Nearly 21 years after the infamous acquittal of former NFL player, OJ Simpson, one of the jurors from the trial alluded that Rodney King played a big part in the decision.
Carrie Bess sat down with ESPN for their new 30 for 30: OJ Made in America documentary. During the sit down Bess was asked whether she thought “there were members of the jury that voted for acquit OJ because of Rodney King”. Bess answered with a simple “yes.” The interviewer reiterated the question for clarification, and again Bess answered “yes.” When asked how many of the jurors she thought felt that way, Bess answered “Oh, probably about 90% of them.” Bess was then asked if she felt that way, and again she answered “yes.” Next the interviewer mentioned that the OJ decision was “payback,” and Bess agreed with a “uh huh.” When asked whether she thought her decision was right, Bess held her hands up.
In 1991, a few years prior to the OJ Simpson trial, King went from a taxi driver to a national symbol of police brutality over night. After leading police on a car chase in Los Angeles, a considerably non-threatening King was pulled out of his vehicle and brutally beaten by multiple police officers on camera. Though they were indicted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and excessive force, the officers were eventually acquitted of said charges. The incident sparked riots, historically known as the Rodney King Riots, throughout LA.
Sources: Complex, ESPN
