Being Angry Decades Later at Remorseless Conduct is Pointless
Maybe, action taken decades later doesn’t mean as much as it would have when it was seriously, justifiably needed but psychologically, some comfort may be taken when the right thing, even absurdly-delayed, does takes place.
“Former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman, who was convicted of lying on the witness stand in the O.J. Simpson (double-murder) trial three decades ago, is now barred from law enforcement under a California police reform law meant to strip the badges of police officers who act criminally or with bias,” reports Stephanie Dazio at the Associated Press.
This action is an additional stain on Furhman’s record and name. It won’t hurt now his career and personal life as much as it would have back in the mid-1990s, as critics would have liked to see, but it is something and what can be done presently. Is it progress? That can be debated.
Fuhrman was on the case of the widely-covered 1994 murders of Simpson’s ex-wife, Nicole and a friend of hers, Ronald Goldman, in Los Angeles.
Fuhrman came under fire after he reported that he found a bloody glove at Simpson’s home. He was taken to task over that report during the trial as Simpson’s attorneys put forth the possibility and likelihood of racial bias.
Fuhrman told the jury that he never had communicated racial slurs yet an audio recording showed and proved that his testimony about that point was false and therefore a lie, as the fact was that he had often shown bias towards Black people.
“Fuhrman retired from the LAPD after Simpson’s 1995 acquittal and at age 72 his return was doubtful,” Dazio reports. “The decertification was likely meant to make clear that California will not tolerate such officers.”
Fuhrman has survived business wise as he still earns a living yet the first thoughts of his name by those who remember the case are likely not positive, trusting, respected impressions.
When given an opportunity to respond to the ruling, Fuhrman declined to comment when reached by phone, per Dazio and the Associated Press.
However, Fuhrman did respond mockingly to another reporter.
“That was 30 years ago,” he huffed. “You guys are really up to speed.”
“When told that The San Francisco Chronicle had reported that his decertification became formal in May, he continued to show his annoyance, saying, “good for them, have a nice day,” before hanging up,” Dazio reported.
It’s understandable that Mark Fuhrman is upset. This case, his part in it and the criticism, mockery and career and personal consequences haven’t felt good. They have hurt. He’s a human being with emotions and feelings too.
Yet resentment is misguided.
If the facts and evidence are clear (and that’s an important) that Fuhrman did not act ethically as part of the police investigation and as an officer in general and was biased in his work towards Blacks and did not tell the truth about it on the stand, it is deserving that his decisions and actions (and inactions) opened him up to a lifetime of criticism and pain.
This is especially true because he has not shown the Black community, media and court of public opinion the honorable character, sincere remorse, apologies and acts that align with it that they hoped they’d see.
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Michael Toebe is a reputation consultant, advisor and communications specialist at Reputation Intelligence: Reputation Quality, assisting individuals and organizations with further building reputation as an asset or ethically and responsibly protecting, restoring or reconstructing it.
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