
The Derek Chauvin trial is a chance to tell a different story
CNN
The Chauvin trial bears all the key elements of the Rodney King and O.J. Simpson trials combined, writes Cole Brown. Just like the cases nearly three decades ago, this trial contains the power to shape how my generation of Americans views its justice system, he writes.
A jury acquitted O.J. Simpson of murdering his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman on October 3, 1995, two weeks after I was born. The outcome divided the nation along racial lines -- nearly 75% of White Americans believed Simpson was guilty at the time of the verdict, compared to roughly 20% of Black Americans. The trial was a wrestling match over the particularities of the case -- the infamous glove, phone recording and forensic evidence -- but also so much more. It was about celebrity, culpability and consequence. It bore the weight of race, discrimination and a local police department that acted as enemy combatants in Black neighborhoods. Most of all, it bore the weight of Rodney King.More Related News

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