Race and Justice: Rodney King and O. J. Simpson in a House Divided Paperback - 1996

From the rear cover

In this thought-provoking book, psychologist and scholar Jewelle Taylor Gibbs puts the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson trials under the microscope to show that the issue of race was at the very heart of both of these emotionally charged cases. And, she observes, given the racial and ethnic composition of the members of the two juries, their verdicts were all but predictable in view of their different experiences with the police.Race and Justice reviews the turbulent events of the two so-called trials of the century and examines them from a social and political framework of race relations and police misconduct. The author points out that King and Simpson, two apparently dissimilar men, came from remarkably similar backgrounds. And she shows how their trials have linked them forever as symbols of the different worlds inhabited by blacks and whites in America. Gibbs's compelling analysis of the issues that permeated these trials will challenge even the most cynical observer to rethink any previously held assumptions about race and the criminal justice system.

From the jacket flap

The jury watched the video that showed four Los Angeles police officers unmercifully beating Rodney King. Yet, they found three of the four police officers not guilty of using excessive force.Another jury considered what many thought was the overwhelming evidence against the accused, including the blood evidence and DNA analysis of the socks, the glove, and the gate. Yet, they found O. J. Simpson not guilty of the double murder of his ex-wife and her friAnd Ron Goldman.In this thought-provoking book, psychologist and scholar Jewelle Taylor Gibbs puts the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson trials under the microscope to show that the issue of race was at the very heart of both of these emotionally charged cases. And, she observes, given the racial and ethnic composition of the members of the two juries, their verdicts were all but predictable in view of their different experiences with the police.Race and Justice reviews the turbulent events of the two so called trials of the century and examines them from a social and political framework of race relations and police misconduct. The author points out that King and Simpson, two apparently dissimilar men, came from remarkably similar backgrounds. And she shows how their trials have linked them forever as symbols of the different worlds inhabited by blacks and whites in America. Gibbs's compelling analysis of the issues that permeated these trials will challenge even the most cynical observer to rethink any previously held assumptions about race and the criminal justice system.Written in the style of a journalistic thriller, Race and Justice provides a context for understanding the history of the black experience in America and the pervasiveness of racism in the Los Angeles criminal justice system. And the book's insightful comments and quotes from many of Los Angeles's community leaders, judges, politicians, lawyers, and police officials bring to light the double standard of black justice and white justice in Amer

Media reviews

Citations

• Booklist, 10/15/1996, Page 384
• Library Journal, 10/01/1996, Page 104
• Publishers Weekly, 10/14/1996, Page 72