April 16, 2012
Is George Zimmerman the New OJ Simpson? The Politics of Race & Law in America
PLEAS OF INNOCENCE FROM THE ACCUSED
“On Sunday, February 26, I was involved in a life-altering event which led me to become the subject of intense media coverage. As a result of the incident and subsequent media coverage, I have been forced to leave my home, my school, my employer, my family and ultimately, my entire life,†–George Zimmerman
“I did not have anything to do with these murders. Ever. I’m absolutely, l00 percent, not guilty. I’ve been very clear. I won. I didn’t commit the crime,†–OJ Simpson
AN ISSUE OF RACE
“It’s easy to label this as an act of White racism, but it’s really an act of stereotyping, which many groups are capable of and it is occurring in the context of extraordinarily permissive laws,” –Manuel Pastor, a professor of American studies and ethnicity at the University of Southern California, in regards to the Zimmerman case.
“The racial polarization that has occurred as a result of the Simpson trial will be short-lived in the minds of fair-minded people who are the majority in America. But the entrenched racism that has been with us for centuries will not disappear without decisive action,†–Coretta Scott King on Simpson case.
REACTION FROM THE VICTIMS’ FAMILY
“The question I would really like to ask him [Zimmerman] is, if he could look into Trayvon’s eyes and see how innocent he was, would he have then pulled the trigger? Or would he have just let him go on home?” –Tracy Martin, Trayon’s father.
“I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t cry. I couldn’t do anything. I just sat there. And the way that they botched it up so badly and the way that Johnnie Cochran took it and turned it into a racial issue, as opposed to a man who murdered two people. It turned into something that set our country back a hundred years,” –Denise Brown, Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister on the not guilty verdict.
THE DEFENSIVE LINE
“He is troubled by everything that has happened. I cannot imagine living in George Zimmerman’s shoes for the past number of weeks. Because he has been at the focus of a lot of anger, and maybe confusion and maybe some hatred and that has to be difficult… I’m expecting a lot of work and hopefully justice in the end,” Â –Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman’s new attorney.
“If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit,” –Johnnie Cochran, Simpson’s lead attorney.