Anybody else see that this is a little wrong? Isn't it a little f**ked up or is it really justified? Reading the comments on the article just made me realize alot of people trully don't like him.. Link The owner of an upscale steakhouse in Louisville said he asked O.J. Simpson to leave his restaurant the night before the Kentucky Derby because he is sickened by the attention Simpson still attracts. "I didn't want to serve him because of my convictions of what he's done to those families," Jeff Ruby said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "The way he continues to torture the lives of those families ... with his behavior, attitude and conduct." Simpson, an NFL Hall of Famer and Heisman Trophy winner, was found innocent in 1995 of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman but was found liable in a civil trial that followed. Ruby — who owns restaurants in Cincinnati, Louisville and Belterra, Ind. — said Simpson, who was in town for the Derby on Saturday, came in with a group of about 12 Friday night and was seated at a table in the back. A customer came up to Ruby and was "giddy" about seeing Simpson, Ruby said. "I didn't want that experience in my restaurant," Ruby said, later adding that seeing Simpson get so much attention "makes me sick to my stomach." He said he went to Simpson's table and said, "I'm not serving you." Ruby said when Simpson didn't respond, he repeated himself and left the room. Ruby said Simpson soon came up to him and said he understood and would gather the rest of his party to leave. Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter, said the incident was about race, and he intended to pursue the matter and possibly go after the restaurant's liquor license. "He screwed with the wrong guy, he really did," Galanter said by telephone Tuesday night. Ruby said the incident had to do with Simpson's past. "It was the first time since 1994 he has ever shown any class," Ruby said. "He showed it that night in the restaurant" by leaving quietly. Ruby said after Simpson left, people in the restaurant started applauding him. He said he has received about 100 positive e-mails since the incident. The walls of Ruby's restaurants are decorated with celebrity photos. A photo of Simpson and Ruby used to be on display, but Ruby said he took it down after the killings.
It seems like this is walking a very thin line. What criteria is o.k. to use to kick people out of a public place? What slippery slope does that create? Will people then use those "legitimate" excuses to discriminate? Personally, I would have felt the same way he did and would have been tempted to do the same thing -- but I'm not sure that's really right.
But it wasn't a public place. It was a private business. Isn't it a right of every private business owner to decide who they will and will not serve? i.e. Augusta not letting women be members.
Is it unreasonable to not want a murderer dining with your valued patrons? I'd be right there with the others in giving the owner a standing ovation by kicking Orenthal out of there.
yeah, i think the owner can do whatever he wants. he hates oj, why should he serve him? unless you think people shouldn't be allowed to discriminate against brutal murdrerers.
I saw this on Mike & Mike. What's the difference between refusing to serve OJ and refusing to serve blacks in the 60s? I hope OJ's lawyers put this guy out of business.
that was probably a costly move on owners part. I bet OJ sues, especially after its received this much attention.
I'm not sure this is true. Can an owner of a resteraunt decide he doesn't want to serve blacks, or hispanics, or orientals, or red heads or jews? What if someone reminds them of a terrorist? I would not want to serve him either but I'm not sure what's legally right? Any lawyers here know? What right to refuse service is legal?
I found this quote funny. What is OJ gonna do when he gets mad. Ok. Just kidding. I never understood why people could not forgive OJ, when he was in fact acquitted by a jury of his peers. Americans hold their justice and court systems in such high regard versus other parts of the world, and people second guessing and blatantly disregarding official edicts seems hypocritical.
damn yer right brightsides. me and the wife are always looking for new babysitters. he's unemployed right.
The difference? One is a reaction to the actions of an individual and the other is a reaction based on skin color that applies to all people who happen to be black, whether the killed someone or not. If you're in a cafe in Argentina and a German walks in, no big deal. If Mengele walks in, people will probably have a reaction based on what he has done in life, not the physical characteristics of old age. I'm not saying the guy was right, but I am saying OJ and blacks in the 60's are not the same.
Is it true that you can kick someone out as long as it is not based on a speicific criteria like color, race, gender ...? I mean if other black are welcome in the restaurant, is the owner ok? We have many lawers here, I am sure someone can provide an answer.
Exactly, he screwed with the wrong guy? What did he do? Go dine at his restaurant with 12 people..then left after being told he wasn't going to be served. I could understand if he threw a fit or came in teh restaurant with a grand entrance but that didn't happen.