Last Updated on October 16, 2021
Jussie Smollett is set to go to trial for what Chicago police describe as the hate hoax he committed in January of 2019. Now, Foundational Black American Tariq Nasheed questions whether Smollett will “start snitching” on politicians or interest groups to avoid punishment.
Smollett famously launched a massive police investigation and media spectacle in 2019 when he claimed that, while attempting to buy a sandwich from Subway late at night in the middle of Chicago, a group of Trump supporters hurled racial and anti-gay epithets at him before attacking him, pouring bleach over him, and tossing a noose around his neck. Among the insults, Smollett alleged that the attackers shouted, “This is MAGA country!”
It was later revealed by a Chicago Police Department report that Smollett paid two black immigrant brothers to conduct the attack. Smollett allegedly had a sexual relationship with one of the men, and both recently sued Smollett for continuing to claim his innocence despite an agreement with another judge that saw him sentenced to community service.
“I remember when a number of white LGBT groups & media outlets were attacking me for calling that ‘attack’ the day it was reported,” Nasheed, who is also a journalist and documentary film producer, wrote on Twitter.
Nasheed later added that his real interest in Smollett’s trial was the potential that the LGBT actor could “start snitching” on powerful people who may have aided him in the hoax that assumed vast police resources until it was unraveled.
https://twitter.com/tariqnasheed/status/1449435773099405320
“My real concern about this Jussie Smollett trial is who else was involved in the orchestration of that hoax,” wrote Nasheed on Twitter. He added that “many people suspect high level political/interest groups were involved” with Smollett’s fake attack.
Nasheed concluded, “If the pressure gets hot, do you think Jussie will start snitching? Is Jussie safe?”
As an actor, Smollett’s ties to politicians are not totally clear but seem to be vast. Last year, National File reported that Smollett protested alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, who was then a U.S. Senator.
“Kamala Harris stood in solidarity with Smollett on January 15, 2018 at Los Angeles’ Kingdom Day Parade where Smollett and his sister Jurnee wore shirts supporting the ‘Time’s Up’ progressive protest movement,” wrote National File’s Patrick Howley.
Smollett’s trial is set to proceed despite his efforts to have it dismissed after a previous judge struck an agreement in which involved Smollett doing community service among other conditions. This judge said the current trial, which is led by a special prosecutor assigned to investigate Smollett, would not be stopped by the previous arrangement.
