Why African-Americans don’t trust the courts, and why it matters.

oj-simpson1_10859577“Look at O.J. … If He Had a Public Defender, He’d be in Jail.”

“My interview script included questions about the 1995 Simpson trial at the end of the interview. In the majority of cases, I did not get to those questions before the respondents, both black and white, raised Simpson’s murder acquittal as an example of a system in which justice can be ‘bought.’ Indeed, for some respondents, the O.J. Simpson verdict was a defining moment in their understanding of the justice system. As one black respondent said, ‘Look at O.J. He did it. His lawyers is how he got off. . . If he had a public defender, he’d be in jail. Everyone should have lawyers like that.’ (Simpson actually is in prison, for a 2008 robbery conviction.)”

READ MORE HERE: https://www.themarshallproject.org/2016/02/11/look-at-o-j-if-he-had-a-public-defender-he-d-be-in-jail