Taking a page out of the Kyle Rittenhouse playbook—though with a very different outcome likely in store—former Enterourage Jussie, the movie star Jussie Mollett, testified Monday at his trial. The actor is accused of having hired two accomplices to beat him and to make the incident look anti-black or anti-gay. He faces six counts of disorderly conduct, including making false police reports.
Smollett stated Monday that there was no hoax.
We will see if a jury believes that. The prosecution gave up after presenting so many evidence to prove that Smollett was, in fact, responsible for the attack. The court room was shown a video the purportedly depicted Smollett and his would-be assailants—Abimbola Osundairo and Olabinjo Osundairo, two brothers from Nigeria who had worked as extras on Entourage—Rehearse the hate crime in a mock trial and go to the location.
The Osundairo also took the stand, confirming that Smollett had hired them to beat him up—even paying for the rope that he wanted them to tie around his neck like a noose. Smollett’s brothers had procured drugs in the past. The brothers testified they believed they owed them. The brothers claimed that they did not know Smollett wanted to speak to police. They believed he was simply looking for media attention to gain sympathy and make more money from the program.
Smollett denied these allegations Monday. He claimed that he had feared for the safety of his own life when he was attacked in Chicago’s streets at night. He claimed he had gone out—and the brothers knew where he was—because they had instructed him to buy eggs for his diet.
Jussie Smollett testifies that Bola Osundairo phoned him on the night of attack to chat about Smollett’s training and meal plans. Bola said to Smollett that he must eat four eggs.. Smollett then discussed the possibility of going to Walgreens in order to buy eggs.
— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) December 6, 2021
He claimed that he also had visited the bathhouse where Abimbola and Osundairo had been before engaged in amorous activity. Osundairo refutes this. The defense’s theory is that the brothers are possibly homophobic—Smollett is gay—and had also wanted to scare Smollett into retaining them as bodyguards.
The Smollett case, as I stated in February 2019, is an important reminder of the fact that not all hate crimes can be proven to be hoaxes. It would be wise for the media to exercise caution when presenting sensational claims. Feel Because they reinforce certain biases. What passes as hate crime on college campuses is called bias incidentsMost of the cases remain unsolved, although they are frequently investigated by university officials. There are some that have been solved. DoThe vast majority of these cases are hoaxes, or misunderstandings. For example, someone left wires and shoelaces on a tree branch or doorknob. An alarmed individual reported the incident.
There are, of course, thousands of real hate crimes committed every year, but the flashiest incidents—the ones that neatly conform to stereotypes about racist Trump supporters— should be approached with caution.
Smollett is liable for any convictions. CouldYou could spend up to 3 years behind bars. For a nonviolent offenders who pose no risk to society, that’s quite a sentence. He should be exposed by the court, and not locked up for years.