This year is the tenth anniversary of the OJ verdict. It is one of those events that will be remembered just as when Kennedy was shot or the NYC blackout. I was working in the Library of Congress when the verdict came in. We were sitting in the lunch room and all of a sudden, we heard a loud cheer among mostly the cafeteria workers. I and my colleagues were in shock. We couldn't believe the verdict of "not guilty". However, what are more disturbing are the reactions of the mostly African Americans. In my opinion, this single case has done more to set back race relations in America than any other event. This case was absolutely not about race and it was turned into a race issue by the "dream team" defense attorney led by Johnny Cochran. The one question everyone should ask is this - If this case has occurred exactly the same except for one fact, if the accused was a white celebrity instead of OJ, will the verdict be the same?
I think not.
There were many factors in play in this case. All of them contributed to this miscarriage of justice.
From my own personal experience, being on a jury in a murder trial, I know the inner workings of a typical trial. I know the power of the judge in shaping the direction of a case. I know the difference the attorney's ability can have on the outcome. Most of all, I know how the system is heavily weighed against the prosecution. By that, I mean the system is setup to protect not only the innocent but to protect against any abuse of power or incompetence of the prosecution. In order for a conviction, everything must be done right and to the letter of the law by the prosecution and the police. This is a high bar set deliberately to give all or any benefit of a doubt to the defendant. I also know a little about the workings of a jury. I have described my experience in detail in another chapter.
Based on all this and getting all the facts about this case from the media, here is my conclusion about this case.
1. This was a crime of passion and OJ is the murderer of two human beings.
2. The LA police mishandled the investigation not because of race but because of OJ's celebrity status.
3. The judge, Ito, was overwhelmed by the media and made a terrible decision to allow camera in the court room and was not able to control the court room.
4. The prosecution was out maneuvered by the defense and chose a strategy that was too complex. They should have keep the case as simple as possible and present just the relevant evidence.
5. The dream team defense took advantage of the situation and played the "race card" from the bottom of the deck.
6. The media created a circus like atmosphere and elevated OJ to icon status.
7. The jury made a terrible mistake with the verdict.
8. The 90 percent African Americans that supported OJ were duped into believing that OJ was framed by the corrupt LAPD and saw this as revenge on the system.
9. The biggest loser in this case was race relations in America.
10. The second biggest losers were his children.
11. Shame on all who profited from this tragedy by writing books and giving interviews and selling stories to the press.
12. Shame to all who celebrated this travesty of justice when the verdict was read.

There is really two parts to this story. The first has to do with our legal system and the conduct of the trial. The second has to do with race and the different response to this trial. The first part can be explained easily. The second is a mystery to me. As a member of a minority, Asian, I have witnessed some prejudice in my times growing up and even though it may not be the scale of blacks, I can understand their feeling and sympathize with their past injustices. That is not the America I know today. There will always be some bigots but they are not the mainstream and are not institutional in our government. The only way we will reach a color blind society is if we are honest with ourselves and each other when it comes to cases such as this. Injecting race into every issue will only prolong the stereotype and open old wounds.

Here is what should have happened with this case.
1. Given what happened with the trial, either OJ should have been convicted or there should have been a hung jury.
2. A second trial would have benefited from the mistakes and a better presentation would have led to an easier conviction.

To those jurors, I hope they understand that they have allowed a killer to go free and perhaps kill again. Only time will tell.
To the many black Americans that thought this was pay back, they picked the wrong case. OJ was not the typical black American that was persecuted by whites and suffered injustice. He was a beloved celebrity who lived a high flying lifestyle. He moved in mostly white circles and married white women. He did very little to help his race. He was not Bill Cosby. Even today, after 10 years, he has not changed. He is still seen playing on prestigious golf courses and dating white women. He has not been a good parent or role model for his two children. He has not paid his due or the monetary damage awarded to the family of the victims. Our justice system failed miserably in the OJ case and this will forever be a black eye in our collective psyche.

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