jussie smollett attacked by maga white supremacists

Jussie Smollett was brutally attacked at 2am early Tuesday morning in Chicago.

The 36-year-old actor was reportedly attacked and terrorized by a group of white men wearing ski masks and MAGA hats who fractured his rib, tied a noose around his neck and poured bleach on him, according to TMZ.

As they left the scene, they reportedly screamed “This is MAGA country.”

Chicago police told THR: “Given the severity of the allegations, we are taking this investigation very seriously and treating it as a possible hate crime.”

The reports are leaning towards it being premeditated as Smollett received a death threat mailed to his production company eight days earlier, and it is obvious the violence was motivated by racialized homophobia.

Jussie Smollett has acquired fame and notoriety for his role representing a Black gay character on hit TV show Empire and his advocacy for Black queer HIV-positive issues in mainstream media.

Unfortunately this story aligns perfectly with the reported escalation of hate crimes within the last 3 years. Public people that represent marginalized groups are vulnerable to threats and acts of violence, just like those who have more ambiguous lifestyles. And unfortunately in the last few years, the trend has only risen and seems to be getting closer especially due to the normalization of blatantly bigoted rhetoric and codes.

Smollett’s attack was horrendous and horrifying on a personal level, but on a political level, it reminds us that bigots in the country are only getting bolder with their pursuit of domination.