Crime

‘Empire’ suffers second lowest ratings of show’s history

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — “Empire” returned from its winter break on Wednesday. It was also the first episode that aired since co-star Jussie Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct, and the show took a significant hit in ratings.According to Deadline, the hip-hop drama garnered 4.4 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Published

7 years ago

March 24, 2019

Oakland Post

By Defender News Service

“Empire” returned from its winter break on Wednesday. It was also the first episode that aired since co-star Jussie Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct, and the show took a significant hit in ratings.

According to Deadline, the hip-hop drama garnered 4.4 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

To put those Nielsen numbers into perspective, the last “Empire” episode that aired on Dec. 5 had 5.0 million viewers and a 1.5 rating. And when the show came back from its hiatus last year, it had 6.2 million viewers and a 2.0 rating.

Other reports indicate that Thursday, March 14 dismal numbers represent the second lowest views in the show’s history. The first lowest was an episode that aired on Oct. 31, 2018, because many were presumably out trick or treating for Halloween.

The show that follows “Empire,” “Star,” also took a hit, though not much and was down a tenth from its previous episode.

As for Smollett, he appeared in court on Thursday and pled not guilty to the 16-count indictment that was handed down to him earlier this month.

But before the actor was charged, he was considered a victim after he said two white men attacked him in Chicago while he was on his way to a Subway restaurant. Smollett said the men yelled homophobic and racist slurs at him and placed a noose around his neck.

Later, however, Chicago police said two Nigerian brothers, who were extras on “Empire,” were hired by Smollett, who organized and staged the attack. There was also video footage that showed the brothers buying the items that Smollett said was used on him.

Last month, “Empire” producers released a statement about the actor, who plays the character Jamal Lyon, and said he’d be removed from the final two episodes of the current season.

“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us,” a statement read. “Jussie has been an important member of our ‘Empire’ family for the past five years and we care about him deeply.”

“While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of Jamal from the final two episodes of the season.”

Smollett is due back in court next month.

This article originally appeared in Defender News Network.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

3 weeks ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.