On January 29th Jessie Smollett, a Chicago based actor, was attacked in an apparent hate crime late at night on the streets of Chicago. After three weeks of investigations by Chicago Police, Jessie Smollett surrendered to authorities on charges that include falsifying a police report last Friday.

 Photo courtesy of Variety

Smollett’s hate crime hoax has sparked a wide public discussion about the credibility of victims of sex and hate crimes. Julianna Damiano, a New York City EMS employee, stated, “I think it definitely puts a damper on believing victim’s,” when asked if Smollett’s antics hurts the credibility of others who claim to be victims. “But at the same time I still think we need to believe people who claim to be victims of such crimes.”  Damiano later confided that she was a survivor of sexual assault.

Smollett’s claimed that he orchestrated this hoax to help him get a raise on his show, Empire. The motivation behind this hoax has upset many within a number of social communities throughout the country.  Michael Watts, a New York City actor said, “It’s not only such a shame for the LGBTQ community and black community, but also the acting community. It’s such a shady thing to do to pull a stunt like this for more money when he already makes more money than the majority of us actors.”

The hoax has also raised questions for some people about whether or not many claims of victims could also be false, especially as the #Metoo movement and the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation have sparked more public dialogue about the credibility of victims. Hayden Ergenbright a New York City College student who is also apart of the LGBTQ community says, “I think it could lead to people creating false claims on a more common basis, despite the fact that it’s statistically more likely that most people tell the truth when it comes to these matters.”

While Smollett’s hoax will undoubtedly result in backlash, it has started a national discussion about victims telling the truth when it comes to heinous crimes and his arrest enforces that the justice system, while not perfect, can still find the truth when it comes to such instances.