault, however, have tried to also politicize the attack and indirectly place the blame on some of President Trump's supporters. TMZ has run with the headline, "JUSSIE SMOLLETT VICTIM OF HOMOPHOBIC ATTACK BY MAGA SUPPORTERS." In the article, TMZ claims:


"Empire" star Jussie Smollett was brutally attacked by 2 men who beat him up, put his head in a noose and screamed, "This is MAGA country."

Sources directly connected to Jussie tell TMZ, the actor arrived in Chicago from New York late Monday, and at around 2 AM he was hungry and went to a Subway. We're told when shortly after he walked out on his way home, someone yelled, "Aren't you that f***ot 'Empire' n*****?"

The 2 men – both white and wearing ski masks — viciously attacked Jussie as he fought back, but they beat him badly and fractured a rib. They put a rope around his neck, poured bleach on him and as they left they yelled, "This is MAGA country."

But in their rush to politicize an indubitably horrific assault and thereby inflict blame upon some of President Trump's supporters, some media outlets have gone well out over their skis. As Robby Soave of Reason notes, the Chicago Police Department has expressly disclaimed having any information about the assaulters' race or political views:


Several media outlets referenced claims that appeared in TMZ's coverage of this matter, most notably that the perpetrators were white and yelled "this is MAGA country," as they attacked Smollett. But a spokesperson for the Chicago police denied having any information about the race and political views of the attackers.

"According to the victim, the offenders' faces were concealed," a police spokesperson told Reason. "We have no record indicating that [they shouted 'MAGA'], we only have record of them shouting racial and homophobic slurs at him."

Chicago police have also released a statement contradicting claims that Smollett identified his attackers' race and heard them shout "MAGA."

"We have no record of The MAGA Country comment," said the police in a statement. "We have racial and homophobic comments documented."

It seems that, in their rush to politicize a terrible tragedy, some media outlets have "reported" much more than the present on-the-ground fact situation would otherwise support.

[RBP]

By Josh Hammer - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/fb3S0Jpl.jpg

CORRECTION: An initial title of this article suggested that the actor himself politicized the nature of his attackers. Rather, the only ones confirmed to politicize the nature of his attackers are sources close to the actor.

On Tuesday morning, black, openly gay actor Jussie Smollett — best known for his work on the Fox show "Empire" — was horrifically assaulted in Chicago by two men carrying a noose and a possible "chemical substance." The Boston Globe reports:


Smollett, 35, was walking on the 300th block of E. North Lower Water Street around 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday, "when two unknown offenders approached him and gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs towards him," the Chicago Police Department said in a statement to The Washington Post. ‘"The offenders began to batter the victim with their hands about the face and poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim."

The police could not confirm the gender of the offenders nor identify the chemical substance.

Following the terrible attack, Smollett is now recovering and is in "good condition" at Northwestern Hospital.

The Daily Mail reports that the Chicago Police Department is investigating the case as possibly being racially charged or homophobic in nature. The crime is also being investigated as possibly being premeditated, as Smollett had received a letter, dated January 18, stating, "You will die black f*g."

Some media outlets reporting on the assault, however, have tried to also politicize the attack and indirectly place the blame on some of President Trump's supporters. TMZ has run with the headline, "JUSSIE SMOLLETT VICTIM OF HOMOPHOBIC ATTACK BY MAGA SUPPORTERS." In the article, TMZ claims:


"Empire" star Jussie Smollett was brutally attacked by 2 men who beat him up, put his head in a noose and screamed, "This is MAGA country."

Sources directly connected to Jussie tell TMZ, the actor arrived in Chicago from New York late Monday, and at around 2 AM he was hungry and went to a Subway. We're told when shortly after he walked out on his way home, someone yelled, "Aren't you that f***ot 'Empire' n*****?"

The 2 men – both white and wearing ski masks — viciously attacked Jussie as he fought back, but they beat him badly and fractured a rib. They put a rope around his neck, poured bleach on him and as they left they yelled, "This is MAGA country."

But in their rush to politicize an indubitably horrific assault and thereby inflict blame upon some of President Trump's supporters, some media outlets have gone well out over their skis. As Robby Soave of Reason notes, the Chicago Police Department has expressly disclaimed having any information about the assaulters' race or political views:


Several media outlets referenced claims that appeared in TMZ's coverage of this matter, most notably that the perpetrators were white and yelled "this is MAGA country," as they attacked Smollett. But a spokesperson for the Chicago police denied having any information about the race and political views of the attackers.

"According to the victim, the offenders' faces were concealed," a police spokesperson told Reason. "We have no record indicating that [they shouted 'MAGA'], we only have record of them shouting racial and homophobic slurs at him."

Chicago police have also released a statement contradicting claims that Smollett identified his attackers' race and heard them shout "MAGA."

"We have no record of The MAGA Country comment," said the police in a statement. "We have racial and homophobic comments documented."

It seems that, in their rush to politicize a terrible tragedy, some media outlets have "reported" much more than the present on-the-ground fact situation would otherwise support.

Lots of things don't make sense here, and lazy reporting abounds. Why was he on LOWER water? There's nothing down there. There also isn't a Subway close to there, at least not when it's below zero out. Note that the reports of racial and homophobic slurs are reported only by the victim. I'll bet this turns out to be a completely different story. I wouldn't walk down there at night.

[Pony]

Whole thing seems fishy.

They "beat him badly" but yet he's only visibly got a small cut on his face.
He apparently was still wearing the noose when police arrived.
"Aren't you that f***ot 'Empire' n*****?" Implies they just happened by him but yet they came with masks, bleach and a noose?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And of course TMZ labeled the 'attackers' as white and MAGA supporters...without any proof.

[RBP]

Yes, the whole thing makes zero sense.

[RBP]

And of course TMZ labeled the 'attackers' as white and MAGA supporters...without any proof.

Where did that even come from? Thin air?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Where did that even come from? Thin air?

https://www.tmz.com/2019/01/29/empire-star-jussie-smollett-attacked-hospitalized-homophobic-hate-crime/

TMZ's 'account'

[RBP]

https://i.imgur.com/fVHihNu.jpg

Again, why was he down there?

Sun Times reported that when police arrived at the apartment, he still had the rope around his neck, but it didn't resemble a noose.

That article said he brought up the MAGA thing the next morning in a followup interview.

The subway was 511 McClurg, so 1/2 a mile at 2 am in the cold.

[RBP]

https://www.tmz.com/2019/01/29/empire-star-jussie-smollett-attacked-hospitalized-homophobic-hate-crime/

TMZ's 'account'

https://i.imgur.com/xHn8rX2.jpg

:-s

[Teh One Who Knocks]

All seems legit to me :-k

[Pony]

[img]

That article said he brought up the MAGA thing the next morning in a followup interview.


Apparently AFTER TMZ's article. They went and asked him did they yell "This is MAGA country" and he said yea, I think they did.

So basically they suggested that he heard it.

[Pony]

So he got the death threat, turned down additional security, then went out alone in a bad neighborhood?

Sounds like a bad movie script.

[RBP]

So he got the death threat, turned down additional security, then went out alone in a bad neighborhood?

Sounds like a bad movie script.

It's not a bad neighborhood which makes it more bizarre, but that level of street is below the main street level. More of a service entrance level.

[Hal-9000]

Soooo...can someone support MAGA without being a republican?

The slogan and the idea in general are a good idea I think, but must it have a political affiliation tagged to it automatically?

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Trump 2020

[Pony]

Soooo...can someone support MAGA without being a republican?



Sure. But everyone will assume you are a male, white, nazi, sexist, racist, homophobe who eats little children and fucks puppies.

And then they will attack you for it.

[RBP]

Soooo...can someone support MAGA without being a republican?

The slogan and the idea in general are a good idea I think, but must it have a political affiliation tagged to it automatically?

Not all Trump supporters are Republicans. There were a lot of people who went from Bernie Sanders to Trump.


Trump 2020

I am not sure he'll seek reelection.

[RBP]

Sure. But everyone will assume you are a male, white, nazi, sexist, racist, homophobe who eats little children and fucks puppies.

And then they will attack you for it.

That reminds me, I have a rack of puppy ribs to smoke.

[Hal-9000]

Sure. But everyone will assume you are a male, white, nazi, sexist, racist, homophobe who eats little children and fucks puppies.

And then they will attack you for it.

So pretty much business as usual without the hat.

ok :thumbsup:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

Not all Trump supporters are Republicans. There were a lot of people who went from Bernie Sanders to Trump.



I am not sure he'll seek reelection.

I dont think he necessarily wanted to win this election, but I doubt he wont do the next 4.

[PorkChopSandwiches]

https://i.redd.it/knu3qm6fskd21.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Sasha Savitsky | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/oj0MCQMl.jpg

Chicago police told Fox News they've reviewed hundreds of hours of footage from downtown surveillance cameras but haven't found footage yet of the alleged attack on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett.

The department said Wednesday afternoon that they are expanding their search to the Chicago River area after footage from privately-owned cameras near where Smollett says he was attacked did not prove fruitful. Police are also broadening their search by reviewing footage from traffic cameras and public bus cameras.

"We are taking this investigation very seriously," the police statement said.

Smollett told police he was walking downtown near the Chicago River at around 2 a.m. on Tuesday when two masked men hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him, beat him, threw an "unknown substance" on him and put a rope around his neck. Police also told Fox News that Smollett said the attackers yelled, “This is MAGA country.” Investigators said he gave the detail to detectives during a follow-up inquiry, not when he initially reported the incident to police.

A rep for Smollett did not return Fox News' request for comment. Police said Smollett took himself to Northwestern Memorial Hospital after the alleged attack for treatment.

In a statement to Fox News, 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment said: “We are deeply saddened and outraged to learn that a member of our EMPIRE family, Jussie Smollett, was viciously attacked last night. We send our love to Jussie, who is resilient and strong, and we will work with law enforcement to bring these perpetrators to justice. The entire studio, network and production stands united in the face of any despicable act of violence and hate — and especially against one of our own.”

Smollett plays openly gay musician Jamal Lyon on the Fox series. The actor told Ellen DeGeneres in 2015 that he identifies as gay but does not discuss his personal life in public.

"Empire" is shot in Chicago and is currently in production.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The department said Wednesday afternoon that they are expanding their search to the Chicago River area after footage from privately-owned cameras near where Smollett says he was attacked did not prove fruitful. Police are also broadening their search by reviewing footage from traffic cameras and public bus cameras.

Funny that :-k

[DemonGeminiX]

I get the feeling that a charge of filing a false police report will be coming, or at the very least should be coming, in relation to this case.

[RBP]

I get the feeling that a charge of filing a false police report will be coming, or at the very least should be coming, in relation to this case.

You mean another CPD coverup! :x

[Hal-9000]

He of course has the right to walk down by the river at 2 am. He could of been walking someone home, getting munchies, getting stoned. Saying anything otherwise will be called victim blaming. Can RBP tell us approximately how cold it was the night in question? I don't buy part of his story.

And if DGX is right, we're going to see a huge reaction from both sides. Black, gay actor faked assault to incriminate the 'publicans? Ooh boy.

[RBP]

He of course has the right to walk down by the river at 2 am. He could of been walking someone home, getting munchies, getting stoned. Saying anything otherwise will be called victim blaming. Can RBP tell us approximately how cold it was the night in question? I don't buy part of his story.

And if DGX is right, we're going to see a huge reaction from both sides. Black, gay actor faked assault to incriminate the 'publicans? Ooh boy.

I checked history for a downtown weather station, which puts the temperature at ~7°F (-22C) at 2 am.

I need to stop expecting precision from reporting, but that article would suggest the expended search is in the opposite direction of the subway shop.

[Hal-9000]

Thanks. -14C ain't no walking around weather, especially down by the river in Chicago at 2 am. I'd like to know what he was doing there, how far he walked, planned on walking. Maybe he could fill out the story a little more. If it's buying a sub, then I guess he was hungry.

I agree with Pony. The two attackers would have to be anticipating an assault to be carrying the chemicals, rope and masks. The 'white' guys in masks were hoping to find a democratic supporter and the first black guy they accosted turned out be gay and a democrat?

Something is missing. Even if the attackers recognized the guy as their specific kind of target, they took a big chance assaulting a well known actor. Sounds like Chicago has some surveillance happening.

[DemonGeminiX]

There's no way, it's bullshit. If he got jumped by 2 guys, his face would be way more jacked up then it is. And a 'noose'? Give me a fucking break. Maybe if the attackers were 12 years old.

Something might have happened and he concocted the story to cover his tracks. Maybe he was out looking for a dealer and somebody robbed him.

[Hal-9000]

I'm trying not to comment on his injury picture. Okay I failed.


I have larger cuts shaving than what I'm seeing there :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I checked history for a downtown weather station, which puts the temperature at ~7°F (-14C) at 2 am.

I need to stop expecting precision from reporting, but that article would suggest the expended search is in the opposite direction of the subway shop.It's because he's a:


https://youtu.be/awY1MRlMKMc

[Hal-9000]

I'm not on Twitter. Had a look at Jussie's recent posts. He makes a strange one about fraud on Jan 27th, and this is a direct response:


https://i.imgur.com/Edd4rKB.jpg

[DemonGeminiX]

Man, that's hilarious. :lol:

[Muddy]

Jezter?

[Godfather]

Listened to some podcasters break down everything they know about this story so far today. They danced around it very very lightly being Hollywood types and on TV shows, and one of them (Brendan Schaub) said he cousin was beat to death for being gay so he's sympathetic to homophobia... but even they were just trying to find a nice way of saying this story is fishy as fuck and smells like bullshit.

I read late today that the Chicago PD may have found some video of a suspect... very curious to see what comes of this.

[RBP]

Listened to some podcasters break down everything they know about this story so far today. They danced around it very very lightly being Hollywood types and on TV shows, and one of them (Brendan Schaub) said he cousin was beat to death for being gay so he's sympathetic to homophobia... but even they were just trying to find a nice way of saying this story is fishy as fuck and smells like bullshit.

I read late today that the Chicago PD may have found some video of a suspect... very curious to see what comes of this.

And it's hilarious.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Photos of people of interest who were in area of the alleged assault &amp; battery of Empire cast member. While video does not capture an encounter, detectives are taking this development seriously &amp; wish to question individuals as more cameras are being reviewed <a href="https://t.co/xJDDygtocr">pic.twitter.com/xJDDygtocr</a></p>&mdash; Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AJGuglielmi/status/1090787128030781441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Godfather]

:lol: Oh jeeze.


Are you guys familiar with the Boston Marathon Bomber 'investigation' that Reddit did? It's folklore at this point, I think some sociologists have probably done their PhD dissertation on it by now. Long story short, after the bombing when all this footage was released, thousands of wannabe FBI agents went online and tried to analyze pixelate images to find the bomber. It was an almost comical exercise in hive-mind mentality where each piece of the puzzle they supposedly found was upvoted to infinity until they thought they'd found the guy. His face and even a supposed identity were splattered around the internet, ruining this guy's life for days who was surprise surprise the wrong guy. The meme "We did it Reddit" spawned out of it, now used ironically when internet idiots think they've cracked a case. Real interesting case study on group think or whatever you wish to call it. I'm sure the FBI was having a collective stomach ulcer watching these dollar store detectives try and work.

Anyways, I just felt like mentioning that. We'll see what the detectives here turn up. These stills don't help any and RBP's points on page 1 about the location making no sense are really interesting, but we'll see I guess :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And it's hilarious.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Photos of people of interest who were in area of the alleged assault & battery of Empire cast member. While video does not capture an encounter, detectives are taking this development seriously & wish to question individuals as more cameras are being reviewed <a href="https://t.co/xJDDygtocr">pic.twitter.com/xJDDygtocr</a></p>— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) <a href="https://twitter.com/AJGuglielmi/status/1090787128030781441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The responses in that Twitter thread are hilarious :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

It's actually kinda sad that with all the REAL crime going on in Chicago that the CPD is spending this kind of time on something like this :|

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The Lowell Sun


CHICAGO (AP) -- Detectives have reviewed surveillance footage of "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett walking to a downtown Chicago apartment after an early morning visit to a Subway restaurant, but none of it showed an attack on the actor, a police official said Wednesday.

Investigators "for the most part" can confirm the route Smollett took early Tuesday when he says he was attacked by two masked men along a street in the Streeterville neighborhood, a police spokesman said. However, there are gaps, and none of the footage police have reviewed shows an attack, he said, noting that the review is ongoing.

Smollett, 36, who is black and gay and who plays the gay character Jamal Lyon on the hit Fox television show, said the men beat him, subjected him to racist and homophobic insults, threw an "unknown chemical substance" on him and put a thin rope around his neck before fleeing.

"We haven't seen anybody, at this point, matching the description he gave, nobody looks menacing and we didn't find a container anywhere," Guglielmi said, referring to a container for the liquid that the actor said was thrown at him.

[DemonGeminiX]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5HXQ2e4yVA

[Pony]

Image enhanced.

https://i.imgur.com/4GJBnAz.jpg

[RBP]

It's actually kinda sad that with all the REAL crime going on in Chicago that the CPD is spending this kind of time on something like this :|

I said to my wife... You know how I say that most "race" issues are really "socioeconomic" issues? Well, the Empire case-in-point. Alleged` non-life threatening assault of a millionaire. The CPD assigned 12 detectives to work the case. TWELVE. How many detectives do you think are assigned to a non-life threatening assault in Austin [violent neighborhood not far from us]? She said "probably none". Probably not, a patrol report filed probably ends it.

So tell me again how this represents racial disparity in policing rather than socioeconomic disparity....

[RBP]

The Lowell Sun


CHICAGO (AP) -- Detectives have reviewed surveillance footage of "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett walking to a downtown Chicago apartment after an early morning visit to a Subway restaurant, but none of it showed an attack on the actor, a police official said Wednesday.

Investigators "for the most part" can confirm the route Smollett took early Tuesday when he says he was attacked by two masked men along a street in the Streeterville neighborhood, a police spokesman said. However, there are gaps, and none of the footage police have reviewed shows an attack, he said, noting that the review is ongoing.

Smollett, 36, who is black and gay and who plays the gay character Jamal Lyon on the hit Fox television show, said the men beat him, subjected him to racist and homophobic insults, threw an "unknown chemical substance" on him and put a thin rope around his neck before fleeing.

"We haven't seen anybody, at this point, matching the description he gave, nobody looks menacing and we didn't find a container anywhere," Guglielmi said, referring to a container for the liquid that the actor said was thrown at him.

In other words...

https://i.imgur.com/kiew6Cu.gif

[Teh One Who Knocks]

In other words...

https://i.imgur.com/kiew6Cu.gif

Exactly, but you can't say that because it makes you either racist, homophobic, or both :shhh:

[RBP]

Exactly, but you can't say that because it makes you either racist, homophobic, or both :shhh:

This reminds me of the fake tip message stories. Every one fake.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Tonja Renée Stidhum - The Root


https://i.imgur.com/j3ybiuL.jpg

Investigation is underway regarding the recent Jussie Smollett attack as law enforcement officials and fans alike strive for answers.

One major update came on late Wednesday afternoon when the Chicago Police Department confirmed surveillance footage showing two potential “persons of interest.”

Now, the saga continues as a woman who lives in the same complex as the 35-year-old actor-singer is claiming to have seen a suspicious white man loitering nearby shortly before the reported attack, while she was taking her dogs outside.

The unidentified woman spoke with TMZ, informing them she saw a man she describes as a “redneck” outside of the building she shares with Smollett at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday pacing back-and-forth between the parking garage and entrance, smoking a cigarette with an agitated demeanor. He was also apparently staring at another man approximately 300 feet away, standing near another entrance.

Hmm, suspicious, indeed.

“He looked out of place,” she said, noting she returned to the building after being “creeped out” by the man.

She described the man as white with facial scruff, wearing a blue winter beanie, a blue zip-up hoodie sweatshirt, too-short blue jeans that exposed his “thick, grey hunting socks,” and camel-colored dress shoes.

The most notable thing she claims to have spotted, is a blue and white rope or clothesline hanging from the white man’s sweatshirt. As previously reported, Smollett claimed to CPD that he was attacked with a noose and chemical substance believed to be bleach.

After hearing of Smollett’s attack, the woman informed the building’s concierge, who then directed her to contact detectives.

As more details come in, hopefully we’re getting closer to finding some concrete answers.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Seems convenient :rolleyes:

[RBP]

:lol: that makes it even LESS believable.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:lol: that makes it even LESS believable.

Take it for what it is, that story is from one of those 'hate whitey' pro-BLM websites left over from when Gawker went bankrupt.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And of course the liberal "Hate Trump" media runs with it like it's the word of God. Story from USA Today this morning:

:link: Assault on 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett serves as a reminder — lynching, noose symbolism are still prevalent (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/01/31/attack-empire-star-jussie-smollett-shows-rise-lynching-symbolism/2719869002/)

[Hal-9000]

Tonja Renée Stidhum - The Root


https://i.imgur.com/j3ybiuL.jpg

Investigation is underway regarding the recent Jussie Smollett attack as law enforcement officials and fans alike strive for answers.

One major update came on late Wednesday afternoon when the Chicago Police Department confirmed surveillance footage showing two potential “persons of interest.”

Now, the saga continues as a woman who lives in the same complex as the 35-year-old actor-singer is claiming to have seen a suspicious white man loitering nearby shortly before the reported attack, while she was taking her dogs outside.

The unidentified woman spoke with TMZ, informing them she saw a man she describes as a “redneck” outside of the building she shares with Smollett at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday pacing back-and-forth between the parking garage and entrance, smoking a cigarette with an agitated demeanor. He was also apparently staring at another man approximately 300 feet away, standing near another entrance.

Hmm, suspicious, indeed.

“He looked out of place,” she said, noting she returned to the building after being “creeped out” by the man.

She described the man as white with facial scruff, wearing a blue winter beanie, a blue zip-up hoodie sweatshirt, too-short blue jeans that exposed his “thick, grey hunting socks,” and camel-colored dress shoes.

The most notable thing she claims to have spotted, is a blue and white rope or clothesline hanging from the white man’s sweatshirt. As previously reported, Smollett claimed to CPD that he was attacked with a noose and chemical substance believed to be bleach.

After hearing of Smollett’s attack, the woman informed the building’s concierge, who then directed her to contact detectives.

As more details come in, hopefully we’re getting closer to finding some concrete answers.

I'm starting to get a little offended. She sees a stranger and can call him a redneck? Because he had a white face or because he had scruffy facial hair? I have both.

Does this mean next time I see a black person walking down the street I can report I saw a thief or a mugger?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I'm starting to get a little offended. She sees a stranger and can call him a redneck? Because he had a white face or because he had scruffy facial hair? I have both.

Does this mean next time I see a black person walking down the street I can report I saw a thief or a mugger?

:racist:

[Hal-9000]

:hand: I keep my nooses at home and rarely walk around with them on display.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Neetu Chandak - The Daily Caller


The Chicago Police Department (CPD) said “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett and his music manager are not handing over phone records of a conversation that occurred Tuesday morning during an alleged attack.

“Update on the ‘Empire’ Smollett case: The victim and his manager reported that they were talking on their cell phones to each other but CPD has been unable to independently verify this because they refused to turn over their cell phones,” CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a Thursday statement obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Smollett claimed two men beat him up, tied a noose around his neck, said racial and homophobic slurs and threw an unknown chemical substance on him Tuesday, The Associated Press reported.

Brandon Z. Moore, Smollett’s music manager, said he heard some of the attack while on the phone with Smollett, according to Variety.

“I heard that clearly,” Moore said. “I heard the scuffle and I heard the racial slur.”

TMZ reported Tuesday the attackers were white men wearing ski masks who poured bleach on Smollett and screamed “This is MAGA (Make America Great Again) country.” Smollett reportedly had a fractured rib as well.

Police said the actor did not initially disclose the “MAGA country” comment, but confirmed it in a second interview.

Guglielmi added Moore claimed in the follow-up interview that he heard the “MAGA country” phrase, ABC7 reported.

A police statement said the incident occurred around 2 a.m. on Tuesday.

Police were notified 40 minutes after the attack and found Smollett in his apartment with cuts and scrapes on his face and the rope around the actor’s neck, according to AP. Smollett asked police to shut down the body cameras as he explained why the rope was around his neck.

Smollett was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and was in “good condition,” according to People Tuesday.

Guglielmi said Tuesday evening they could not find video evidence of Smollett getting attacked. Police expanded their search area and found “people of interest” Wednesday, according to a tweet by Guglielmi.

The picture shows two people walking between 1:30 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. in the vicinity where Smollett was allegedly attacked Tuesday, ABC7 reported. Police confirmed Smollett walking across the street from the two people. Cops also found on another camera that looked like Smollett was “wearing a rope like a neck tie.”

Investigation is ongoing.

[RBP]

:shocker:

[Hal-9000]

:datass::bbq:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Police were notified 40 minutes after the attack and found Smollett in his apartment with cuts and scrapes on his face and the rope around the actor’s neck, according to AP. Smollett asked police to shut down the body cameras as he explained why the rope was around his neck.

:huh:

[DemonGeminiX]

Yeah, shut those body cameras off so I can lie to you and you won't have video/audio evidence of it.

[RBP]

I really hope they press charges after this completely unravels.

[Hal-9000]

I really hope they press charges after this completely unravels.

You know even if there's evidence along with his full confession saying nothing happened, that people are still going to tag the naysayers as bigots, non believers, gay haters.

I hate the internet world sometimes. People see a graphic or a post and instantly that becomes THEIR truth.

:|

[RBP]

You know even if there's evidence along with his full confession saying nothing happened, that people are still going to tag the naysayers as bigots, non believers, gay haters.

I hate the internet world sometimes. People see a graphic or a post and instantly that becomes THEIR truth.

:|

There is no truth any more. Nor fact. Nor civility. Nor rationality. All dead.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

So let's see:

No witnesses
No video evidence despite an abundance of cameras everywhere
Alleged phone conversation DURING the attack but won't turn over the phone records to verify
Waited until 40 minutes AFTER the attack to call the police
STILL wearing the alleged noose around his neck when police arrive
Supposedly doused in some unknown chemical, but no evidence to support that

:-k

[Hal-9000]

There is no truth any more. Nor fact. Nor civility. Nor rationality. All dead.

https://i.imgur.com/Xl0HT2m.jpg

[Hal-9000]

So let's see:

No witnesses
No video evidence despite an abundance of cameras everywhere
Alleged phone conversation DURING the attack but won't turn over the phone records to verify
Waited until 40 minutes AFTER the attack to call the police
STILL wearing the alleged noose around his neck when police arrive
Supposedly doused in some unknown chemical, but no evidence to support that

:-k


spermicidal foam


:lol: okay, I'm out

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Jussie Smollett's Family Calls Attack 'Domestic Terrorism'
By the TMZ Staff


Jussie Smollett's family is squarely addressing people who may doubt his story about being viciously attacked, and in the process they seem to be placing some of the blame on Donald Trump.

Jussie's family just gave TMZ a statement, saying the actor's story has never changed, and he is one of the increasing number of hate crime victims. l They go on to say, "Hateful words lead to hateful actions." This seems pointed at the President, particularly because Jussie says the attackers screamed "MAGA Country" as they left.

The family says, "This was a racial, homophobic hate crime ... We want people to understand these targeted hate crimes are happening to our sisters, brothers and our gender non-conforming siblings."

The statement goes on ... "These are inhumane acts of domestic terrorism and they should be treated as such." They also make it clear Jussie won't be silenced by the attack, saying ... "We, as a family, will continue to work for love, equity and justice until it reigns supreme."

As we've reported ... cops have confirmed with us they have video of Jussie with rope draped around his neck as he walks through the lobby of his building. That video was captured by a building surveillance camera.

On top of that, police released photos of 2 persons of interest -- via shadowy surveillance footage -- in the area of the alleged attack about 15-30 minutes before it went down.

There is video of Jussie entering his apartment building with rope around his neck, but so far cops don't have video of the attack.

And, as we told you ... a woman who lives in Jussie's building says she saw a suspicious man -- whom she said looked like a "redneck" -- loitering just near the entrance to the building an hour and a half before Jussie says he was attacked.

[Hal-9000]

Odd language for the police to use. Why would they feel the need to clarify something they usually do during assaults?

"We are taking this investigation very seriously," the police statement said.

And I had a closer look at the death threat/drawings. Strange someone would make an awkward attempt at someone being hung in a stickman drawing.
Coincides with the noose I suppose :-k

[RBP]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Frauds are everywhere y’all. Protect the mind, heart and spirit of you and your people at all costs. Just remember... Salt, cocaine and anthrax can all appear to be sugar...(the “refined” kind of course) just be careful out here fam. Happy Sunday. Love you. Real talk. Love on.</p>&mdash; Jussie Smollett (@JussieSmollett) <a href="https://twitter.com/JussieSmollett/status/1089534414546239495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>...

[RBP]

https://i.imgur.com/OqU1XNt.jpg

[Hal-9000]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Frauds are everywhere y’all. Protect the mind, heart and spirit of you and your people at all costs. Just remember... Salt, cocaine and anthrax can all appear to be sugar...(the “refined” kind of course) just be careful out here fam. Happy Sunday. Love you. Real talk. Love on.</p>— Jussie Smollett (@JussieSmollett) <a href="https://twitter.com/JussieSmollett/status/1089534414546239495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>...

That's his Tweet which prompted the Twitter response in post #32.

What's the timing here? He makes the fraud Tweet last Sunday Jan 27th and then the attack occurred on the 29th?

Now I'm seeing stories about possible Anthrax sent in a letter to the Chicago set location for Empire that turned out to be Aspirin?

summarizing:

Letter sent to his set location with fake Anthrax.
Letter sent to his set location with drawings depicting people being hanged (hung).
Letter sent using ransom style format of individual letters cut from magazines spelling out a death threat.

This is either the most comical threaten/then execute assault plan in recent history...or some bad acting.

Human nature. If I really hate someone and get the opportunity to meet that person at 2 am without witnesses and there are two of us, I'm going to hurt that person.
The chemical part of the story makes no sense. If my intent is to hurt someone with it, how come the victim isn't blind or his head wasn't covered in it?

[Hal-9000]

I saw the Kevin Hart tweet supporting Jussie after the attack.

And then the online community jumps on Hart citing his 'homophobic' tweets from 10 years ago.

The guy apologizes for the old tweets, takes his lumps, then goes on Ellen and she endorses him to get the hosting job back for the Academy Awards, yet he gets total backlash for a tweet supporting a gay actor. I'm not a Hart fan but he said it best in response:

"I stand with a man in his time of hurt and need by giving him heart felt support and u take the time to harp on my 10yr past that I have apologized about and moved on from by being a better person. Do you want change? If so I am an example of what u want people to do...CHANGE!"

[RBP]

That's his Tweet which prompted the Twitter response in post #32.

What's the timing here? He makes the fraud Tweet last Sunday Jan 27th and then the attack occurred on the 29th?

Now I'm seeing stories about possible Anthrax sent in a letter to the Chicago set location for Empire that turned out to be Aspirin?

summarizing:

Letter sent to his set location with fake Anthrax.
Letter sent to his set location with drawings depicting people being hanged (hung).
Letter sent using ransom style format of individual letters cut from magazines spelling out a death threat.

This is either the most comical threaten/then execute assault plan in recent history...or some bad acting.

Human nature. If I really hate someone and get the opportunity to meet that person at 2 am without witnesses and there are two of us, I'm going to hurt that person.
The chemical part of the story makes no sense. If my intent is to hurt someone with it, how come the victim isn't blind or his head wasn't covered in it?

Reposting this just because it still makes me roll every time I see see it.

https://i.imgur.com/xHn8rX2.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Kyle Smith - National Review


https://i.imgur.com/7BdU9SK.jpg

Three days after the alleged attack, it’s not clear what actually happened. Here’s hoping we find out more.

The case of the openly gay television actor who has alleged that he was beaten up by racist homophobic Trump fans late Monday/early Tuesday at 2 a.m. grows more curious by the hour. Three days later, it’s not clear that an attack took place. And Jussie Smollett’s behavior has been odd.

On Tuesday, in response to a Joe Biden tweet expressing outrage over the alleged hate-crime assault on Smollett, longtime Chicago TV reporter Rafer Weigel of Fox 32 wrote: “Might be best to tone down the outrage on the #JussieSmollett story until more evidence comes in to suggest it actually happened.” Later the reporter added: “To be clear. I am not accusing [Smollett] of lying. I’m saying #ChicagoPD and Chicago FBI have been working round the clock & have found nothing to support it. And given the extremity of his claims and where they allegedly took place it has them skeptical.”

On Wednesday, police revealed that they have looked at hundreds of hours of surveillance video recorded around the area (near 300 E. North Lower Water Street) where Smollett says the attack took place. Police called it a “very high density” area for surveillance cameras, but they still have found no evidence that any assault took place. There are no witnesses and nothing like the assault described appears on any of the videos. What they have released are low-quality images of two “persons of interest” who crossed paths with Smollett and could have been witnesses or bystanders or even perpetrators.

TMZ led the way on the story Tuesday with claims that “sources directly connected to” the actor said that as Smollett was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop, someone yelled, “Aren’t you that faggot Empire n*****?’”

TMZ’s sources added that the two attackers were both white and wearing ski masks. They allegedly beat him so badly they broke one of his ribs, and also put a rope around his neck, yelled racist and homophobic slurs, poured bleach on him, “and as they left they yelled, ‘This is MAGA country.’” A crudely lettered note sent to Fox’s Chicago studios last week made a death threat and an anti-gay slur against Smollett, but the actor turned down Fox’s offer to provide him with a round-the-clock security detail, according to TMZ.

Smollett did not initially mention the MAGA detail to police, according to a department spokesman. He waited until a subsequent interview with police later in the day on Tuesday to inform them of this. In addition, police said that Smollett couldn’t identify the race of his attackers because their faces were concealed and didn’t know what liquid was poured on him.

There is one possible piece of corroboration for Smollett’s story: He and his manager both say the two were talking on Smollett’s phone when the attack happened. The manager says he heard at least some of the attack, including the MAGA remark and the slurs. Police would like to examine Smollett’s phone to find out more. But they say he won’t give it to them.

There is of course ample evidence of animosity between the actor and Donald Trump’s side, but so far all of the expressions of hatred are coming from Smollett. This is the kind of remark Smollett makes about the president on Twitter:
951681671027404800
Surveillance video shows Smollett walking into an apartment building and past security guards without stopping to ask them for help or to tell them he had just been subjected to a vicious assault and hate crime. In this video, he was wearing a rope around his neck “like a necktie but shaped like a noose,” according to a police spokesman. At some point the police were contacted and Smollett was interviewed in a friend’s apartment at 2:42 a.m. He asked police to turn off their body cameras so the encounter would not be recorded. At this point, he was still wearing the rope around his neck, police said.

So let’s recap what Smollett says happened, together with what Chicago reporters have heard from police. Two men recognized a gay black actor from a TV show at 2 a.m. on a Chicago street during an extreme cold snap while he was on his phone. Instead of taking the phone from him, they began to shout slurs at him. The assailants happened to have a rope and an unknown liquid with them. They put a rope around his neck, but instead of strangling him with it, they just left it there and then ran away. Instead of calling the police immediately on the phone, Smollett walked into an apartment building and past security, without informing anyone about the alleged assault, and he kept the rope around his neck for some three-quarters of an hour. He neglected to tell the police about the MAGA remark in this first interview, revealing it only later in a subsequent interview. He took himself to Northwestern Memorial Hospital that morning and was released later in the morning. TMZ posted a picture of Smollett with a small scratch or cut beneath his right eye.

That’s pretty much all we know. Here’s hoping we find out more.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

That reporter gets it without coming out and saying it.

[Godfather]

The part where he has a noose on his neck 40 minutes after the attack really gets me... his face isn't badly hurt at all. I'm really trying not to sound like an internet tough guy... but if two guys are going to put rope around your neck, don't you think you'll scrap back hard enough that you'll be bloodied to a pulp? Let alone leave it on for another 40 minutes 'not tied in anything resembling a noose.' And yet without checking twitter I'm sure there are still plenty of people fully bought into this story.

Read now that Smollett denied access to his phone by police. Kind of a rough inference but again... if it's me? Sure, have it, if this did happen I want these fuckers in prison and the hoax questions put to rest.

[RBP]

The part where he has a noose on his neck 40 minutes after the attack really gets me... his face isn't badly hurt at all. I'm really trying not to sound like an internet tough guy... but if two guys are going to put rope around your neck, don't you think you'll scrap back hard enough that you'll be bloodied to a pulp? Let alone leave it on for another 40 minutes 'not tied in anything resembling a noose.' And yet without checking twitter I'm sure there are still plenty of people fully bought into this story.

Read now that Smollett denied access to his phone by police. Kind of a rough inference but again... if it's me? Sure, have it, if this did happen I want these fuckers in prison and the hoax questions put to rest.

You should look. The producer called it just another day in America for the black man. The family blamed Trump. Rationality is absent.

[Godfather]

You should look. The producer called it just another day in America for the black man. The family blamed Trump. Rationality is absent.

I don't know what I look. The less I read about this stuff the happier my brain is. But I did :lol: First thing I see: Trump saying this story is 'terrible, awful.' Fair. Second story: George Takai saying Trump has no empathy in his reaction to this story :lol: Dude... I'm going back to burring my head in the sand.

[RBP]

I don't know what I look. The less I read about this stuff the happier my brain is. But I did :lol: First thing I see: Trump saying this story is 'terrible, awful.' Fair. Second story: George Takai saying Trump has no empathy in his reaction to this story :lol: Dude... I'm going back to burring my head in the sand.

Very hard to deal in facts. Sad.

[Hal-9000]

The part where he has a noose on his neck 40 minutes after the attack really gets me... his face isn't badly hurt at all. I'm really trying not to sound like an internet tough guy... but if two guys are going to put rope around your neck, don't you think you'll scrap back hard enough that you'll be bloodied to a pulp? Let alone leave it on for another 40 minutes 'not tied in anything resembling a noose.' And yet without checking twitter I'm sure there are still plenty of people fully bought into this story.

Read now that Smollett denied access to his phone by police. Kind of a rough inference but again... if it's me? Sure, have it, if this did happen I want these fuckers in prison and the hoax questions put to rest.

If you've read some of my posts here (and I know you haven't :x) my inner detective was tweaked too. It's all human nature based and all of it is wrong. Both how he acted and how the attackers, attacked. Gonna feel real bad if he did get assaulted, but each news story exposes another oddity in behavior.

You get attacked on the street, make it home and see security guards first thing. You don't engage with them at all to ask for help or get the police on your behalf? Weeeeeird.

[RBP]

It's only weird if your not MAKING SHIT UP.

[Hal-9000]

*you're* :lol:

[RBP]

:nazi:

That's embarrassing

[Hal-9000]

:nazi:

That's embarrassing

:sorrie: you've had a tough day and my commie-unicatin skills are sub par at best :lol:




https://i.imgur.com/vYPmsrL.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


https://i.imgur.com/EcN6PKq.jpg

Jussie Smollett did not refuse to hand over phone records to cops ... rather, he didn't want to turn over his phone ... sources directly connected to Jussie tell TMZ.

The sources say cops "informally asked" Jussie if he would surrender his phone ... to verify he was talking to his manager on his cell when he was attacked. We're told he felt "uncomfortable" doing that and declined, but he was never asked about phone records. A Chicago police official had said Jussie refused to turn over both the phone and records. We're told Smollett has already said he will provide the records, and is in the process of gathering them.

The sources want to clear up 2 other points. First, there are reports that Jussie told cops his assailants were wearing MAGA hats. The sources underscore what TMZ first reported ... that Jussie never said the men were wearing the hats. Rather, they screamed "MAGA country."

And the last point ... there are reports that Jussie had the rope around his neck long after the incident when he was being treated at the hospital. We're told that is not the case. He did have the rope around his neck when cops arrived at his building 42 minutes after the incident. The sources say he kept it there to "preserve the evidence."

[RBP]

That clarified nothing. He should clarify the part where it never happened.

[Muddy]

The way things have been turning out, I would wager it did possibly happen but the perps were not MAGA supporters, but were instead libs trying to create a situation with a celebrity to push their narrative. Did I word that correctly?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

To make his story even REMOTELY plausible, you have to accept that there were 2 masked men (later revealed to be MAGA fans) wandering that area of Chicago, carrying a bottle of bleach or some other liquid AND carrying a rope fashioned like a noose, looking for someone to attack. At 2 AM on a weekday morning in below zero temperatures.

https://i.imgur.com/seh6p.gif

[Hal-9000]

The way things have been turning out, I would wager it did possibly happen but the perps were not MAGA supporters, but were instead libs trying to create a situation with a celebrity to push their narrative. Did I word that correctly?

He used two of his acting friends to help stage the incident. And they were democrats.

close?

[Muddy]

possible..

[RBP]

But Muddy... if that were the case, wouldn't they make sure it was on surveillance?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

But Muddy... if that were the case, wouldn't they make sure it was on surveillance?Because then you run the risk, however slight or remote, that if there was surveillance and the cops released it to the public, someone might be able to identify one of the actors. It's better to leave it completely up to the media's imagination and paint the picture of these "faceless evil white racist Trump supporters" and just feed the left's frenzied appetite.

[RBP]

breaking news!!!!

https://i.imgur.com/WAyV9hd.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:rofl:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

TMZ is reporting that he's canceled a concert Meet And Greet because of 'security concerns' :roll:

[RBP]

:facepalm:

[Hal-9000]

breaking news!!!!

https://i.imgur.com/WAyV9hd.jpg

I know that guy!

He's a white redneck that lives down the street from me!

He always shouts MAGA when getting the paper and shoveling his walks!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Dahleen Glanton, Reporter - Chicago Tribune


https://i.imgur.com/yCAo6CY.jpg

How well do we know Chicago?

It seems that every time we think we’ve got our city figured out, something happens that proves we are actually clueless about who Chicago really is.

Our faith was put to the test last week when news broke that supporters of President Donald Trump may have attempted what some have called “a modern-day lynching” on the streets of one of the most politically progressive cities in the country.

Jussie Smollett, an actor in the popular hip-hop-styled Fox television show “Empire,” had just left a Subway restaurant near his apartment in Streeterville at about 2 a.m. Tuesday when two people approached him yelling racial and homophobic slurs, according to police. They reportedly scratched him up, doused him with bleach and placed a rope around his neck while proclaiming, “This is MAGA country.”

If you told us that a longtime alderman known for wearing pinstripe suits and pink ties had allegedly attempted to shake down a Burger King in his ward, we wouldn’t raise an eyebrow.

If you came to us with news that another longtime alderman had allegedly traded his City Hall influence in exchange for free Viagra pills and sexual trysts at massage parlors, we’d figure such things are par for the course in Chicago politics.

If a jury had bravely convicted a white Chicago police officer of murder for shooting a black teenager 16 times, only to have the judge effectively dismiss it by handing down a lenient 81-month prison sentence, we wouldn’t be all that shocked.

If you told us that more than 2,900 people were shot in our city last year and at least 570 killed, we’d accept it as fact. We wouldn’t even be surprised to learn that the youngest among the shooting victims was a 4-year-old girl.

We’re used to these kinds of things happening in our city.

But when we heard that a gay African-American man told police he was physically assaulted and left with a noose around his neck by a couple of Trump-supporting bigots, many Chicagoans were taken aback. The victim’s honesty was immediately called into question.

It’s not that people don’t believe that a hate crime could happen in Chicago. We’ve had plenty of racial and homophobic incidents over the years. In 2017, according to FBI statistics, Chicago police documented 41 hate crimes — 16 based on race or ethnicity, eight because of sexual orientation or gender identity and 17 regarding religion.

What threw people for a loop is that the attack on Smollett allegedly was carried out by someone delusional enough to say that Chicago is Trump territory. This is a city where Trump garnered only 12.5 percent of the vote.

That aside, other questions are floating around on social media. On a night when the temperature dropped to below freezing, there was actually someone walking around carrying bleach and a noose, just waiting for a victim?

Twitter and Facebook have provided an interesting forum into not just the thought processes of Chicagoans, but the nation, as this story has spread across the country.

It was easy for outsiders to write it up as another bad mark against Chicago, a city that has had more than its share of bad publicity over the years. But for the locals, it’s personal.

The incident raises an interesting question: Why are we so obsessed with who committed the crime rather than dealing with the fact that such crimes routinely happen across America?

Smollett’s celebrity status, no doubt, would have made this attack newsworthy under any circumstances. But the tidbit that the attackers allegedly used Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan is what really captured our attention.

That immediately put Trump haters on the offensive and Trump lovers on the defensive. It became, as most things involving Trump, an “us against them” situation.

“That’s not who Chicago is,” we insist. And every effort has been made to discredit this young man who has everything to lose by lying.

Smollett has made no secret of his disdain for Trump, so it should come as no surprise that some people might not like him. The singer-actor produced and starred in a music video in 2017 titled, “F.U.W.” or F----- -Up World.” In interviews, he said it was a call to action against the Trump administration’s stance on migrants at the border and transgender issues, among other things. In the video, someone in a wheelchair runs over a Trump mask, leaving it crumbled on the floor.

Smollett, an outspoken activist on not only gay rights but the rights of many disenfranchised groups, issued a statement insisting that he has been “100% factual and consistent on every level.” Despite his frustration over the inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, he said he still believes that justice will be served.

Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson seems to be determined to get to the bottom of it. Chicago has too much on the line, economically and socially, to let this case slide.

"Today we have no reason to believe he’s not being genuine with us," Johnson told reporters Friday. "He is a victim and we treat him like a victim. He’s been very cooperative."

At this point, we should all consider Smollett the victim of a horrible hate crime. And in Chicago, we should stop pretending like horrible things like this could never happen in our city.

[RBP]

And still nothing to support his account.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

CBS News


Singer and actor Jussie Smollett thanked fans for their support in his first public appearance since he says he was attacked. The "Empire" star returned to the stage Saturday for the first time since last week's incident, at a Los Angeles performance.

"I had to be here tonight ya'll," he said.

He offered a defiant message: Fighting back against the men he says attacked him. "I'm going to stand strong with y'all," he told the audience.

After his set, Smollett, who is openly gay, also shared new details on the possible hate crime, reports correspondent Dean Reynolds.

"I was bruised, but my ribs were not cracked, they were not broken," he said.

On Tuesday morning he told officers two men beat him, splashed him with a chemical substance and put a noose around his neck, in an attack near his Chicago apartment. He later said they were yelling, "This is MAGA country" – a reference to President Trump's campaign slogan.

"I fought the f*** back," Smollett said.

Police are investigating last Tuesday's incident in Chicago as a possible hate crime.

Over the weekend, police gathered new surveillance video from the apartment building where Smollett lives, a nearby hotel, and traffic cameras in the area. So far, police say they've spotted two men in the vicinity where the attack was reported, but have not found video of the incident.

Smollett told his fans he's focused on moving forward.

"Regardless of what anyone else says, I will only stand for love," he said.

[RBP]

What a joke.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

He fought the fuck back :hand:

[RBP]

Maybe fuck is colloquial for truth.

[Hal-9000]

Listen to me now y'all. I had to be here tonight. I've been in fights. Probably too many.

I saw this guy's picture from the hospital and if that tiny little cut is all he received, the two attackers didn't do a very good job OR he is one hearty son of a bitch.

I've been held down and kicked in the face outside of a bar and had to go to the hospital. I got stitches on the left side of my forehead and could have lost my left eye. Still got the scar.

Both of my eyes were swollen, 14 stitches down the left side of my forehead near my eye socket. My nose was cut, cartilage broken and I still have the bump where my glasses rest on. I had a boot-print on my forehead. Yes a boot print... because the ER doctor asked me if that impression was new or was it always there? My lips and cheeks were so swollen I couldn't eat solid food. I went to work the next morning and my boss told me to go home because I looked so bad. He paid me for the day.

In my situation there was more than two people hitting me, some of them were relatives of the bar owner. I got up after they beat me because my friend was laying face down in the snow beside me and I thought he was dead. I was so drunk, it probably saved my life because I'm sure that was the only thing that helped me stand up and start throwing punches until the parking lot cleared.

I woke both my Mom and Dad up coming home later and my Mom was horrified. She couldn't even look at me. She just kept screaming - Mike, (dad's name) take him to the hospital!

Reason I tell you this most personal and embarrassing story? Because when someone attacks you, there is evidence. You don't need to look for it.

[lost in melb.]

Or put another way, if that's the worst of the 'MAGA zealots' what are people worried about? :-s

[RBP]

Or put another way, if that's the worst of the 'MAGA zealots' what are people worried about? :-s

That's why it can't be true and why no one has claimed responsibility. Any true zealot would be ashamed of such a pathetic beatdown of a fag nigger.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

That's why it can't be true and why no one has claimed responsibility. Any true zealot would be ashamed of such a pathetic beatdown of a fag nigger.

:nono:


He fought the fuck back :hand:

:tup:

[RBP]

muh bad.

[RBP]

According to Fox News, new surveillance footage has been found and the police are downloading and reviewing it. Uh huh. If they had anything, we'd already know.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Emily Zanotti - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/eYLW17El.jpg

Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson reportedly told local media Tuesday that the Chicago Police Department will pursue a case against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett if it turns out Smollett filed a false police report alleging a late night attack.

Smollett was allegedly attacked while walking home from a Subway sandwich shop in downtown Chicago. Smollett says that two men approached him, targeted him with both racial and homophobic slurs, tossed a rope around his neck, and then poured an unspecified liquid on him, which may have been bleach. Smollett reported being injured in the attack, and later told law enforcement officials that the two attackers yelled "Welcome to MAGA country!" during the incident.

A subsequent investigation by Chicago police revealed that, indeed, Smollett did walk several blocks to and from a Subway sandwich shop that evening, but that Smollett was on camera for all but about 60 seconds of his trip, during which Smollett reports the attack took place.

Although two individuals were pictured on security cameras near where Smollett says he was attacked, sources close to CPD told local media that those two individuals appear to be homeless and were in the vicinity between 15 and 30 minutes before Smollett arrived back at his apartment on East Water Street, just north of the Chicago River. Chicago Police also reportedly dismissed a neighbor's claim that a "redneck"-looking man was loitering behind Smollett's apartment building, according to Chicago crime watch blog, CWB Chicago.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported last week that Smollett was "reticent" to file a police report, but that another individual, present in Smollett's apartment, encouraged him to call police and to seek medical attention. Smollett also refused to provide police with his phone, despite telling law enforcement that he had been on a call with his manager at the time of the attack.

The developments have led some to question Smollett's version of the attack, even though the "Empire" star insists that his original version of events is the correct one, according to the Associated Press.

Fox 32 reporter Rafer Weigel reported Tuesday that he spoke to Police Superintendent Johnson and that Johnson told him Smollett is "still being treated as a victim" in his case, but that the police are pursuing all angles of the event.
1092851031938158592
Sources close to the Chicago Police Department also tell The Daily Wire that police have filed a series of subpoenas in order to compel the production of Smollett's phone records from the night of the attack, a report apparently confirmed by CWB Chicago.

Police are also looking into the source of the rope Smollett says was placed around his neck during the attack. Initially, Smollett said the rope resembled a "noose," but upon closer examination, according to the Sun-Times, the rope appeared to be a thin "clothesline" which police believe came straight out of the package before it ended up around Smollett's neck (Smollett was still wearing the rope when police arrived to take his report, 45 minutes after the attack).

Investigators are reportedly "visiting retail stores" looking for surveillance camera footage of anyone buying a similar product in the days before the attack.

Fox News reporter Matt Finn also says that CPD is getting its "ducks in a row" for "possible interrogations" regarding the attack, but Finn did not provide details as to who or what might be interrogated.
1092804636715687937
So far, the police do not appear to have any suspects or persons of interest in the case.

[DemonGeminiX]

:clap:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

A subsequent investigation by Chicago police revealed that, indeed, Smollett did walk several blocks to and from a Subway sandwich shop that evening, but that Smollett was on camera for all but about 60 seconds of his trip, during which Smollett reports the attack took place.

Now isn't that convenient and not at all suspicious. :rolleyes:

[RBP]

I'm sure the CPD is pissed that their resources are being wasted on this political stunt.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I'm sure the CPD is pissed that their resources are being wasted on this political stunt.

It's not like there's any other serious crime going on in Chicago anyways :dunno:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I'm sure the CPD is pissed that their resources are being wasted on this political stunt.

A story from the Sun-Times:


Family of slain South Shore man struggles to find answers about his death
By Tom Schuba


https://i.imgur.com/cfqgYKQ.png

Darrien Wilson’s aunt remembers him as a “humble, lovable young man.”

“[He was] always respectful of his elders, always inviting and cool with people that he knew or people he didn’t know,” Wilson’s aunt, Shronda Parsons, told the Sun-Times.

Given Wilson’s easygoing personality, his family was shocked to hear that he had been shot in the chest on Feb. 1 at his apartment in the South Shore neighborhood. Shortly after being rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center, the 31-year-old was pronounced dead, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Since the medical examiner’s office informed Wilson’s family of his death, they’ve struggled to get in touch with the detectives who are investigating the slaying, she said.

Parsons is getting the sense that the family is being stonewalled, and noted they still don’t know fundamental details about the case, like who called 911.

“[The detectives] couldn’t reach out and try to come over to my sister’s house and say, ‘Hey, we understand what’s going on, sorry for your loss, we’re working the case,’” she asked.

“If you could just tell us you’re working the case, it would feel better than nothing,” said Parsons, a case worker for the Illinois Department of Human Services.

She said it was disheartening to see how many detectives are investigating the reported attack on “Empire” star Jussie Smollett. Police initially assigned over a dozen detectives to look into the Smollett case.

“I was kind of frustrated,” she said. “Like, wow, it takes 20 detectives to work on this one case for this actor but you have multiple people who are losing family members every day. And if they’re going through what our family is going through, that’s pretty sad that one person, out of those 20 people that are working around the clock, couldn’t contact us.”

Just after 1 a.m., witnesses heard someone come to the back door of Wilson’s apartment in the 1800 block of East 78th Street, police said. After firing a single shot, the suspect ran off.

Despite the mysterious circumstances of his death, Parsons claimed the family has some information that could be useful to investigators.

Wilson was hanging out at another aunt’s house Thursday evening and was picked up by two people, according to Parsons. Before he left, the aunt noticed that he was video chatting with a man with dreadlocks and a “tattoo on his face,” she said.

“It was a person that we’ve never seen before,” she said, noting that the aunt reported those details to investigators and suggested they interview the possible suspects.

Parsons said Wilson was “never a person to start trouble.” However, Cook County court records show that he had been arrested 10 times and convicted of a series of misdemeanors, including convictions for unlawful use of a weapon in 2010 and battery last year.

Nevertheless, Parsons described Wilson as a hard-working “jokester.” He graduated from Roberto Clemente Community Academy with honors, and had recently been working on a food truck and cooking at a Five Guys restaurant in the Loop, she said.

Parsons said the family is now planning Wilson’s funeral, but she wouldn’t release details about the service because “the killer is still on the street.”

A Chicago police spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional information about Wilson’s death.

[RBP]

That's a fair criticism, but it's also true that the murder clearance rate in Chicago is horrible.

http://i67.tinypic.com/14bj6na.png

[Teh One Who Knocks]

That's a fair criticism, but it's also true that the murder clearance rate in Chicago is horrible.

http://i67.tinypic.com/14bj6na.png

Oh, I know, it's just that it makes that stat look even worse when they are spending all this time and manpower on a hoax...oops, I mean 'alleged crime', instead of, you know, real crimes.

[Hal-9000]

By Emily Zanotti - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/eYLW17El.jpg

Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson reportedly told local media Tuesday that the Chicago Police Department will pursue a case against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett if it turns out Smollett filed a false police report alleging a late night attack.

Smollett was allegedly attacked while walking home from a Subway sandwich shop in downtown Chicago. Smollett says that two men approached him, targeted him with both racial and homophobic slurs, tossed a rope around his neck, and then poured an unspecified liquid on him, which may have been bleach. Smollett reported being injured in the attack, and later told law enforcement officials that the two attackers yelled "Welcome to MAGA country!" during the incident.

A subsequent investigation by Chicago police revealed that, indeed, Smollett did walk several blocks to and from a Subway sandwich shop that evening, but that Smollett was on camera for all but about 60 seconds of his trip, during which Smollett reports the attack took place.

Although two individuals were pictured on security cameras near where Smollett says he was attacked, sources close to CPD told local media that those two individuals appear to be homeless and were in the vicinity between 15 and 30 minutes before Smollett arrived back at his apartment on East Water Street, just north of the Chicago River. Chicago Police also reportedly dismissed a neighbor's claim that a "redneck"-looking man was loitering behind Smollett's apartment building, according to Chicago crime watch blog, CWB Chicago.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported last week that Smollett was "reticent" to file a police report, but that another individual, present in Smollett's apartment, encouraged him to call police and to seek medical attention. Smollett also refused to provide police with his phone, despite telling law enforcement that he had been on a call with his manager at the time of the attack.

The developments have led some to question Smollett's version of the attack, even though the "Empire" star insists that his original version of events is the correct one, according to the Associated Press.

Fox 32 reporter Rafer Weigel reported Tuesday that he spoke to Police Superintendent Johnson and that Johnson told him Smollett is "still being treated as a victim" in his case, but that the police are pursuing all angles of the event.
1092851031938158592
Sources close to the Chicago Police Department also tell The Daily Wire that police have filed a series of subpoenas in order to compel the production of Smollett's phone records from the night of the attack, a report apparently confirmed by CWB Chicago.

Police are also looking into the source of the rope Smollett says was placed around his neck during the attack. Initially, Smollett said the rope resembled a "noose," but upon closer examination, according to the Sun-Times, the rope appeared to be a thin "clothesline" which police believe came straight out of the package before it ended up around Smollett's neck (Smollett was still wearing the rope when police arrived to take his report, 45 minutes after the attack).

Investigators are reportedly "visiting retail stores" looking for surveillance camera footage of anyone buying a similar product in the days before the attack.

Fox News reporter Matt Finn also says that CPD is getting its "ducks in a row" for "possible interrogations" regarding the attack, but Finn did not provide details as to who or what might be interrogated.
1092804636715687937
So far, the police do not appear to have any suspects or persons of interest in the case.

"Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson reportedly told local media Tuesday that the Chicago Police Department will pursue a case against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett if it turns out Smollett filed a false police report alleging a late night attack."

Wow, that's a brave statement to make during this shitstorm of an investigation. My human nature detector says he knows something and is on the edge of proving it.

[Godfather]

"Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson reportedly told local media Tuesday that the Chicago Police Department will pursue a case against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett if it turns out Smollett filed a false police report alleging a late night attack."

Wow, that's a brave statement to make during this shitstorm of an investigation. My human nature detector says he knows something and is on the edge of proving it.

It that's the case I hope they go after him in civil court too.. I can't imagine how much taxpayer money this investigation will have wasted if it was all bullshit.

[RBP]

Detectives have reviewed camera surveillance at stores in hopes of finding images of who bought the rope used in a reported attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett late last month, according to Chicago police.

Chief police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the move is part of a broadening of the investigation. “Detectives have reviewed surveillance videos of the hotels in the area, traffic cameras and of retailers that may have sold the rope,’’ he said.

.
.
.
.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-jussie-smollett-rope-20190207-story.html

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:facepalm:

At what point do the cops say enough fucking manpower has been wasted on this charade?

[RBP]

:facepalm:

At what point do the cops say enough fucking manpower has been wasted on this charade?

The FBI is involved as well. There is a 60 second gap in the surveillance. My assumption is that the rope question is a way to a definitive answer because it's almost impossible to prove a negative, i.e. he was not attacked. If they can show that source of the rope, they might be able to say it did or didn't happen.

[Pony]

Every story I've seen is the liquid that was dumped on him "may or may not have been bleach". So, How would you not know if it was bleach or not? Even if he took a shower (which we know he didn't because he was still wearing the rope) he would still reek of it. Hair, clothes would be bleached, etc.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The FBI is involved as well. There is a 60 second gap in the surveillance. My assumption is that the rope question is a way to a definitive answer because it's almost impossible to prove a negative, i.e. he was not attacked. If they can show that source of the rope, they might be able to say it did or didn't happen.I know what you're saying but, that 60 second gap is only plausible if you're stupid though. Allegedly in 60 seconds, 2 masked men that weren't seen on any camera anywhere, came out of nowhere, verbally assaulted him, then physically assaulted him, doused him with bleach or "some other liquid", put the 'noose' around his neck, and then managed to disappear off camera again. Yeah, sounds COMPLETELY plausible.

:uhhuh:
Every story I've seen is the liquid that was dumped on him "may or may not have been bleach". So, How would you not know if it was bleach or not? Even if he took a shower (which we know he didn't because he was still wearing the rope) he would still reek of it. Hair, clothes would be bleached, etc.Yup, bleach has a VERY distinct odor, it's not something you could mistake if it was dumped on you. And like you said, his clothes would be bleached as well.

[Hal-9000]

:hand: One attacker was a time traveler, the other one was Bigfoot. The noose and strange liquid came from a working spaceship sitting on Mars.

case closed.

[RBP]

I know what you're saying but, that 60 second gap is only plausible if you're stupid though. Allegedly in 60 seconds, 2 masked men that weren't seen on any camera anywhere, came out of nowhere, verbally assaulted him, then physically assaulted him, doused him with bleach or "some other liquid", put the 'noose' around his neck, and then managed to disappear off camera again. Yeah, sounds COMPLETELY plausible.

:uhhuh:Yup, bleach has a VERY distinct odor, it's not something you could mistake if it was dumped on you. And like you said, his clothes would be bleached as well.


My wife asked a great question. "So wouldn't the video show him walking without a noose, then after the gap he's suddenly wearing one?" :lol: That would be hilarious, but I assume the video is too grainy for that level of detail.

She's more obsessed with the apparently undamaged Subway. Why didn't they take his Sub? And his first reaction would be to swing whatever was in his hand, in this case a Subway. It that would have at least been damaged.

[lost in melb.]

They found one of the perpetrators. He's dobbed in his mate, apparently!



(caution - graphic racism)


https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/124/819/0ee.png

[Hal-9000]

They found one of the perpetrators. He's dobbed in his mate, apparently!




:hand: We call that gay love and it's accepted over here.

[RBP]

CHICAGO — Nearly two weeks after “Empire” star Jussie Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack, cops have yet to identify any suspects — and some people in his tony Chicago neighborhood are growing skeptical.

“I don’t believe it happened the way he said it did,” said Agin Muhammad, who lives in the same swank high-rise near the Navy Pier as Smollett.

“I’ve been in this neighborhood five years. I don’t believe it, not around here . . . Half the people are gay and the other half are black.”

A patron at Lizzie McNeill’s Irish Pub, about a block from the scene of the alleged Jan. 29 incident, said Smollett’s story “doesn’t really make sense.”

“It’s a lie, because Chicago is the most liberal city around,” said the man, who wouldn’t give his name. “They have cameras everywhere. . . Why can’t they find the attack?”

Cops have said they found plenty of surveillance video, but none that captured the incident.

Meanwhile, Chicago police said Sunday that Smollett has yet to turn over data from his cell phone to verify that he was on the phone with his music manager, Brandon Moore, when he was allegedly attacked.

.
.
.

Last week, The Post traced Smollett’s likely route to the underpass from a 24-hour Subway sandwich shop where he bought a tuna sandwich and a salad.

Near the foot of a stairwell to the Loews, The Post found an empty hot-sauce bottle that was partially filled with a clear liquid that smelled like bleach.

The Post alerted police, who seized the bottle. Gulielmi said it was turned over to the FBI for analysis.

The FBI declined to comment.

https://nypost.com/2019/02/11/jussie-smolletts-neighbors-cast-doubt-on-his-attack-story/

==================

I'm sorry for laughing, but 12 CPD detectives and the FBI combing every inch of this, Chicago reporters working it daily... and a New York Post reporter just happens to find "an empty hot-sauce bottle that was partially filled with a clear liquid that smelled like bleach"?

:lol:

[lost in melb.]

Very 'hot' sauce :lol:

[Hal-9000]

CHICAGO — Nearly two weeks after “Empire” star Jussie Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack, cops have yet to identify any suspects — and some people in his tony Chicago neighborhood are growing skeptical.

“I don’t believe it happened the way he said it did,” said Agin Muhammad, who lives in the same swank high-rise near the Navy Pier as Smollett.

“I’ve been in this neighborhood five years. I don’t believe it, not around here . . . Half the people are gay and the other half are black.”

A patron at Lizzie McNeill’s Irish Pub, about a block from the scene of the alleged Jan. 29 incident, said Smollett’s story “doesn’t really make sense.”

“It’s a lie, because Chicago is the most liberal city around,” said the man, who wouldn’t give his name. “They have cameras everywhere. . . Why can’t they find the attack?”

Cops have said they found plenty of surveillance video, but none that captured the incident.

Meanwhile, Chicago police said Sunday that Smollett has yet to turn over data from his cell phone to verify that he was on the phone with his music manager, Brandon Moore, when he was allegedly attacked.

.
.
.

Last week, The Post traced Smollett’s likely route to the underpass from a 24-hour Subway sandwich shop where he bought a tuna sandwich and a salad.

Near the foot of a stairwell to the Loews, The Post found an empty hot-sauce bottle that was partially filled with a clear liquid that smelled like bleach.

The Post alerted police, who seized the bottle. Gulielmi said it was turned over to the FBI for analysis.

The FBI declined to comment.

https://nypost.com/2019/02/11/jussie-smolletts-neighbors-cast-doubt-on-his-attack-story/

==================

I'm sorry for laughing, but 12 CPD detectives and the FBI combing every inch of this, Chicago reporters working it daily... and a New York Post reporter just happens to find "an empty hot-sauce bottle that was partially filled with a clear liquid that smelled like bleach"?

:lol:

:lol:

It's like the hand-written note they found in Dallas 42 years later, Oswald's handwriting that said - I did it :thumbsup:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Amanda Prestigiacomo - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/TFKst5ul.jpg

“Empire" star Jussie Smollett reportedly handed over "limited and redacted" phone records to the Chicago Police Department on Monday, 13 days after Smollett was allegedly the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime carried out by supporters of President Donald Trump in downtown Chicago.

"Phone records from Jussie's manager were sent to police on Feb. 5 and Jussie’s records were sent over this morning. Both were sent to Chief of Staff to the Superintendent of Police Robert Boik, who confirmed receipt," a spokesperson for Smollett told the New York Post in an email on Monday.

"They have Jussie's records from within an hour of the incident. The police confirmed receipt of the records at [2:28 p.m. EST]," the spokesperson added.

According to Fox 32 Chicago’s Rafer Weigel, the records were "limited and redacted."

The Chicago Police Department "received cell phone records today from Smollett’s camp. They were limited and redacted but detectives will analyze them and be in touch with [Jussie Smollett] if they have any other questions," Weigel wrote in a tweet on Monday evening.
1095102136642342912
The police department asked Smollett and his manger Brandon Z. Moore to hand over their phone records to corroborate the very serious alleged attack. The actor said he was on the phone with Moore at the time of the ambush.

Smollett delayed handing over his phone records when police requested them, telling officers "he couldn't be without his phone for several hours," reported the Post.

"We have no reason to doubt the statements, but for a criminal investigation, we need to independently confirm the phone records," said Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Both Smollett and Moore claim the alleged attackers screamed about Smollett being in "MAGA country" — a reference to President Trump's campaign slogan "Make American Great Again" — and called the actor a "n*****" and "f*****."

Smollett was allegedly attacked by two men around 2:30 a.m. when he was walking home from a Subway shop on January 29. Along with allegedly throwing racial and homophobic slurs at Smollett, the men — one in a black mask — allegedly tied a rope around the actor's neck and doused him in a liquid, which was possibly bleach.

"Chicago PD has repeatedly informed us that they find Jussie’s account of what happened that night consistent and credible," a statement from the star’s rep said. "Superintendent Johnson has been clear from day one that Jussie is a victim. We are continuing to work closely with the Chicago PD and remain confident that they will find Jussie’s attackers and bring them to justice."

As noted by The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti, Chicago police have confirmed that Smollett walked "several blocks to and from a Subway sandwich shop that evening." However, the actor "was on camera for all but about 60 seconds of his trip, during which Smollett reports the attack took place."

"Although two individuals were pictured on security cameras near where Smollett says he was attacked, sources close to CPD told local media that those two individuals appear to be homeless and were in the vicinity between 15 and 30 minutes before Smollett arrived back at his apartment on East Water Street, just north of the Chicago River," noted Zanotti. "Chicago Police also reportedly dismissed a neighbor's claim that a 'redneck'-looking man was loitering behind Smollett's apartment building, according to Chicago crime watch blog, CWB Chicago."

On Tuesday, Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett was still being treated as a "victim," but noted that the actor would be held accountable if the report were to turn out to be false, reported Weigel.

[RBP]

The NY Post's "magic bottle" was picked up and made into headlines.

http://i66.tinypic.com/2he9fmx.png

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The NY Post's "magic bottle" was picked up and made into headlines.

http://i66.tinypic.com/2he9fmx.png

:facepalm:

Like you said, the local cops, the FBI, local reporters, both print and TV, are all over this, but a NY Post reporter found a bottle that everyone else missed?

:uhhuh:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

"They have Jussie's records from within an hour of the incident. The police confirmed receipt of the records at [2:28 p.m. EST]," the spokesperson added.

:-s

WTF is that going to help prove FFS? :lol:

[RBP]

:-s

WTF is that going to help prove FFS? :lol:

I literally laughed out loud when my wife read me the headline. I believe I said some like "Redacted? Why does he need redacted phone records? He's not a CIA operative for fucks sake. You aren't that important, dude".

I hope CPD uses this as an opportunity to subpoena fucking everything. Refused to turn over his phone. Fuck right off, no one cares about your gay porn.

[lost in melb.]

I literally laughed out loud when my wife read me the headline. I believe I said some like "Redacted? Why does he need redacted phone records? He's not a CIA operative for fucks sake. You aren't that important, dude".

I hope CPD uses this as an opportunity to subpoena fucking everything. Refused to turn over his phone. Fuck right off, no one cares about your gay porn.

This


https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u0FrCxq40HA/XDE9ISpWEzI/AAAAAAAAgqs/_T47YsTa7eg7JtVX7r5g98J0rvuZRoXowCLcBGAs/s1600/orv15.png

[Pony]

I literally laughed out loud when my wife read me the headline. I believe I said some like "Redacted? Why does he need redacted phone records?

So he doesn't get caught planning it in advance and covering it up after.

[Hal-9000]

So he doesn't get caught planning it in advance and covering it up after.

*Boss Hogg voice*

You just quit your confabulating that there story with all the facts. No one wants to hear that kind of kerfuffle.

[Muddy]

This


https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u0FrCxq40HA/XDE9ISpWEzI/AAAAAAAAgqs/_T47YsTa7eg7JtVX7r5g98J0rvuZRoXowCLcBGAs/s1600/orv15.png

Thats from Seth McDickheads new space show 'The Orville'

[lost in melb.]

Thats from Seth McDickheads new space show 'The Orville'

Did you learn anything from the scene? :-s

[Muddy]

Did you learn anything from the scene? :-s

That men are sometimes attracted to other men and they have fantasies?

[RBP]

In today's shocking development, the CPD stated the phone records provided were not sufficient.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

In today's shocking development, the CPD stated the phone records provided were not sufficient.

:shockface:

[lost in melb.]

That men are sometimes attracted to other men and they have fantasies?

Thank you. This is a revelation to me however I trust your expertise on these matters :rolleyes:

[lost in melb.]

In today's shocking development, the CPD stated the phone records provided were not sufficient.

Any freaky alien porn reported? I had to ask :oops:

[Griffin]

Any freaky alien porn reported? I had to ask :oops:

You mean like gay midget mexicans with a donkey?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Matt Walsh - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/i6cLwewl.jpg

It is still technically possible that “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett really was the victim of a hate crime. We cannot at this point conclusively prove the negative, and maybe we never will. But we can use our faculties of reason and common sense and, based on the available evidence, arrive at the most plausible conclusion: it’s a hoax, and a pretty absurd one at that.

Before we look at the facts of the case, let’s review the claim. Smollett says he was walking back from Subway at 2 AM on a frigid Chicago night when he was suddenly attacked by two racist assailants. He says they assaulted him, poured a mysterious chemical on him, tied a rope around his neck, and shouted “this is MAGA country,” along with various anti-black and anti-gay slurs. Smollett claims that he fought off his attackers and made it home, Subway sandwich still in hand and rope still around his neck. Eventually he called the police and went to the hospital. The selfie he took in the hospital reveals a slight scratch on his face and not much else in the way of bodily injury.

Police are obviously skeptical of Smollett’s tale, but they have not yet officially called it a hoax. I believe the rest of us can have much more certainty than the police are willing to show. Here’s why:

1. The story is absurd on its face. It would be hard to believe no matter where it was supposed to have happened — but Chicago? Not just Chicago but one of the most liberal neighborhoods in Chicago. You may as well claim that MAGA terrorists assaulted you at a vegan convention in Portland. If there are roving bands of homicidal Trump-loving bigots prowling the streets, I doubt you’ll find them in Chicago, which most decidedly is not “MAGA country.”

And what were these violent bigots doing out in sub-zero temperatures with a noose and a bottle of bleach (which, by the way, would have frozen within minutes)? And if this is supposed to be a “random” attack, how did they know that Smollett was gay? Or was it targeted? Were they searching the streets and risking hypothermia in order to find and attack a relatively unknown supporting actor from a show they’ve almost certainly never watched?

Even if we allow for the possibility that the attackers exist, and we overlook all of the questions about how and why they were out in the middle of the night in Chicago pouring bleach on a black man, that still leaves us with the odd fact that Smollett wore the noose around his neck on his way back home. He had the presence of mind to retrieve his tuna sandwich, which was fortunately unharmed in the scuffle, yet, in a state of shock, he kept wearing the noose like a necktie? This couldn’t have been an effort to preserve evidence because, for one, he has been reluctant to produce evidence, and two, he was hesitant to call the police in the first place. You only set out to preserve evidence if you are absolutely sure from the get go that you will be contacting police — and you would contact them immediately.

2. Video footage does not support the claims. Police have been able to piece together Smollett’s entire jaunt to Subway, minus a 60-second gap that no security camera reached. There is no attack depicted in the available video. There is no footage of the assailants, either, aside from two guys who appear to be homeless and don’t fit the description Smollett provided.

Smollett says the attack happened in that 60-second span. That seems like an awfully short (not to mention suspiciously convenient) window for a desperate fight with two psychotic skinheads. The police say it's indeed possible that the described assault began and concluded within one minute. Possible, sure. It's also possible that Jack really did climb a magical bean stalk into the clouds. But possibilities and plausibilities are two different things.

3. Smollett has not been eager to help the investigation. He claims he was on the phone with his manager when the attack occurred, but for two weeks he refused to hand his phone over to investigators so they could corroborate the timeline. Finally, after two weeks, he did supply law enforcement with heavily redacted, and therefore useless, phone records. This is the kind of stonewalling you expect from the accused, not the victim.

4. Smollett is not behaving like the victim of a vicious beating. Just a couple of days after suffering, he claims, bruised ribs and other injuries, he was on the stage in West Hollywood singing, dancing, and showing no sign of physical impairment. Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of bruising their ribs knows that it is hard to move or breathe with that sort of injury, let alone perform a musical number.

5. His own neighbors don't believe him. If his neighbors had come out and confirmed that these kinds of things happen in their community, that would go a long way towards vindicating Smollett. But they say the opposite. Agin Muhammad, who lives in the same building as the supposed victim, put it frankly to the New York Post: "I don’t believe it, not around here ... Half the people are gay and the other half are black."

Does any of this prove that Smollett wasn't really attacked? No, but then it is notoriously difficult and often impossible to prove that something didn't happen. We can't even disprove alien abduction stories or Bigfoot sightings. We can only use our heads, evaluate the evidence, and decide what is most likely. Sure, it's possible that Smollett's story happened the way he said. But in this case, the most likely thing is clear: Jussie Smollett is lying.

[lost in melb.]

You mean like gay midget mexicans with a donkey?

I think you are onto something ...definitely ill from desert heat...and many aliens have eagle-like wings

:gay:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

ABC News


https://i.imgur.com/0Vqpjir.jpg

Musician and actor Jussie Smollett spoke to ABC News' Robin Roberts in his first interview since being viciously attacked on Jan. 29 in what is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

In a clip that ran ahead of the "Good Morning America" interview Thursday morning, Smollett revealed that he is "pissed off."

The 36-year-old, who portrays a gay musician on Fox's "Empire," addressed rumors and criticism that he might not be telling the truth.

"What is it that has you so angry? Is it the...attackers," Roberts asked.

"Attackers, but it's also the attacks," Smollett responded. "It's like, you know, at first, it was a thing of, like, 'Listen, if I tell the truth then that's it, 'cause it's the truth." Then it became a thing of like, 'Oh, how can you doubt that? Like, how do you-- how do you not believe that? It's the truth.'"

"And then it became a thing of like, 'Oh, it's not necessarily that you don't believe that this is the truth, you don't even want to see the truth,'" he added.

Smollett says he was approached by two attackers at around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29, and that they verbally abused him with alleged racial and homophobic slurs before they beat him "about the face with their hands," according to the police report.

"The primary aggressor was wearing a black mask concealing any facial features and both offenders were dressed in black," the report said. "The victim does not remember any other distinguishing features of the offenders, or in which direction they fled."

The attackers' identities are still unknown.

Smollett has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since the horrific incident, performing only once at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on Feb. 2.

"I'm not fully healed yet...but I'm going to be, and I'm gonna stand strong with y'all," he told the crowd.

"I had to be here tonight, y'all. I couldn't let those [expletive] win," he added. "Regardless of what anyone else says, I will only stand for love and I hope that you all stand with me."

[DemonGeminiX]

I read this expecting a confession. Should've known I was wasting my time.

[Hal-9000]

I liked the five reasons post. Didn't think Chicago was so liberal in their voting tendencies though :-k

[RBP]

ABC News


https://i.imgur.com/0Vqpjir.jpg

Musician and actor Jussie Smollett spoke to ABC News' Robin Roberts in his first interview since being viciously attacked on Jan. 29 in what is being investigated as a possible hate crime.

In a clip that ran ahead of the "Good Morning America" interview Thursday morning, Smollett revealed that he is "pissed off."

The 36-year-old, who portrays a gay musician on Fox's "Empire," addressed rumors and criticism that he might not be telling the truth.

"What is it that has you so angry? Is it the...attackers," Roberts asked.

"Attackers, but it's also the attacks," Smollett responded. "It's like, you know, at first, it was a thing of, like, 'Listen, if I tell the truth then that's it, 'cause it's the truth." Then it became a thing of like, 'Oh, how can you doubt that? Like, how do you-- how do you not believe that? It's the truth.'"

"And then it became a thing of like, 'Oh, it's not necessarily that you don't believe that this is the truth, you don't even want to see the truth,'" he added.

Smollett says he was approached by two attackers at around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29, and that they verbally abused him with alleged racial and homophobic slurs before they beat him "about the face with their hands," according to the police report.

"The primary aggressor was wearing a black mask concealing any facial features and both offenders were dressed in black," the report said. "The victim does not remember any other distinguishing features of the offenders, or in which direction they fled."

The attackers' identities are still unknown.

Smollett has mostly stayed out of the spotlight since the horrific incident, performing only once at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on Feb. 2.

"I'm not fully healed yet...but I'm going to be, and I'm gonna stand strong with y'all," he told the crowd.

"I had to be here tonight, y'all. I couldn't let those [expletive] win," he added. "Regardless of what anyone else says, I will only stand for love and I hope that you all stand with me."

Wow. He doubled down. Bold move, now I REALLY want a definitive answer. He has to be betting that CPD cannot prove the negative. I'll see your pissed off gay actor and raise you a pissed off CPD.

[RBP]

I liked the five reasons post. Didn't think Chicago was so liberal in their voting tendencies though :-k

:rofl:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Wow. He doubled down. Bold move, now I REALLY want a definitive answer. He has to be betting that CPD cannot prove the negative. I'll see your pissed off gay actor and raise you a pissed off CPD.

He knows without finding evidence, the cops can't call his bluff. But, he also assured himself that if they do find something to prove he's lying, he's gonna go down hard now.

[Muddy]

He knows without finding evidence, the cops can't call his bluff. But, he also assured himself that if they do find something to prove he's lying, he's gonna go down hard now.

Yeah right.. He would still be the darling of the lefts eye..

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


https://i.imgur.com/u5jBGXm.jpg

Jussie Smollett says he's certain ... the 2 men in the surveillance photo released by police are way more than persons of interest ... they are the men who screamed homophobic and racist epithets at him, tied a noose around his neck, poured bleach on him and beat him.

Jussie appeared on 'GMA' Thursday, and was clearly frustrated some people don't believe his story.

The 2 men in the surveillance photo are considered "persons of interest" but not suspects by the Chicago PD. Cops tell us the video shows the 2 men on the other side of the street from Jussie, but there is a 60-second gap in the video.

Jussie went on to explain why he refused to give his phone to cops so they could validate his story that he was talking to his manager at the time of the attack and the manager heard it go down. Jussie explained he had various private photos, videos and phone numbers and did not want that data compromised.

He tells Robin Roberts about his injuries and why he kept the rope around his neck until police arrived.

[RBP]

Wow. He's just now saying those are the guys? He is collapsing under the weight of his own bullshit.

And did I not say he was hiding his personal porn? :lol: He still hasn't turned over his phone, only redacted records that police say is inadequate.

This guy.... :facepalm:

[RBP]

The GMA video is in this link.

https://tvline.com/2019/02/14/jussie-smollett-attack-interview-video-good-morning-america/

[Hal-9000]

:rofl:

Isn't that what the five reasons article heavily implies in reason number one? :-s

That it's not Maga or republican country so that kind of assault wouldn't likely occur there?

Before reading that I thought everyone in Chitown was a redneck rightist like you :lol:

[DemonGeminiX]

All big cities in the US are dominated by the left.

[Hal-9000]

I only ask because I don't know :sad2:

[RBP]

Isn't that what the five reasons article heavily implies in reason number one? :-s

That it's not Maga or republican country so that kind of assault wouldn't likely occur there?

Before reading that I thought everyone in Chitown was a redneck rightist like you :lol:

http://i67.tinypic.com/12387pv.jpg

Chicago has always been a democrat town, "Chicago Democrats" was it's own brand of politics. That would be machine driven moderate republicans today. Unfortunately, the machine stayed with the party as it went off the left deep end. Many Chicago area races go uncontested because there's no real point in trying.

Now if you'll excuse me, my redneck rightist ass has to go finish fucking my sister.

[Hal-9000]

It's something that doesn't cross my mind often, thanks :thumbsup:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Wow. He's just now saying those are the guys? He is collapsing under the weight of his own bullshit.

And did I not say he was hiding his personal porn? :lol: He still hasn't turned over his phone, only redacted records that police say is inadequate.

This guy.... :facepalm:

He had to make something up since the cops can't find ANYONE else on any of the videos :lol:

[Hal-9000]

I'm interested in the conversation with his manager on the phone as the attack was allegedly occurring. I know the NSA can't outright admit they record every conversation, but it would be interesting if some entity could come up with a recording of the exchange.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I'm interested in the conversation with his manager on the phone as the attack was allegedly occurring. I know the NSA can't outright admit they record every conversation, but it would be interesting if some entity could come up with a recording of the exchange.

I'm guessing there was no conversation, that's why he won't turn over the complete and un-redacted phone records.

[RBP]

I'm interested in the conversation with his manager on the phone as the attack was allegedly occurring. I know the NSA can't outright admit they record every conversation, but it would be interesting if some entity could come up with a recording of the exchange.

On the conversation. He's on the call when he gets verbally assaulted, then puts the phone in his pocket to fend off the attack, "I punched his ass back". When the attackers suddenly leave "running" (no video of anyone running) he gets the phone from his pocket and the manager asks "what's going on". "I was attacked" he replied. Hmmmm... I thought the manager heard the whole thing including the racist and homophobic comments?

[Hal-9000]

I'm guessing there was no conversation, that's why he won't turn over the complete and un-redacted phone records.

Sure there was a conversation.

Jussie - And then, I'm going to say these two white guys in masks shouted racial and sexual abuse, then they threw bleach on me, then they put a noose over my head after they beat me!
Manager - Be careful Jussie, don't really hit your face because you know...actor and all that. Maybe just scratch it with a fingernail?
Jussie - Good idea. I'll fall onto the ground really hard too and claim they kicked me in the side. This is going to be great. I should be a script writer!
Manager - Jobs will come pouring in guaranteed. Now get ready for the biggest audition of your life kid. Find two people and go fall down near them! Knock em dead!

[Hal-9000]

On the conversation. He's on the call when he gets verbally assaulted, then puts the phone in his pocket to fend off the attack, "I punched his ass back". When the attackers suddenly leave "running" (no video of anyone running) he gets the phone from his pocket and the manager asks "what's going on". "I was attacked" he replied. Hmmmm... I thought the manager heard the whole thing including the racist and homophobic comments?

My thoughts too. You got a phone out and it's on while getting attacked? By evil MAGA people??

Today, people will either record the audio or get the video going in a heartbeat.

He had the perfect situation to reflect his cause, which was being attacked because he was gay, black, left...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


Jussie Smollett is being questioned again by Chicago PD ... and officers are also talking to another man, an actor who has also appeared on "Empire" ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the case tell us the actor, not Jussie, was picked up by Chicago PD Wednesday night right after he flew into O'Hare Airport. We're told Jussie was brought in Thursday morning for additional questioning. Another man who was with the actor at O'Hare was also taken in for questioning.

The two individuals are being questioned as "persons of interest." Police won't say if they are the same 2 people seen in the grainy image released last month. But, law enforcement sources tell TMZ, they believe the 2 people were at the scene of the alleged attack.

As for how cops ID'd the 2 people they're questioning -- we're told they used rideshare and/or taxicab records to track their locations the night of the alleged incident.

Jussie is on record saying he believes the 2 men in the grainy image are the ones who attacked him.

Story developing ...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


3:30 PM PT -- Police raided the home of the 2 men who cops picked up at the O'Hare Airport Wednesday night ... this according to WBBM TV reporter Charlie De Mar, who says he spoke to the family of the 2 men. Both men are Nigerian and were extras on "Empire." Based on what the cops have already said, it appears these are the same men who were captured on the surveillance video.
1096181650390765570
According to the report, police seized 5 bottles of bleach, a red hat, 2 laptops and other items.

The family said the 2 men left for Nigeria the day of the alleged attack. This is consistent with what law enforcement sources previously told TMZ ... that the men left for Nigeria and returned Wednesday night, and the police tracked their travels and were waiting for them when they landed in Chicago.

By the way ... when we broke the story about the various details of the alleged attack, our Jussie sources said the actor identified the 2 men as white. We do not know the skin color of the 2 men from Nigeria.

Important to note ... the red hat may be a red herring, because Jussie never said the men were wearing MAGA hats ... rather, he says they screamed "MAGA country."

2:50 PM PT -- Chicago PD has confirmed ... the 2 men taken in for questioning are the same men in the surveillance video screen grab. The PD confirms transportation records, along with interviews with Jussie and other witnesses, led to the ID of the 2 men.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Why does this seem all too convenient?

[RBP]

White Nigerians who love Trump. It all make sense now.

[Muddy]

Its all just a ruse to make Trump supporters look like racists..

[Teh One Who Knocks]

What I want to know is, how did it go from absolutely no leads in the case for 2 weeks plus, and then suddenly they were able to identify those two indistinguishable figures in that video and know where they lived? :-s

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By James Barrett - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/YheGVzol.jpg

This article has been updated to provide the latest developments.


The saga surrounding the alleged hate crime attack against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett took a dramatic turn on Thursday amid multiple reports that Chicago police took two "persons of interest" into questioning, including one man who reportedly worked with Smollett as an actor on "Empire." A Chicago ABC affiliate and CBS Chicago reported Thursday evening that sources close to the case said police are investigating whether Smollett and the two persons of interest potentially "staged the attack."

"Multiple sources have told ABC7 Eyewitness News that police are investigating whether Smollett and the two men staged the attack allegedly because Smollett was being written off of 'Empire,'" ABC7 reported Thursday evening.

"Police are investigating whether the two individuals committed the attack — or whether the attack happened at all," Chicago police told ABC, the outlet reported in an update to its original report. Citing a source familiar with the investigation, ABC says that Smollett also "failed to appear for an interview with detectives earlier Thursday, but has since spoken with police."

CBS Chicago also reports that sources say police are investigating if the alleged attack was "potentially staged" by the "non-cooperating" persons of interest and the actor. "Investigators believe Jussie Smollett and the non-cooperating witnesses in the alleged attack of Smollett last month 'potentially staged the attack,' sources tell CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards," the outlet reports.

Earlier Thursday, multiple outlets, including The Chicago Tribune, reported that police had confirmed that they detained two persons of interest at O'Hare International Airport for questioning about their potential involvement in the case Wednesday night. One of the men reportedly appeared on "Empire," ABC News confirmed.

According to ABC, law enforcement officials say the homes of the two persons of interest were raided Wednesday night, noting that officials "removed shoes, electronic devices and other items they believe could help them determine if the two people played any role in the assault from those homes."

The outlet stresses that Chicago police told them they "cannot confirm any of those reports" and that no charges have been filed. In an update posted Thursday night, ABC reports that Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson contacted the outlet to clarify that the department is "continuing to treat Smollett as a victim and the investigation remains ongoing."

In response to ABC's initial report, Smollett's representatives issued a statement saying the actor "did answer routine followup questions for Chicago Police Department and continues to cooperate" and that he is not being written off "Empire." The outlet reports that Fox has also denied the "patently ridiculous" claim, stating, "He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him."

Thursday evening, CBS Chicago's Charlie De Mar provided more details about the persons of interest and the Wednesday night raid. He also quoted a "top source" as saying, "We [investigators] believe the non-cooperating 2 witnesses are co-conspirators in a potentially staged attack."
1096182676686548994
1096199020660383744
Smollett, a 36-year-old openly gay African American singer and actor, told police that he was brutally attacked at around 2 a.m. on January 29 while walking home from Subway in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. According to Smollett, the two masked men hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him, doused him with an unknown chemical (believed to be bleach), assaulted him, and put a rope around his neck. Along with allegedly calling him "n***er" and "f***ot," he says they yelled, "This is MAGA country!"

But by the end of the first week of the investigation, police revealed that all available surveillance footage failed to show the attack. One piece of evidence emerged: a grainy image of two men dressed in dark clothing that Smollett said in an interview with "Good Morning America" Thursday were the two men.

Using the surveillance photos and, according to TMZ, "rideshare and/or taxicab records," police say they were able to identify the two persons of interest and track them the night of the alleged attack.

[DemonGeminiX]

:shockface:

[lost in melb.]

So the "attackers" and Smealett know each other?

[RBP]

So the "attackers" and Smealett know each other?

All conjecture at this point, but that may be the case.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

White Nigerians who love Trump. It all make sense now.


Jussie Smollett's Story Has Race Discrepancy
By the TMZ Staff


https://i.imgur.com/QaAOIR5.jpg

A key part of Jussie Smollett's story is not tracking ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

TMZ broke many of the details of Jussie's story just hours after the attack ... the rope, the bleach, the statement by the attackers, "This is MAGA country" and also that his 2 attackers were white.

https://i.imgur.com/03srF5P.jpg

We have now confirmed, the 2 Nigerian men who were picked up by police at O'Hare Airport are black. Police say the 2 men are the same ones who were captured on surveillance video around the time of the incident.

Jussie told Robin Roberts this week, he's positive the 2 men on the surveillance video are the same 2 men who attacked him.

When we first reported the details of the story -- including Jussie saying the 2 men were white -- we were told twice, after we posted, it accurately reflected Jussie's version of events. We also spoke with our Jussie sources Friday and they reaffirmed he had said that day the men were white.

One of the reasons why it's so important ... as we reported, Jussie says the men hurled a racist epithet and screamed, "This is MAGA country." As you know, Trump reportedly made hateful remarks about African countries, calling them "Shithole countries."

The 2 men were both extras on "Empire."

We have asked one of Jussie's people if he knew the 2 men ... the rep said she did not know.

[RBP]

http://i66.tinypic.com/29xtb4i.gif

[lost in melb.]

Wearing white masks on the night :hand:

:klan:

[Hal-9000]

Jussie Smollett's Story Has Race Discrepancy
By the TMZ Staff


https://i.imgur.com/QaAOIR5.jpg

A key part of Jussie Smollett's story is not tracking ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

TMZ broke many of the details of Jussie's story just hours after the attack ... the rope, the bleach, the statement by the attackers, "This is MAGA country" and also that his 2 attackers were white.

https://i.imgur.com/03srF5P.jpg

We have now confirmed, the 2 Nigerian men who were picked up by police at O'Hare Airport are black. Police say the 2 men are the same ones who were captured on surveillance video around the time of the incident.

Jussie told Robin Roberts this week, he's positive the 2 men on the surveillance video are the same 2 men who attacked him.

When we first reported the details of the story -- including Jussie saying the 2 men were white -- we were told twice, after we posted, it accurately reflected Jussie's version of events. We also spoke with our Jussie sources Friday and they reaffirmed he had said that day the men were white.

One of the reasons why it's so important ... as we reported, Jussie says the men hurled a racist epithet and screamed, "This is MAGA country." As you know, Trump reportedly made hateful remarks about African countries, calling them "Shithole countries."

The 2 men were both extras on "Empire."

We have asked one of Jussie's people if he knew the 2 men ... the rep said she did not know.

The 2 men were both extras on "Empire."

This is playing into the Muddy/hal theme where the event was staged and the actor enlisted the attackers :thumbsup:

Did he know them? Are they kidding us...black extras on his show who just happen to be on video surveillance when the alleged attack occurred?



I have a saying. If an elephant shits on your head, then an elephant has shit on your head :tup:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The 2 men were both extras on "Empire."

This is playing into the Muddy/hal theme where the event was staged and the actor enlisted the attackers :thumbsup:

Did he know them? Are they kidding us...black extras on his show who just happen to be on video surveillance when the alleged attack occurred?



I have a saying. If an elephant shits on your head, then an elephant has shit on your head :tup:

Jussie said the attackers were white :hand:

[Hal-9000]

Jussie said the attackers were white :hand:

My Dad told me Santa was real :hand:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Josh Margolin, Stephanie Wash and Michael Rothman - ABC News


Two potential suspects in the alleged racial attack on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett have been arrested, Chicago police said Friday.

"Police can detain the potential suspects for an additional 24 hours past the 48 hour holding period under special circumstances, but it must go through the prosecutors office and has to be clear process," police added to ABC News.

Police also confirmed “they have a relationship with [Jussie].”

This news comes hours after police told ABC News they were classifying them as potential suspects.

"Detectives have probable cause that they may have been involved in an alleged crime and we are working to corroborate the allegations and investigative timeline as our investigation continues," police said.

They also shut down any reports that there was evidence to classify the alleged attack as a hoax.

"While we haven't found any video documenting the alleged attack, there is also no evidence to say that this is a hoax," police added. "The alleged victim is being cooperative at this time and continues to be treated as a victim, not a suspect."

Chicago PD had confirmed Thursday that they identified and were questioning the two "persons of interest" in the alleged racial attack. One of them has previously appeared on "Empire," according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

Police say they were tracking the two suspects and were aware of who they were "for a while," and that investigators learned that the two individuals were returning to Chicago on Wednesday from Nigeria.

The two suspects are U.S. citizens of Nigerian descent, they added.

Detectives also questioned Smollett Thursday, the official said.

Attorney Gloria Schmidt, who is representing the two persons of interest, told Chicago CBS station WBBM that her clients were detained at O'Hare Airport Wednesday evening and were unaware of the attack on Smollett.

"When they first learned what happened to him, they were horrified," Schmidt said. "This is someone that they know, this is someone that they work with, so they don't want to see somebody go through that ... They really don’t understand how [police] even got information that linked them to this horrific crime, but they’re not guilty of it."

Late last month, Smollett, who portrays a gay musician on Fox's "Empire," told police he was brutally attacked in what authorities are calling a suspected hate crime.

He said the attackers put a noose around his neck, poured an unknown substance, likely bleach, on him and used their hands, feet and teeth as weapons in the assault, according to police. Smollett said the attackers also yelled "This is MAGA country" during the attack.

He was subsequently hospitalized and released, local authorities said.

In his first interview since police say he was attacked last month, the singer and actor said on "Good Morning America" that he was heartbroken when he found out that people questioned the details of his story.

"I have to acknowledge the lies, and the hate. And it feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more. A lot more," Smollett, 36, told ABC News' Robin Roberts. "And that says a lot about the place that we are in our country right now."

Prior to the police identifying and interviewing the two persons of interest, Smollett said he believes the two men in the photo released by police in the days after the attack are the perpetrators.

"I don't have any doubt in my mind that that's them," Smollett said. "Never did."

[Hal-9000]

:-k

So the two attackers were at least familiar with Smollett because of their work as extras on Empire. They were from Nigeria and held some grudge against him because he was black, gay and a democrat?

What if Jussie just pissed them off in a general sense and they were exacting their revenge?


No, there's still too much missing. Smollet now confirms the guys were black but couldn't say that because why?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

No, there's still too much missing. Smollet now confirms the guys were black but couldn't say that because why?

He hasn't confirmed that part, all he's saying is that the two 'shadows' in that photo were for sure the guys. But he's also stated multiple times that the attackers were white. Now his story doesn't jive.

Methinks this whole thing was staged and that he never thought the cops would find these two guys in the photo because that image basically tells you absolutely nothing.

[Hal-9000]

He hasn't confirmed that part, all he's saying is that the two 'shadows' in that photo were for sure the guys. But he's also stated multiple times that the attackers were white. Now his story doesn't jive.

Methinks this whole thing was staged and that he never thought the cops would find these two guys in the photo because that image basically tells you absolutely nothing.

That's my suspicion. Hey guys, want to make 500 bucks before you go home to Nigeria? Now you're white and going to attack me. I'll get you back on show later this year with better parts :thumbsup:

[Hal-9000]

If this thing does unravel in his face...he will become a new meme for creating a BS story and never work again in Hollywood.

[Hal-9000]

Late for work...pull a Jussie! :tup:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Yeah, I think his story may be hanging from it's final thread. If the cops threaten these guys with serious jail time, I have no doubt they will flip on him.

[Hal-9000]

To be fair, there is the possibility those guys really didn't like Smollett and assaulted him. Sometimes gay people are frowned upon in some homelands and treated as criminals.

One scenario could be he treated them like shit on the set of Empire and they exacted revenge.

And I'm writing for Discovery next year too :lol:

[Pony]

To be fair, there is the possibility those guys really didn't like Smollett and assaulted him. Sometimes gay people are frowned upon in some homelands and treated as criminals.

One scenario could be he treated them like shit on the set of Empire and they exacted revenge.

And I'm writing for Discovery next year too :lol:

https://i.imgur.com/hdFQFDb.jpg

TMZ released this pic of the suspects. If this wasn't staged then Smollett must be one hell of a badass to fight these two guys off and be left with barely a scratch.

[lost in melb.]

https://i.imgur.com/hdFQFDb.jpg

TMZ released this pic of the suspects. If this wasn't staged then Smollett must be one hell of a badass to fight these two guys off and be left with barely a scratch.

They are also gay? :dunno:

And wearing white prosthetic masks to fool Smollett.

Smollett is innocent! :nono:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/hdFQFDb.jpg

TMZ released this pic of the suspects. If this wasn't staged then Smollett must be one hell of a badass to fight these two guys off and be left with barely a scratch.Are you saying that just because Jussie is gay means he can't defend himself? :-s

:triggered:

[RBP]

https://i.imgur.com/hdFQFDb.jpg

TMZ released this pic of the suspects. If this wasn't staged then Smollett must be one hell of a badass to fight these two guys off and be left with barely a scratch.

And hold on to his Subway.

[DemonGeminiX]

And hold on to his Subway.

Subway should hire Jussie as a spokesperson. Dude can get his ass kicked and won't let go of his sandwich. That's love for a sandwich like no other.

[RBP]

The 2 "suspects" have been released with no charges. Based on "information gathered in the interrogations" the CPD has additional investigative work to do.

My take: The Nigerians were told they were going down for this unless they gave it up. Tell the truth and walk. They walked.

Let the games begin.

:popcorn:

Jussie enters rehab in 5, 4, 3....

[RBP]

http://i64.tinypic.com/2mgjzm1.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


https://i.imgur.com/GByXvw8.jpg

The lawyer for the 2 men who were arrested and then released in connection with the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett says the new evidence that has changed this case is something her clients told cops.

Attorney Gloria Schmidt was at the Chicago police station Friday night, after her clients, Ola and Abel Osundairo, were released from custody. Schmidt said the "new evidence" that triggered the release of her clients was something they knew and presumably told cops.

Our photog asked Schmidt flat out if the "attack" was staged, and she answered obliquely, saying there were moving parts and she didn't want to speculate.

As we reported, Ola and Abel both worked on "Empire," and Abel was especially friendly with Jussie.

And, something else interesting ... she wouldn't answer why her clients went to Nigeria the day of the alleged attack, but added it was a "great question."

She said she didn't want to speak for her clients because they had a story to tell "when the time is right." That clearly sounds like they have inside information about what went down at Jussie's apartment building.

[RBP]

:popcorn:

[Hal-9000]

I loved seeing this on the news last night :lol:

Those two Nigerian dudes are going to yell MAGA at someone on their way home to Nigeria??

And Jussie couldn't tell they were Nigerian from both their speech and his former INTERACTIONS with them?


:rofl: oooh boy, this is gonna be good

[Hal-9000]

Okay back to basics. Size doesn't always equate to fighting prowess but I'm telling you...those two monsters get in any sort of tussle with our man Jussie and Jussie would still be in the hospital.

The wrestler Davey Boy Smith once went to court here for a roadside altercation with a father and son. He threw a full grown man 15 feet and damaged him :lol: That was the assault charge. For picking someone up and throwing them :lol:

[Hal-9000]

The 2 "suspects" have been released with no charges. Based on "information gathered in the interrogations" the CPD has additional investigative work to do.

My take: The Nigerians were told they were going down for this unless they gave it up. Tell the truth and walk. They walked.

Let the games begin.

:popcorn:

Jussie enters rehab in 5, 4, 3....

Yes they weren't charged which says everything right there and when their lawyer was asked if the attack was staged she didn't respond with...no comment, I don't know, the court will determine. She said there were moving parts and didn't want to speculate.

google translate - My clients are safe and the investigation will continue.

bye Jussie :bye:

[lost in melb.]

Chicago (CNN)Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN that Chicago Police believe Jussie Smollett paid two men to orchestrate the assault.



The brothers, who were arrested Wednesday, were released without charges Friday after Chicago police cited the discovery of "new evidence." The sources told CNN that the two men are now cooperating fully with law enforcement.
Smollett told authorities he was attacked early January 29 by two men who were "yelling out racial and homophobic slurs." He said one attacker put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him.

The sources told CNN that there are records that show the two brothers purchased the rope found around Smollett's neck at an Ace Hardware store in Chicago.
Smollett gave his first detailed account of what he says was a hate crime against him, and the aftermath, in an interview with "Good Morning America" that aired Thursday. During the interview he expressed frustration at not being believed.
"It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim or a Mexican or someone black I feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot much more," Smollett said. "And that says a lot about the place where we are as a country right now."
CNN's attempts to reach both Smollett's representative and attorney Saturday were unsuccessful.
Developing story - more to come

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/16/entertainment/jussie-smollett-attack/index.html

[DemonGeminiX]

:lol:

Noooooooooooooooooo........ really??? You don't say!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


https://i.imgur.com/UNsrX0r.jpg

8:15 PM PT -- Jussie's lawyer just responded with this ... "As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying."

6:15 PM PT -- Chicago PD's Chief Communications Officer confirms the case has taken a turn based on details provided by the brothers, saying ... "The information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation."

He adds that police have reached out to Jussie's attorney to request a follow-up interview.

Original Story Below

Jussie Smollett has turned from a presumed victim to suspect in the criminal investigation into the alleged racist, homophobic attack, and sources say there is mounting evidence the 2 brothers who were arrested and subsequently released were acting at Jussie's behest and reportedly paid.

Our sources say the brothers -- both of whom worked on the "Empire" set -- "completely cooperated" with Chicago cops during their interrogation over the last few days.

One law enforcement source tells TMZ at least one of the brothers turned over his phone and there is a call between him and Jussie in the vicinity of the "attack," but before it happened.

CNN is reporting the brothers purchased what looks like the rope Jussie had around his neck at a Chicago Ace Hardware store. CNN is also citing law enforcement sources saying Jussie paid the brothers to orchestrate the phony assault.

Various sources in the Chicago PD have told TMZ almost from the beginning there was wide sentiment Jussie's version of events were false, despite the party line that he was the victim of a crime.

As we told you ... the Nigerian brothers never fit the profile of Jussie's alleged attackers, even when they were arrested for battery. Not only are they not white -- which contradicts Smollett's claims from the beginning -- but "Empire" cast and crew sources tell us they're very close to Jussie ... and they're pro-LGBTQ and anti-Trump too.

Chicago PD released Abel and Ola late Friday night due to "new evidence" gathered from their interrogation ... and said they're no longer suspects.

The brothers' lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, says her clients were released based on the key info they gave the cops ... and they have a story to tell "when the time is right."

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


https://i.imgur.com/E13fvKg.jpg

Jussie Smollett is not officially a suspect in the Chicago PD investigation, despite multiple sources inside the department who tell us he is squarely just that.

We reached out to Chi PD and asked if the status of the "Empire" star has officially gone from victim to suspect. We were told ... "We have some information that needs to be corroborated and verified with the Empire cast member before we can answer this question. After new developments, we've reached out to his attorney and requested additional time to interview him."

It actually makes sense ... the cops are playing the case close to the vest, so witnesses aren't influenced by police statements. As we reported, there was a sentiment early on in the Department Jussie's story didn't track, but officially they never let on.

https://i.imgur.com/3JvFftH.jpg

As we reported, the 2 brothers with connections to both "Empire" and Jussie "completely cooperated" with cops during their interrogation, and they made it clear ... their participation was at the behest of Jussie.

Jussie's lawyer has indirectly lashed out at the brothers, doubling down that Jussie is a victim and "anyone claiming otherwise is lying."

As we reported, at least one of the brothers turned over his phone to cops and there's a call between him and Jussie in the vicinity of the "attack," but before it happened.

There are multiple reports the brothers bought the rope in question at an Ace Hardware store in Chicago.

We're told so far ... Jussie has not agreed to another interview with cops.

[Hal-9000]

Ace hardware is going to break this case. As soon as they place one of the brothers there buying the noose, Jussie is finished.

[Pony]

Ace hardware is going to break this case. As soon as they place one of the brothers there buying the noose, Jussie is finished.

I read they have the receipt from the brothers.

[Pony]

https://i.imgur.com/DFqHxV1.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Ruth Brown - The New York Post


https://i.imgur.com/pmrcM90.jpg

The Jussie Smollett case will go before a grand jury early next week, according to a new report.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that a panel will hear the case, but the outlet didn’t elaborate on who is facing charges — or what they might be.

The “Empire” star told cops he was assaulted in Chicago on Jan. 29 by two men spewing racist and homophobic slurs at him — but his story has since come under fire as sources have alleged to news outlets that he actually paid some pals to stage the whole thing.

Cops arrested brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo on Wednesday after they were captured on security footage near the scene — but they were released Friday without charges, and police then said evidence they gave has shifted the “trajectory of the investigation.”

Cops are also now investigating whether magazines with missing pages that they found when raiding the brothers’ homes are connected to a threatening letter sent to Smollett a weeks before the attack with cut-out letters reading, “You will die black f–,” according to TMZ.

Smollett originally made it clear to cops that he’d sign complaints against his assailants — but once the Osundairos were arrested, he said he knew them and felt bad for them, and refused to press charges, sources tell TMZ.

Police originally found the star’s story suspect when he brought them to the scene of the incident and pointed out a camera noting the whole attack was caught on video — and were also suspicious of the claim that his assailants shouted, “This is MAGA country,” because “Not a single Trump supporter watches ‘Empire,'” the gossip site reports.

Sources have told CBS Chicago that Smollett paid the bodybuilding brothers $3,500 for the attack — with the promise of another $500 to come — and even coughed up the cash for the rope the duo purchased for the assault.

Smollett denies playing any role in the attack.

His lawyers said in statement over the weekend that one of the brothers was his personal trainer, and the star finds it “impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity.”

[RBP]

I read they have the receipt from the brothers.

It's the only time we can say "the brothers" without being accused of using racist language.

[Pony]

It's the only time we can say "the brothers" without being accused of using racist language.

Are you assuming I knew they were related?

:lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ that a panel will hear the case, but the outlet didn’t elaborate on who is facing charges — or what they might be.

I bet I can guess :shifty:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


Jussie Smollett rehearsed the "attack" against him days before the incident and it was all staged for the camera, this according to what the 2 brothers told cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Abel and Ola Osundairo told cops they got in a car with Jussie and scouted a location, settling on the one right outside the actor's apartment. The brothers said Jussie chose the spot because he believed a camera would have captured the action.

Our sources say the brothers told police Jussie said he wanted to make it a "physical thing," but not to the point he'd be seriously injured.

On the night Jussie says he was attacked, the brothers claim they showed up at the scene but were extremely nervous because, just as they played out the scene, a car drove by and they were worried they'd be ID'd.

Our sources say the brothers performed per the rehearsal -- they screamed out they recognized Jussie from "Empire" and then hurled the racist n-word and the homophobic f-word.

The brothers told cops they "made contact with Jussie's face" but it was "weak." They said they didn't know how he suffered the bruises but the staged fight was not designed to injure him.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei-RusAawW8

Check out this video of Abel ... if he wanted, he could do a lot of damage.

TMZ broke the story ... when cops arrived, Jussie took them down to the area he said the "attack" went down and pointed to the camera, saying it was good the incident was captured on video. What he didn't know was that the camera was pointed in the wrong direction and didn't capture the incident.

[RBP]

Just wow. What will the screechers do now?

[Pony]

Just wow. What will the screechers do now?

Immediately find something new to screech about so this quickly goes away.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/27fLJxw.gif

[Hal-9000]

Yes when the brothers are released without being charged and the case now appears before a Grand Jury...Jussie may want to check out the acting jobs in Nigeria.

And it's a little ironic. If it plays out the way I'm suspecting it will, the entire set up was based on Jussie's racism against people who don't support his political party, or watch Empire :lol:

His world view is so constricted he never thought of enlisting white people as the assailants, which in my mind was the first Jenga piece to get pulled.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Stephanie Wash, Josh Margolin and Bill Hutchinson - ABC News


The two brothers who were interrogated by police investigating the alleged Chicago street attack on actor Jussie Smollett claim they helped him concoct the assault after he became upset that a letter threatening him, sent to the "Empire" show's studio, did not get enough attention, sources told ABC News on Monday.

Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo have also told investigators that Smollett paid them to help him orchestrate and stage the Jan. 29 attack that he said occurred near his Chicago apartment, sources said.

A letter threatening Smollett was sent Jan. 22 to the Fox studio in Chicago where "Empire" is filmed, police said. The letter contained threatening language and was laced with a powdery substance investigators believe was likely crushed-up Tylenol, police said.

The Osundairo brothers told the investigator that Smollet allegedly decided to stage an attack on himself because he felt the letter didn't get enough attention, the sources told ABC News.

Detectives are actively investigating the account of Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, but thus far police have not independently verified the allegations, a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told ABC News.

The Osundairo brothers agreed to cooperate with authorities after detectives confronted them with evidence that they bought the rope -- allegedly used in an attack that Smollett described to police as laced with racial and homophobic slurs -- at a Chicago hardware store, sources said. Smollett also claimed the attackers shouted "MAGA country," an apparent reference to President Donald Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again."

No one has been charged in connection with the case.

"We are not racist. We are not homophobic and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens," Osundairo brothers said in a statement to CBS Chicago affiliate WBBM that has been confirmed by ABC News.

Detectives have now shifted the investigation towards determining whether Smollett made up the entire story, sources said.

Anne Kavanagh, a spokeswoman for Smollett and his legal team, said the actor had no plans to meet Monday with Chicago police, who said they are "eager" to speak with him again about the latest developments in the investigation. Kavanagh said Smollett's attorneys are keeping an active dialogue going with Chicago police on behalf of the actor.

The latest twist in the probe came after Smollett hit back at the suggestion that the incident was a hoax, and expressed disbelief that the brothers could have been involved.

“As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with," Smollett attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said in a statement Saturday. "He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.

“One of these purported suspects was Jussie’s personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video," the statement continued. "It is impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity."

The attorneys said that Smollett has been cooperating with the police throughout the investigation.

After initially being considered persons of interest, the Osundairo brothers were detained and became potential suspects, police said. When they were threatened with battery and hate crimes charges, they agreed to work with detectives, sources told ABC News.

The dramatic shift in the probe is the latest in the fast-changing story that started with Smollett reporting to police that he was attacked in the early morning hours of Jan. 29.
1097236283921977345
By Saturday evening, however, Chicago police said they were "eager to speak to Jussie Smollett" after the interrogation of the Osundairo brothers, who police said are U.S. citizens of Nigerian descent.

"We have been in touch with Smollett's attorneys," Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told ABC News Sunday afternoon, adding that investigators "are waiting on whether they’re going to get a response from his attorney.”

Guglielmi said the department contacted the actor's lawyers Friday night.

"We made our intentions clear," he said.

On Sunday afternoon, Guglielmi posted a statement on Twitter, saying, "While we are not in a position to confirm, deny or comment on the validity of what's been unofficially released, there are some developments in this investigation and detectives have some follow-ups to complete which include speaking to the individual who reported the incident."

A spokesperson for Fox, which broadcasts "Empire," declined comment on Saturday night.

Early Saturday, after the brothers were released, police said they had new information that “could change the story entirely.”

Police confirmed that Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo were the two men seen in surveillance images from the night of the alleged incident. They were taken into custody on Wednesday night and interviewed by detectives in the following days.

Based on the video evidence that police discovered, it did not indicate anyone else was there at the scene of the alleged incident, police said.

But on Saturday, after their release the night before, police said the brothers were no longer potential suspects and again persons of interest, saying that they may still have information that is helpful to the investigation.

Smollett told police that on Jan. 29, he was walking on a street near his apartment when he was attacked by two men. The attackers allegedly shouted racist and homophobic slurs before hitting him, pouring “an unknown chemical substance” on him — possibly bleach — and wrapping a rope around his neck, he told detectives.

Police confirmed phone records show that during the attack, Smollett was on the phone with Brandon Moore, his music manager. Both claimed that the alleged attackers yelled "MAGA country."

While Guglielmi said on Saturday that he could not speak on what the new information was, he said that detectives had “shifted the trajectory” of the investigation. Though he did not say whether Smollett spoke to the men that night — one of them had previously appeared on “Empire” — he said it will also be central to the investigation whether they spoke to or saw Smollett.

Police raided the home of the Osundairo brothers Wednesday night to search for possible evidence and retrieved shoes, electronic devices, bleach and a red hat, among other items, according to photos of an inventory log confirmed to ABC News. The inventory log, first reported by a local CBS station, also contained a description for an item that said "Script-Empire."

It’s unclear whether forensic results have come back on any of the seized items on the inventory log.

[lost in melb.]

What he didn't know was that the camera was pointed in the wrong direction and didn't capture the incident

Will actors never learn. You always need a competent director! Cheapskate! :nono:

[RBP]

Local news reported they also seized magazines that match those used in the threat letter, and reported that Smollett has retained a "crisis management firm".

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Tucker Carlson | Fox News


https://i.imgur.com/eWwscvml.jpg

When TV star Jussie Smollett claimed to be the victim of a racist anti-gay attack at the hands of two Trump supporters, virtually the entire news media and a parade of politicians immediately believed him and demanded the rest of us do so as well.

Now, that story is coming completely apart, with police sources saying Smollett likely orchestrated the entire attack himself. But while we wait for the facts to come to light, it is worth remembering that almost 3,000 people were shot in the City of Chicago last year -- women, small children -- sometimes alone and sometimes in groups. Many hundreds of them died, and not a single one received anything like the attention the media has lavished on a relatively minor assault alleged by Smollett.

On the other hand, none of Chicago's 3,000 shootings were even half as useful as Smollett's story.

The Smollett story had everything for a national media that long ago gave up the pretense of gathering news. Journalism is now explicitly a political job, the point of which is to enforce cultural orthodoxies and punish enemies.

Jussie Smollett was the perfect vehicle for both of those things.

Journalists pretended to be horrified as they recounted what he said happened to him, but secretly, they were thrilled.

“There are many indications of a hate crime here. They are looking for two suspects who were wearing apparently wearing "Make America Great Again" hats though that has not yet been officially confirmed,” said MSNBC National Correspondent Miguel Almaguer.

Liz Plank, host of Vox Media’s “Consider It,” just knew President Trump had something to do with the attack.

“We don't know what happened to Jussie, but what we do know is that racism is alive and well in this country,” Plank said. “There is real evidence of people who have done these crimes, who cite that the President has inspired them.”

Jonathan Capehart, of the Washington Post, agreed with Plank. President Trump was most certainly to blame.

“The fact that [the attackers] reportedly said, ‘This is MAGA country,’ adds to sort of the atmosphere of menace that African-Americans in particular and people of color in general have felt since the advent of the Trump administration," Capehart mused.

Finally, there was this observation from CNN’s Brooke Baldwin: “He said his attackers hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him. This is America in 2019.”

Oh, and if you had questions, much less doubts, the elites were poised to attack you.

“And the media has really cast so much doubt on his story which I find so personally offensive that a gay black man is targeted and then suddenly he becomes the victim of people's disbelief,” said actress Sara Gilbert. “It is so outrageous to me.”

To the national media, Smollett's story was the perfect metaphor for the Trump era. It was also pretty clearly a total crock. Smollett's account began to fall apart within hours after a series of leaks from the obviously skeptical Chicago Police Department.

His handlers paired him with a network anchor they could rely on, with a 16-minute interview with Robin Roberts of "Good Morning, America." Roberts surely knew there was ample evidence that Smollett was lying, but she decided to ignore that. Instead, Roberts colluded with him.

She nodded empathetically as Smollett wept on camera. She asked no significant follow-up questions. The two parted like old friends. Both Smollett and Roberts turned out to be talented actors. Check out their performance on YouTube before it is scrubbed. You will never watch ABC News again. Virtually every word they utter is dishonest.

“If I had said it was a Muslim or a Mexican or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot much more, a lot more, and that says a lot about the place that we are in our country right now,” Smollett told Roberts. “The fact that we have these fear mongers, these people that are trying to separate us and it is just not okay.”

Who is dividing us? And who exactly is the victim in all of this? While Smollett claims that he is the victim, he tells us that he represents the most despised and unfashionable groups in America, that is why bigots doubt his story. The rest of us nod as if this was true because we are required to do that. That is how dishonest our society has become. Everyone must lie all the time. We know the rules, we have no choice.

The fact is, the much-hyped epidemic of hate crimes we have heard so much about essentially is made up. The premise is absurd. America is not a hateful country, it is the most welcoming place on Earth that is why even as our children learn from their teachers what a bigoted country this is, millions continue to stream in from Africa and Latin America for a better life here.

So why does the left insist on inventing bigoted bogeymen waiting around every dark corner? Maybe because stoking race hatred ensures continued power for the Democratic Party. Divided populations are easier to manipulate and rule. There would be no Democratic coalition without racial animosity. It is what holds their constituencies together. That is the point of identity politics. It is why they are forever reopening the wound.

But the cost to the country has been high. Hate hoaxes make ethnic groups fear and distrust each other. That is a dangerous thing to do in a country that is becoming more diverse by the day.

Adapted from Tucker Carlson's monologue on "Tucker Carlson Tonight," Feb. 18, 2019

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By the TMZ Staff


https://i.imgur.com/kTEnIIf.jpg

Jussie Smollett's "Empire" screen time is getting slashed in the wake of a growing sentiment that he staged the so-called "attack."

Production sources tell TMZ ... Jussie was supposed to have 9 scenes and a big musical number in the second to the last episode -- which is being shot now -- but, 5 of his scenes have been cut, and his musical number has been 86'd.

As for the remaining 4 scenes ... we're told he's no longer the focus. The scene features an ensemble, meaning he's flanked by a number of cast members.

With his duties pared down, Jussie will be spending way less time on set. Instead of working every day this week, we're told Jussie's working Friday and possibly Thursday, and he won't be rehearsing.

Less work for Jussie means more work for writers, who are busy making edits. In the past 24 hours, we're told the script has undergone multiple revisions.

We broke the story ... Jussie's case is heading to a Grand Jury as early as Tuesday. Our law enforcement sources say the focus is presenting evidence that could lead to a felony indictment against Jussie for allegedly filing a false police report.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

So, how much more will have to come out before he recants his claims? If he doesn't jump on damage control soon, it will be too late for him to do anything about it. Plus, how will he justify doing all this (the fake letter, the attack, doubling down on his lies)?

[lost in melb.]

The article only tells half the story.

Given he is a black, gay man I have no doubt that Smollett considers the right an existential threat - however picking on MAGA is sadly misplaced as it's probably the religious right that would consider him 'not a proper human'.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The article only tells half the story.

Given he is a black, gay man I have no doubt that Smollett considers the right an existential threat - however picking on MAGA is sadly misplaced as it's probably the religious right that would consider him 'not a proper human'.

And that's all well and good, people are allowed to feel how the feel, whether it's real or perceived. But he went out of his way to not only produce one hoax, but two of them (now that it has come out that the letter he got was faked as well).

[Teh One Who Knocks]

By Amanda Prestigiacomo - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/nXvOKA8l.jpg

Reacting to the case's developments, civil rights leaders have been distancing themselves from Smollett, and on Sunday, one such activist, Los Angeles' Najee Ali, slammed the actor for nearly sparking a "race war" and demanded Smollett be "arrested and prosecuted" for the apparent "hoax."

Ali, director of Project Islamic HOPE, said what Smollett reportedly did was a "slap in the face" to real victims.

"Today, Project Islamic HOPE is calling upon the arrest and criminal prosecution of 'Empire' star and actor Jussie Smollett. We believe Mr. Smollett lied about being the victim of a hate crime and being assaulted, and for us, it's a slap in the face."

"Mr. Smollett put people's lives at risk and could have created a situation that was much more damaging for those who are African American and for those who do identify with the LGBT community. We have many members of the black community and the LGBT community who have been the victims of racism and hate crimes, so for Smollett to say that he was a victim of racism and hate crime — and we believe that is a lie — certainly is an injustice to those true victims of racism and hate crimes."

"Jussie Smollett must be brought to justice for lying," Ali said, adding, "We gave him the benefit of the doubt" until Smollett's "campaign of lies" unraveled his story.

Ali continued: "Also, Smollett could have created a race war! There were many African American and many members of the LGBT community who were very upset and outraged by Smollett claiming he was attacked and victimized. So there were some in those communities whose thoughts are a little more extreme, they wanted to retaliate."

"If Jussie Smollett really wants to do what's right, he'll stop lying," said the activist, noting that the actor needs to offer an apology.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxdn56_Wq5A

[lost in melb.]

And that's all well and good, people are allowed to feel how the feel, whether it's real or perceived. But he went out of his way to not only produce one hoax, but two of them (now that it has come out that the letter he got was faked as well).

I agree. His delusions are his problem and he should be punished severely.

[RBP]

I agree. His delusions are his problem and he should be punished severely.

I'll go back and quote my earlier prediction when his mental health rehab stint is formally announced. :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/UCfaI2Bl.jpg

[DemonGeminiX]

[-(

They forgot the Subway sandwich.

[Muddy]

I hope they nail this little fucker good...

[RBP]

I hope they nail this little fucker good...

Yeah! Right in the ass!

Oh wait... nevermind.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I was just reading a story on VOX (gotta see what the uber liberals are saying) and they still claim that Jussie could still be the victim here, even after everything that has come out. :rolleyes:

[Hal-9000]

Local news reported they also seized magazines that match those used in the threat letter, and reported that Smollett has retained a "CAREER management firm".


Gave that a lil tweak :thumbsup:

[Hal-9000]

I'll go back and quote my earlier prediction when his mental health rehab stint is formally announced. :lol:

Next thing out of his mouth will be - "I had to do that in order to expose the unequal treatment of blah de blah de blah and become the voice of blah de blah. It's Trumps fault and white people in general drove me to do it. I had no choice, now feel sorry for me." :(


and some people will..

[Hal-9000]

By Amanda Prestigiacomo - The Daily Wire


https://i.imgur.com/nXvOKA8l.jpg

Reacting to the case's developments, civil rights leaders have been distancing themselves from Smollett, and on Sunday, one such activist, Los Angeles' Najee Ali, slammed the actor for nearly sparking a "race war" and demanded Smollett be "arrested and prosecuted" for the apparent "hoax."

Ali, director of Project Islamic HOPE, said what Smollett reportedly did was a "slap in the face" to real victims.

"Today, Project Islamic HOPE is calling upon the arrest and criminal prosecution of 'Empire' star and actor Jussie Smollett. We believe Mr. Smollett lied about being the victim of a hate crime and being assaulted, and for us, it's a slap in the face."

"Mr. Smollett put people's lives at risk and could have created a situation that was much more damaging for those who are African American and for those who do identify with the LGBT community. We have many members of the black community and the LGBT community who have been the victims of racism and hate crimes, so for Smollett to say that he was a victim of racism and hate crime — and we believe that is a lie — certainly is an injustice to those true victims of racism and hate crimes."

"Jussie Smollett must be brought to justice for lying," Ali said, adding, "We gave him the benefit of the doubt" until Smollett's "campaign of lies" unraveled his story.

Ali continued: "Also, Smollett could have created a race war! There were many African American and many members of the LGBT community who were very upset and outraged by Smollett claiming he was attacked and victimized. So there were some in those communities whose thoughts are a little more extreme, they wanted to retaliate."

"If Jussie Smollett really wants to do what's right, he'll stop lying," said the activist, noting that the actor needs to offer an apology.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxdn56_Wq5A

Liking this dude quite a bit :thumbsup:

Not only a race war, a race-sexual orientation-political affiliation war.

[Hal-9000]

All this came about because Smellitt* received a threatening letter at work filled with crushed up Tylenol and he felt the studio didn't take it seriously enough.


*can you smellitt? That's what we call bullsheeeeet! :tup:

[PorkChopSandwiches]

I hope he is buried by this

[Teh One Who Knocks]

https://i.imgur.com/qyQB7dOl.png

[Hal-9000]

Unfortunately that's what I predict will happen as well. He'll emerge from the ashes as the new hope in the fight for LGBQTCIAFBI people and poster boy for the mental health community.

Then he'll star as the new Wonder Woman :|

[RBP]

"CIAFBI" :lol:

New report breaking. A witness places Jussie and the brothers together in an elevator in his apartment building on the night of the incident.

[Hal-9000]

"CIAFBI" :lol:

New report breaking. A witness places Jussie and the brothers together in an elevator in his apartment building on the night of the incident.

Finally someone caught it. I get so tired of remembering and typing all that shit out :lol:

[Pony]

In racist America you have to pay someone to oppress you.

[Pony]

I was just reading a story on VOX (gotta see what the uber liberals are saying) and they still claim that Jussie could still be the victim here, even after everything that has come out. :rolleyes:

Yea, I saw some comment by his family on how it's all the media's fault for blaming the victim and siding with the "oppressor". Who's the oppressor again?

Funny how politicians and celebrities are quietly deleting their former tweets or leaving them up and commenting "I'm waiting until the facts are in". You mean just like you waited for the facts before posting the original comments when the story broke? Just like you waited when the MAGA hat kid had the edited vid released with fake headlines?

[Hal-9000]

Yea, I saw some comment by his family on how it's all the media's fault for blaming the victim and siding with the "oppressor". Who's the oppressor again?

Funny how politicians and celebrities are quietly deleting their former tweets or leaving them up and commenting "I'm waiting until the facts are in". You mean just like you waited for the facts before posting the original comments when the story broke? Just like you waited when the MAGA hat kid had the edited vid released with fake headlines?

I hope some of that logic (not waiting for facts and jumping all over alleged parties) trickles down to women who feel that every complaint of sexism and rape is true, just by virtue of it being spoken.

My sister's friend who I've known for years is like that. She lives alone and believes every single report against men that's televised. I tried to reason with her and we had to agree to stop talking about it.

[Pony]

I hope some of that logic (not waiting for facts and jumping all over alleged parties) trickles down to women who feel that every complaint of sexism and rape is true, just by virtue of it being spoken.

My sister's friend who I've known for years is like that. She lives alone and believes every single report against men that's televised. I tried to reason with her and we had to agree to stop talking about it.

People love to jump on the bandwagon and support the victim even when there are no facts. It's all about how you feel.