Several Black notables have signed a letter of solidarity in favor of former Empire star Jussie Smollett, who has been negatively affected after saying he was a victim of a hate crime in 2019.

Danny Glover, Gina Belafonte and activists Angela Davis, Ericka Huggins and Black Lives Matter co-founder Melina Abdullah are among the celebrities and social justice fighters who write that Chicago’s police force has a history of racial instigation and terrorism against the community. This history has led them to conclude that the police force mishandled and covered up the investigation into Smollett’s allegations. The letter was published by The Grio.

“As we focus on keeping our loved ones and those most vulnerably safe and healthy during these times of COVID-19 and of white nationalism in the White House, we remain painfully aware of the police crimes that continue to plague our communities, having claimed precious lives in the last months,” the letter states.

“At a time when the people of Chicago are demanding community control of the police and when our movement for Black Lives demands that police be defunded and demilitarized, Chicago police and prosecutors continue to expend precious public resources to cover up a hate crime and renew their fabricated case against Jussie Smollett,” the letter continues.

You can read the full letter over at The Grio.

READ MORE:

Jussie Smollett Is Suing The City Of Chicago For Malicious Prosecution

7 Hollywood Men For Chicago To Cancel Instead of Jussie Smollett

 

Photo: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images