Jussie Smollett has been at the center of celebrity news for a few weeks now. For those who don’t know, Smollett was physically assaulted, had an unknown substance poured on him, and was found with a noose around his neck. He told police that his attackers, who were masked, had been Trump supporters and referenced MAGA–Trump’s campaign slogan–while they attacked him. Here’s a full timeline of events.

To sum up where things are at now: Smollett turned himself in, saying the attack was a hoax and he did this because his was dissatisfied with his salary. As of today, the case is still developing, but those working on the case say they doubt this will go to a full trial.

Tons of people are divided; some believe that Jussie is actually as innocent as he claims to be, and some think that he’s guilty and should be charged for wasting the time and resources of the Chicago Police Department. There are some who believe that Smollett is guilty and has only contributed to the prejudice and harassment of Trump supporters. There are also some that believe he has potentially changed the way hate crimes will be viewed forever. Eddie Johnson, the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, believes that hate crimes will “be met with a level of skepticism that previously didn’t happen.“

The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that for four years, the number of hate groups in the U.S. has been on the rise, and in 2018, the number was and still is at a record high; the most it’s been at for 20 years.

So many have been traumatized or lost their lives due to hate crimes, and to make light of them for your own personal gain is unacceptable. If anything, this puts more minorities at risk, because they’ll eventually be reluctant to speak out in fear of being rejected, ridiculed, and accused of lying by the public.

Although the likely result is that Smollett will be found guilty of staging this incident, I don’t think we should let hate crimes be treated differently forever—hate is hate, and even if there are a few false claims here and there, that shouldn’t invalidate the countless legitimate crimes that have impacted the lives of many.