CWB Chicago has done great work on the Jussie Smollett affair. From getting a hold of Smollett’s arrest record, to busting the myth that the deal he received was standard fare, they’ve been on the cutting edge of getting information out there.
Their great work continues today with an exclusive letter they obtained and published from a prosecutor inside Kim Foxx’s office. This person is speaking out anonymously because it’s against policy for them to address department business publicly. I’ll post some excerpts but be sure to click the link and read the whole thing because it’s far longer than what I’m posting here.
In the wake of said criticism, Ms. Foxx speaks at a Rainbow PUSH coalition meeting and states she cannot run an office “driven by anger and public sentiment.” She says “the goal posts change” when an African-American takes the position of head prosecutor, seemingly calling the critique of the SAO’s handling of the Smollett case racially-based and derogatory toward her people. This, while Jamal Green stands on the same stage and refers to the Chicago Police Department as the “blue klux klan,” and Bobby Rush states that the Fraternal Order of Police has long been the sworn enemy of black people.
Notably, State’s Attorney Foxx refused to speak out against these salacious remarks. Also notable, the politicians, comedians, scholars, legal pundits and regular ol’ citizens alike that I mentioned above were not all white people. In fact, many African-Americans spoke out against Ms. Foxx’s handling of the case.
The writer is referring to an anti-police, pro-Foxx rally that Jesse Jackson put on. I reported on that here. Obviously, this rubbed the prosecutor the wrong way, as it should. Foxx running to a Democrat front group and draping herself in racial politics was very bad form. It really showed the the level of corruption she’s willing to partake in.
The letter continues with a defense of the police.
The fact of the matter is that the majority of police officers work this merciless job out of an utter devotion to keeping people safe and making right the bad acts of certain individuals in our communities.
When you demean law enforcement like that you not only strip them of their dignity, you also contribute to the violence in the city. Because young African-American boys and girls who hear the head prosecutor, Jesse Jackson, Bobby Rush, Al Sharpton, et al call police racist, act accordingly. They commit acts of violence against innocent police officers. They enact street justice when people are killed, refusing to cooperate with law enforcement and instead promulgating the violence. They lock their doors when police come to talk about murders in their neighborhoods. Unchecked and untrue criticism of the police destroys communities it does not build them up.
Most importantly, calling all police officers racist is not only offensive, it is morally unconscionable.
After what is a very lengthy lead in acknowledging Chicago’s checkered history, the writer addresses the Smollett issue directly.
And blaming Jussie Smollett fallout on race? That is just ignorant and self-serving. It is a complete bastardization of a bona fide movement against acts of racism, which, as a society we should obviously not tolerate. Much like Jussie Smollett’s acts bastardized a bona fide movement against hate crimes.
No prosecutors or police officers, and I mean none, thought that the just result would be for Jussie Smollett to go to prison. He was charged with a Class 4 felony. The anticipated outcome was a reduced sentence, a misdemeanor with some community service or restitution. This would have been done on the record, on a regularly scheduled court date, with the Chicago Police being notified, since they are the “victim” in a disorderly conduct of this nature. This case was handled markedly different from any other case at 26th Street. No one knows why, and more importantly, no one can explain why our boss, the head prosecutor of all of Cook County, has decided to so demean and debase both our hard work, and our already tenuous relationship with the Chicago Police Department.
All of what’s mentioned here are things that have been brought up before. While Smollett was unlikely to do serious time, there was absolutely nothing normal about how the charges were dropped. At the low end of precedent would have been Smollett pleading guilty, going on probation, and doing (real) community service. This would have all been done at a regular hearing, not an emergency hearing. The Chicago PD also would be notified.
None of that happened. Foxx instead dropped all the charges with an emergency hearing. Smollett was allowed to count goofing off at Jesse Jackson’s for two days as community service while getting to go out and proclaim his innocence still. It was unconscionable.
The write finally drops the hammer at the end.
Just to be clear – this is not an attack on Ms. Foxx’s race, it is an attack on her ethics and her efficacy as State’s Attorney.
Exactly. Foxx is being questioned because she made an completely corrupt decision and then repeatedly lied about it. It has absolutely nothing to do with race and for her to deflect to that is only further damaging the discourse on this subject. It’s time for the FBI to step in and do something about what happened here. The rule of law can not exist when a State’s Attorney behaves this way.
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