Rahm’s pissed (or at least doing a good job of pretending to be):
I guess they felt that there was nothing to be gained by the spectacle this trial would surely be. And losing would be a disaster. And no city wants the feds poking their noses into the workings of it’s police department.
Kind of a depressing thought, isn’t it?
I don’t think he’s very rich or particularly famous.
Definitely true about the “not famous” part … but apparently, Smolett’s family is well connected. He exercised what privilege he had available to exercise.
My best guess is that the DA’s office realized as they were preparing that they couldn’t actually make the case at trial, for some reason such as critical evidence would be inadmissible at trial (hard to believe Chicago cops would illegally cut corners when getting evidence against an uppity black man, isn’t it?), or the way Illinois statutes are written means that nothing he did was actually illegal (or at least there was a strong risk that a judge would decide one of these things).
Of course, the knowledge that this would be a media circus and political hotbed could certainly make the DA extra cautious, as could the argument that he was already appropriately punished by losing $10,000* and being publicly exposed (and of course, being actually punched etc, ).
It’s also possible that the DA received some extra political encouragement to be cautious, to the point of dropping what they considered a perfectly good case. You can’t believe Rahm about whether the sun is shining, so it’s quite possible he didn’t want the media attention of a trial.
Finally, it’s possible there’s new information, but that seems like the third-most-likely possibility, given how minimal the DA statement was.
The angry statement from Rahm and the police superintendent make it clear that no information came out to make them think he is innocent. And Rahm is someone who has no problem throwing his police department under the bus when he wants to. It’s baffling that they were not given a hint this was going to happen beforehand.
I expected a plea deal with an apology and fine. I find it very surprising that no apology has been given. At least apologize for the hurt he’s caused.
Mark Geragos shows again that he’s a celebrities best friend when they get in legal trouble.
I bet the Feds never pursue charges for the hate letter Smollett mailed himself either.
He’ll soon be back on tv like nothing ever happened.
Talk about having privilege.
Too late. The issues with Chicago PD go back further than Smollett. Hell, they go back further than Laquan McDonald.
You can take Chicago fearing a media circus of a trial off the table. Chicago doesn’t mind those. Former governors, current governors, aldermen, actors, singers, Chicago tries em all.
Doesn’t mean much. It’s less a who than a what. This isn’t a political corruption trial or alleged sexual assault by celebrities, it’s a socially charged hate crime (or false hate crime) fiasco with little positive potential outcome. At best you say you made an example out of the guy by giving him a fine and having him pick up some litter.
I’m not even saying that he shouldn’t be made into an example but it’s easy to see where the state attorney’s office decided they just wanted to finish this up with minimal fuss.
The entire case seemed to hinge on the Osundairo brothers testimony. The video surveillance the cops discovered was supporting evidence.
I’d guess the DA felt their testimony could be impeached. Or perhaps they’re loyalties to the prosecution may have shifted? $$$$$, Just some speculation. But, I think they’re the key reason charges were suddenly dropped.
I never thought this guy was going to see serious jail time (I actually thought he’d get probation), but ALL charges dropped? That’s insane.
I thought probation and community service were reasonable. So now they think forfeiting his bond and non-existent community service is sufficient punishment. He’s obviously not innocent or he wouldn’t have forfeited the bond. Something stinks here. This case smelled bad right from the beginning and the odor is getting worse.
Based on what I’ve read, he never admitted guilt and that’s what an apology amounts to.
Making false reports to the police is a serious problem. The legal system needs to make it clear to people that this will have negative consequences to them. And this is the biggest false report to the police story in a long time.
What do Dopers see as the economic consequences for Smollett? To what extent will he be blacklisted by the entertainment industry?
To be honest, I really don’t give a shit that he’s getting off scot free.
I do hate that some will use this to say that the Democrats are “the evil”.
I’m already seeing the butt hurt on my FB feed. :rolleyes:
The Foxx (fix) is in.