About a week ago, “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was indicted for 16 felony counts and could have faced years behind bars. Today, however, he walks free in one of the most unjust conclusions to a major trial in recent U.S. history. The deal boiled down to two days of community service and a $10,000 bond.

Smollett turned himself in for filing a false police report after he allegedly staged an attack on himself, and many were quick to blame white America and the “dangerous rhetoric” of President Donald Trump. The staged hate crime included two brothers who were paid just over $3,000 to attack Smollett.

Much like the incident in which Covington Catholic High School students were accused of harassing Native American activists, many were quick to condemn the attackers and place some blame on President Trump. Sen. Kamala Harris of California initially called the attack a “modern day lynching.” However, she and many others spoke out in shock after new evidence was found that made Smollett a person of interest, saying that making false claims to the police, “not only diverts resources away from serious investigations but it makes it more difficult for other victims of crime to come forward.”

Now that the deal has been made and the case is finalized, it is no longer a party battle, as everyone is equally confused and enraged with the case. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, called the case a “whitewash of justice,” and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson commented that justice was not served and Smollett owes the people of Chicago an apology.

Everyone ought to be upset at the circumstance. Smollett and those who supported him at first sought to tear open the racial rift in America. He and his accomplices fabricated a lie in an attempt to turn people against each other. The punishment for deceiving the nation for a few weeks and creating hate and hysteria among the people should be far more severe than a few hours of community service and a relatively small bond. Emanuel is exploring the idea of suing Smollett for up to $150,000 after so much of the police department’s time and money was wasted on his case.

The Smollett case should scare Americans greatly. Knowing how easy it is to create division in our country, it is possible more will attempt to do as Smollett did. We should want to create unity and love each other, not lie to try to hurt those with whom we disagree.

We can all agree racism and hatred in America is still a massive issue, but we also have to recognize lies and attempts at division when they appear. The way to fix racism is not by blaming each other, but instead looking past our differences and respecting each other. It is as Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

If this year’s news cycle has taught us anything, it is to wait. Many major stories like this or the Covington Catholic case gain huge fame and generate a large outpouring of emotion, only to be disproven after a small period of time. But above all, we must trust and respect one another, and when someone lies we must all acknowledge and condemn such behavior.