77% One Way, 72% The Other Cole Rodby
As OJ Simpson sits in a jail cell in Lovelock, Nevada, race is probably not the first issue on
his mind. In prison, every race gets the same gruel for meals, the same precious minutes of fresh air,
and the same time on the phone. This equality is a stark contrast to Los Angeles in the mid to late
1900’s, where the story of the documentary: “OJ: Made in America,” lies. A time where blacks were
beaten, powerless and increasingly fed up. As OJ Simpson’s fame grew, he became a celebrity so
profound that he was colorless. He tried to avoid his race at all costs, attempting to reap the benefits
that being immersed in white culture can give you as a star in LA. However, as much as he would
like to deny it, his race played a huge part in his life and ended up ironically saving him in the end in
the most unlikely of ways.
OJ Simpson was born in San Francisco in 1947. His parents migrated from Louisiana in
search of better opportunities and less oppression along with thousands of other black families. From
1940 to 1960, the overall population of California rose by 100%, whereas the black population rose
by 600%. Hoping for a better life, these black families were unfortunately met with more of the same
as the racism was, “…as stark as it was in the Jim Crow south.” (OJ: Made in America, Danny
Bakewell) Lots of whites were unhappy with such an influx of black people and believed that they
were all criminals who would ruin their community. The police force, almost all white, held similar
views and felt it was their job to make sure this didn’t happen. In LA, this meant the Los Angeles
Police Department, a phrase that meant something completely different to white and black people.
The LAPD were thought of very highly in the white community. On television, they were
portrayed as sharp, no-nonsense crime fighters that were the mecca of justice. They were the ones
tasked with keeping their community safe from the black “intruders.” For black people, it was an
entirely different story. The LAPD began arresting every African-American who started any trouble,
on the spot, often without probable cause. They would use excessive force whenever they felt like it,
beating suspects terribly even when they saw no resistance. There were countless black adults and
children who were shot by the police over questionable circumstances and these cops would never
see a jail cell, all the while the people they would arrest for drug charges would get 20-30 years. The
leaders of the LAPD during this time, Bill Parker and then Daryl Gates, were known as racially
insensitive people who would protect their officers no matter what crimes they committed. They
would blame the victim as Daryl Gates even said, “they don’t respond the same as normal people.”
(OJ: Made in America) LAPD officers were often very racist as Bill Parker even used to recruit some
of his officers from the KKK. This pattern of abuse contributed to the anger and resentment black
people had towards white people that had been building for hundreds of years. The pot can only boil
for so long.
It first came to a head during the Watts Riots. A seven-day long stint of raiding and arson that
came as a reaction to another story of police brutality by the LAPD in 1965. The rioting was not met
with understanding, but instead severe force. In 1979, Eula Love, a mother, was shot on her front
