Jussie Smollett’s Neighbors Doubt He Was Attacked

Jussie Smollett’s Neighbors Doubt He Was Attacked

In the few weeks since Empire star Jussie Smollett was brutally attacked while walking the streets of Chicago in the wee hours of the morning, he has returned to the stage and back to work on his hit TV show. However, there has been little movement in catching the suspects who assaulted him—and now his neighbors say it’s because perhaps it didn’t happen.

When news of Jussie Smollett’s attack, by men he says beat him, threw bleach on him, shouted racial/gay slurs and put a noose around his neck, the public outrage was immediate. Although there was also a collection of people who doubted Smollett’s story from the beginning, especially since it was reported that he refused to hand over his cellphone to authorities.

Now, his critics may have a little more ammunition if Smollett’s neighbors are to be believed because they have doubts that Smollett was attacked in the manner in which he said…or at all. According to recent reports, some of Smollett’s neighbors doubt his account of the incident because they claim that the neighborhood is too diverse for a racially motivated or gay-bashing attack to occur.

Agin Muhammad, who lives in the same Chicago high-rise as Smollett, had this to say about his claims:

“I don’t believe it happened the way he said it did. I’ve been in this neighborhood five years. I don’t believe it, not around here … Half the people are gay and the other half are black.”

Similarly, a patron at a local pub about a block away from where the attacked happened, is also skeptical and says Smollett’s story

“doesn’t really make sense.”

The patron, who didn’t want to be named, continued to add:

“It’s a lie, because Chicago is the most liberal city around. They have cameras everywhere … Why can’t they find the attack?”

Meanwhile, Chicago police said that Smollett still hasn’t given them his cellphone in an effort to verify that he was on the phone with his music manager, Brandon Moore, when he was attacked. Moore has previously confirmed that he heard Smollett’s assailants shout a “racial slur” and the words

“MAGA country.”

Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi recently stated that the local police are still committed to finding Smollett’s attackers and they don’t doubt his claims, but need his cellphone to thoroughly investigate:

“We have no reason to doubt the statements, but for a criminal investigation, we need to independently confirm the phone records. We offered to take the phone to download the data and he expressed he couldn’t be without his phone for several hours.”

Previously, Smollett’s likely route was traced to the underpass between the Sheraton and the Loews Chicago hotel from a 24-hour Subway where Smollett bought food. Close to the bottom of a stairwell to Loews Chicago, an empty hot sauce bottle was found that was partially filled with a clear liquid that smelled like bleach. The bottle was turned over to local police alerted police, who turned it over to the FBI for analysis.

What do you think about Jussie Smollett’s neighbors’ comments? Do you think he was attacked like he said?