TGIF, Illinois. Also known as the day Jussie Smollett knocked Michael Madigan out of the headlines. Jussie Smollett offered a cliffhanger after being sentenced yesterday to five months in Cook County Jail as part of a 30-month probation for lying to law enforcement about a racist and homophobic attack he orchestrated in Chicago. “I am
TGIF, Illinois. Also known as the day Jussie Smollett knocked Michael Madigan out of the headlines.
Jussie Smollett offered a cliffhanger after being sentenced yesterday to five months in Cook County Jail as part of a 30-month probation for lying to law enforcement about a racist and homophobic attack he orchestrated in Chicago.
“I am not suicidal. I am innocent!” he told Judge James Linn, declaring that if he were to die in jail, “I did not do it to myself.” Smollett’s legal team said it would appeal the sentence and in light of that, asked to suspend or stay the jail time.
Linn denied it, saying there comes a time when “the hammer of justice has to fall, and it’s falling right here. Right now.”
It was the end of a three-year saga that roiled Chicago — and challenged efforts to reform the criminal justice system.
Smollett, once a high-profile actor on “Empire,” which was filmed in Chicago, was found guilty in December.
It was 2019 — the middle of the Trump administration and amid growing conflict about race and racism in America — and a lot of people believed Smollett’s “attack” was entirely plausible. Why wouldn’t we? The case drew international headlines, as did the eventual reports of it being a trumped-up plan to get attention.
“The malicious and wholly fabricated claim made by Mr. Smollett resulted in over 1,500 hours of police work that cost the city over $130,000 in police overtime,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said last night in a statement. “The city feels vindicated in today’s ruling that he is being held accountable and that we will appropriately receive restitution for his actions.”
Along with jail time and probation, Smollett was ordered Thursday to pay $130,160 in restitution to the city (he’s already paid $10,000 of that).
Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, who had dropped the case as she would have for any first-time offender committing a dumb hoax, criticized the process.
In a column in the Sun-Times, Foxx called the sentencing “mob justice”“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/3/10/22971657/jussie-smollett-case-our-justice-system-failed-states-attorney-kim-foxx-op-ed”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21580002″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21580003″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>In a column in the Sun-Times, Foxx called the sentencing “mob justice” and a “disregard for the discretion that prosecutors must have to be effective and independent.” She was referring to the special prosecutor, Dan Webb, hired to reinvestigate the handling of the case, which led to the trial, conviction and yesterday’s sentencing.
Linn’s comments before sentencing seemed to address why Smollett’s case was different. It was a “heater” that pulled resources from across the city. And Smollett’s fabrication wasn’t inconsequential: It was homophobic and racist. It was a stain on a city that prides itself on diversity.“
“I believe you did real damage to hate-crime victims. People who have a difficult time coming forward, who are distrustful, [who have] trepidation,” Linn told Smollett. “I don’t know if they will be hesitant to come forward or if first-responders will be doubtful because of what you did here.”
“The capper of all cappers,” for the judge was Smollett’s “pure perjury” — from lying to police all the way up to the witness stand.
The judge also criticized Smollett for his disregard for Chicago. Here’s the full passage:
“Chicagoans, they love their city. We don’t all agree with each other on a lot. There are all kinds of disagreements on what our city should be, what the vision should be for the future. There are even disagreements on what our past looks like.
“But despite all the disagreements and all the things that aren’t right, it’s home, sweet home for Chicagoans. Chicagoans are fiercely loyal to their city. But Chicagoans have one thing in common where there’s no misunderstanding and everyone is on the same page. And that page is that crime is a problem. It is a major problem. Nobody disagrees. And we know that police resources, they’re valuable. They’re limited. Detective resources are precious. And they cannot be squandered.
“What you did because you are selfish, arrogant and narcissistic bringing attention to yourself…you took away a lot of resources from other places, other real victims of real crimes… and used up police resources for your own benefit. You did what we call around here is you created a heater.”
— Smollett remained defiant to the end,“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/3/10/22967380/jussie-smollett-sentence-empire-actor-fake-hate-crime-hoax”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21580006″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21580007″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>Smollett remained defiant to the end, by Sun-Times’ Matthew Hendrickson and Andy Grimm
NEW POLL VIA SUN-TIMES: The Democratic primary for the new Hispanic-majority congressional district is wide open, according to a new poll that gives Rep. Delia Ramirez an edge over Ald. Gilbert Villegas.
The poll underscores how both Democrats “are blank political slates waiting to be filled in,” writes Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet with the scoop about the poll”,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2022/3/10/22971706/new-hispanic-congressional-district-poll-shows-race-wide-open-ramirez-has-edge-over-villegas”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21590000″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21590001″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>writes Sun-Times’ Lynn Sweet with the scoop about the poll.
“Though they have been running for several months, voters said they don’t know much about Ramirez or Villegas,” Sweet writes. “If the vote was taking place now, 66 percent said they were undecided; 19 percent said they were for Ramirez; 11 percent for Villegas and 1 percent for Iymen- Chehade.”
The poll also shows what low “favorables” Mayor Lori Lightfoot has among a list of numerous elected officials.
Have a tip, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: skapos@politico.com“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”mailto:skapos@politico.com”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21590002″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21590003″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>[email protected]
No official public events.
At Legler Regional Library to announce a new Artist-in-Residence.
No official public events.
POLITICO’s The Recast newsletter has named the 40 power players of 2021,”,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://www.politico.com/interactives/2022/influential-people-on-race-and-politics-list/”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21620000″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21620001″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>40 power players of 2021, and three Illinois lawmakers have made the list.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Chuy Garcia and Ald. Gill Villegas are standouts for having an impact on the intersection of race, politics and policy. Explore the full list here.
How we came up with this year’s inaugural Power List: “These 40 power players were crucial in driving conversations about race and politics in the year since the Recast’s launch,” by POLITICO’s Brakkton Booker, Rishika Dugyala and Teresa Wiltz
— State regulators approve Danville casino, leaving only Chicago still pining for gambling expansion:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2022/3/10/22971518/illinois-casino-danville-chicago-gaming-board-approved”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21630000″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21630001″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>State regulators approve Danville casino, leaving only Chicago still pining for gambling expansion: “Fifteen casinos have been approved in Illinois history, but the 16th — earmarked for Chicago — promises to be the biggest,” by Sun-Times’ Mitchell Armentrout.
— State lawmakers advance pension buyout extension fueled by $1B of bonding:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://www.bondbuyer.com/news/illinois-lawmakers-advance-pension-buyout-extension-fueled-by-1b-of-bonding”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21630004″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21630005″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>State lawmakers advance pension buyout extension fueled by $1B of bonding: “The Senate Pensions Committee advanced the legislation laid out in HB4292 in a bipartisan vote Wednesday, setting the stage for a floor vote later this month, according to committee Chairman Sen. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago. The measure passed the House Feb. 24 and has Gov. JB Pritzker’s support,” by Bond Buyer’s Yvette Shields.
— Rezin urges bills preventing future health outbreaks get a proper hearing:”,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://capitolnewsillinois.com/NEWS/republican-senator-urges-bills-preventing-future-health-outbreaks-get-a-proper-hearing”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21630006″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21630007″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>Rezin urges bills preventing future health outbreaks get a proper hearing: Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) has reintroduced legislation “to improve and hasten the state’s response to the outbreak, but on Thursday called for more help from lawmakers to advance the bills which remain in the Assignments Committee,” by Capitol News’ Grace Kinnicutt.
— Mendoza urges automatic payments into ‘rainy day fund’:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://capitolnewsillinois.com/RSSFullText/mendoza-urges-automatic-payments-into-rainy-day-fund”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21640000″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21640001″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>Mendoza urges automatic payments into ‘rainy day fund’: “Current law requires deposits into the fund only when the state’s general revenue estimates increase by 4 percent or more over the prior year, something Mendoza said has not happened since the fund was created. Instead, transfers into the fund have been made only when the General Assembly makes a one-time appropriation in the budget.”
— CPD to waive college requirements for some new hires:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://chicago.suntimes.com/2022/3/10/22971560/cpd-waive-college-requirements-for-some-new-hires”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670000″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670001″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>CPD to waive college requirements for some new hires: “City Colleges of Chicago will host in-person testing for the Chicago Police Department from March 17-19. Walk-in applicants will also be welcomed,” by Sun-Times’ Manny Ramos.
— Lightfoot makes news visiting a few editorial boards:
… Mayor calls 2022 year of ‘accountability’ on violent crime, but says CPD Supt. Brown has her ‘total confidence’:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2022/3/10/22971431/chicago-violent-crime-lightfoot-brown-police-department”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670002″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670003″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>Mayor calls 2022 year of ‘accountability’ on violent crime, but says CPD Supt. Brown has her ‘total confidence’: “Her hand-picked police chief “is implementing levels of accountability that, frankly, we haven’t seen in the Police Department in a long time,” the mayor told the Sun-Times editorial board,” by Fran Spielman.
… Lightfoot mulls gas tax rollback:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://www.chicagobusiness.com/government/lightfoot-mulls-cutting-or-eliminating-city-gas-tax”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670004″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670005″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>Lightfoot mulls gas tax rollback: “Chicago’s mayor said in an interview with Crain’s editorial board that her administration is “looking at” doing without the 8 cents per gallon the city collects from drivers at the pump as gas prices hit nosebleed levels,” by Crain’s Steve Daniels.
… Long-term fix for Soldier Field bonds needed; taxpayers can’t be on hook when hotel tax revenue falls short, Lightfoot says:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2022/3/10/22971614/hotel-tax-soldier-field-renovation-bonds-pandemic-covid-travel”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670006″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670007″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>Long-term fix for Soldier Field bonds needed; taxpayers can’t be on hook when hotel tax revenue falls short, Lightfoot says: “We’ve got to make sure that we’re diversifying our ability to respond to any kind of economic downturn and not constantly putting ourselves in harm’s way because we tied vital services to a single source of revenue,” the mayor told the Sun-Times editorial board. Fran Spielman reports.
— An admissions change is coming to CPS’ selective schools to try to enroll more low-income students:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://www.wbez.org/stories/admissions-change-coming-to-cps-selective-schools-to-try-to-enroll-more-low-income-students/51a21eb6-ca97-4715-b052-bbcfe92f2036″,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670008″,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb21670009″,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>An admissions change is coming to CPS’ selective schools to try to enroll more low-income students: “CPS is considering dropping part of its admissions process that benefits students who live in affluent Chicago neighborhoods,” by WBEZ’s Sarah Karp.
— What the new Democrats’ mistakes taught us about fighting inequality:“,”link”:{“target”:”NEW”,”attributes”:[],”url”:”https://washingtonmonthly.com/2022/03/08/what-the-new-democrats-mistakes-taught-us-about-fighting-inequality/”,”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb2167000c”,”_type”:”33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df”},”_id”:”0000017f-793a-d9f7-afff-ffbb2167000d”,”_type”:”02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266″}” target=”_blank”>What the new Democrats’ mistakes taught us about fighting inequality: Chicago’s ShoreBank and its influence and lessons learned shaping the Democratic Party’s policies and political strategy since the Clinton years is covered at length in this new book reviewed in Washington Monthly.
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