Protests Against Kim Foxx Are Causing A Great Divide In Chicago
If you haven’t heard of Jussie Smollett by now, I’m convinced you’ve been floating in space and are just returning: Welcome Back. Since January 2019, Smollett has became a household name not for his talented, but allegedly staging a racially, politically, and homophobic motivated hate crime. Smollett was soon disgraced from the nation after he was indicted on 16 felony accounts for the hoax. Soon thereafter, all of the charges against him were dropped and Donald Trump declared he would have the FBI investigate the hoax further. Still to this day, it’s difficult to find someone who believes his allegedly fabricated story. While I do not care for the current White House Administration, I’ll give a thumbs up to Trump for wanting the hoax to be further investigated. You have to understand, Smollett just didn’t lie about being in a car accident for attention like RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni Robbie Turner did. Smollett genuinely tried starting a race, political, and homophobic war because he was allegedly upset with the lack of attention and salary he earns on his current Fox series, Empire. That is seriously not cool. And it’s especially not cool to the people of my hometown, Chicago, where this situation allegedly occurred.
Have you ever been to a protest? They are intimidating as hell. Have you ever been to a protest in the city of Chicago? They are absolutely terrifying! I was required to go to a protest when I was in college and write about it. I decided to go to a protest in support of gay marriage and was so scared of the anger and noise of it all that I dipped into an alley and ventured to visit my friends in their dorm room to drink instead. Throughout the summer, Chicago is constantly shutting down highways, major streets, and even businesses in favor of major protests which affect the city. They are not cute and waving a flag like it’s a pride parade. These people are passionate about their protests and rallies and demand, not command, your attention. With every protest is going to come a counter protest for people who are just as passionate about their opinion. In a city like Chicago where your favored baseball team can literally cause a bar brawl, this isn’t necessarily peaceful. Yesterday, on April Fools Day of all days, my hometown had another protest.
You may be familiar with, Kim Foxx, she was the lead prosecutor in the Smollett case. Eventually, she recused herself from after having conversations with his family. The charges against him would be dropped a few short weeks later. Foxx has been accused by many people, including Chicago citizens, for allowing Smollett to walk away from his alleged hoax without so much as an apology. Illinois Prosecutors Bar Association president, Lee Roupas, even criticized the Smollett decision. On top of this, citizens believe Foxx is not forceful enough on criminals all throughout the city, allowing many of them to go free after posting a petty bond. Foxx (pictured above) has angered so many citizens there is now a petition with over ten thousand signatures to have her fired. According to The Hollywood Reporter, many politicians in Chicago are fed up with Foxx and claim the only way to remove her from office before next year is to impeach her, although she hasn’t done anything, thus far, to have that happen. Chicago citizens, myself included, are impatient. Thus, they held a protest to fire Foxx yesterday. Many were chanting “Foxx must go!” while counter protesters were screaming racism. Check out one of the videos taken from yesterday’s protest below:
Now I’m curious: In the end, did Smollett get what he wanted? He was obviously aching for more attention, fame, and money, but in some twisted way, he started this. The people in Chicago are strong, they are fighters, and they want to be heard. Smollett indirectly started these protests and rallies which can eventually lead to riots and violence. It’s nerve racking to think about, but regardless, it seems like he got what he imagined.
If you’re more curious to see how the Smollett case is still affecting the citizens of Chicago, check out the WGN News video below:
Image via YouTube / Dueling rallies over Jussie Smollett case held near Kim Foxx’s Loop office / WGN News
Writer’s Note: This is the opinion of one Instinct Magazine contributor and does not reflect the views of Instinct Magazine itself or fellow contributors.
H/T: Change
