Why Black People Say OJ Isn't Guilty

by Clifford Mosby

When I was a child, my mother would never spank me in public, no matter how much I misbehaved. Sometimes I would really act up and more than deserve a spanking, but she would save the spanking until I got home. Her philosophy had nothing to do with child psychology or even child rearing, but instead had to do with RACISM! She never wanted to strike her children in front of white people. Her reasoning was she did not want to give white people the subliminal message that the only way to get a black person to cooperate was to strike him.

In one way or another, I have carried this attitude with me throughout my life. Very seldom will I discuss problems concerning black life style in public or racially mixed settings, primarily because I do not want to give white people ANY type of intellectual ammunition or psychological edge to use against some unsuspecting black person down the line. I am particularly annoyed when I hear black people criticize other blacks on talk radio, television debates or newspaper articles. To me it is FAMILY business and not to be discussed outside the family. What good would it do to have a non black know my faults or idiosyncrasies, except to throw them back in my face or some other black man's face later on?

Now comes the O. J. Simpson trial. Almost daily, I hear some person in the media giving a breakdown on the racial composition of the O. J. jury. This is usually followed by some statistic as to how whites and blacks at large feel about Simpson's guilt or innocence. It is always reported that blacks in the main feel Simpson is not guilty and whites feel he is guilty.

My theory on this phenomenon has to do with how, over time, white people have looked for reasons to confirm their feeling that black people are less than civilized. It has to do with the history of this country, where the actions of one criminal or irresponsible black person has been used by whites as an example to illustrate and reflect on the race as a whole.

Such was the case in South Carolina when Susan Smith accused a phantom black man of abducting her sons and more recently the plight of Arab Americans following the Oklahoma City bombing.

I can recall the day President Kennedy was assassinated. When the first news flash came on and the name of the assassin had not come to light, EVERY black person that I knew only had one concern and one concern only: was the killer a black man?" This question was felt with dread for the entire time following Kennedy's death until Oswald, a white man, was identified as the killer. I can recall the phenomenon of the feeling of relief when the killer was not black. It was an odd feeling that the death of Kennedy was "OK," as long as the killer was not black.

Similarly, following the Sharon Tate massacre, a killing in which Charles Manson and his followers were attempting to suggest the murders were committed by blacks. There was a gap in time in which there was no clue as to who the killers were. I recall that blacks as a whole were literally praying that the persons responsible were not black.

After Manson was uncovered, I can recall the near "GLEE" that black people had when discussing the crime and Manson's capture. We were saying things like "Man, you KNEW that was not a black crime. black people don't do weird shit like that!!!!

Richard Speck, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacey, the Hillside Strangler. When these types of horrific crimes are discussed in black circles, they are often mentioned as proof that we are not the crazy ones. Somehow, the whites and white media have downplayed these brutal serial murders and labeled O. J.'s otherwise common, run of the mill type of "jealousy murder" as the crime of the century. Honestly, how common is a jealousy murder?

In the matter of O. J. Simpson, I feel that subconsciously, blacks do not want to feel that O. J. committed what the media labels as the "Crime of the Century" and the "Trial of the Century." Few black people speak of Nicole as a particularly attractive woman and most find some sort of fault with her looks. This is usually followed by a comment on how unattractive her sister Denise is.

Many speak of her as if she deserved to die, or that there was a "legitimate" reason why she was killed. Sadly, her death and the death of Ron Goldman are not particularly upsetting to many of the black people I talk to. On the other hand, Jeffrey Dahmer gets a quick terse response.

I find that blacks do not feel O. J. would risk losing all of his material wealth and social status for a "plain Jane," as Nicole is often described.

The week of the murder, I went scuba diving with a Hungarian friend of mine. His comment was,

"O. J. made it bad for all black people." When I asked him why, he replied, "He had a beautiful white woman and he killed her." I thought that the statement was shallow and somewhat racist, but I was willing to tolerate it coming from this friend. It made me realize that if O. J. had been accused of killing his first wife, a black woman, it would not have been the trial of the century...but the trial of a non-entity!

This piece is copyright by the author. It may be forwarded electronically, provided this notice is kept with it, but may not be otherwise reproduced without permission from the author. Thanks.