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October 7, 2008 - Tuesday
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My harrowing time in Jail and how it helps me compare O.J. with Obama.
Category: News and Politics

It's a weird feeling when you are reminded of a time when you were a pretty big dumbass. I know, you think I'm referring to O.J. Simpson up there.
Nope. I'm talking about myself.
See, O.J. here was just pronounced GUILTY in an Armed Robbery charge exactly (astoundingly) thirteen years to the day he got his NOT GUILTY verdict on October 3rd, 1995.
No one had to remind me of the exact date, cause I know where I was when that happened.
That's right folks, yours truly was in Jail:
 That's right. Drink it in. My hardcore, Gangsta' MUG SHOT. Notice the date above my name there. October 2nd, 2005.
See, back then, I was really "Street" as the young kids are calling it. So street that you may unsubscribe from my blog when you read about my heinous crime.
I was nineteen years old, and had just purchased a car for cash. It was a piece of crap but I was excited to get it. Before I secured insurance on it, I took it out for a drive, and was pulled over for having a dead headlight. Officer gave me a ticket for no insurance and for the bum light. Months went by, and me, a lowly waiter at the time with no sense of "Warrants from unpaid tickets" did not realize that Joe Law would catch up to me.
I was pulled over heading to the gas station for cigarettes and was told that I had a warrant for my arrest. When the officer explained to me that "tickets don't go away." I tried to give him my "Thug look" which consisted of me pleading to not go to jail due to my delicate features and aversion to ass rape. All I got was a disgusted look, a kleenex, and mercifully loose handcuffs as they hauled me in. Luckily, the only people there were also picked up for random License plate checks and had similar warrants. I put my ass up against the nearest wall and actually could not stop laughing at the absurdity of it all.
I got put on some program, due to being a first time offender with no record ( I know, a 19 year old Hispanic in a Dallas/ Ft. Worth suburb... the judge looked at me like I was Unicorn just like you are right now....) and I didn't have to be mixed in with the general population, with the violent criminals.
I had no money to pay to get out, so sitting the next few days out while I was off from work anyway, turned out to be a surreal vacation of sorts. I got the pre-requisite orange jumpsuit, (It brought out my eyes.) flip flops and blanket that you could tear like a napkin.
I woke up in the morning, and there in my expanded cell, watching on a Quasar Color T.V. chained to the wall, saw the verdict live announcing O.J.'s freedom.
I still remember what I said, quite loudly:
"Ain't THIS some shit!?"
I tossed my breakfast, a moldy Otis Spunkmeyer muffin into the corner of my little room, in what I'm sure would of been viewed as a violent act of protest.... were anyone in there with me, that is.
Having served my time avoiding getting traded for cigarettes or as my High School counselor once put it, "shivved like a little bitch", I got out at 1 in the morning on October 4th. I came out hardened, tougher if you will..... ready to stop taking cream and equal in my coffee, but drinking it black. (unless they have that Carnation Hazel Nut creamer, or dear god it is to DIE for!)
 But here's something else the O.J. thing made me think of that relates to current events. Remember how easily it was to distinct the race relations in America during that time? Or even how more identifiable it was when he was pronounced Not Guilty? All over the world, you saw bars and restaurants, airports showing crowd reactions. Black Americans? Cheering. Whitey? Stone faced, but careful not to show the Black Americans how upset they were.
Sure, we all know, ALL KNOW he was Guilty. That's where a lot of the outrage was, but we know that there was a lot of people who feel that he got off just cause he was O.J. or just cause he had the best attorneys at the time, or just cause he was black.
There was a recent Poll that showed that Barack Obama's standing with Hillary Clinton supporters was still at the same percentage it was in June, showing an amazing lack of progress as hoped.
Leslye Burgess, a 53 year old woman from Virginia said:
"It's just a gut feeling, my gut tells me he's not it."
Please. A 53 year old woman from Virginia. You know and I know when this guy shows up on TV:
This is the guy they see instead...
Hey, in all fairness,
Whenever certain Black Americans see this person on TV:
All they can make out is THIS:
There is a division of race in this Country, unlike any I have ever seen. Sure, Obama has a nice 8 point lead right now in the polls, but do you ever think it would be much, MUCH higher if he was WHITE? Maybe I'm bringing up a taboo topic, maybe making some of you uncomfortable...
But why does it take a major event like a Celebrity involved in a spectacularly grisly murder case, or the race for the White House for us to get this topic and barrier to our better nature on the table?
Maybe someday I'll go to jail again and have that kind of time to think about it.

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