Synopsis:
The Crime. The Victims. The Suspect. The Media Circus. The Evidence. The Verdict.
The words “Not Guilty” set one man free, but somehow made all African-Americans, no matter their varied opinions, the enemy.
“… the defendant, Orenthal James Simpson, not guilty of the crime of murder…”
The Trial of the Century had come to an end. The verdict hit the airwaves and the eyes of the nation descended on the city that made superstars out of attorneys.
As an African-American recent college graduate living and working in the city, that verdict had a profound effect on me and the life I made for myself. The trial and the shocking verdict served as the impetus for what would be months of turmoil and unrest.
Protests, debates, and incessant banter from both sides of the aisle permeated in our membranes. Lives were changed. Alliances were formed. Mistrust became the rule, not the exception. The words “Not Guilty” set one man free, but somehow made all African-Americans, no matter their varied opinions, the enemy. No one cared to seek our perspective. No one bothered to ask the right questions. We were clumped together as if our stories were one and the same.
From the horrific Rodney King assault to the unsettling residuum following the O.J. Simpson verdict, my life changed in profound ways.
Dale Harris –
My Life During the O.J. Simpson Trial by Patrice Williams Marks
My thanks to the author for my Kindle™ copy of this book. I also thank her for her trust in me, as she asked me to give her book a fair review. It isn’t easy sometimes being a reviewer…
This book is the reaction to the so-called “Trial of the Century” from a young African-American woman who lived in LA during the whole debacle. It is words from the heart about how it feels to know that policemen whom we have to trust with our lives can be so arrogant as to place their opinion of what happened over the facts. They swear to serve and protect and then mistreat people simply because of the color of their skin.
I found it interesting that Ms Marks initially thought OJ Simpson guilty, and still remains convinced that he is guilty. I agree with her 100%. So why was he found “not guilty?” Any perusal of the evidence presented would have to convince a non-prejudiced person that “reasonable doubt” was putting it mildly.
Detectives were caught in perjury. Detectives were using Fifth Amendment rights while testifying in court. The evidence was mishandled to the point o absurdity. In the end, OJ Simpson’s Dream Team of lawyers did not win so much as the prosecutors simply lost. I couldn’t have voted for guilty myself under the laws of reasonable doubt.
I believe Ms Marks did a wonderful job of writing this book. Her evidence is drawn strictly from known testimony. In the case of this trial, the whole world was indeed watching. So the world knows that the evidence given is correct.
I give this book, an honest account of what it was like to be black in LA during this trial a solid five stars…
Quoth the Raven…