the Jussie Smollett incident - what say you wordforge?

All of what I've read makes it sounds like he made most of the story up. The only part that was apparently real were those ripped Nigerians having bleach. Again, I've already stated as much. I have no skin in this game, but apparently you and @Zombie do for...reasons...?

Frankly, I'm not going to bat an eye at a DA not prosecuting non-violent misdemeanors or seeking non-imprisonment means of making people pay for those types of crimes. I think DAs should exercise more discretion when there's really no victim. It would be an entirely different story if Smollett accused an actual person of attacking him--certainly, throw the book at him for making a false accusation like that--but as far as I'm aware, he never named anyone. Those cops arrested those ripped Nigerians or they turned themselves in--I wasn't actually clear on that because I got distracted by a photo of ripped Nigerians.

The presumption is not destroyed by the lack of a trial.

Sounds like, since there’s not to be a trial, @M. Bison is guilty of raping a goat. As I understand the law.

Mods. Please rename my @M. Bison account to @convictedGoatRapist. Thanks.

Good point, I guess I never thought of it that way.

He couldn’t be guilty of hiring those Africans to buy rope & stage a hate crime if he’s innocent.

His rep isn't ruined.

Look at the idiots in this thread who support him.

You'd think they would be bad enough but there are other idiots out there including the Empire show writers who are crowing about how the media was wrong and Smollett is innocent. They actually believe Smollett.

They had more than bleach.

Because this is Wordforge and people like to talk? That's what we are here for.

There is a victim.

Society.

This idiot was causing racial tension in society with his lies. This wasn't some small time lie. This was a nationwide story and Smollett was stoking the fire with his lies. He literally sat in a TV interview and said it was white people who attacked him. “It feels like 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. A lot more,” he said. “And that says a lot about the place that we are in our country right now.”

This bastard was lying the whole damn time.

This is not a victimless crime.

Not sure which is worse...

...believing Smollett despite the evidence...

...or saying you believe him knowing full well it's a lie because politics.

Well, there won't be any charges ... and as we now know, no charges means ...

TOTALLY EXONERATED!!!

Right?

There were charges, from a grand jury.

But seriously ... this is a textbook case of one justice for the rich and well-connected, and another justice for anyone else. Among other things, part of the deal by which he avoided prosecution was donating his $10,000 bail to the city. Which raises the question of what happens to any accused person who doesn't have $10,000 to "donate."

But also seriously, this kind of "alternative prosecution" is still far from unheard-of ... so yet somehow much less controversial in other cases.

This is definitely a deal you would not get unless you were being looked after by someone on high.

A Hollywood celebrity paid $10,000, gave no admission of guilt, and suffered no damage to his record...to have 16 felony indictments from a grand jury against him dropped. That'll teach him.

The problem isn't the alternative prosecution. The problem is the way it was done in this case.

They allowed community service from something else to count towards these charges. They won't tell anyone what that community service was or how long it was (or if has to do community service in the future -- the reporting on this is spotty because of the judges actions). You can't find out because the judge sealed the case which I hope the media sues to overturn. On top of that he forfeits $10,000. In all of that he doesn't have to admit anything.

Even in alternative prosecutions you can't just not admit anything. The whole point of such a thing is that you admit you did wrong and the state says since this is your first time and it's a low level offense we will slap you on the knuckles with a ruler and give you a very stern talking too. Than you do your community service, pay your fine, and the case is dismissed and your record expunged so your life isn't ruined by one mistake. If you don't follow the rules of the alternative prosecution, such as not doing the community service, they can revoke it and haul you into court and put you on trial for your charges.

It's also less controversial in other cases because other cases don't go nationwide and make a city and it's police force look crappy. Well more crappy than they already are but you get my point.

This was a huge case because of the national prominence it had and to pull this stunt and not even give a heads up to the police or mayor stinks. (they aren't legally required to tell the police but it usually helps to talk to the people you work with in the justice system and not blindside them)

You could say the DA has given Chicago another black eye.

You're going to trial.

I'd also point out that if everything in this case was the same except it wasn't Smollett but some local nobody who gave Chicago a black eye by lying like Smollett did they would not get that deal. Sixteen felony charges against some nobody whose false story went viral and made Chicago look bad? That person is getting nailed for all 16 charges.

So, to summarize the last 58 pages for any new lurking members...

Zombie, Paladin, Oldfella, M. Bison, and tafkats are Jusse Smollet's biggest fans, and want to kiss him in the moonlight to an Aerosmith ballad.

Don't bother to check.
Let's just move forward.

Hey! How did tafkats make the list?

Well, at least he stopped short of killing Sharon Tate to try to start a race war.

I HATE when that happens!

No, you're not supposed to have an opinion. It's none of your business unless you conform. In that case it's totally your business.

So did Sharon Tate. :'(

The amount of racism in this thread is hilarious. There is a complete double standard here versus Mueller investigation. Both people were investigated for questionable things. Both aren't seeing any trial. And yet one is still guilty while the other isn't. Only difference I can see is the color of their skin.

And for the record, I believe that Smollett faked this and I don't buy his story. Just like I believe that Trump is Putin's cockholster and I don't buy his "NO COLLUSION". But as far as our legal system is concerned, they are both still innocent.

That's odd. The big difference I see is that one was indicted by a grand jury on the basis of evidence, while there was no evidence against the other.

Yes but then you can't play the race card.

Are you retarded? The only racism in all of this is from Smolett. The Russian collusion bit has always been an alex jones tier conspiracy theory, given legs by partisan hacks that just really wanted it to be true. Smolett's story stunk from the beginning, and would have required SEVERAL near impossible factors to have actually happened, and the whole thing ended with someone practically handing Foxx a big burlap bag with a dollar sign printed on it on the steps of city hall.

Ah, right. I have to resort to that so seldomly, that I forget it's even in the deck.

Are the Nigerian bros. being charged with the assault? That Smollet kid should never have gone on national tv to spread his hateful lies and racist demagoguery.

Is there anyone here who doesn't believe that Smollet is a racist lying piece of crap?

Basically there's good evidence that all the "rise" in hate crimes are probably based on misleading statistics or hoaxes. Silver lining: the veil has been lifted, Smollet has hurt rather than helped the false narrative he tried to spread - half the country won't believe future claims of any nature.

It's a sad day when this stupid story gets as much play in the right wing echo chamber as Trump being a Russian asset. PRIORITIES

The amount of imagined racism in this thread is hilarious. Have you seen any video of Trump colluding with the Russians?
An entire team of investigators (many led by the Democrats) couldn't find any evidence of Trump's collusion over the course of two years.

I'm not saying Trump is innocent, but I am saying Smollett is guilty. If you think that the only difference between these two cases is "skin color" you are brainwashed or braindead. It's not what you know, it's what you can prove. It's easy to prove Smollett is lying since we have quite a bit of evidence already.

The question should be put to the DA......

"If Smollett says he's innocent and was attacked, and your office dropped the charges against him, do you plan on charging the two men who admitted to you that they attacked Smollett? The two men you have on video recording buying rope, red hats, and bleach?"

It amazes the shit out of me how many word forge members got bitten by the "it has to be race!" bug over this. I'm far from well educated or an intellectual giant, but damn....I can do basic math, I have an adequate understanding of human psychology (not like spot261 but then who does?) average street-smarts and a calibrated & certified "bullshit detector" and that is what I based my skepticism of Smollett's claim upon. Race and sexual preference has zero to do with this. Certain people on this board cling to that "agree with me or you are a racist" buoy like a 10,000 year flood is bearing down on them.