One of the most widely talked about stories for the past couple of weeks is the Jussie Smollett case. Earlier this winter, breaking news surfaced that “Empire” star Jussie Smollett had been attacked on the basis of his sexuality. He was jumped from behind, beaten terribly, and hospitalized. After it happened, cries for justice for Smollett were all over the internet. People could not believe that in 2019, that people were still being targeted due to race and sexuality. As the days after the attack transpired, emotions were high, and confusion was also high. Who attacked Smollett? About a week later, an unfathomable headline appeared.

“Police probe if attack on Smollett was staged, question actor linked to ‘Empire’”

I saw dozens of articles just like that, claiming that Smollett had actually staged his own attack. Claims began  to surface that he had paid off two men to attack him.”Shortly after the incident occurred in late January, State’s Attorney Foxx had conversations with a family member of Jussie Smollett about the incident and their concerns, and facilitated a connection to the Chicago Police Department who were investigating the incident,” a representative of the office later explains in a statement.

By late February, nearly a month after the attack was first reported, Smollett himself was charged with filing a false report. Additionally, he was cut from his TV show in the heat of the controversy. Once March rolled around, the drama was still unfolding.  The grand jury report returned, accusing Smollet of 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct, claiming he lied to the police.

At this point, Smollett was still insisting his innocence as well as begging to have his name cleared, but the popular consensus was that he was guilty. Even within the black community, I saw a lot of my peers becoming distressed that Smollett was tarnishing us and our reputation. He literally gave white people a reason to call us liars, and it’s setting us back.

However, just yesterday there was breaking news everywhere that EVERY single count against Smollett had been dropped. This shocked the entire world. I personally and I think most people had just come to the conclusion that Smollett was guilty, and especially considering the way that African American men are often treated in the justice system. However, there is still no clarity as to what actually happened. The decision was so unexpected and so sudden and vauge, that no one really knows what’s going on.

“Chicago’s local authorities, however, express outrage at the prosecutors’ decision — and a firm conviction that Smollett perpetrated a hoax.

“I’ve heard that they wanted their day in court with TV cameras so America could know the truth,” Chicago Police Superintendent Johnson says, “and now they chose to hide behind secrecy and broker a deal, to circumvent the judicial system.”

As you can see, it’s still up in the air. Chicago police do not believe Smollett still, and people are still confused. President Donald Trump is calling for an FBI investigation into the matter, so we’ll have to continue to stay tuned in to get to the bottom of what has been a long, confusing couple of months.