Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 6, 1995 TAG: 9510060093
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The Washington Post
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Clark, who is white, said in an interview on CNN that she was not surprised by the verdict, especially in light of the reasons jurors have given for it since the trial concluded Tuesday. ``What jurors are saying is that they looked for a reason to acquit,'' she said. ``There was no critical thinking going on.''
``Liberals don't want to admit,'' she said, ``but a majority black jury won't convict in a case like this. They won't bring justice.''
While most members of the predominately black jury have not talked publicly about their decision, those who have given interviews have said that racial appeals by the defense played little or no part in their deliberations. They have said it was lack of evidence that led them to acquit Simpson.
Clark, however, dismissed one juror's public questioning of the evidence presented by the prosecutors. ``I mean, their question, ``Why didn't they see any blood on the leaves if the glove had blood on it?''' she said. ``Give me a break.''
Clark was referring to a statement made Wednesday by juror Brenda Moran, a black 44-year-old computer specialist, that she was troubled because there was not a ``drip'' of blood underneath the spot where a bloodstained glove matching one found at the murder scene was found behind Simpson's house. In her closing argument, Clark explained to the jurors that the blood had soaked into the glove and would not necessarily leave traces on the ground where it lay.
Clark admitted the prosecution made mistakes during the nearly nine-month trial, saying: ``Everyone made mistakes. I made mistakes, but none would justify a verdict like this.''
As Simpson remained in seclusion - and under virtual siege by the news media - behind the walls of his estate in Brentwood, the former football star and Hollywood celebrity was challenged by black activists to start paying more attention to the needs of the black community that celebrated his acquittal of murder charges Tuesday.
At a news conference held by Los Angeles black activists, Celes King, state head of the Congress of Racial Equality, said that if Simpson turns his back on the support he had among blacks and does not involve himself in their communities, he risks becoming ``the No. 1 ingrate in America.''
``It's about time for this guy to begin to understand that if he's going to be a kind of poster [for blacks], then he ought to straighten up his act,'' King said.
Without explicitly detailing Simpson's shortcomings, the black leaders clearly were alluding to Simpson's freewheeling lifestyle among the mostly white, rich and famous celebrities of Beverly Hills and Malibu - areas that have little relevance to most Los Angeles blacks - before he was charged with the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman, last year.
by CNB