In the early ‘90s, it was impossible to turn on the television, the radio, or even open a newspaper without hearing about the O.J. Simpson trial. After the brutal murder of Nicole Brown (his ex wife) and Ron Goldman (her friend), all eyes turned to O.J.. He became more than just the loved athlete and actor that he had remained as for a majority of his life. Titles such as “murderer” now floated around his name. However, a vast majority of the public refused to believe he was guilty. The case exceeded the murders of two innocent people and became a topic that had been, and still is, argued about. Race became a key player in the trial and was what many believed gained O.J. is acquittal. The O.J. Simpson trial was not only a famous murder case …show more content…
It exposed the corrupt law enforcement of the LAPD and the racism that was deep within it. Under the circumstances that O.J. was innocent, it represented what alot of Black Americans faced when dealing with the justice system. Orenthal James Simpson was born on July 9, 1947 in San Francisco, California. He spent a majority of his life in the ghetto of Potrero Hills where he was briefly part of a street gang. It was his first wife, Marguerite Whitley, who pushed him to become the superstar football player that he was in 1969. He attended USC, University of Southern California, where he broke unbelievable records and caught the attention of professional teams. He was rewarded with the Heisman Trophy in 1968 for his amazing seasons with the Trojans.Simpson didn’t stop there, however, and went on to play for the Buffalo Bills from 1969 to 1977 where he crushed …show more content…
The two were brutally stabbed in Nicole’s home after an argument the divorced couple had. The motive for the killing was supposedly over jealousy/obsessiveness but a concrete motive has never been presented to the public. After being charged with two counts of murder and a wrongful death suit from each victim, the public erupted. During a time were police brutality and racism was at an all time high, African Americans viewed the fact that O.J. was charged as yet another act of the LAPD who were extremely racist at the time. With the LA Riots occuring just a couple years earlier, the trust in police was low. This, coupled with the love for O.J. in the black community, led many people to believe that the athlete was innocent. As the trial brimmed, the public became more restless for news. The case was not just about Nicole Brown and Goldman’s tragic deaths. It was about the racial tensions between black citizens and the police that were employed to protect them. Simpson pleads “Absolutely, 100 percent not guilty” to all charges against him and offers rewards to find the real killers. All eyes were on the trial as it had massive media coverage all over the United States. The prosecutors points was the proof of domestic violence against Brown, Simpson’s blood found at the crime scene, no one knew where O.J. was during the time of the crime, and when he was going to get arrested he began to