Sexual Assault and the Culture of Hollywood

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Coffee And Pie: Nov 4, 2010; "Blah-sum"?
More like "Blawesome"

McGregor is a oval office

# ? Mar 26, 2019 20:01

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 17:27

Name Change: Oct 9, 2005

Everyone's favorite mayor, Rahm Emanuel (not running for re-election due to incredible unpopularity stemming from his handling of, you guessed it, a police shooting) and the PD are coming out swinging against the Smollett decision. Apparently the PD had no advance notice of this development at all.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-met-jussie-smollett-charges-dropped-20190326-story.html

quote:

In a stunning reversal, Cook County prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all charges against "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett for allegedly staging a phony attack and claiming he was the victim of a hate crime.

Calling it �a whitewash of justice,� Mayor Rahm Emanuel tore into the decision, emphasizing repeatedly that a grand jury had chosen to bring 16 counts of disorderly conduct against Smollett.

�From top to bottom, this is not on the level,� Emanuel told reporters at an afternoon news conference.

Why the state�s attorney�s office made the sudden about-face wasn�t immediately clear. The office issued only a one-sentence statement.

But in an interview Tuesday afternoon, First Assistant State's Attorney Joseph Magats, who took charge of the case after State�s Attorney Kim Foxx stepped aside because of a conflict of interest, said the office reached a deal with the defense behind the scenes in recent weeks that prosecutors would drop the charges if Smollett performed community service and forfeited his $100,000 bond.

"The bottom line is, we stand behind the investigation, we stand behind the decision to charge him,� Magats told the Tribune. �The fact that (Smollett) feels that we have exonerated him, we have not. I can�t make it any clearer than that."

Yet, a short time before, Smollett�s attorney, Patricia Brown Holmes, said the defense reached no deal with prosecutors. Smollett agreed to forfeit his bond �so he could go on with his life and get this over with,� she said.

Smollett had to post 10 percent of the bond � or $10,000. Ordinarily, that money would be returned to him or his attorneys.

The baffling about-face left Emanuel and police Superintendent Eddie Johnson fuming. Johnson stood by the work of detectives and said he believed the city was owed an apology.

�Do I think justice was served? No,� said Johnson, who memorably blasted Smollett at a news conference last month announcing the charges, saying his hoax dragged "Chicago's reputation through the mud."

�I�ve heard that they wanted their day in court with TV cameras so America could know the truth,� the superintendent told reporters Tuesday. �And now they chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal to circumvent the judicial system.�

Before departing the courthouse Tuesday, Smollett thanked his attorneys, family, friends and Chicago for supporting him through what he called �an incredibly difficult time for me.� He also thanked �the state of Illinois� for �attempting to do what�s right.�

�I have been truthful and consistent from day one,� Smollett, his hands shaking as he read from notes, told reporters in the lobby of the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

Foxx recused herself from the case last month after revealing she had contact with Smollett�s representatives early on in the investigation.

Foxx declined to provide details at the time. Communications later released to the Tribune, however, showed Foxx had asked Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson to turn over the investigation to the FBI after she was approached by a politically connected lawyer about the case.

Holmes said she was not privy to the evidence that led prosecutors to bring charges, but she accused police Superintendent Johnson of �trying the case in the press.�

When asked if authorities should investigate who actually attacked Smollett, Holmes noted that two brothers � both of whom knew Smollett � had already admitted their involvement. They alleged that Smollett paid them to stage the attack.

�The two men who attacked him have indicated that they attacked him, so we already know who attacked him, those brothers,� she said.

When asked whether she was calling for the brothers to be charged, Holmes said that is a decision for prosecutors to make.

�We don�t want to try them in the press any more than (Smollett) wanted to be tried in the press,� she said.

For unclear reasons, Judge Steven Watkins ordered the public court file sealed.

There had been no clue that prosecutors planned the about-face before the announcement. In fact, there likely would have been no reporters in the courtroom if it hadn�t been for a publicist for Smollett�s attorney alerting the news media Tuesday morning that Smollett was already in court for an unscheduled emergency hearing.

Moments after the judge allowed the dismissal, attorneys for Smollett issued a statement.

"Today, all criminal charges against Jussie Smollett were dropped and his record has been wiped clean of the filing of this tragic complaint against him,� the statement said. �Jussie was attacked by two people he was unable to identify on January 29th. He was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement.

�Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions,� the statement continued. �This entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion. That is wrong. It is a reminder that a victim, in this case Jussie, deserves dignity and respect. Dismissal of charges against the victim in this case was the only just result.

�Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to getting back to focusing on his family, friends and career."

The 36-year-old actor, who is African-American and openly gay, has said he was walking from a Subway sandwich shop to his apartment in the 300 block of East North Water Street about 2 a.m. Jan. 29 when two men walked up, yelled racial and homophobic slurs, hit him and wrapped a noose around his neck.

Smollett said they also yelled, "This is MAGA country," in a reference to President Donald Trump's campaign slogan of "Make America Great Again."

Police initially treated the incident as a hate crime, but their focus turned to Smollett after two brothers who were alleged to have been his attackers told police that Smollett had paid them $3,500 to stage the attack, with a promise of an additional $500 later.

Police pieced together much of their evidence by reviewing footage from about 55 police and private surveillance cameras showing the brothers' movements before and after the attack.

The shift in the investigation came amid intense press coverage and often bitter public debate and stinging skepticism on social media.

Smollett addressed those doubts in a national TV interview and in a strongly worded statement after the brothers were released from custody after questioning by police.

A week before the alleged attack, Smollett told police he received a threatening letter at work. Prosecutors said Smollett staged the attack because he was unhappy with the studio's response to the threatening letter. Chicago police took it a step further, accusing Smollett of faking the letter as well.

Federal authorities are conducting a separate investigation into that letter.

Foxx reached out to Johnson after Tina Tchen, former chief of staff to first lady Michelle Obama, emailed Foxx saying the actor's family had unspecified "concerns about the investigation." Tchen, a close friend of Mayor Emanuel's wife, said she was acting on behalf of the "Empire" actor and his family. A relative later exchanged texts with Foxx.

The exchanges began Feb. 1, three days after Smollett claimed two men approached him near his Streeterville apartment building, yelled racist and homophobic slurs, hit him and put a noose after his neck. It would still be 2 1/2 weeks before he was charged with making the story up, but some media outlets were already starting to question the actor's account, citing unnamed police sources.

"Spoke to the Superintendent Johnson," Foxx emailed Tchen back on Feb. 1. "I convinced him to Reach out to FBI to ask that they take over the investigation."

The same day, Foxx texted with Smollett's relative, whose name was blacked out in copies released by her office.

"Spoke to the superintendent earlier, he made the ask," Foxx wrote. "Trying to figure out logistics. I'll keep you posted."

"Omg this would be a huge victory," the relative replied.

"I make no guarantees, but I'm trying," Foxx wrote back.

Kiera Ellis, a spokeswoman for the state's attorney's office, said Smollett's relative was specifically concerned about leaks to the media that purportedly came from the Police Department.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 20:07

Drunkboxer: Jun 30, 2007

Many people believe the popular myth that Rahm Emanuel lost his finger while volunteering in the Israeli army. The truth, however, is that he broke it off in his own rear end in a top hat.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 20:12

Gorn Myson: Aug 8, 2007

This decision will be a stain on the history of Chicago and its police force, who we have all recently forgiven for setting up a black site to disappear working class minorities.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 20:21

Name Change: Oct 9, 2005

Whether or not the PD did anything wrong (pretty likely if the DA spiked the case), the PD is of course mad because the result impugns the PD's integrity. It is kind of unusual for charges to get wiped after a grand jury comes back with 16 counts.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 20:55

Bust Rodd: Oct 21, 2008; by VideoGames

Ok, so basically no one has any idea what the gently caress is going on with Josie Smollet but despite making 3 arrests and someone ending up in the hospital beaten... no one is being charged with anything?

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:00

Memnaelar: Feb 21, 2013; WHO is the goodest girl?

Pretty hard to see anyone coming out of this case with clean hands - I think the attack was staged, Jussie got caught in the lie, and the police likely crossed some behind the scenes lines alongside the pretty blatantly public shitshow they made in the press. Defense likely points out some of the issues early in discovery and the DA drops it like a hot potato. That's the only read that seems to make logical sense to me given what little is out there.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:02

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Memnaelar posted:

Pretty hard to see anyone coming out of this case with clean hands - I think the attack was staged, Jussie got caught in the lie, and the police likely crossed some behind the scenes lines alongside the pretty blatantly public shitshow they made in the press. Defense likely points out some of the issues early in discovery and the DA drops it like a hot potato. That's the only read that seems to make logical sense to me given what little is out there.

What makes more sense to me is that some cop connected chuds found out that Jussie was staying at that hotel, waited for him and then assaulted him. Then, when the police found out these guys were one of their own, they started digging into Jussie's associates and finances for other "options". They landed on these two immigrants who they then hauled in and threatened with deportation(or worse), until the guys gave them the story they wanted to hear.

As soon as this started to break down upon close examination the charges were dropped to avoid a major disaster for CPD.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:07

RaspberrySea: Nov 29, 2004

If he's completely innocent, why are they keeping his bond money unless it was a plea deal, but apparently it's not?

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:08

Air Skwirl: May 13, 2007; Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed shitposting.

I'm betting the police did something to the two brothers they arrested to get the confession out of them. They've had to pay $132 million to 57 victims over confessions that were gotten through torture, including 2 innocent men who spent 25 and 26 years respectively in jail for murder.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:10

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

MorgaineDax posted:

If he's completely innocent, why are they keeping his bond money unless it was a plea deal, but apparently it's not?

It allows them to save some bit of face and people who are inclined to believe Smollett is guilty to continue believing that.

This is a police department that had black sites set up for these exact kind of situations.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:22

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD: Sep 14, 2007; everything is yours

Memnaelar posted:

Pretty hard to see anyone coming out of this case with clean hands - I think the attack was staged, Jussie got caught in the lie, and the police likely crossed some behind the scenes lines alongside the pretty blatantly public shitshow they made in the press. Defense likely points out some of the issues early in discovery and the DA drops it like a hot potato. That's the only read that seems to make logical sense to me given what little is out there.

Well I mean Jussie pretty clearly came out with clean hands lol.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:24

ImpAtom: May 24, 2007

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

Well I mean Jussie pretty clearly came out with clean hands lol.

Eh. There are going to be a not insignificant number of people, and not just chuds, who think he famed or bribed his way out.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:34

Memnaelar: Feb 21, 2013; WHO is the goodest girl?

Basebf555 posted:

What makes more sense to me is that some cop connected chuds found out that Jussie was staying at that hotel, waited for him and then assaulted him. Then, when the police found out these guys were one of their own, they started digging into Jussie's associates and finances for other "options". They landed on these two immigrants who they then hauled in and threatened with deportation(or worse), until the guys gave them the story they wanted to hear.

As soon as this started to break down upon close examination the charges were dropped to avoid a major disaster for CPD.

Not exactly Occam's Razor, but sure, that's a theory. Doesn't totally gel with the way Jussie's telling changed along the way or really explain the weird facts of the attack itself (the noose, the 'chemical', the real lack of any significant injury) but it's one way you could go with what little we know.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:36

Nissin Cup Nudist: Sep 3, 2011; Sleep with one eye open

We're off to Gritty Gritty land

The thing that gets me, and while I know racists are generally not smart, I can't imagine waiting outside in the middle of a Chicago polar vortex to beat up a guy

Nothing makes sense

# ? Mar 26, 2019 21:39

Name Change: Oct 9, 2005

P.S. McGregor very not-randomly tweeted that he was retiring from MMA today, likely as some sort of "joke."

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1110410797925175296

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:17

Shaocaholica: Oct 29, 2002; Fig. 5E

quote:

"Jussie and many others were hurt by these unfair and unwarranted actions. The entire situation is a reminder that there should never be an attempt to prove a case in the court of public opinion."

Just lol

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:19

teacup: Dec 20, 2006; = M I L K E R S =

Chuds and conspiracy theorists won�t change their minds. A grand jury gets him on a dozen plus counts shows there was smoke and fire, him getting let off but keeping the bail (and not fighting it) shows they crossed a line with the investigation or something like that.

I get they�ve been done for poo poo before and cops are awful but that doesn�t mean that the Chicago PD are out to randomly frame some actor from a show just to make pro trump stories online, get a grip people

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:20

Shaocaholica: Oct 29, 2002; Fig. 5E

This is going to break a lot of brains today on social media but if only you can break a brain so much that it becomes fixed.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:22

sexpig by night: Sep 8, 2011; by Azathoth

MorgaineDax posted:

If he's completely innocent, why are they keeping his bond money unless it was a plea deal, but apparently it's not?

Because our hellass world is one where cops can actually just keep whatever they want and they knew a rich actor would probably be ok with them keeping his bond because it lets them save some face and muddy the waters.

The prosecutor abandoning a case they already got grand jury indictments for screams 'something very wrong happened here', that's not a thing that happens, even in cases they think they don't have solid enough grounds for. This only happens if they 100% know if something comes up in court they'll get the case destroyed and face a worse black eye than this clusterfuck would make.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:27

Shaocaholica: Oct 29, 2002; Fig. 5E

I like how the legal team is spinning this as total innocence even tho they don't deny that the MAGA brothers did it. Chud logic.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:31

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

teacup posted:

I get they�ve been done for poo poo before and cops are awful but that doesn�t mean that the Chicago PD are out to randomly frame some actor from a show just to make pro trump stories online, get a grip people

I wouldn't have been random. The assault probably was fairly random and the fact that they were cops would've been simple coincidence, but when the PD found out they decided to cover it up instead of deal with the consequences.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:37

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD: Sep 14, 2007; everything is yours

ImpAtom posted:

Eh. There are going to be a not insignificant number of people, and not just chuds, who think he famed or bribed his way out.

So what?

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:38

ImpAtom: May 24, 2007

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

So what?

So saying he got out of it clean is a bit inaccurate. Fair or not this is going to haunt him for the rest of his career.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:40

DrVenkman: Dec 28, 2005; I think he can hear you, Ray.

Basebf555 posted:

I wouldn't have been random. The assault probably was fairly random and the fact that they were cops would've been simple coincidence, but when the PD found out they decided to cover it up instead of deal with the consequences.

Well hang on, didn't Smollets team essentially agree that it was the two brothers who did it but their denial was that he paid them to? We know who did it, it's just a case of why.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:53

DeimosRising: Oct 17, 2005; �Hola SEA!

drat so many lawyers in this thread I had no idea

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:54

Shaocaholica: Oct 29, 2002; Fig. 5E

DrVenkman posted:

Well hang on, didn't Smollets team essentially agree that it was the two brothers who did it but their denial was that he paid them to? We know who did it, it's just a case of why.

The 2 brothers were undercover cops.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 22:58

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

DrVenkman posted:

Well hang on, didn't Smollets team essentially agree that it was the two brothers who did it but their denial was that he paid them to? We know who did it, it's just a case of why.

I've seen statements from the CPD stating that they know the brothers did it, but no I haven't seen anything from Smollets camp confirming that. I could be wrong, maybe I missed that. I do remember his lawyers making very lawyerish vague statements around that time but nothing like what you're referring to.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 23:01

Name Change: Oct 9, 2005

Of what I've read so far on this page for explanations, this is about the only one that doesn't seem like outright fan fiction:

Skwirl posted:

I'm betting the police did something to the two brothers they arrested to get the confession out of them. They've had to pay $132 million to 57 victims over confessions that were gotten through torture, including 2 innocent men who spent 25 and 26 years respectively in jail for murder.

If the evidence from these two guys is tainted or inadmissible, the case falls apart. I mean there's other interesting things there like why they were never charged with anything, but there you go.

I imagine if they think they can get away with it the cops will get Jussie for something on the crushed aspirin letter, but this result has tainted even that possibility.

Chicago PD also did not do itself any favors by leaking details early and often.

# ? Mar 26, 2019 23:06

Pigbuster: Sep 12, 2010; Fun Shoe

I posted my thoughts on the case in USPol:

Pigbuster posted:

The most straightforward explanation for the case is that the brothers attacked Jussie for homophobic/personal reasons and, when caught, told the cops that Jussie paid them to do it. Rather than actually investigate those blatantly bogus claims the CPD salivated so hard at the concept of taking the successful black man down a peg that they rushed Jussie�s conviction and purposely leaked their dogshit evidence like checks that were obviously for something else. The prosecutor saw how stupid the cops were and dropped it.

The problem is that so many people are so convinced of Jussie�s guilt that they�re now adding prosecutorial bribery to the nonsensical story of Jussie�s bizarre plot to have himself attacked and drug through the media just to get a raise or whatever. It�s one of the most naked examples I�ve seen yet of otherwise sensible people clinging to conspiracy theories against all contradictory evidence, just because they are so unwilling to admit they may have come to the wrong conclusion.

I haven't seen any fake attack theory that holds any water at all; they all demand conspiratorial secretkeeping or nonsensical behavior. Someone going to their personal trainers with "hey, so, I've got a plan for a felony, all you have to do is put yourself at enormous risk for the benefit of the amount of money I give you for your regular job. Interested?" and them accepting that is too ridiculous to handwave away as "maybe they're just dumb".

On the other hand, the cops jumping the gun when the culprits lied to save their own skin is 100% believable. There's definitely the possibility of even more foul play on the CPD's part, but I'm gonna assume the simplest answer.

What bugs me the most is that we don't know the brothers' motivations for attacking Jussie, and we never will if the cops don't stop pushing their stupid conspiracy theory.

Pigbuster fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Mar 27, 2019

# ? Mar 26, 2019 23:54

Name Change: Oct 9, 2005

Pigbuster posted:

I posted my thoughts on the case in USPol:

I haven't seen any fake attack theory that holds any water at all; they all demand conspiratorial secretkeeping or nonsensical behavior. Someone going to their personal trainers with "hey, so, I've got a plan for a felony, all you have to do is put yourself at enormous risk for the benefit of the amount of money I give you for your regular job. Interested?" and them accepting that is too ridiculous to handwave away as "maybe they're just dumb".

On the other hand, the cops jumping the gun when the culprits lied to save their own skin is 100% believable. There's definitely the possibility of even more foul play on the CPD's part, but I'm gonna assume the simplest answer.

What bugs me the most is that we don't know the brothers' motivations for attacking Jussie, and we never will if the cops don't stop pushing their stupid conspiracy theory.

Your assessment of struggling on-the-edge-of-show-business people here assumes rational people who can weigh risk/reward scenarios behind pretending to string a guy up in the middle of the street on the coldest day of the year in Chicago.

I mean pretty much every scenario going on here is patently ridiculous, whether Jussie "did it" or not.

# ? Mar 27, 2019 00:04

Coffee And Pie: Nov 4, 2010; "Blah-sum"?
More like "Blawesome"

I imagine we won�t know anything for a while if we ever do know the facts

# ? Mar 27, 2019 00:43

Name Change: Oct 9, 2005

Coffee And Pie posted:

I imagine we won�t know anything for a while if we ever do know the facts

There is actually some basic disagreement on facts in the media so far as to whether the DA dropped the charges or deferred the prosecution (essentially a plea agreement).

# ? Mar 27, 2019 00:45

Uncle Boogeyman: Jul 22, 2007

DeimosRising posted:

drat so many lawyers in this thread I had no idea

What does any of this even have to do with sexual assault and the culture of hollywood

# ? Mar 27, 2019 00:49

Baronash: Feb 29, 2012; So what do you want to be called?

Pigbuster posted:

they all demand conspiratorial secretkeeping

So ... lying? People do that poo poo all the time, and everyone thinks they are better at it then they actually are.

Pigbuster posted:

Someone going to their personal trainers with "hey, so, I've got a plan for a felony, all you have to do is put yourself at enormous risk for the benefit of the amount of money I give you for your regular job. Interested?" and them accepting that is too ridiculous to handwave away as "maybe they're just dumb".

Yes, they very probably were just that dumb or desperate. People do dumb things all the time when they think they'll get away with it. Like, explain how something like the Nancy Kerrigan incident could happen, but people are somehow too smart to help fake this particular attack.

# ? Mar 27, 2019 01:40

Ghost Leviathan: Mar 2, 2017; Exploration is ill-advised.

It sounds like assuming the CPD is lying out their asses is always the safe option.

# ? Mar 27, 2019 02:41

sexpig by night: Sep 8, 2011; by Azathoth

Ghost Leviathan posted:

It sounds like assuming the CPD is lying out their asses is always the safe option.

Those nice bunch of black site torture center managers? Up to no good???

# ? Mar 27, 2019 03:45

ImpAtom: May 24, 2007

I mean I think the one thing you can say 100% without argument is that the CPD hosed up super bad somewhere along the line, bad enough that national embarrassment is better than whatever the hell they screwed up.

# ? Mar 27, 2019 03:52

Shaocaholica: Oct 29, 2002; Fig. 5E

ImpAtom posted:

I mean I think the one thing you can say 100% without argument is that the CPD hosed up super bad somewhere along the line, bad enough that national embarrassment is better than whatever the hell they screwed up.

There's no way they can bury it tho in today's zeitgeist so they're going to eat it both ways and so will Jussie.

# ? Mar 27, 2019 04:04

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# ? Apr 23, 2024 17:27

Snowglobe of Doom: Mar 30, 2012; sucks to be right

Flash Gordon Ramsay posted:

So apparently the CPD released the Smolett case file in response to a FOIA request.

http://bit.ly/SmollettCaseFile

Parts of it are pretty heavily redacted

Snowglobe of Doom fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Mar 27, 2019

# ? Mar 27, 2019 16:44

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > Sexual Assault and the Culture of Hollywood

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