Hate Crime Against Jussie Smollett Sparks Outrage

Jussie Smollett is an actor and singer known for his role as Jamal Lyon in “Empire” and his activism within the black and LGBTQ+ communities. On the morning of Jan. 29, he was targeted and attacked on the street by two white men, one of which had on a black ski mask.

In a police report released last Tuesday (as detailed by the Associated Press), Smollett stated that two men got his attention by shouting the name of his television show. The men proceeded to beat Smollett in the face with their fists, call him racist and homophobic slurs (Smollett is an openly gay, black man) and pour an unknown substance on his face and body that stained his clothes and smelled like bleach.

Before running away, the men tied a rope around Smollett’s neck – where it remained until police arrived. It is also worth noting that Smollett recalled the men shouting “This is MAGA country!” during the attack.

Smollett received treatment for scrapes and bruises at Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital. At the time of this article, Chicago police are still searching for the attackers.

Outrage flooded social media immediately after news of the attack broke the afternoon of Jan. 29. Civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson criticized news outlets’ hesitancy to call the attack a hate crime on Twitter: “I don’t believe for two seconds that two MAGA guys were randomly in ski masks [and] had bleach readily available at a Subway at 2am in subzero temperatures in Chicago.”

Most posts on social media sent love to Smollett and called for action to be taken. Producer Shonda Rhimes tweeted: “We ALL have a responsibility to rise up against the ignorance and hate out there. If you know who did this to @JussieSmollett, REPORT THEM TO THE POLICE.”

President Trump even addressed the attack during a press conference, stating: “It’s horrible. Doesn’t get worse.” He then somehow used the attack as a reason why his wall needs to be built. No joke.

Smollett appeared publicly for the first time since the attack at a West Hollywood performance on Saturday, Feb. 3. He addressed the attack multiple times throughout his set. At one point, he told the audience:

“There are just a couple of points that I wanted to make really quick. . . I was bruised, but my ribs were not cracked. I went to the doctor immediately; I was not hospitalized. Both my doctors in L.A. and Chicago cleared me to perform but said to take it easy, obviously. And, above all, I fought the fuck back.”

To those who are wondering how such a vicious racist and homophobic attack can still be carried out today, the answer lies in the racist and homophobic rhetoric promoted by our current administration. Perhaps actress and notable LGBTQ+ activist Ellen Page said it best in her emotional plea on last Friday’s airing of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which has garnered over 15 million views on Twitter:

“Connect the dots. This is what happens. If you are in a position of power and you hate people and you want to cause suffering to them – you go through the trouble, you spend your entire career trying to cause suffering, what do you think is gonna happen? Kids are gonna be abused and they’re gonna kill themselves – and people are gonna be beaten on the street…This needs to fucking stop.”