O.J. Simpson murder trial divided America. Those divisions remain nearly 30 years later.
If Shakespeare had been around in 1990s America, he might well have written a tragedy about the spectacular rise and sudden, devastating fall of oneOrenthal James Simpson.
College football hero. NFL star. Movie star. TV star. Cultural icon. All anyone had to say for more than a quarter of a century was "O.J." and adozen imagesfrom the field and the screen popped into the minds of Americans from 7 to 70 years old. I still remember Simpson dashing through an airport in theHertz rental car commercialsof the 1970s.
Then the man with the golden image suddenly became a pariah,charged with the June 12, 1994 murdersof his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.
The story − in the days before social media and streaming services and when cable TV news was at its peak − riveted the nation for months.
O.J. Simpson's death reminds me of the 'trial of the century' that divided our nation
It also divided the nation,largely along racial lines. For many white Americans, myself included, the weight of evidence pointing to the conclusion that Simpson was guilty of murder was overwhelming.
But that was not the case for many Black Americans, who had good reason not to trust that the American criminal justice system − and the Los Angeles justice system in particular only three years after police were caught on videobeating Rodney King− had been fair and honest in handling and presenting the evidence against Simpson.
It seems the world has changed a thousand times in a thousand ways in the 30 years since that white Ford Bronco chase, which ended in Simpson's arrest, paraded in slow motion through Southern California as anestimated 95 million people watched on live TV. But the racial divides over our justice system very much remain.
I remember standing in the Miami Herald newsroom on Oct. 3, 1995 when the verdict was read. Not guilty.
Immediate cheers (mostly from Black colleagues) and groans (mostly from white coworkers) signaled the deep divide in how many Americans viewed the accusations against and the acquittal of O.J. Simpson.
Simpson vowed to find the 'real killers'
In the three decades since, Simpson served as the easy punchline in a million jokes told from small-town barrooms to Hollywood talk shows, especially after Simpson, in the wake of the trial,pledged to find the "real killers."
And now the man whose name wassynonymous with football and murder, fame and domestic violence is dead.he sadness I feel at the news isn't about Simpson, although the waste and destructiveness of his life are truly tragic. My sadness rather is centered on the lessons not learned nearly 30 years after the "trial of the century." Domestic violence and racial divisions still plague us. The lure of voyeurism, even when lives have been stolen by violence, is perhaps stronger than ever.
*****************
Postez acest articol sa afle si de cei care nu erau inca nascuti cand s-a intamplat aceasta acuzatie, am urmarit toata procedura legala la TV care acoperea adevaratii criminali.
El a fost cel mai mare atlet american in acei ani al tineretii, pana sa apara acuzatiile criminale care l-au distrus.
Era mai usor atunci ca nu se foloseau camere ca azi la tot pasul, si nimeni nu avea nici o convorbire telefonica acuzatoare macar, dar totusi el n-a reusit ca pe terenul de footbal sa ajunga dincolo de bariere. Drogurile jucau rolul aici dar era mai usor si onorabil de rezolvat asa ca nu se stie cine erau in spate. Pana si Oprah era de acord cu verdictul ca sa-si pastreze jobul.
Procesul a creat alte celebritati negative, sotia avocatului de aparare Armenianul Robert Kardashian a divortat la scurt timp si a facut un episod de familie public din locuinta lor cum se descurca cu multi copiii ... pe urma si un nou sot la fel divortat, care de atunci a iesit din dulap ca era femeie, Caitlyn din Bruce Jenner.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2024/04/11/oj-simpson-death-trial-white-bronco-racial-divisions/73288792007/
https://people.com/celebrity/a-look-back-at-the-kardashian-familys-humble-armenian-roots/
