From 1995: Was O.J. Simpson’s trial victory, justice or farce? It depends | Opinion

(Published Oct. 5, 1995.)

In the defining moment of “Pulp Fiction,” Samuel L. Jackson tells fellow hit man John Travolta that depending where you are, a Quarter Pounder may not even be a Quarter Pounder — that in France, it’s a Royale with Cheese.

Travolta stares blankly and replies, “Huh,” and the two ride off calmly to conduct business that seems normal only in the world of hit men.

We needed that explanation this week to understand how depending on the view from your world, a double-murder trial of a wife-beater may not be a slam-dunk case.

It may be an underdog’s struggle against an embarrassingly incompetent county justice system, or against a racist, sociopath cop. Or it may even be a chance to save face for Black American men.

That is why we saw crowds cheer the acquittal of O.J. Simpson.

Many regarded this farce as something entirely strange, the way the French may regard the Royale with Cheese.

Michael Heiskell is one of Fort Worth’s best criminal defense attorneys. He is also the president of the Women’s Haven. He is also Black.

“I think the cheers came from a real, visceral feeling,” he said, “that here is one Black man who was able to meet and beat the system. And the Los Angeles police were already viewed as racist.

“But that rings hollow with me,” he said, calling the verdict “very troubling” and blaming inept prosecution.

“African-Americans should realize,” he said, “this man had the money for lawyers. ... He has a long history of domestic violence. I hope nobody starts to view him in a positive light.”

Arlington attorney Bobbie Edmonds, president of the Tarrant County Black Bar Association, disagreed with Heiskell on Simpson. And she said she was “shocked” at some whites’ angry reaction.

“It was disheartening,” she said.

“I thought everybody supported the principle of guilt ‘beyond a reasonable doubt.’

“It shows there is racism right here close to home. ... I saw people so mad, calling it unbelievable. I don’t see where there was really so unbelievable.”

Former Black Bar Association President Louis E. Sturns of Fort Worth, now president-elect of the Tarrant County Bar Association, was “surprised,” he said, at the verdict and polarized response.

“I think it points out that we have a lot of work to do right here in this city,” he said.

“From whatever their life experiences have been, people see things real differently.”