Views

Many White Americans saw O.J. Simpson's case as an example of someone using wealth and fame to escape punishment. They often straightforwardly viewed the trial, based on DNA evidence, and were shocked by the "not guilty" verdict. Some believed the outcome demonstrated how the justice system is swayed by emotion, media influence, and race-based arguments rather than facts. 

Then, there were White Americans who viewed the trial as an effort to show that race was not a deciding factor. Surprisingly, this worsened the divide between the Black communities because many White Americans saw the verdict as one of the few times the system worked for a Black man. For many White Americans, the decision reinforced flaws in the legal process and became a symbol of perceived injustice differently.

Many Black Americans viewed the O.J. Simpson trial as a way to expose the unfair treatment of Black people by the police. For many, it felt like a rare victory in a system that had long been against Black defendants. This case occurred a few years after the Rodney King beating, and many in the Black community were angered by the outcome of that trial, pointing to police corruption and racism in Los Angeles. As one reflection on the outcome of the Simpson case stated: "It was strongly divided along racial lines, because in the Black community, when they looked at the trial, what they saw first and foremost was Los Angeles with its history of police corruption ... they saw police officers who engaged in actions or past commentaries that were racist." ("O.J. Simpson's trial divided the nation. What legacy does he leave behind?"). Over time, however, many Black Americans came to believe that Simpson was likely guilty. However, at the time, the verdict represented something bigger than one man; it was seen as justice in a system that was seldom in favor of Black people.