Why do African Americans believe that OJ is innocent

[Anonymous]

Co exist

[Anonymous]

I remember the day OJ got off. I was teaching at the time - and was the minority in my classroom. The kids were overjoyed and had no problem sharing their enthusiasm with me. "Ms. X, isn't it great that OJ is innocent?"

Personally, I think he was guilty and didn't know how to react. Most students, however, had followed the trial very closely and had come up with some observations that they believed helped prove his innocence.

What got me were their cheerful reactions in telling me - not to rub it in a white person's face - but to actually share their happiness regarding the verdict. According to most, it was not a racial issue; it was a legal one.

very interesting times indeed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Black people always support their kind . Hello its the same for Obama.

You mean like Herman Cain and Stacey Dash?

I guess all white people support Bush and Sandusky?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is an interesting discussion of racial dynamics that is still relevant today as inflammatory as it is. It speaks to not only racial divides but socioeconomic divides.

My experience at the time of the verdict that many peoople were celebrating that he managed to stay out of jail using wealth and privilege as other entitled people have done for centuries. I honestly don't think people actually believed he did it....it was a racial solidarity issue.

The second worst outcome from the trial is the enduring fame of the Kardashians. I would probably watch at least one episode of a Kato Kaelin reality show. I wonder if he wears Ed Hardy shirts.

He is black but he was not of the same socioeconomic class as the jurors. Although he was brought up poor, he was treated well because of his football abilities and was very rich, powerful, well connected and lived a life of privilege since his younger days. His jurors should have been wealthy white people who lived in Brentwood, not poor AAs who lived in South Central LA who thought OJ was one of them. He certainly was not. I think they realized that after the trial though. At the time, racial tensions were high, after the Rodney King and Latasha Harlins incidents, and jurors were fed up with being victims without voices. He was lucky indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Black people always support their kind . Hello its the same for Obama.

You mean like Herman Cain and Stacey Dash?

I guess all white people support Bush and Sandusky?

How does president Bush = Sandusky or oj???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Black people always support their kind . Hello its the same for Obama.

You mean like Herman Cain and Stacey Dash?

I guess all white people support Bush and Sandusky?

They might if they were poor, which the majority of blacks are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Black people always support their kind . Hello its the same for Obama.

You mean like Herman Cain and Stacey Dash?

I guess all white people support Bush and Sandusky?

How does president Bush = Sandusky or oj???

Because both are difficult to defend I would guess.

BTW Sandusky harmed the lives of 10-20 young men, did not kill them. Bush invented a war from whole cloth that resulted in the deaths, maimings, amputations, orphaned children of thousands of Americans and Iraqis. I guess a lot of military contractors got rich though.

[Anonymous]

Simple. If the glove don't fit, you must acquit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Simple. If the glove don't fit, you must acquit.

I read that Chris Darden recently insinuated that Johnny Cochran and his team may have tampered with evidence, including the glove.

[Anonymous]

I think there was a subset of Blacks that were glad that a rich Black guy could buy his way out of guilt, just like a rich White guy.

Or, like post-Michael Jackson acquittal, my thought was, "Geez, rich white guys get away with anything in this country!"

Seriously, though, to get a murder one conviction, didn't they have to prove that (1) OJ did it and (2) OJ premeditated it? And I think the DA's office didn't even think to go after him for manslaughter one, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Black people always support their kind . Hello its the same for Obama.

You mean like Herman Cain and Stacey Dash?

I guess all white people support Bush and Sandusky?

How does president Bush = Sandusky or oj???

I think Bush is supposed to = Obama.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Black people always support their kind . Hello its the same for Obama.

+1000

I don't think they believe he's innocent, but some black people see the verdict as an "eff you" to people like the pp's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember the day OJ got off. I was teaching at the time - and was the minority in my classroom. The kids were overjoyed and had no problem sharing their enthusiasm with me. "Ms. X, isn't it great that OJ is innocent?"

Personally, I think he was guilty and didn't know how to react. Most students, however, had followed the trial very closely and had come up with some observations that they believed helped prove his innocence.

What got me were their cheerful reactions in telling me - not to rub it in a white person's face - but to actually share their happiness regarding the verdict. According to most, it was not a racial issue; it was a legal one.

very interesting times indeed

I could have written this. I too was teaching; a class of 8th graders. They were thrilled. They were about 70% white, the rest other minority. I just said "I have no opinion" and left it at that. I didn't think it was my place to express my opinion on such a matter.

But I was so disappointed that someone, somewhere, convinced them that they should agree that he wasn't guilty.

[Anonymous]

OP,

Your post is disheartening, it suggests you don't have any understanding of race relations in the U.S. Even if you don't agree with the reaction, I'm surprised you cannot analyze the response. For instance, do you not know that that police brutality, death sentences, NYC's current stop-and-frisk program. all involve a disproportionate amount of Blacks? You've heard of racial profiling, correct?

Some events are not to be taken literally. They become symbols, and the facts and circumstances fall to the wayside. OJ's trial became a symbol for all sorts of systemic injustices -- going back centuries. I was stunned that so many African Americans were jubilant at the verdict. But it reminded me of how divided our perceptions of the judicial system are. Have we made any progress? I honestly don't know.

[Anonymous]

A wealthy black guy brutality murders his ex wife and her boyfriend and he is the symbol of black oppression?