Sheltering Migrants in Police Stations a ‘Burden’ on Chicago Officers, Chief Says

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said on Tuesday that the migrants staying at police stations in the city have created a “burden” for officers, The Associated Press reported.

The Chicago Police Department (CPD) currently hosts 3,000 total immigrants at its police stations throughout the city, with many migrants sleeping in close quarters on top of cardboard boxes or mattresses placed in the stations’ entryways, according to the AP. Snelling, who became superintendent at the end of September, expressed concern that the number of migrants would deter crime victims who wanted to submit a police report at the station, and would also impact how well officers could continue to fight crime in Chicago.

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Black Lives Matter Releases Statement Supporting Jussie Smollett During Hate Crime Hoax Trial

During former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett’s testimony in his own defense, Black Lives Matter (BLM) released a statement supporting the actor, who stands accused of faking a hate crime against himself.

“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. While policing at-large is an irredeemable institution, CPD is notorious for its long and deep history of corruption, racism, and brutality,” BLM said.

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Chicago Sues ‘Empire’ Actor for Police Costs

The city of Chicago filed a lawsuit Thursday against Jussie Smollett, saying the actor owes it more than $130,000 for police costs incurred in the investigation of a hate crime that authorities allege was phony, according to legal documents. The lawsuit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court more than two weeks after prosecutors in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dismissed all criminal charges against the “Empire” actor. Chicago officials previously said they would sue Smollett after he refused a demand by the city for $130,000 to cover police overtime costs. The actor’s criminal defense attorney, Mark Geragos, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Smollett, 36, who is black and gay, ignited a firestorm on social media by telling police on Jan. 29 that two apparent supporters of President Donald Trump struck him, put a noose around his neck and poured bleach over him while yelling racist and homophobic slurs on a Chicago street. After weeks of investigation, Chicago police determined that Smollett cooked up the scheme, in which they allege he hired two brothers to pose as his attackers, because he was dissatisfied with his salary on “Empire.” Smollett, best known for his role on…

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Chicago Seeks $130K from Smollett for Cost of Investigation

The Chicago city government will seek $130,000 from Jussie Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation into his report of an attack that police say was staged to promote his career, city officials said Thursday. A spokesman for the city’s legal department, Bill McCaffrey, confirmed the amount after Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the city would try to recoup the money from the “Empire” actor. Hours earlier, President Donald Trump tweeted that the FBI and the Department of Justice would review the “outrageous” case, calling it an “embarrassment” to the country. Prosecutors infuriated Emanuel and the police chief this week when they abruptly dropped 16 felony counts that accused Smollett of making a false police report about being the target of a racist, anti-gay attack in January. Smollett has maintained his innocence and insisted that the attack was real. The prosecution offered little explanation for the dismissal and sealed the case, but authorities still say the actor concocted the assault. Prosecutors offered no additional information Thursday during a court hearing where media attorneys argued that the public has a right to know what happened. FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment…

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EXCLUSIVE Pastor Darrell Scott Commentary: On Race, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson Proved to be Everything Jussie Smollett Is Not

by Darrell Scott   Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was the “hero” to hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett’s “zero” last week. While Smollett selfishly tried to exploit the country’s racial divisions for personal benefit, Johnson did everything he could to minimize the harm caused by Smollett’s made-up claim that he was the victim of a racially motivated attack. “Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?” Johnson asked at his press conference detailing the evidence of Smollett’s hoax. As a child of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, our hope and dream for the future was birthed out of Dr. King’s vision of different races sitting together at the table of brotherhood; which vision I see manifest today in the lives of my grandchildren. We looked forward to a day when our children and grandchildren would live in a society free of racial oppression and negative stereotypes of other races. America has made tremendous strides toward racial reconciliation, and the last thing this country needs is for those who only READ about what SOME of us have actually LIVED through, to try to provoke Americans to re-visit and revive the…

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Jussie Smollett Arrested After Alleged ‘MAGA’ Hoax

by Molly Prince   “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett turned himself into police custody after he was charged on allegations related to disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, police said Thursday. “Press Briefing: Jussie Smollet is under arrest and in custody of detectives,” tweeted Anthony Guglielmi, chief communications officer for the Chicago Police Department. “At 9am at #ChicagoPolice Headquarters, Supt Eddie Johnson, Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki will brief reporters on the investigation prior to the defendants appearance in court.” – Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 21, 2019 Felony criminal charges have been approved by @CookCountySAO against Jussie Smollett for Disorderly Conduct / Filing a False Police Report. Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest. pic.twitter.com/LvBSYE2kVj — Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 21, 2019 Felony charges were filed against Smollett on Wednesday evening stemming from a hate crime he allegedly coordinated against himself in January. Smollett claimed two men beat him up late at night while walking in Chicago. He further claimed the men tied a noose around his neck and poured a bleach-like substance on him while shouting racist and homophobic slurs. In a follow-up interview with the Chicago…

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Chicago Police Say ‘Empire’ Actor Refuses to Turn Over Phone Records During Alleged ‘MAGA’ Attack

by Neetu Chandak   The Chicago Police Department (CPD) said “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett and his music manager are not handing over phone records of a conversation that occurred Tuesday morning during an alleged attack. “Update on the ‘Empire’ Smollett case: The victim and his manager reported that they were talking on their cell phones to each other but CPD has been unable to independently verify this because they refused to turn over their cell phones,” CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a Thursday statement obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation. Smollett claimed two men beat him up, tied a noose around his neck, said racial and homophobic slurs and threw an unknown chemical substance on him Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. Brandon Z. Moore, Smollett’s music manager, said he heard some of the attack while on the phone with Smollett, according to Variety. “I heard that clearly,” Moore said. “I heard the scuffle and I heard the racial slur.” TMZ reported Tuesday the attackers were white men wearing ski masks who poured bleach on Smollett and screamed: “This is MAGA (Make America Great Again) country.” Smollett reportedly had a fractured rib as well. Police said the actor did…

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