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75 5 Are We Still Talking about O.J.? Postacquittal Conversation White woman: How can you say you agree with the verdict when you believe O.J. killed them? Anyway, the case wasn’t about race. Black woman: There was reasonable doubt. Race matters. White woman: The jury’s verdict makes a mockery of the justice system. Black woman: Why are you so upset about this case? You weren’t this upset after the officers who beat Rodney King were acquitted. White woman: Those cases are totally different. Isn’t domestic violence important to you? Black woman: Of course I care about domestic violence. Are you saying that if I agree with the verdict that I’m for domestic violence? White woman: I give up! This exchange is based on an actual conversation between the author and a White female friend. The dialogue offers a glimpse of the racial tensions that surfaced during the O.J. Simpson case. Though many years have passed since Simpson was found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, the case still resonates and remains unsettling to many people. Polls taken in 2007 indicate that more Whites believe Simpson committed the murders (74 percent) than did at the time of the criminal trial (72 percent). Notably twice as many Blacks (60 percent) indicate that they believe Simpson is guilty than did during the criminal trial (30 percent).1 However, Blacks continue to believe that the there are two justice systems, one for Whites and another for Blacks. This shift in opinion may be the result of other incidents involving Simpson, including a much-publicized Las Vegas arrest for armed robbery of his sports memorabilia and his plan to publish a book titled If I Did It, a hypothetical account of how he might have committed the murders of his wife and her friend. Russell-Brown_pp053-097.indd 75 Russell-Brown_pp053-097.indd 75 8/22/08 10:09:34 AM 8/22/08 10:09:34 AM 76 Are We Still Talking about O.J.? The Simpson case had all the requisite elements for a classic courtroom drama: race, interracial sex, class, celebrity, violence, a handsome, rich, and athletic defendant, attractive victims, unpredictable witnesses, oddball jurors, and larger-than-life attorneys—all with a Hollywood backdrop . Simply put, the case pushed all our social hot buttons. The O.J. Simpson case is one for the history books. It was a monthslong spectacle, one that millions of people watched unfold in their living rooms. It was high racial drama. This chapter offers a sociological capsule of the case—what happened, what it means, what it says about our society , and why the case still matters today. This chapter poses new questions about the Simpson case, focusing primarily on the criminal case and its aftermath. The discussion of “Black protectionism” looks at the Black community’s “strong love” for Simpson and other similarly situated defendants . The chapter concludes with an assessment of how the media’s fixed gaze on the Black/White divide led to the exclusion of other racial groups. A Look Back The O. J. Simpson criminal case was a combination of time travel and science fiction. Unfortunately, as far as race relations go, the time travel was backward. The national narrative of the criminal case could not have been more fantasy-like than if it had been written by Edward Bellamy, Ray Bradbury, or Octavia Butler. Public opinion appeared to vacillate between fascination and disgust during the eighteen-month saga. Throughout, the case was riveting, and even at its most disturbing it remained compelling. Everything about the Simpson case was writ large. It featured an ever-expanding cast of characters who were constantly reinvented. For many people, the low-speed car chase was the first media visual of the case. After Simpson was identified as a murder suspect and had agreed on a date and time to surrender to police authorities, he fled. In a dramatic act of loyalty, his best friend, Al Cowlings, served as both the getaway driver and counselor to a suicidal O.J. The ensuing chase on the San Diego Freeway resembled a cavalcade for visiting dignitaries. Several police vehicles trailed Simpson and Cowlings, as scores of people lined up along the freeway. A few held up signs showing support for Simpson —one read “Go O.J. Go!” Simpson’s suicide note was read during the chase. The letter sounded Russell-Brown_pp053-097...

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