<\/p>\n
Jurnee Smollett has insisted her brother, Jussie Smollett, should never have received a jail sentence.<\/p>\n
The former \u201cEmpire\u201d star was found guilty of five felony counts of disorderly conduct in December put against him after lying to police after claiming to be the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in March 2019 and on Thursday, the 39-year-old actor was jailed for 150 days, ordered to pay over $120 000 in restitution and a $25 000 fine and placed on probation for 30 months.<\/p>\n
And now, his younger sister has spoken out and suggested he was only given a prison sentence because of his race.<\/p>\n
The \u2018Lovecraft Country\u2019 actress wrote on Instagram: \u201cBlack Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at nearly five times the rate of White Americans. Jussie is innocent.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd\u2026you don\u2019t have to believe in his innocence to believe he should be free. #FreeJussie #StopLockingUpOurPeople (sic)\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/blockquote>\nThe 35-year-old actress\u2019 comments come after a number of her siblings defended Jussie outside the Chicago courthouse after he was sentenced.<\/p>\n
Jazz Smollett, 41, insisted her brother is innocent and blasted his treatment throughout the case.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThis should not be a controversial statement because it is the absolute truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat should be controversial is the entire miscarriage of justice his whole ordeal has been.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pray the peace of God over my brother and all victims of oppression and hate. I pray that we can do better as a world.\u201d<\/p>\n
!function(e,t,r){let n;if(e.getElementById(r))return;const a=e.getElementsByTagName(\u201cscript\u201d)[0];n=e.createElement(\u201cscript\u201d),n.id=r,n.defer=!0,n.src=\u201dhttps:\/\/playback.oovvuu.media\/player\/v1.js\u201d,a.parentNode.insertBefore(n,a)}(document,0,\u201doovvuu-player-sdk\u201d);<\/p>\n<\/div>\nHer brother, Jocqui Smollett, 32, insisted their sibling is a \u201ccomplete victim\u201d and believes the outcome will discourage others from reporting hate crimes in future.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cDo people never once think, even the folks who are naysayers, do you ever once think, \u2018What happens if he\u2019s telling the truth?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cDo y\u2019all ever think about how poorly you feel in that situation? He\u2019s in jail for five months, that is unacceptable, for being attacked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a survivor and he\u2019s completely mistreated. And this has to stop.\u201d\u201dThis should not be a controversial statement because it is the absolute truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat should be controversial is the entire miscarriage of justice his whole ordeal has been.<\/p>\n
\u201cI pray the peace of God over my brother and all victims of oppression and hate. I pray that we can do better as a world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Jussie\u2019s older brother, 44-year-old Jojo Smollett, accused the judge of \u201cshaming\u201d the actor.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201c[The judge] shamed my brother, he spoke about his arrogance. He doesn\u2019t know the struggles my brother is encountering. He doesn\u2019t know anything that he\u2019s dealing with.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2022, we don\u2019t shame people like this. Alright? He basically called him a mental case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Source <\/p>\n<\/div>\n