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A Black And White View Of The O.J. Simpson Case 20 Years Later
Huffington Post ^ | 6/8/2014

Posted on 06/09/2014 3:49:04 PM PDT by Altura Ct.

The Simpson murder trial exposed many painful truths. None hit harder than the idea that white and black people often look at the same facts and see different realities.

Today, 20 years after the case captivated and divided the nation, few opinions about the saga have changed. Despite two decades' worth of increasing racial acceptance, the Simpson case still reflects deep-rooted obstacles to a truly united America.

Most people still believe that the black football legend killed his white ex-wife and her friend, polls show. But for many African-Americans, his likely guilt remains overwhelmed by a potent mix: the racism of the lead detective and the history of black mistreatment by the justice system.

For these people, Simpson's acquittal is a powerful rebuke to what they see as America's racial crimes. Others simply see a murderer who played the race card to get away with it. Across the board, emotions remain vivid.

"It was very tense at work," recalls Carlos Carter, who at the time was one of the few black people working in the trust department of a Pittsburgh bank. "The whites felt like OJ was guilty, they were rooting for their team. We thought he was innocent, that he was kind of framed, so we were on the black team."

He adds: "We were consumed with it. Like Sugar Ray Robinson fighting the great white hope. It was like a match. It represented something bigger than the case, the battle between good and evil, the battle between the white man and the black man. It was at that level."

This sentiment, widespread in the black community, was confusing to Shannon Spicker, a white woman who was working her way through college at the time.

"We didn't understand how people could defend him just because he was black"

(Excerpt) Read more at huffingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: oj
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To: waxer1

My recollection, and anyone who knows different please correct me if I’m wrong, is that Fuhrman’s use of the word “n****r” was in the context of helping a writer develop dialog for a book.

Therefore not racist. Fuhrman did get caught in the old “do you still beat your wife?” trap, but the truth is that generations of kids who have had to read passages of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn and a host of other books aloud are guilty of just as much “racism” as Fuhrman was. And Hollywood actors like Leo diCaprio (Django Unchained) might as well be members of the Klan.


21 posted on 06/09/2014 4:11:24 PM PDT by tanknetter
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To: Altura Ct.
"Others simply see a murderer who played the race card to get away with it."

Mark my answer down as:

C) Other

22 posted on 06/09/2014 4:11:45 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: waxer1

I too recall Fuhrman being cleared of racism charges. But to the MSM he will be a racist till he dies, & it will feature prominently in his obituary [if Jesus delays His return that long]. Just like the MSM still claims Scooter Libby ‘outed’ Valerie Plame. Fewer & fewer people even watch the MSM shows, much less take them seriously. Still it’s way too many. The day ***nobody*** believes one word the MSM says will be a very, very good day.


23 posted on 06/09/2014 4:12:49 PM PDT by Fantasywriter (Any attempt to do forensic work using Internet artifacts is fraught with pitfalls. JoeProbono)
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To: Altura Ct.

Huffington Post...why bother?


24 posted on 06/09/2014 4:12:55 PM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: Altura Ct.
Thats the way it is these days with all the grievance groups & professional complainers... the ones bitching the loudest about 'hate' are the ones dealing most of it out.

Take a good look in the mirror, folks.

25 posted on 06/09/2014 4:13:30 PM PDT by skeeter
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To: waxer1

Wow, ya lost me there.

I was simply pointing out that the legal system can ruin a person if its politically expedient. An nobody seems to get in much of a twist about it even when its nonsense on its face.


26 posted on 06/09/2014 4:15:33 PM PDT by DanielRedfoot (Creepy Ass Cracker)
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To: Altura Ct.
White woman says: “We didn’t understand how people could defend him just because he was black”

The reason is a thing called "racism".

The white women and her friends could not comprehend how blacks could be racist. I her mind racism is white people discriminating against minorities. It never occurred to her that it can work both ways.

27 posted on 06/09/2014 4:18:40 PM PDT by oldbrowser (We have a rogue government in Washington)
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To: waxer1

The primary mistake in the prosecution was changing the jurisdiction from a criminal court on the West Side of Los Angeles (where a jury pool would have been from more affluent areas) to a Downtown court (where the jury pool was impoverished and had a higher percentage of minorities).
The choice was made by a DA who wanted his staff to be able to work closer to their offices, or in other words in a city known for its road traffic, for greater convenience.

The jury pool chosen saw it as they wanted to see it, and never deviated even when evidence to the contrary was presented. The DA lost his next election, as I recall.


28 posted on 06/09/2014 4:19:16 PM PDT by research99
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To: plain talk

The answer is several generations of indoctrination and conditioning in Identity Politics.

His wealth, success, etc didn’t matter, the only thing that mattered was OJ’s skin color. That was enough to win him support.

Much in the same way that a Black kid from Greenwich CT who’s father is a multimillionaire New York investment banker is entitled to various societal “steps up” that an impoverished white kid from Appalacia (beneficiary of “white priviledge”) is not.


29 posted on 06/09/2014 4:23:51 PM PDT by tanknetter
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To: Altura Ct.
This is what naive whites don't get or want to understand. When push comes to shove...race wins.

Isn't it amazing that after 5 1/2 years of the Obama/Holder racist regime there are still people who haven't figured out that most blacks (like Obama and the 96% of black voters who voted for him) are all about payback, not equality?


30 posted on 06/09/2014 4:24:02 PM PDT by Iron Munro (The Obamas' Black skin has morphed into Teflon thanks to the Obama Media)
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To: waxer1

I love Mark Furman.


31 posted on 06/09/2014 4:24:02 PM PDT by angcat
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To: research99
The jury pool chosen saw it as they wanted to see it, and never deviated even when evidence to the contrary was presented. The DA lost his next election, as I recall.

If you are going to think with your skin, you're going to do stupid things.

I did not believe he killed those people until the DNA evidence started rolling in. I could not believe he would be sloppy enough to murder with his children just footsteps away--what if one of them came outside looking for Mom? Would he have murdered the kid as well?
32 posted on 06/09/2014 4:26:22 PM PDT by Nepeta
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To: research99

The District Attorney, Gil Garcetti, had political ambitions of running for governor. He moved the trial downtown to suck up to the blacks. Gil Garcetti’s son Eric Garcetti is the current mayor of Los Angeles. Eric Garcetti got the black vote.


33 posted on 06/09/2014 4:27:49 PM PDT by forgotten man
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To: plain talk
I never understood how acquitting OJ Simpson served any sort of justice for ordinary blacks.

Symbolism over substance.

It's the mother's milk of the left, and generations of black Americans have been raised on it.

34 posted on 06/09/2014 4:29:45 PM PDT by workerbee (`)
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To: Altura Ct.

I was in college when the verdict was being read, and all the black students jumped up and danced. The white students simply looked sad.


35 posted on 06/09/2014 4:30:42 PM PDT by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: vladimir998

He IS guilty. He would be just as GUILTY if he were white. Case closed.


Someone at the time said “this is the first time I ever saw a guilty man get framed.”

I’ve no doubt he committed the crime. Unfortunately the mishandled evidence gives credence of reasonable doubt.


36 posted on 06/09/2014 4:42:18 PM PDT by Rides_A_Red_Horse (Why do you need a fire extinguisher when you can call the fire department?)
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To: DanielRedfoot

The guy regarding the Benghazi mess. I was pointing out that this man was hauled off to jail. Over some minor probation violation.


37 posted on 06/09/2014 4:50:21 PM PDT by waxer1 (A Republic if you can keep it--Benjamin Franklin. Well we lost it.)
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To: skeeter
Yes it is and one of the jurors expressed exactly this on an interview later.
OJ was never going to be found guilty once the change of venue was granted to inner city LA.
38 posted on 06/09/2014 4:51:49 PM PDT by Varda
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Comment #39 Removed by Moderator

To: Altura Ct.

Yet it seems to be an issue of a different “privilege” - rich, powerful men, no matter who they are or how they got that way - simply cannot accept that ANY woman would reject them. That is just not possible. So it doesn’t matter if O.J. is black and she was white - he’s rich, famous, and desirable. She was white, gorgeous, a trophy wife. Those are the kinds of tradeoffs that have been in effect throughout history. It still comes down to the man’s ego - ANY man’s ego - I am who I am, how dare she not want me or want someone else?


40 posted on 06/09/2014 4:54:10 PM PDT by smalltownslick
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