Cook County prosecutor Kim Foxx blasted Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago Police Department for their backlash against her over the Jussie Smollett case.
While speaking at the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters in Chicago on April 6, 2019, Foxx spoke about the incident and questioned the motive, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“I have been asking myself for the last two weeks, ‘What is this really about?'” Foxx said. “As someone who has lived in this city (Chicago), who came up in the projects of this city to serve as the first African American woman in this role, it is disheartening to me … that when we get in these positions, somehow the goalposts change. … This is personal.”
U.S. Rep Bobby Rush also spoke and aimed his displeasure at the Fraternal Order of Police.
“The FOP has always taken the position that Black people can be shot down in the street by members of the Chicago Police Department and suffer no consequences,” Rush said. “Let’s be clear: Kim Foxx, her battle, is with the FOP and all of their cohorts.”
After prosecutors dropped all charges against Smollett, the city of Chicago demanded that he pay $130,000 for overtime pay to police officers who investigated his case.
If he did not pay, city officials threatened to prosecute him for making a false statement under the Municipal Code of Chicago. His deadline to pay was April 4, and Smollett did not pay a dime. Instead, he blasted the city of Chicago through his attorney, Mark Geragos.
In a statement, Geragos said, “We are not responsible for the costs, and it is unconstitutional to get a second bite at the apple once charges against a criminal defendant have been dismissed.”
