A few days ago, actor Jussie Smollett was attacked in Chicago. When the story first broke, the details were sketchy (and they remain that way) but the news media ran with a headline that two individuals in MAGA hats carried out the assault.
We later learned that wasn’t true when the Chicago Police Department press release clarified that no one had given any statement to them saying MAGA hat wearers were the perpetrators of the crime.
The details surrounding the case are very odd – Smollett’s manager, who claims he was on the phone with the actor during the attack, refuses to turn over phone records to the police.
Confirmed with two Chicago PD sources that Jussie Smollett and his manager refused a request to turn over phone records to show Smollett's manager was on the phone with Jussie when the attack took place. Its not clear if Chicago PD will move to obtain records independently
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 31, 2019
Smollett’s neighbor says she saw a “redneck” near the apartment building the actor lived in before the attack.
Jussie Smollett's neighbor claims she saw a "redneck" with a rope near their apartment building shortly before the attack: https://t.co/cEkdKNnNS1 pic.twitter.com/eVG1O5cZMQ
— The Root (@TheRoot) January 31, 2019
And police say Smollett wore the rope the attackers allegedly used into his building. They also released photos of the possible attackers obtained from security cameras.
The next time Smollett is seen on surveillance camera, he is entering a condo building. Police say he now has a rope around his neck and is "wearing it like a neck tie". About a minute (maybe less) has passed since he was seen on video.
— Rob Elgas (@RobElgasABC7) January 31, 2019
NEW: Here is the Chicago Police community alert in the Jussie Smollett investigation. pic.twitter.com/yogud1TYEc
— Rob Elgas (@RobElgasABC7) January 31, 2019
However, even though the MAGA hat claim has been debunked, actress Ellen Page has decided it’s somehow Vice President Mike Pence’s fault.
Page talked to Stephen Colbert on The Late Show and had this to say.
“It feels impossible not to feel this way right now with the president and the Vice President Mike Pence, who wishes I could not be married, let’s just be clear,” the Gaycation star said. “The vice president of America wishes I didn’t have the love with my wife. He wanted to ban that in Indiana, he believes in conversion therapy, he has hurt LGBTQ people so badly as the governor of Indiana,” she added as Late Show host Stephen Colbert held up a picture of Page and her wife, Emma Portner.
Page then suggested that you could “connect the dots” between the policies and rhetoric of people in power and the attack on Smollett and other minorities and marginalized people.
“If you are in a position of power and you hate people and you want to cause suffering to them, you go through the trouble, you spend your career trying to cause suffering, what do you think is going to happen? Kids are going to be abused, and they’re going to kill themselves and people are going to be beaten on the street,” a visibly angry Page said.
Watch the video below.