O.J. Simpson On Nationwide Protests Over George Floyd: You’re Seeing The Fear That Nothing Is Gonna Be Done About It

O.J. Simpson On Nationwide Protests Over George Floyd: You’re Seeing The Fear That Nothing Is Gonna Be Done About It

Former running back, spokesman, and Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson has taken to social media to speak out on the recent arrest of Derek Chauvin, the now-fired Minneapolis police officer, who was charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder of George Floyd. In a two-minute video posted to his Twitter page, O.J. Simpson talked about why the reaction to the police-involved death of George Floyd has been so volatile with riots and protests around the nation.

O.J. Simpson said,

I think what you’re seeing is the reaction…the fear that nothing is gonna be done about it. That’s been the case in the past. That’s what led to the riots in L.A. after the Rodney King case was the verdict in Simi Valley.

George Floyd died shortly after being detained by police officers. A video surfaced this week showing George Floyd being handcuffed and pinned to the ground for more than 8 minutes with Derek Chauvin’s knee pressed on his neck.

Derek Chauvin

The arrest came four days after the incident and Simpson seemed to believe the delay played a part in nationwide protests. He mentioned Chauvin‘s police record as well:

What are you gonna do about it?  You keep saying this has gotta stop. The only time it’s gonna stop is when you start truly holding the perpetrators to account. Start puttin’ ’em in jail. This guy, this cop, evidently, has had 18 complaints and only two disciplinary actions. I guarantee you if you look at those cases he probably deserved more than just two disciplinary actions.

Simpson also discussed the live arrest of CNN reporter Oscar Jimenez and his crew who were taken into custody by Minneapolis police during coverage of the unrest in Minnesota.

He said,

I watched them arrest a CNN news crew and later when the guys got out of jail, the guy said this officer was courteous. He said he was just following orders. Well, who gave that order? The guy who gave that order should be disciplined, should be demoted, or something. Therein lies the problem. What are you gonna do about it? I understand it takes time to investigate it before they, you know, arrest this guy but I guarantee you, if he was black and he did this to a white guy he’d already be in jail.