horrifying attack on Jussie Smollett

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Scene, CPD interrogation room:

"... Empire... what the **** is Empire?"

"Jussie.... JUSSIE?... what kind of fool name is that"

and Scene.
 
LTC8K6 said:
If they are innocent, Jussie has caused them a lot of trouble...
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Smollett claims in his GMA interview that he has no doubt, and never has, that the two men pictured were the ones who attacked him. But I thought the cops had cleared these guys, saying they were long gone by the time Smollett claimed he was attacked?
 
Just your typical Chicago homeless guys, out and about on the coldest night of the year, up to that point, shouting MAGA, and looking for semi-famous black/gay television stars.
 
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Thermal said:
Smollett claims in his GMA interview that he has no doubt, and never has, that the two men pictured were the ones who attacked him. But I thought the cops had cleared these guys, saying they were long gone by the time Smollett claimed he was attacked?
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That was my understanding. The timing, the direction they were going, and they're never running, other videos, etc. tend to show that it's very unlikely they attacked anyone.

They apparently just continued to walk and took a right turn and did nothing suspicious.
 
LTC8K6 said:
That's his latest version, apparently.

https://ew.com/tv/2019/02/14/jussie-smollett-attack-interview-good-morning-america/
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I heard as I was crossing the intersection, ‘Empire!’ And I don’t answer to Empire, my name ain’t Empire. And I didn’t answer, I kept walking, and then I heard, ”******* Empire ******.’ So I turned around and I said, ‘What the **** did you just say to me?’​

What an ass.

- "Empire" is his livelihood. As a performer and entertainer, it's always in his best interest to answer to the name of his product, and give prospective fans a positive experience, even if they don't know exactly what his name is. Giving someone the could shoulder because "my name ain't Empire" is counter-productive. It's bad business.

Being a public figure is hard. Nobody is motivated to put on their Entertainer Face at two in the morning. Everyone would understand if he were short with a fan from time to time. But the way to excuse that is to say "I'm sorry, I'd had a long day/flight/week/whatever, and I was tired. I regret coming across like a jerk. That's not me at all, and here I am making it up to you now that I'm back to my normal self." Not, "piss off, that's not my name."

- If he doesn't respond to "Empire" because that's not his name, why respond to "******* Empire ******"? That's not his name either. Why not just keep walking? He doesn't want to entertain a fan. He doesn't want to get into a fight. He just wants to keep walking. Or does he?

Somebody calls him "Empire" and that pisses him off. Then they actually say something mean, and it's the last straw. Instead of walking home and eating his sandwich, he turns around and engages. He won't answer to the name of his show, but "******* Empire ******." rings a bell?

This version of his story paints the picture of a man who went out to buy a sandwich, but was actually looking for trouble.

Edited by Agatha: 
Edited for rule 10. Please ensure, even when c&p from elsewhere, that you comply with the forum rules
 
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theprestige said:
I heard as I was crossing the intersection, ‘Empire!’ And I don’t answer to Empire, my name ain’t Empire. And I didn’t answer, I kept walking, and then I heard, ”******* Empire ******.’ So I turned around and I said, ‘What the **** did you just say to me?’​

What an ass.

- "Empire" is his livelihood. As a performer and entertainer, it's always in his best interest to answer to the name of his product, and give prospective fans a positive experience, even if they don't know exactly what his name is. Giving someone the could shoulder because "my name ain't Empire" is counter-productive. It's bad business.

Being a public figure is hard. Nobody is motivated to put on their Entertainer Face at two in the morning. Everyone would understand if he were short with a fan from time to time. But the way to excuse that is to say "I'm sorry, I'd had a long day/flight/week/whatever, and I was tired. I regret coming across like a jerk. That's not me at all, and here I am making it up to you now that I'm back to my normal self." Not, "piss off, that's not my name."

- If he doesn't respond to "Empire" because that's not his name, why respond to "******* Empire ******"? That's not his name either. Why not just keep walking? He doesn't want to entertain a fan. He doesn't want to get into a fight. He just wants to keep walking. Or does he?

Somebody calls him "Empire" and that pisses him off. Then they actually say something mean, and it's the last straw. Instead of walking home and eating his sandwich, he turns around and engages. He won't answer to the name of his show, but "******* Empire ******" rings a bell?

This version of his story paints the picture of a man who went out to buy a sandwich, but was actually looking for trouble.
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Edited by Agatha: 
Edited to comply with edited quote.


Well...maybe. Not responding to Empire could just be a snotty pride thing. But with the slurs, that made it fightin' words. I could see him getting riled over that.
 
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Thermal said:
Well...maybe. Not responding to Empire could just be a snotty pride thing. But with the slurs, that made it fightin' words. I could see him getting riled over that.
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"Empire" could have been said in a tone of voice that suggested he should keep walking too, not that I'm convinced this happened.
 
RecoveringYuppy said:
"Empire" could have been said in a tone of voice that suggested he should keep walking too,
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That's fair.

I'm yanking Smollet's chain a little here. Living in an urban center, I understand the idea of not engaging with a stranger on the street who's trying to get your attention. "my name aint Empire" is a reasonably cromulent way to express that sentiment.

But that same principle applies tenfold when that stranger starts hurling abuse. A guy tries to get my attention on the street? Keep walking. The guy starts yelling insults at me? Keep. On. Walking. There's no percentage in turning around and getting involved in that.

Once you realize you're not dealing with a prospective fan, and this isn't the time to sell your show and support your livelihood... Keep walking. Smollet can't have it both ways. He can't keep walking because it's not a fan encounter, and then engage because it's not a fan encounter, and expect that to make sense.

not that I'm convinced this happened.
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If it did happen, that would explain almost everything except the lack of video footage. Sidewalk jerkass tries some trash talk. Smollett can't bring himself to keep walking, and gives some back. Things get heated, fisticuffs are thrown. Guy scrapes his knuckles and Smollett gets a some scratches on his face. Guy runs off, Smollett recovers his sandwich.

The hate crime elements get added in the re-telling, because the supply of hate crimes can't keep up with demand. Smollett saw a market and figured, why let a good tragedy go to waste? Besides, what's more embarrassing? Getting your ass kicked by MAGA-Ninjas? Or getting your ass kicked by a couple of trash-talking homeless dudes?
 
"If I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more"

Race Grifter Jussie, dealing off the bottom of the race deck.
 
The Big Dog said:
"If I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more"

Race Grifter Jussie, dealing off the bottom of the race deck.
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I mean, "I was attacked by a homeless black person on the streets of Chicago at two in the morning" is maybe more realistic than "I was attacked by a MAGA ninja on the streets of Chicago at two in the morning." But maybe not. The MAGA angle seems unlikely, but there's an overall lack of evidence that is doing far more to undermine his claim, than the race angle.

I guess what it boils down to is this:

"This is MAGA country"? Seems unlikely. Where's the evidence? ... Oh, no evidence? Probably a hoax.​

Versus this:

Someone black, on the streets of Chicago? Seems likely enough. Where's the evidence? ... Oh, no evidence? Probably a hoax.​

Playing the race card here doesn't actually inoculate his claim against all the legitimate criticism it's getting.
 
Rob Elgas
‏Verified account @RobElgasABC7
2h2 hours ago

NEW: @ABC7Chicago has confirmed the persons of interest in the Jussie Smollett case were picked up at O’Hare airport last night.
26 replies 23 retweets 35 likes
 
Sounds weird...it's TMZ though...

https://www.tmz.com/2019/02/14/juss...questioning-persons-of-interest-empire-actor/

Jussie Smollett is being questioned again by Chicago PD ... and officers are also talking to another man, an actor who has also appeared on "Empire" ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the case tell us the actor, not Jussie, was picked up by Chicago PD Wednesday night right after he flew into O'Hare Airport. We're told Jussie was brought in Thursday morning for additional questioning. Another man who was with the actor at O'Hare was also taken in for questioning.
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Guglielmi told The Associated Press that the two men are the same people shown walking in surveillance photos released by police the day after the attack was reported. He didn't release their names.
 
Rafer Weigel
‏Verified account @RaferWeigel

#CPD says of the two persons of interest “These individuals are not yet suspects but were in area of concern and are being questioned. Investigation continues.” And they are still in communication with #JussieSmollet @Chicago_Police
8:22 AM - 14 Feb 2019 from Chicago, IL
 
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