By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: Chicago Tribune | Credit: TNS
The Truth About Jussie Smollett is the latest documentary film that’s streaming on Netflix. The film goes into detail about what happened between actor and singer Jussie Smollett and the attack that occurred on Jan 29, 2010, in Chicago.
In this documentary, numerous individuals share their opinions and details about the events that unfolded that night and the subsequent aftermath. Melissa Staples, former chief of Detectives, Chicago Police, participated in the film and said from the beginning that it would be the last time she would discuss the case. The Smolett case got under her skin.
Eddie Johnson, former superintendent of the Chicago Police, is another cast member of this documentary film who shared his story of what happened. She seemed bothered by the whole case and believes that Smolett is a “narcissist” and “troubled young man.”
Smolett’s reputation and public image suffered a significant blow after everyone believed he orchestrated the entire attack to portray himself as the victim. He became an international joke, and the public turned their back on him after the Chicago Police Department reported on what they thought happened.
To this day, Smolett believes that he is innocent. In this film, everyone is giving different versions of the story. Only God knows what truly happened. Smolett and two other witnesses (security guard Anthony Moore and Rebecca Bell, Jussie’s neighbor) have said that they saw two Caucasian males who took part in Jussie’s attack.
The Police did not listen to the two witnesses. In their mind, they believe that the two attackers that night were two Nigerian men (Osundario Brothers). The brothers were extras in the Fox hit show “Empire,” where Jussie became a star. Jussie had a relationship mainly with one of the brothers, who was also his trainer at some point.
According to the documentary, there were no forensics in Jussie’s case, and the Chicago Police have a history of being untrustworthy and tampering with evidence. Some people prefer not to jump to conclusions and instead believe everything they say.
One of the interesting moments in the documentary is when a surveillance camera of Anthony Moore is shown flashing its lights on a male for at least ten seconds. When a journalist requested the department for the 10 seconds, they didn’t send it. So it looked like a possible red flag.
It was surprising that Jussie participated in the documentary to share his side of the story. Most people would run away or hide. He’s known for being outspoken. We don’t know precisely what was entirely accurate in this case.
We saw Smollett receive overwhelming support from the public, including celebrities and fans, after being attacked and essentially turned into public enemy number one. The all-inclusive interview with Robin Robers was the beginning of a disaster for him. His case was parallel to the O.J. Simpson case of Chicago, in terms of the media coverage and attention it received.
At this point in his life, he is slowly working to restore his image and review his career. This is a documentary everyone should check out and judge for themselves.
Overall, the review for this film is a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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