Still Out…

Sunday, April 14, 2024

Rain, rain, and unstopping last night. The small critters stayed inside with me, and the big outsiders didn’t get late-night eat-infusions. My most bothersome thoughts arose from an email saying that my book package had been delivered. I looked around nearby outside and didn’t see a package anywhere. Of all things, books, somewhere in the rain.

What’s more to do? I went to bed.

I slept little all night as my stubborn head replayed much of the Simpson-Brown trial thirty years ago. Then, I lived in LA and worked in a big aerospace company. I had a private office, wonder-of-wonders, where a little radio let me follow each moment of the murder trial. I listened to months of jaw-biting arguments, descriptions of edge-clinging evidence, and commentators’ outrage. I believed Simpson guilty, and still today, I can recall my deep shock at the jury’s verdict.

Now, thirty years later, we understand better how our larger culture influenced the jury’s decision. More makes sense, from the outrage among non-whites after a history of vicious policing against them; and a black celebrity with the wealth for a star team of defense attorneys; and public defenders representing a political office, totally unprepared to handle a trial that became a circus.

That double murder remains openly unjustified and still is an outstanding social tragedy.

Dear Friends: Anxiety-causing memories from my “midnight-awake” time. Diana