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Jussie Smollett attack - real or staged?


swordfish

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Simply opinions at this time, but I have wondered ever since the news on this broke if this really happened as Mr. Smollett says it did.  Why did he still have the noose around his neck later when the cops arrived?  Why are these men clearly black when he says his attackers were white and knew the men in the picture were his attackers because "he was there".  Why didn't he give his phone up when the cops wanted it to check his story?  Why, when he did give records or his phone, did I read some items were redacted?  Why was he able to sing on stage so soon after the attack with bruised  or broken ribs?  And was he really going to be written off his show?  Smells a little fishy to SF......

https://www.tmz.com/2019/02/15/jussie-smollett-suspects-arrested-battery-nigerian-brothers-empire-extras-actors/

Police have now arrested 2 men in the Jussie Smollett investigation -- 2 men with ties to "Empire" -- and TMZ has learned they were booked for battery.

The men are brothers from Nigeria named Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, and Chicago cops are now calling them "potential suspects" ... as opposed to persons of interest. We know it was their home cops raided Wednesday and seized a long list of potential evidence ... including several bottles of bleach.

As we reported ... cops picked up Ola and Abel, their nicknames, on Wednesday night at O'Hare Airport. 

A Chicago law enforcement source tells us the next step may be a lineup in which Jussie will be asked to identify the culprits. This raises a potential problem because, as we first reported, Jussie initially said his attackers were white and yelled "MAGA country."

The Osundairos, from Nigeria, just don't fit that profile.

As you know, Jussie has stated the men in the dark, grainy image released last month are definitely his attackers. Police are not confirming the Osundairo brothers are the men in that photo.

Ola played a prison inmate on season 2 of "Empire." It's unclear exactly how well they know Jussie, but we know Jussie follows their joint Instagram account. Abel also says he's worked on "Empire."

Both brothers describe themselves online as actors and models.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/15/entertainment/jussie-smollett-suspects/index.html

(CNN)Two men have been arrested in connection to an attack reported by "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, the Chicago Police Department said Friday.

The men arrested were the same men that police previously said were being viewed as "potential suspects," according to Tom Ahern, Chicago police communications deputy director.
The men, who police said were arrested Wednesday, have not been charged.
Earlier Friday, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said two Nigerian brothers were beingtreated as "potential suspects" and that detectives had "probable cause that they may have been involved in an alleged crime."
 
 
Police did not say at that time precisely what the brothers were accused of or what the alleged crime might have been.
 
Smollett, one of the stars of "Empire," told authorities he was attacked early January 29 by two men who lobbed "racial and homophobic slurs" at him.
After a brief struggle, both men ran away, and Smollett told police that one attacker had allegedly put a rope around his neck and poured an unknown chemical substance on him.
"Interrogations will resume today with the two individuals and their attorney," Guglielmi said in Friday's statement. "While we haven't found any video documenting the alleged attack, there is also no evidence to say that this is a hoax."
"The alleged victim is being cooperative at this time and continues to be treated as a victim, not a suspect," he added.
Police said Thursday they were questioning the two men after meeting them at Chicago O'Hare International Airport Wednesday night, but they were not considered suspects at that time. Their apartment was searched by police earlier this week.
One of the brothers has appeared on the show "Empire," according to police.
Authorities previously released surveillance images of two silhouetted figures in the area of the attack, who they said were wanted for questioning.
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DON BABWIN

Chicago police release 2 men questioned in Smollett case

DON BABWIN DON BABWIN 
 
 
 
 
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police late Friday released without charges two Nigerian brothers arrested on suspicion of assaulting "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett and said they have new evidence to investigate as a result of questioning them.

"The individuals questioned by police in the Empire case have now been released without charging and detectives have additional investigative work to complete," Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a brief statement.

He gave no details of the new evidence.

Smollett, who is black and gay, has said two masked men shouting racial and anti-gay slurs and "This is MAGA country!" beat him and looped a rope around his neck early on Jan. 29 before running away. He said they also poured some kind of chemical on him.

Smollett, 36, said he was out getting food at a Subway sandwich shop in downtown Chicago when the attack happened.

The two men detained, identified only as Nigerian brothers, were picked up at Chicago's O'Hare Airport on Wednesday on their return from Nigeria after police learned at least one worked on "Empire," Guglielmi said earlier. He said he did not know what the man's job was.

Guglielmi earlier also said police searched the Chicago apartment where the men lived. But he said he had no information on what was found.

Police earlier this week said there was "no evidence to say that this is a hoax" and that Smollett "continues to be treated by police as a victim, not a suspect."

Smollett, 36, has said he was attacked while out getting food at a Subway sandwich shop in downtown Chicago.

Police have said they found no surveillance video of an attack but continue to look. He said police also are contacting stores in the hope of finding out who bought the rope that was around Smollett's neck.

In an interview with ABC News, the singer and actor said he didn't remove the rope from around his neck before police arrived "because I wanted them to see."

Smollett also said he initially refused to give police his cellphone because the device contained private content and phone numbers. He later gave detectives heavily redacted phone records that police have said are insufficient for an investigation.

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I've not read enough about Mr. Smollett's case ... I'd only read a couple of articles prior to this posting ... to render a specific decision as to whether this happened, was staged, or solely made up.  The part that makes me wonder is, oddly enough, the Hollywood angle.  I have no doubt in my mind that this kind of action, as stated by Mr. Smollett, happens; especially to LGBTQ folks as well as Blacks.  The statement in another article about rumors of Smollett's character possibly being written off the show and then the tie in of one of the brothers as an extra on the show, if he's actually tied to this event, makes one wonder.  @gonzoron article though, saying that the men were released without charges, seems to place it back in the court of, "it's definitely possible that it happened."  I must say that, this story wasn't on a front burner for me as much as another story with a similar storyline that was fully-vetted and just concluded this week: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/James-Jackson-Sword-Killing-White-Supremacist-Sentencing-505766751.html.

FTA:

Jackson, who said he was bent on purging the Earth of black people, had been charged with plunging a sword into 66-year-old Timothy Caughman on a Manhattan street in 2017 simply because Caughman was black. Caughman stumbled around bleeding for some time before he collapsed and died. 

Last month Jackson pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in furtherance of an act of terrorism, second-degree murder as a crime of terrorism, second-degree murder as a hate crime and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, the DA's office said.

He spoke in a calm and collected manner as Judge Laura Ward questioned him in Manhattan criminal court, saying "that's true" when asked whether he was armed with a sword and two knives when he began hunting black people on the streets of Midtown.

The plea came several weeks after Ward ruled that jurors would hear Jackson's detailed confession if the case had gone to trial. Jackson's attorneys said he pleaded guilty against their advice, aware he would face a mandatory life sentence.

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8 minutes ago, foxbat said:

I must say that, this story wasn't on a front burner for me

I hadn't even heard about it until I saw it on here. Evidently the conjecture about it being a hoax appears more important than the actual story. At least on certain Fake News media outlets.

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1 hour ago, gonzoron said:

I hadn't even heard about it until I saw it on here. Evidently the conjecture about it being a hoax appears more important than the actual story. At least on certain Fake News media outlets.

Yeah, when it happened, it was news for one day ... it didn't get new legs until folks started trying to discredit the story.  It could certainly be a guy trying to give his character new life on a show where the character was likely to be cut, but like I said, I look at that sentencing of that guy who killed a person with a sword because he wanted to start a race war and I figure it's better off giving a wide berth on the story until more details become available.  If he's manufacturing a story, then he should be held accountable with charges.  At the same time, given that this kind of thing happens far to frequently, I'm reticent to write it off quickly as fictitious without more details from investigating officials. 

Incidentally, did you see the line in the article where the killer's lawyer addresses, indirectly, one of the memes posted on GID?  Recall the one about Trump not being a racist aka "worst racist ever" because of all of the things he'd apparently done for minorities?  Of course it didn't address his birther stuff or his Central Park Five activity or his housing discrimination suits, etc.  In that article I posted above, Jackson's lawyer says that his client had marched with family members to protest racial injustice, had served honorably alongside Blacks in the military, and had never committed a crime before.  Kind of makes that, "I can't be a racist because I have Black friends thing" fly by the wayside.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jussie-smollett-case-brothers-say-empire-actor-paid-them-to-participate-in-alleged-attack-source-says-2019-02-16/

The two Nigerian brothers arrested in connection with the assault on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett are no longer suspects in the attack. They're now cooperating with police.

A source close to the investigation confirms to CBS News the brothers told detectives Smollett paid them to participate in the alleged attack on January 29 and that they purchased the rope — which was found around Smollett's neck — at a nearby hardware store. The source said detectives have evidence to corroborate the sale, something the men's attorney alluded to Friday night.

"New evidence that was brought to their attention, obviously I had it, my clients had it," said Gloria Schmidt, the brothers' attorney.

The Chicago Police Department released a statement Saturday night saying information from the brothers had "shifted the trajectory of the investigation."

"We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation. We've reached out to the Empire cast member's attorney to request a follow-up interview."

Smollett's attorneys, Todd S. Pugh and Victor P. Henderson, issued a statementlate Saturday saying Smollett was "angered and devastated" by reports that he knew the people associated with the alleged attack.

"One of these purported suspects was Jussie's personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video. It is impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie's complicity," the statement said.

The attorneys said the actor would continue to cooperate with authorities as the investigation continues. "At the present time, Jussie and his attorneys have no inclination to respond to 'unnamed' sources inside of the investigation, but will continue discussions through official channels," the statement said.

Police said the two men — identified as Ola and Abel Osundairo — were captured on surveillance video at the time that Smollett said he was attacked.

Ola Osundairo is connected to Smollett through the hit show "Empire" where he played a prisoner in season two.

Both brothers apparently left Chicago on the day of the alleged attack and were detained when they returned Wednesday. Chicago detectives tore through their apartment looking for clues, and an evidence log shows they found ropes, masks and bleach. They were released Friday night without charges.

Jussie Smollett Jussie Smollett at the New York City Center on Nov. 28, 2018.  THEO WARGO / GETTY

A Chicago Police Department spokesperson said "detectives have additional investigative work to complete."

In a recent interview with "Good Morning America," Smollett said he was sure the men in the photo were his attackers.

"And then I see the attacker, masked. And he said, 'This is MAGA country, n*****.' Punches me right in the face. So, I punched his ass back," Smollett said. "I think what people need to hear is just the truth."

Smollett has not spoken publicly about the arrest and subsequent release of the two brothers. Earlier this week, Chicago police said Smollett was still being treated as a victim, not a suspect.

 

So the individuals in the surveillance photo that was published (who Mr. Smollett said "definitely are the attackers") it turns out WERE the attackers.  (Note they were not white, and they ARE the person(s) who purchased the rope that was fashioned into a noose validating the claim of racist activity resulting in a hate crime) They claim they were paid by the victim (which I assume they have evidence of that claim) which is why they were released and the police now want to have a chat with Mr. Smollett.

 

On 2/16/2019 at 10:58 AM, gonzoron said:

I hadn't even heard about it until I saw it on here. Evidently the conjecture about it being a hoax appears more important than the actual story. At least on certain Fake News media outlets.

Pretty telling statement from you.  Nuff said.  

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1 hour ago, Muda69 said:

Please elaborate.

 

If I were to start my own private education establishment, I would be happy to charge you for my knowledge. I'm sorry you

On 2/16/2019 at 10:19 AM, DanteEstonia said:

...were taught by Mr. Beal.

but it's never too late to learn.

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1 minute ago, gonzoron said:

Not a dodge. It's not up to me to educate the uneducated.

Again, nice dodge.

Questions for Those Who Believed Jussie Smollett: https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/02/jussie-smollett-beating-case-question-for-believers/

Quote

The “we reported the Jussie Smollett case responsibly” contention has been blasted to smithereens. Twitter accounts and headlines in the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times reported as fact Jussie Smollett’s wildly implausible allegations, and many other journalists did so as well, not to mention the innumerable activists and celebrities who piled on. So, a question for all of the above. Why did you believe Jussie Smollett? Let’s try to catalogue the red flags.

1. Had you ever heard of Jussie Smollett before the alleged January 29 attack?

2. Do you think it likely that fans of President Trump had?

3. Smollett has said that his public anti-Trump statements were the likely reason for the attack. Is it really true that he was an especially prominent anti-Trump voice?

4. Did you think it strange that Smollett or his representatives were, from the beginning, telling TMZ a different story than they told the police? He or his representatives told TMZ the attackers yelled, “This is MAGA country.” This was news to the police.

5. Related to (4), don’t you think that if Smollett’s supposed attackers had yelled, “This is MAGA country,” he would have told the police in his initial interview with them, right after the alleged assault?

6. How did Trump-loving racist homophobes know that Smollett would be at a Subway sandwich shop at 2 a.m.? Smollett has said going to the Subway was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

7.  t was extremely cold in Chicago the night of January 29. Assuming Trump-loving racist homophobes wanted to track down and attack Smollett, and maybe knew where he lived, as the shop was close to his apartment, wouldn’t they have waited for more agreeable weather?

8. How likely do you think it is that attackers would shout, “This is MAGA country” in Chicago, a place that no one thinks is MAGA country?

9. If Smollett’s supposed attackers did not know he was going to be at that exact spot at that exact moment and would have been willing to attack any random gay and/or black man in Chicago, how difficult would it have been for them to find a gay and/or black man to assault without going to the trouble of a 2 a.m. attack on a frigid night? Couldn’t they have just waited outside a gay bar on a summer night?

10. Don’t you think for the attackers to have yelled a racist slur as well as a homophobic slur as well as having a bottle of bleach as well as having a noose sounds a bit overdetermined, like bad television writing?

11. Smollett supposedly received a viciously nasty letter threatening him with lynching a week before the alleged assault. Is it likely that either two separate racist parties wanted to attack him at essentially the same time or else the January 29 attackers would telegraph their intentions with a letter?

12. Don’t you think it strange that Smollett had a phone with him, yet didn’t call the police on that phone to inform them what had happened and which way his attackers had fled?

13. Don’t you think it strange that his attackers fled without much harming Smollett or robbing him?

14. Related to (13), did it not occur to you that the whole alleged attack looked a bit like the criminal equivalent of a press release, meant to send a message rather than accomplish anything?

15. If you were beaten up, would you somehow remember to pick up your Subway purchase afterward?

16. If you were subjected to a vicious, racist, homophobic, life-altering attack that included a hint of lynching, would you really leave the rope draped around your neck and calmly walk, not run, home?

17. Would you then walk past the security desk at your apartment building without telling anyone what had happened?

18. Would you wait 40 minutes before informing the police what had happened?

19. Smollett said he kept the rope around his neck to preserve evidence for the police. Yet in the police report filed on the night in question, he was quoted as saying he was reluctant to make a police report at all. Why would he preserve evidence to bolster a report he didn’t intend to make?

20. Why, as an outspoken gay black man with a long history of casting aspersions on Trump, would he not immediately file a police report about an incident that seemingly confirmed his worst fears?

21. If you were beating up somebody who was on his phone, would you maybe take the phone away from him so as to eliminate the possibility of a witness overhearing what you were doing?

22. Have you noticed that alleged Trump-related hate crimes seem to have a tendency to turn out to be fiction?

23. Did you think it odd that Smollett refused to give police his phone?

24. Did you think it odd that Smollett didn’t give police his phone records for two weeks, and when he did, they were heavily redacted, as though he might be hiding something?

25. Chicago reporters on the case began relaying that their sources in the police department were skeptical about Smollett’s claims soon after the alleged assault. Did you not notice?

26. Did you take away any lessons from Covington?

27. If not, why?

 

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16 minutes ago, TrojanDad said:

Can you really talk about others being uneducated with a straight face knowing your avatar is Carl from Slingblade?  Just seems like a credibility thing.......

BTW, have to agree with Muda...definitely seems like a dodge.  

Is Snow Goose season over already? Nice to see you found your way back to the OOB Club.

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8 minutes ago, swordfish said:

reverse racism

What exactly is "reverse racism"? 

 

9 minutes ago, swordfish said:

why would a famous actor like Mr. Smollett do this? 

He's not that famous, I had never heard of him. I tried to watch Empire when it first came on. It didn't interest me. He's an idiot for thinking he could pull this off. Now he should be an unemployed actor.

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16 minutes ago, gonzoron said:

What exactly is "reverse racism"? 

 

He's not that famous, I had never heard of him. I tried to watch Empire when it first came on. It didn't interest me. He's an idiot for thinking he could pull this off. Now he should be an unemployed actor.

The opposite of your one-way street.........

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