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T he P ortland O bserver « O ctober 4, 1995
P age B 11
Has The Black Jury Been “Bell Curved?”
B\ F red B e ai
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The ruling by Judge Ito not to
allow the jury in the O.J. Simpson
trial to listen to the full hours o f the
racist tapes made by the former Los
Angeles detective Mark Fuhrman,
did not sit well with Oakland based
attorney John L. Burris.
“O.J. has a right to confront his
accusers,” the veteran trial attorney
said from his Oakland office. “ By not
allowing the jury to hear the full
extent o f the hate and rage that
Fuhrman held against black people,
undermined the defense’s case that
Fuhrman is just the kind o f cop who
would plant evidence, and frame Mr.
Simpson.”
As he spoke, Mr. Burris was
constantly interrupted by a series of
phone calls from various media out­
lets who wanted his opinion on this
latest development in “The Trial of
The Century.”
And again, race seems to be
playing a strong role in Judge Ito’s
decision.
“Absolutely,” Burris said, em­
phasizing his point with an arched
eyebrow “Absolutely. First, the DA
knows that they have lost the "race
card” because o f Fuhrman’s con­
duct, so they are now deeply afraid of
the American juror.
“The Judge, and this is clear,
also seems to believe that the jury
would have become so inflamed by
the tapes that they would have not
been able to reach and objective de­
cision."
Is this fair, or is the black jury
being “ Bell Curved?”
“ Bell Curved! I like that. That’s
about right. But you can see what this
idea does if you are on the defense,
and you are trying hard to get as
much evidence before the jury to
help your case.
“The real message that we are
getting is that you can only present
certain kinds o f evidence to black
people because they can’t handle their
Remembering The Victims
emotions.
“This is an insult to black peo­
ple,” Burris said.
Burris is still uncertain if this
has permanently hurt the defense’s
case.
“ It has damaged it, no question.
But we still have a way to go, and
anything can still happen. My major
concern, however, is that we really
have to look closely at how different
juries are looked at in this country,
and if there can be a single standard
o f behavior in how and what evi­
dence is presented.
“Does the quality o f justice turn
on the racial makeup o f the jury? If
so, in the long run, African Ameri­
cans lose. This
“bell curving,” as it was put, o f
African American juries, could have
a really bad impact on how blacks
receive justice in this country.
“This is a very serious concern,
and should not be taken lightly,”
Burris said.
JoAnn Bowman, a
survivor of domestic
abuse, speaks out
Tuesday as tensions
run high because of
the verdicts in the O.J.
Simpson double­
murder trial. Standing
in support are Tess
Wiseheart (left) of the
Portland Women's
Crisis Line, and
Chiquita Rollins. Mikal
Shapazz Iman of the
Moslem community
and Lawrence Dark of
the Urban League of
Portland also
addressed the news
media during the news
conference at the
Portland Urban
League office.
A lb e r ta S treet M a r k e t
Salutes
Minority Business Week
915 N.E. Alberta
281-6388
Simpson Vows to Pursue True Killers
Continued from front
▲
blacks, two whites and one Hispan­
ic — seemed to be headed for a
conviction.
It was the most closely watched
criminal trial in U.S. history, a case
that has placed the justice system
under the microscope, raised trou­
bling questions about U.S. race re­
lations and inspired more market­
ing spinoffs than a Disney movie.
As hundreds o f excited people
gathered outside the downtown
courthouse before the verdict, po­
lice mobilized hundreds o f extra
officers throughout the city in case
o f unrest. But Police Chief Willie
Williams said no trouble was expect­
ed.
Every major U.S. television net­
work and a number o f overseas sta­
tions cut into their regular program­
ming for live broadcasts o f the grand
finale o f the so-called “Trial o f the
Century.”
The full trial, including jury se­
lection, lasted more than a year, en­
compassing about 120 witnesses,
45,000 pages o f transcripts and 1,100
exhibits.
In nine months o f testimony and
a week o f fiery closing arguments,
prosecutors and defence attorneys
presented such diametrically opposed
theories that some analysts wondered
at times whether they were talking
about the same case.
P ro secu to rs dep icted the c e ­
lebrity d e fe n d a n t as a man so
o b sessed w ith his b eau tifu l ex-
w ife th at he w hen he learned
that he co u ld no lo n g e r c o n tro l
her, he k illed her in a m u rderous
rage. G oldm an was struck dow n,
prosecu to rs said, because he was
“ in the w ro n g place at the w rong
tim e .”
But Sim pson’s defence team
painted their celebrity client as the
innocent victim o f a police evidence­
planting conspiracy led by a racist
rogue cop, now-retired Detective
Mark Fuhrman.
Owner: Jack Chung
rortiandia s birthday is celebrated Friday with music, cake and an extra special surprise
Party Celebrates Portlandia
Attorney at Law
G regory P. O liveros
2161 NE Broadway
Portland, OR 97232
'Police Bureau wishes to express
its appreciation to those community agen­
Tel (503) 282-7285
FAX (503) 282-8007
cy and individuals who have helped ir
our recruiting efforts. We ask for youi
continued support in our effort to increase
the cultural diversity of our police force.
Portland Police Bureau
For questions regarding employment opportunies,
please contact Personnel Division at 823-0333.
i
Salutes
Minority
Business
The public is invited to help cel­
ebrate Portlandia IOth birthday on
Friday at noon at the Portland Build­
ing, Southwest Fifth and Main, dow n­
town.
Portlandia is the statute that
adorns the building. The sculptor
Raymond Kaskey and local celebri­
ties will be on hand for the celebra­
tion.
H elptocare for Portlandia can be
made by contributing to the Adopt-a-
Sculpture Fund to provide for her
ongoing maintenance and care.
You are asked to bring you spare
pennies. After all, Portlandia is cop­
per too. dominations larger than pen­
nies will be gladly accepted.
The event is sponsored by the
Regional Arts and Culture Council.
The organization serves the people of
Portland and the metropolitan are so
that art and culture will enrich the
lives of every citizen.
Combating
Domestic
Violence
Raphael House, the largest do­
mestic violence shelter in Portland,
holds its 13th annual dinner and auc­
tion on Saturday.
The "Providing a Foundation for
Hope” fundraiser will begin at 5:30
p.m. at the Grand Ballroom of the
Portland Hilton Hotel. Musical enter­
tainment will be provided by local
pianist Tom Grant.
Raphael House protects nearly
4(X) women and children every year.
But nearly 2,400 people are turned
away annually because of lack of room
and resources to help.
Proceeds from this year’s auc­
tion will be used to expand bed space
in the organization’s emergency shel­
ter. Each new bed will become the
temporary home for up to 10 women
and children a year.
I