Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx was among the many disappointed by the sentence handed down to actor-singer Jussie Smolllett Thursday (March 10) for his role in a reported hoax hate crime.
Convicted on 5 of 6 counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail, probation, and total fines of over $140,000.
Foxx, who first made headlines for dropping the initial 16 counts related to the ‘Empire’ star’s crime, is making headlines again for speaking out against his jail sentence – which started at the conclusion of the court hearing.
Look inside to see what she said:
Taking to Chicago’s ‘Sun Times,’ Foxx penned an op-ed in which she criticized local law officials for their handling of the celebrity case.
“On Thursday (March 10), the damaging, costly, and disingenuous criminal prosecution of Jussie Smollett came to an end. As Cook County State’s Attorney, it pains me deeply to say that, in this particular case, our justice system failed,” she started.
Reflecting on the early stages of the hoopla surrounding the attack, Kim reflected on her decision to drop the initial set of charges against Jussie.
“Given the reputational price Smollett paid, the $10,000 bond we held, and the fact that he’d never been accused of a violent crime, my office made the decision not to further pursue a criminal conviction. This story should have ended there, as thousands upon thousands of non-prosecuted cases do every day,” she shared.
Referring to the extensive prosecution of the star as ‘mob justice,’ Foxx says the attention paid to the Smollett case was overkill considering the more pressing issues of the Windy City.
“Just because we do not like the outcome should not mean we bully prosecutors and circumvent the judicial process to get it changed. Smollett was indicted, tried and convicted by a kangaroo prosecution in a matter of months,” she said. “Meanwhile, the families of more than 50 Black women murdered in Chicago over the last 20 years await justice.”
Kim’s piece ended on a concerning note as she suggested the outcome of the trial could set in motion a negative precedent among prosecutors.
“I worry it [the trial outcome] will serve as a deterrent to the next generation of prosecutors eager to fight for critical reforms. Anyone interested in an equitable system of justice should be worried too,” she revealed.
Read her entire op-ed here.
I don’t feel sorry for him!!! He’s a sociopathic narcissist who wanted to create a name for himself. Nothing more nothing less. Jussie is no one’s social justice warrior or martyr. He’s nothing more than a flop who cried wolf. He made a mockery of those who actually experienced racial injustice and hate. He’s so delusional that he refused to cop a plea and make it go away all together. In the end he was a C-List actor who wasted everyone’s time and threw his career away, next!!!
No one ever claimed that he was a social justice warrior or martyr. People just don’t think he deserves jail time for his stupidity. Especially when there are a multitude of heinous crimes and circumstances going on in Chicago. This entire trial was a gross misuse of resources. The city should’ve just sued him and made him pay them back every dime spent investigating his lies. Probation, community service, and a gagg order would’ve been more than sufficient.
I adore this Black man. He’s well educated, talented and smart but using it in a wrong way💅🏾 Anyways Diva is tired. I will let y’all troll ass f****** with me. IDGAF
Too busy eating free food and smoking dope paid by my taxes!!! Remember, racism goes 2 ways chicka!!
😂😂😂
I don’t feel sorry for Jussie either and couldn’t really care less about his personal struggle but I also can’t argue with anything that Foxx said…all valid points. Cases are dropped everyday and prosecutorial discretion routinely goes unchallenged in much worse scenarios.
She loves to point out his non-violent background, but that became null and void when he carried out a hoax to provoke fear, hate and VIOLENCE at a peak period of racial tension in this country. If Kim thinks the uprising Jussie attempted is worth no more than $10,000 (which is more like $10 to Jussie who earned $125,000 per episode) we definitely have something to worry about. Jussie is a victim only in the alternative universe that he and Kim created and expect us to all live in. They are completely delusional.
Alec Baldwin has a violent background, has actually killed someone and is still free as a bird. No grad jury, special prosecutor, or pending charges. But Smollett gets the full arm of the law for lying. It seems like malicious prosecution to me.
Kim has a point BUT Jussie lied for clout during a period where the racial and political climate was heavy! They definitely made an example out of him. At the same time he isn’t innocent by far. A lot of time and resources were wasted on this b*******. I still don’t understand what he thought he’d get out of this.
What dirt he got on you kim? You going a little too hard for Jussie I’m suspicious.
I will never in 10,000 years understand why it takes prosecutors more than a few short months to convict & sentence someone. Every thing they know today, they already knew 2+ years ago.
They have to give the defense time to mount a reasonable defense
Plus, prosecutors are often handling multiple cases similtaneouslu.
All true. He was the one chosen to be the example.
Chicago spent $130,000 to investigate Jussie’s hoax. A hoax Jussie never intended reporting to the police in the first place. That money could’ve been spent on, “the families of more than 50 Black women murdered in Chicago over the last 20 years await justice.” And why didn’t Kim address the fact that she had to recuse herself from the case because she was coaching the Smollett family. A recusal she had to update a couple of times because it was so shady. And why isn’t she pointing the finger at Jussie because due to his actions actual hate crimes will be reported less, investigated less, prosecuted less because he’s put it out there now that falsely reporting one will glow up your fame, get you talked about on all the morning shows, get sympathy and praise for your survival, and even have the racist president offer empathy. STFU, Kim. Jussie has harmed the gay community, the black community and those who were truly victims for the spotlight. He’s lucky a few months is all he got.
Soooooo……when a white Police Officer shoots a black man who shot someone else is vilified by your crooked office, I don’t see you kissing anyone’s ass and denouncing your your legal obligations!! WORTHLESS Prosecutor and Civil Servant!!!
She’s absolutely right.
She tryna secure a roll in black Hollywood. That’s all