Most Black People Think OJ Is Guilty As everyone who was old enough to recall 1995 (and all those who caught The People Vs. O.J. Simpson ) know, back in the 90’s you couldn’t even TRY to convince the average Black American that The Juice was guilty of chopping up his ex-wife and her suspected lover. But now, a new study shows that that outlook has changed, and most Black people pretty much concede that OJ is as guilty as sin. The filmmaker responsible for O.J.’s upcoming 30 For 30 special breaks it down, via FiveThirtyEight : A striking poll finding was cited often in coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1994 and 1995: Most white people thought the former football star was guilty of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, while roughly the same proportion of black people thought Simpson was innocent. The racial gap in public opinion was one of many elements of the case — along with a long history of conflict between the Los Angeles Police Department and the city’s black residents, and racist statements made by LAPD Detective Mark Fuhrman — that showed race was as important as glove size and forensic evidence. In the two decades since Simpson was acquitted by a majority-black jury, the racial gap has narrowed significantly. In two recent polls, more than 50 percent of black respondents said they thought Simpson was guilty — up from about 20 percent in most polls before, during and right after the trial. The more recent polls were conducted in 2014 and 2015, before the case returned to the public eye this year thanks to two high-profile television series: FX’s “The People v. O.J. Simpson” and ESPN Films’ “O.J.: Made in America.” (ESPN owns FiveThirtyEight.) Both series leave the impression that Simpson killed Brown Simpson and Goldman; he has said he is innocent. Why the shift? Developments in the murder trial and events in Simpson’s life probably have played a role. Changes in demographics and race relations may also have contributed to shifting black opinion about the case. Here’s a chart to illustrate the point a bit: Interesting! Honestly, with all the new evidence that came forward after the circus that was his criminal trial, his RIDICULOUS book idea, and of course the increase in information available about the events leading up to and following Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman’s murders…it’s only natural that nowadays Black people see things quite a bit differently than they did in that climate. Do YOU still think OJ was innocent? Splash
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How The Tables Turn: New Poll Finds That Most Black People Now Think O.J. Simpson Was Guilty
