- Simpson
II: The Civil Case
by
Larry Elder
- "It's simple--different
judge, different jury, different lawyers, different evidence, different
day. The plaintiffs saw our tapes, had the luxury of watching a practice
run. They didn't make the same mistakes we did."
- -Christopher
Darden.
- Tempting. This
make-nice explanation for the different jury verdicts. After all,
the civil jury heard evidence the criminal jury didn't, and awarded
the plaintiffs over thirty million dollars in compensatory and punitive
damages.
-
- Following the
Simpson II verdict, several pundits reconciled the verdicts on the
basis of different "perceptions" in the black and white communities.
After all, black people feel differently about justice, thus, the
black reaction. Whites, stubbornly obtuse to "rampant racism," viewed
the case another way. So the criminal and civil verdicts don't clash.
It's merely a matter of different "perceptions."
- Sorry. First,
some Simpson II jurors said the evidence exceeded the criminal standard--beyond
a reasonable doubt. Second, the sole black juror (an alternate) still
thought the evidence planted, and talked of a "set-up." Different
"perceptions"?
-
- Look at it this
way. Suppose someone drew a 6-inch line on a blank sheet of paper
and asked you to identify the line's length. You correctly guess "6
inches." The guy next to you, however, says "2 inches." A "reconciled"
estimate of the different "perceptions" is 4 inches. Does that suddenly
make the line 2 inches shorter?
-
- Certainly, people
perceive things differently. But are there different truths, different
facts? No, O.J. Simpson struts about chipping golf balls rather than
sitting on Death Row, because the predominantly black jury distrusted
the police. This jury bought the worst possible, most fanciful theories
of police officers in black hats. Thank the race-card playing "dream
team."
-
- Consider the
Simpson II verdict reaction from Missy, a black young lady in an Orange
County beauty parlor. She attributed the civil verdict to "prejudices"
held by whites who don't like blacks. Missy, by the way, is nine years
old. Get it? Abraham Lincoln, Clarence Darrow, and Daniel Webster
could have tried this case for the prosecution. If downtown, they
lose.
-
- Examine the remarks
made by the sole black juror. Not only did she feel the police planted
evidence, but she called the trial a "set-up" from the beginning,
implying racism kept her from sitting in the jury. And, for good measure,
she called the Browns and Goldmans "bullies" for pursuing this action
in the first place!
- This juror also
questioned the credibility of the new 30-plus photographs of O. J.
Simpson wearing Bruno Maglis. Note the Simpson defense team put on
evidence challenging but one of those photos. They had no expert witnesses
to question the validity of the other 30-plus photos! Nevertheless,
the black alternate juror thought them bogus.
-
- Remember, this
juror also heard Mr. Simpson's deposition, the police statement, as
well as his in-court testimony--all of which contained lies and inconsistencies.
Still, the juror remained convinced of a police conspiracy.
-
- No, Mr. Darden,
for whom I have tremendous respect, got it wrong. In fact, he's harder
on himself than necessary. This was not a matter of a "different day."
This was a matter of a different jury.
- One that actually
considered the evidence. Refreshing, isn't it?
-
Copyright © Larry Elder & Associates
- All rights reserved.
Send mail to Larry@larryelder.com
www.larryelder.com
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