I was going to refuse to write about the end of the O.J. Simpson trial. Mainly because I have no new knowledge about the verdict, no sparkling insights into the case and no real idea why the jury decided in the way that it did. I have only my feelings, which were strong enough to make me ill for two hours Tuesday afternoon.
You see, I didn't follow the O.J. Simpson trial very closely. My classes, summer job, law school applications and even washing my clothes, seemed more important most of the time. Sure, it was the "trial of the century", on CNN every day and dutifully followed by my mother, but I assumed that the only really important time in the entire case would be when the jury read its verdict. A verdict I was positive would be guilty.
Yet, that wasn't what occurred in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The not-guilty verdict that was handed down shook my faith in our justice system, our courts and our society, and directly contributed to the ill feeling in the pit of my stomach Tuesday afternoon.
It is very upsetting that the heart of our justice system, a trial by jury, produced deliberations in the O.J. Simpson case that lasted for only four hours. It seems impossible, that the evidence presented, by either the defense or the prosecution, could have swayed the jury to a decision in that short of an amount of time. It is also very disconcerting that the Los Angeles Police Department, still in 1994, employed openly racist officers. Officers that could be, and were, used to taint investigations and an entire trial.
It is absurd that a trial of this magnitude could ever be considered fair when every small detail of its occurrence was broadcast on national television. I find it ridiculous that the egos of both the lawyers and Judge Ito allowed this happen. Never again, should the media be allowed such open and unfettered access to a trial. The courts, through this decision to turn the trial into a show, deserve part of the blame for this fiasco of a verdict.
Most distressing to me though, are the societal implications of this decision. The New York Times headline on Wednesday stated that the, "Nation divides on verdict." The nation most certainly did, and in general, if you were black, you rejoiced on Tuesday, and if you were white, you sat in utter disbelief. It is very, very disturbing, and speaks poorly of our society, that different races can be so markedly divided over evidence pointing toward the guilt or innocence of a man.
It proves that white and black Americans trust our police officers to varying degrees, and openly displays yet another issue of racial divide in the United States. Throughout the trial, public opinion polls consistently showed black Americans to believe that O.J. Simpson was innocent at levels forty percent higher than white Americans. Those same percentages seemed to mark who celebrated, and who cursed, the justice system on Tuesday.
I am now in the process of preparing to study the law for the next three years of my life. The law is an incredible equalizer and stabilizer, and it has consistently held our country together through its rule and application. It has mandated justice, protected the innocent and remained as a benchmark for our society, and it pains me to see it abused. On Tuesday, society and popular culture, unfortunately, had their way with our laws.
