Regional news
All Northeast
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Maine
Vermont
Connecticut
New York

SEARCH:
Boston.com
Keyword
Yellow Pages
Web

Protesters set fire to Simpson memorabilia

L.A. radio talk show host organizes demonstration

By Robert Jablon, Associated Press, 02/17/99

Protesters prepare to burn O.J. Simpson's football jerseys on the steps of Los Angeles Criminal Courts building on Wednesday. (AP Photo)

LOS ANGELES - O.J. Simpson memorabilia went up in flames to a chorus of cheers and boos Wednesday, a day after it was sold at auction to help pay off the $33.5 million judgment he owes in the deaths of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend.

Two No. 32 football jerseys and a Professional Football Hall of Fame induction certificate were burned and two trophies were smashed outside the Criminal Courts Building in a protest organized by a Christian radio talk show host who purchased $16,000 worth of items.

The auction Tuesday raised $430,000, including $255,500 for Simpson's Heisman Trophy.

"We are destroying O.J. Simpson's property in front of the L.A. courthouse because the criminal justice system is destroying justice before our very eyes,'' protest organizer Bob Enyart of Denver said.

The destruction was criticized by some spectators at the downtown courthouse and by Simpson, who said it was a waste.

"I wonder about the mentality involved in this,'' Simpson told The Associated Press. "The guy's burning up $16,000 he could use to fight AIDS or help kids with cancer or even donate to battered (women's) homes.''

Several hundred spectators booed and cheered at the destruction of the items, which included Simpson's USC and Buffalo Bills jerseys and two 1973 "Lifesaver'' trophies apparently given for charity contributions.

The Heisman was the auction's big item and was not part of Wednesday's demonstration. The winning bid of $255,500 came from an anonymous East Coast collector.

Money raised by the court-ordered auction goes to the estate of Ms. Simpson and Ronald Goldman's family. A jury made the award in a wrongful death lawsuit that followed Simpson's acquittal on charges in the 1994 killings. Simpson is appealing the judgment.

Also auctioned off were football awards, artwork, Tiffany-style lamps and a fox fur coat that belonged to Simpson's first wife, Marguerite.

The prices surprised some collectors because Simpson sports memorabilia hasn't been selling well.

"Most people don't want to have anything to do with O.J. Simpson. There's a real sour taste in their mouths,'' said Scott Welkowsky, owner of Out of This World Memorabilia in Orange County.