ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : One Opinion, Nothing More

Laguna Niguel Councilman Eddie Rose deserves the strong criticism he received from his City Council colleagues this week over racially insensitive sentiments he expressed in a letter condemning the jurors in the O. J. Simpson trial.

Everyone has an opinion about the verdict in the trial of Simpson, who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife, Nicole, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Rose is entitled to his and has the right to shout it from the rooftops; others have the right to disagree with him. But the councilman was off base in using city stationery to write a letter on the verdict to newspapers.

He argues that there is no ordinance barring him from using the stationery. But the councilman should realize that city letterheads are for city business. They can create the wrong impression that the contents involve city matters or, just as easily, that the city supports the expressed views.

Rose insists he is not a racist. Whatever his perspective, as an elected representative of Laguna Niguel he should at a minimum listen to those of his constituents who believe his language insulted African Americans. Many residents criticized him at Monday night’s council meeting.

In his letter, Rose characterized the language used by one of Simpson’s lawyers, Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., as “jive-talking rhetoric.” There was other stereotyping in Rose’s reference to “semi-literate athletes.”

The letter also said the Simpson trial should have occurred not in downtown Los Angeles but in West Los Angeles or Santa Monica, where jurors would have been “able to understand the evidence.” But as has been noted extensively, the only difference in courthouses is that more whites are in the jury pools west of downtown.

Still, the resulting attempts to recall Rose are misplaced. The time for voters to consider his statements and his record is when he seeks reelection. For now, Rose’s letter merits the condemnation it received, and he himself needs a good dose of sensitivity training in the harm and misunderstanding that can be brought on by stereotyping.