Two sharply divided protests took place just blocks from each other in Chicago Monday, some supporting Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and others citicizing her office's handling of the Jussie Smollett case.
The dueling rallies come just six days after all charges were dropped against the "Empire" actor accused of faking a racist, anti-gay attack on himself in January.
Foxx removed herself from the investigation before charges were filed and said she had no part in the decision to drop charges against Smollett. Still, in an op-ed piece for the Chicago Tribune, Foxx said the case against the "Empire" actor was not as strong as many people believed. She notes Smollet was not found innocent or exonerated. The charges were dropped, she writes, because there was concern they could not secure a conviction.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel immediately criticized the decision. The mayor called the move a "whitewash of justice" and the city ultimately sent a bill to Smollett's legal team seeking $130,000 for police overtime in the investigation.
Authorities say that in return for the charges being dropped, Smollett agreed to forfeit the $10,000 he put up to get out of jail and completed community service. The community service included volunteering at Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson and other clergy joined together in support of Foxx Monday, calling the outcry "unreasonable, unjustified and politically motivated."
"The attack on Kim Foxx is not about Jussie Smollett - let’s get that straight," said Father Michael Pfleger. "That’s a front. Rather it’s about trying to remove a person who is a threat to the old boy system of power in this city and in this state."
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Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police in Chicago gathered outside Foxx's office Monday, with President Kevin Graham saying they sent a letter to the justice department asking for an investigation into the handling of the case. A federal review is underway.
