Bungling Bronco

It was 20 years ago this evening, a nation turned on the television and watched the infamous white Bronco chase as media reported that O.J. Simpson, who until then was being questioned as a person of interest, into the homicide of his estranged wife, Nicole Brown, and an aspiring actor and waiter, Ron Goldman, who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I've always suspected that what happened was that Ron Goldman dropped off the glasses on his way home and O.J. showed up and he suspected that Goldman was a boyfriend of Nicole Brown. Not knowing of O.J.'s temper, O.J. allegedly went after him stabbing him. This added fuel to his rage and he allegedly attacked Nicole with just anger and fury that he nearly cut her head off. That takes a lot of anger and it doesn't come from attempted robberies. Watching this chase was interesting because people had lined up and down the roads in the Los Angeles area cheering O.J. on. But why? Simpson was suspected of double murder and as the details emerged, it was revealed that Nicole Brown was nearly decapitated. I've often wondered if the people videotaped cheering and high-fiving each other have ever regretted their decisions. Granted, we really didn't know much back then on June 17, 1994. But if we knew then what we now down, would some of us really have been so happy. For the most part, the chase was an attempt, I think, in fleeing as O.J. had said he would surrender to authorities earlier that day. He was found in possession of his passport, a disguise and of course, a .357 handgun, which he said he was going to shoot himself with. In retrospect, he should have. It would have saved the California taxpayers a lot of money. We may have not have had "Keeping Up With The Kardashians," as Robert Kardashian was O.J.'s close friend and attorney. Also, the details of that O.J.'s life may have not become public. People may still have seen him as this great football hero, rather than a philandering spousal abuser. The court of public opinion is worse than the court of law. And while the court of law found O.J. not guilty, civil court found him responsible for his deaths and eventually, the State of Nevada convicted him on burglary charges. O.J. is back behind bars, where I and many others feel, he rightfully belongs. His reputation is tarnished. O.J. can't make another dollar without having to turn it over to the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown. This is why I haven't bought the "Naked Gun" movies on DVD. I like them. But I shudder to think he will receive any residuals. When he wrote that book, "If I Did It," he tried to set up illegally channel the money into an account where the Goldman and Brown family couldn't touch. That was until it was uncovered and the families now own the rights. I bought the book. It's terrible and it only makes O.J. look worse. O.J. was the poor victim and Nicole was the golddigger. That is basically the book. But things have changed. Reportedly, relations between the Los Angeles Police Department and the public is better. Better protocol is done at crime scenes in obtaining evidence. And if O.J. ever walks out of prison a free man, he will never be an innocent man. Looking back on that Bronco chase, O.J. again cared only for himself and not the safety of the people around him. Many things could have happened. Vigilantes may have tried to stop the vehicle leading to violence. A car crash could have happened. Or there could have been a shootout with the LAPD, and so quick after the Rodney King incident and the L.A. riots, it could have went from bad to a lot worse literally overnight. But let's not dwell on the past. What happened happened. Both the prosecution and defense wanted to make the trial about race and that was that. There are some people, and I'm one of them, feel O.J. still face another court down the road and there will be only one juror to decide his fate and no Dream Team of lawyers will defend him.