IF he did it.....won't you feel stupid?

from JoeUser Forums

*the following is the conversation I would like to have with the members of the jury that acquitted OJ Simpson of the murder of his wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend, Ron Goldman.  It's a representation of how I feel, so if you're offended by it...well, that's just too bad.*

I'm sure that most of you have heard about OJ's 'confession' to the murders of his wife and Mr Goldman by now. The majority of the civilised world knows about it, and a good deal of us are saying 'we TOLD you he was guilty!', myself included. 

I watched that farcical trial going down on TV and I was simply stunned at how blatantly Mr Cochran played on the fact that OJ is black and used that to his advantage.  Shit, most of you are black too - so there was a sense of togetherness in that courtroom.  To hear Mr Cochran tell it, it was you black people against the world - the WHITE world - and you members of the jury fell for the game Johnny was playing.  You let yourselves be blinded by Mark Fuhrman's use of the 'N' word; you ignored all the evidence that the prosecution presented and you concentrated on the color of OJ's skin.  Mark Fuhrman used the N word, sure, but that doesn't automatically make him a racist.  I use the N word too, but you don't see me putting on the KKK hood or goose-stepping my way around town, screaming 'Sieg Heil!' or 'White POWER!!!!'.  When I use the N word, it's because someone of color is acting in a stereotypical way.  They are, in other words, acting like a nigger.  Does that word make you cringe?  Do you immediately loose sight of any and all rationale when you hear it?  It would seem so, because you acquitted a man who now is coming out and basically confessing to the murders you said he DID NOT DO.  You LET that N word have POWER.  You LET it guide you, you let it, Johnny Cochran and OJ Simpson blind you.  Like a flock of fucking sheep, you let them herd you into a pen and you LET them keep you there.

I saw your acquital party on TV.  I saw that you had a huge TV and that you played the moment when the 'not guilty' verdict was announced over and over again, all of you jury members clapping and screaming and hooting and hollering to the sound of your verdict. I also saw that you got to meet OJ and Johnny at that party.  Did that make you feel important?  Did it make you feel good to have some high-falutin' niggers (see, I used that word again) drinking cognac with you and thanking you for letting them manipulate you into doing the wrong thing?  I think it must have.  I also saw that some of you basked in the glory of your 15 minutes of fame and went around town with your heads held high, thinking you were someone of importance.

How high are your heads today, after OJ's 'confession'?  Aren't you ashamed of yourselves now?  Don't you feel stupid?  Or are you still letting yourselves be blinded by color - are you still telling yourselves that he really DIDN'T do it, that the 'confession' is just a ploy to sell the book OJ's trying to peddle to provide himself with some much needed income?  We all know how Ron Goldman's family went after OJ's money, and I'll bet you all told yourselves that THAT was all about skin color too. 

I'll even bet that some people will read this and say that I've let myself become blinded by the color of my skin.  I'm white, as you may have guessed, and I'm sure that some people will see me using the N word here and will automatically call me a racist.  I don't really give a fuck, to be honest.  It's my opinion, and I'm entitled to it, just like you're entitled to yours.

My opinion, however, doesn't affect murder trials.

Yours did.

1,116 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Some people are fucktards...in this case, the whole jury was. Idiocy at its highest...I lose faith in humanity everyday...I was just a little guy back then, but hell, even I thought he was guilty.

~Zoo
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
As much as I hate to say it, I think the fault for the OJ verdict "IF he did it" lies on a badly botched prosecution. WTF were they thinking by having him try on the gloves? The moment that happened, reasonable doubt was almost a certainty. And they relied WAY too heavily on Fuhrman's statements when there was a mountain of evidence OUTSIDE Fuhrman's testimony that should have been the focus of their efforts.

The jury left the courtroom having to ask themselves, did the prosecution PROVE their case beyond reasonable doubt? As one of the millions who followed the case, I have to say I had reasonable doubt. Because I don't feel the prosecutor's office met the burden of proof. I do not feel any blame should be laid on the jury for making the decision they did. They served honorably, and weighed the evidence they had at their disposal.
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top

They served honorably, and weighed the evidence they had at their disposal.

I used to think that too.  I was slightly incredulous that they found him not guilty, but I thought that perhaps they were privy to some evidence that we the general public did not have.  However, when I saw them at partying it up with the man they had acquitted, drinking and singing and dancing with him.....that's when my opinion changed.  I began to think that perhaps there was more to the acquital than I had first thought, so I started to do some reading about the jury members: nine of whom were black, nine of whom thought OJ was likely to be innocent because he was a professional athlete, five of whom had either personally had a negative experience with a police officer or had a family member who had, and NONE of whom regularly read a newspaper - but eight of them watched tabloid TV shows (no bias there, huh?). 

Idiocy at its highest

I don't know that I'd call it that, but I get your jist.  I too loose faith in humanity every single day.  However, I'm lucky enough to be able to work in a field where I meet people who exemplify the very best that humanity has to offer, so there's some balance there.

Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
However, when I saw them at partying it up with the man they had acquitted, drinking and singing and dancing with him.....that's when my opinion changed.


I agree they crossed professional boundaries at that point, dharma, but the truth is, I think the prosecutor's office let this one slip because they didn't want another "Rodney King" riot on their hands. As shameful and appalling as that is, the evidence seems to bear it out when a DA's office that is NOT inexperienced in handling murder cases makes so many glaringly obvious errors. I think it's wrong, though, to lay this entirely in the lap of the jurors. I am willing to bet that ALL of the opinions of the jurors could be found in their preselection survey (or whatever its called) and yet the prosecution DIDN'T think to dismiss these jurors?

In the minds of some, OJ will never be guilty, even if this sells movie rights and OJ plays himself in a fashion that is almost certainly incriminating. In the minds of others, OJ will always be guilty. Unfortunately, he will spend the rest of his days as a man who almost certainly got away with murder.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

I won't feel stupid at all.  Stevie Wonder or Ray Charles could have seen that O.J. was guilty as sin, and if there had been a moderately competent D.A., with a moderately competent Judge, and jurors that weren't so racially inspired thanks to the antics of Johnny Cochran and the events surrounding Rodney King and the riots that ensued he might have been found guilty as the cold blooded killer that he is.

He's as much as admitted commiting the crime several times along the way, the only difference this time is that the bastard is taking home cash because of running his mouth.  For that, I hope the Goldman and Brown family lawyers are able to trace the money and claim what is rightfully theirs so that he never gets one thin dime.  He should be left driving around in a Yugo unless he hitches rides from friends like "A.C."

Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
As much as I hate to say it, I think the fault for the OJ verdict "IF he did it" lies on a badly botched prosecution. WTF were they thinking by having him try on the gloves? The moment that happened, reasonable doubt was almost a certainty. And they relied WAY too heavily on Fuhrman's statements when there was a mountain of evidence OUTSIDE Fuhrman's testimony that should have been the focus of their efforts.


Total Agreement. Do not blame the jurors for performing their duty. If you think he is guilty, blame the DA for screwing up the case.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gerry Spence wrote a fascinating book about the O.J. case. He lays out exactly why he believes O.J. did it, and why and how the prosecutors screwed it up.

Good stuff.

Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top

I had planned to sit down this evening and write responses to your comments, but I've been called to go and sit vigilance with a patient overnight.  I'll come back tomorrow when I have more time (and have had some sleep) and am able to give each of your comments the attention they deserve.

I'm going to try some techniques that I learned at the conference on Wednesday on my patient this evening.  I'll let you know how they work....or not.  Confidentiality and all that...