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Overview

You might remember the famous car chase on television, where O. J. Simpson was being chased by police in a white Bronco. Or maybe you first saw him in Naked Gun, which is a slapstick comedy movie about his character as an actor and football player.

In the 1990s, O. J. Simpson was a football star who had been turned into a media darling and multimillionaire by endorsements and commercials. However, all of that went away when he was accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in 1994.

This story is about a fallen celebrity and the sensational trial. It’s also about racial tensions in Los Angeles, which have been part of the fabric of that city for decades. The case shows how race relations affect US judicial systems.

In short, you will learn about the O.J. Simpson trial and how it was influenced by celebrity status, race issues and jury selection.

Big Idea #1: O. J. Simpson was a popular, beloved football player and American celebrity.

O. J. Simpson was born in 1947 in San Francisco, California. He had a difficult childhood and got involved with sports as an outlet for his anger and aggression, which he channeled into success on the field and court.

He attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where he was a football star. He wanted to be famous and USC had a lot of that type of fame. It was also an opportunity for him to be different since it’s not every day you see someone who is black at such a wealthy school with mostly white students.

O. J. Simpson was successful in his field, but he wasn’t an activist or involved with politics like other African-American athletes of the time such as Muhammed Ali and Jackie Robinson were.

O.J. was interested in fame and money, not racial equality. He used his athletic talent to get into professional football, which led him to become a household name and make lots of money from endorsements.

As his fame grew as an athlete, O. J. Simpson expanded his business interests into endorsements with Chevrolet and broadcasting deals with ABC. He even starred in movies and TV ads to expand his brand.

O. J. Simpson was a famous sportsman in the 1970s and 1980s but then retired from professional football to become more involved with his family life. He still maintained a good public image, however, because he continued to be lovable as well as being very skilled at what he did best: playing sport.

Big Idea #2: Racial history and the celebrity culture of Los Angeles played a large part in O. J. Simpson’s fate.

Even if O. J. didn’t think of himself as a black man, race relations in Los Angeles would play an important role in his downfall because they were so bad at the time.

Let’s look at some examples to better understand the troubling history of race in Los Angeles, particularly with the LAPD.

In 1979, Eulia Love was arguing with a representative from the local utility company over a tardy bill when LAPD officers arrived at the scene. Instead of de-escalating the situation and helping her find a resolution, they shot her dead. The next year, some black men died after being arrested by chokeholds that were used incorrectly by police officers in Los Angeles. The chief of police claimed that it was because their blood vessels couldn’t open up fast enough to get air into their lungs due to biology or physiology—they did not respond normally.

In the early 1990s, riots and violence escalated because of a video that showed an unarmed black man getting beaten by police officers. The acquittal of these officers led to more rioting and deaths in Los Angeles, which cost $1 billion in damage.