O.J. Simpson- Hero of the Right Wing

I host a Black Talk Radio show in New York. I still remember clearly the live, call-in shows we did before, during, and after the O.J. Simpson trial. I used to joke to my audience not to sit so close to the radio because it was smoking hot on this issue. My show was not in Harlem or any other community that had a large African American community. My show was, and is, in Westchester County, New York. Not the cradle of progressive politics. And when I tell ya white folks were pissed when they called in to the show, I am telling you some were literally hyperventilating! I took the position that this case was not so much about race, as it was about the relationship between Blacks and the Law Enforcement Community! Time to make my case.

O.J. Simpson has never been considered part of the African American community by most Blacks. He didn't support Black causes (what that means is a whole different article) or visit the Black community. If he has donated any money to issues of concern in our community, they are well kept secrets.

So the first erroneous premise that his support among African Americans was based on race is off the mark.

In fact, I don't even believe O.J. had Black support initially. I believe that support grew as the "facts" of the case unfolded. I think that Black people recognized a pattern that has been alive and prominent in our relationship to the Law Enforcement community. That pattern included quick arrests, news stories making the arrested look like an animal ( remember the national magazine that darkened the picture of O.J. used on it's cover of him), and planted evidence ( we call it frame-ups!). This is our everyday reality. To many of us, we didn't give a mole hill about O.J. Simpson. We just wanted white America to recognize and hopefully address a problem that is counter to the notions of justice and democracy. Unfortunately, we got stuck with O.J. carrying the ball (no pun...) on this one. Clear, out there for all to see-planted evidence; frame-up! Finally!!!

As far as the case itself was concerned, I never took a position on the radio whether or not I thought O.J. did it. And that in itself pissed off a lot of people! They wanted me to say 'he did it' and was livid that I wouldn't. I took what I thought was a very judicious position, that when you have no confession, no witnesses, no murder weapon- you have no case! (I guess Bin Laden is using that knife to cut his steak right about now).

It was never about what I thought- or anyone else thought - but what can be proved. That is all the law recognizes. What can be proved. This case was so publicly warped that we began to hear new terms to justify white rage. "Jury Nullification," and "A case of a guilty man being framed." And "I just think he did it'" or "Maybe he didn't do it, but I think he had something to do with it." All of this from educated people!

So now, Law Enforcement has a second chance to get the murderer. Heaven forbid if I follow the law and say an innocent man! But here we go again. This time white justice is determined to give everyone involved in this case a deal to get O.J. Let's forget how this case tore America apart and left it scarred. Let us not forget that we are opening old wounds here that need to be left alone until America is ready to talk about the rich Black athelete with the white woman on his arm.

Until then, the right wing has O.J., Vick, Barry Bonds and more to come. These men are more important, and a great distraction to the murdering and looting going on in the world right now by the oil corporations. I want news from Iraq, I want ugly, stomach churning war. Let the public see men in one corner and their arms and legs in another. That is how a nation shuts down war. That is when the public says "what is going on in Iraq!" All this other stuff ( news about Britney, Paris, Black people ) is trash.