Black Lives Matter has thrown its support behind former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett this week as his trial for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself continues.
Black Lives Matter Supports Smollett
To see our statement on the #JussieSmollett case, go to: https://t.co/TnbN9V25dF
— Black Lives Matter (@Blklivesmatter) December 8, 2021
Daily Mail reported that Dr. Melina Abdullah, a co-founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter, issued an official statement for the organization in which she called on the jury to acquit Smollett.
“It’s not about a trial or a verdict decided in a white supremacist charade, it’s about how we treat our community when corrupt systems are working to devalue their lives,” she said. “Instead, we find ourselves, once again, being forced to put our lives and our value in the hands of judges and juries operating in a system that is designed to oppress us, while continuing to face a corrupt and violent police department, which has proven time and again to have no respect for our lives.”
Related: Jussie Smollett Snaps On The Stand During Unhinged Testimony – ‘Unparalleled Disaster’
Abdullah Attacks Police
Abdullah then proceeded to attack the police.
“In our commitment to abolition, we can never believe police, especially the Chicago Police Department (CPD) over Jussie Smollett, a Black man who has been courageously present, visible, and vocal in the struggle for Black freedom,” she continued. “While policing at-large is an irredeemable institution, CPD is notorious for its long and deep history of corruption, racism, and brutality. ”
“From the murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark, to the Burge tortures, to the murder of Laquan McDonald and subsequent cover-up, to the hundreds of others killed by Chicago police over the years and the thousands who survived abuse, Chicago police consistently demonstrate that they are among the worst of the worst,” claimed Abdullah, who is the chair of the Pan-African Studies department at California State University. “Police lie and Chicago police lie especially.”
Abdullah Calls For ‘Abolition Of Police’
Abdullah concluded her rant by saying that “Black Lives Matter will continue to work towards the abolition of police and every unjust system. We will continue to love and protect one another, and wrap our arms around those who do the work to usher in Black freedom and, by extension, freedom for everyone else.”
In January of 2019, Smollett claimed that he was jumped by two men who hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him while also shouting “this is MAGA country.” However, after investigating his claims, police concluded that he allegedly staged this hate crime in the hopes of garnering publicity that would land him a higher salary on “Empire.”
If convicted on the charges he is facing for allegedly staging this hate crime, Smollett is facing up to three years in prison.
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