Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

Where did Bill Simpich get the idea that Oswald ate in the domino room "to show solidarity with African-Americans"? Where the hell did he get that from? What's it based on?

Oswald had no solidarity with anyone at that place: white or black. There, he was a loner, a recluse, a hermit. They all said that he was unfriendly. He only talked to people if he needed something from them: such as, a ride to Irving, change for a dollar, etc. Otherwise, he had nothing to say to anybody. He was never nice to people. He never said to anyone, "How's your wife? How are your kids?" 

"Solidarity"? How could Oswald be said to have solidarity with the African-Americans there? He never bothered to learn James Jarman's name. He just said that people addressed him as "Junior." And Harold Norman? Oswald just referred to him as the "short negro".  Real chums. He didn't even know his name.

Oswald ate in the domino room because 
a) it was where the grunt workers like him ate, while the 2nd floor lunch room was where the office workers ate 
b) they had a shelf there where you could leave your lunch until it was lunchtime
c) usually, a newspaper could be found there, which Oswald liked to read- while he was eating or after he ate.

Those are the reasons why Oswald ate in the domino room, and I can't begin to fathom why Bill Simpich would claim it was because he wanted to show solidarity with African-Americans. Except: it is a fact that Bill Simpich is a "civil rights lawyer." If you recall, the whole movement for racial equality was called the "civil rights movement." So, maybe it's because of his own background that Bill assigned that motive to Oswald.  

But, I'll tell you this: if I were a juror, I would have been insulted and annoyed to hear Bill Simpich say that. And I'm pretty sure he said it more than once. And that's because he never provided any basis for it. He just claimed it. How presumptuous is it to think you can just tell somebody something without substantiating it? It is very presumptuous. 

Oswald was like a fish out of water at that place. He was NOT friendly. Read this testimony by James Jarmon.

Mr. BALL - Did you know Lee Oswald? 
Mr. JARMAN - Only as a coworker. 
Mr. BALL - Did you ever talk to him while he was working there? 
Mr. JARMAN - I have had him to correct orders at various times. That is about all. 
Mr. BALL - Did you ever talk to him about politics? 
Mr. JARMAN - No. 
Mr. BALL - Religion? 
Mr. JARMAN - No. 
Mr. BALL - Anything at all? 
Mr. JARMAN - Not until November the 22d. 
Mr. BALL - Not until that day? 
Mr. JARMAN - Not until that day. 
Mr. BALL - Did Oswald have any friends there? 
Mr. JARMAN - Well, not that I know of. 
Mr. BALL - Did he have any close friend that he would eat lunch with every day? 
Mr. JARMAN - No. sir; not that I know of. 

And note that what Oswald talked to Jarman about that day was why people were gathering on the sidewalk outside the TSBD. Oswald didn't know. Jarman informed him it was because the President would be riding by. 

But, what about any of that suggests that Oswald wanted to show solidarity with African-Americans? 

This is from Harold Norman's testimony:

Mr. BALL. Did you know Oswald?
Mr. NORMAN. No; just as an employee, that is all.
Mr. BALL. You didn't know him before he came to work there?
Mr. NORMAN. No, sir.
Mr. BALL. Did you get acquainted with him after he was there?
Mr. NORMAN. No. Just knew his name. I mean, you know, he wouldn't talk to anybody so I didn't...
Mr. BALL. He didn't talk to anybody?
Mr. NORMAN. No.
Mr. BALL. Did you ever engage him in conversation at the time he was there?
Mr. NORMAN. No, sir. I just, you know, would speak to him, that is all. I wouldn't engage in conversation. 


Here's Bill Shelley:

Mr. BALL - Did you ever talk to him?
Mr. SHELLEY - Not too much; he wasn't too talkative. If I had something I wanted him to do, I would tell him and he usually did it.

Here's Jack Dougherty:

Mr. BALL - Did you know a fellow named Lee Harvey Oswald that worked at the Texas School Book Depository?
Mr. DOUGHERTY - Well, I'll be frank with you, Mr. Ball, I don't believe nobody knew him too well. You might say he wouldn't have too much to say to anybody. He just stayed all to hisself, and I'll be frank with you, I just flat didn't know him.

Getting the picture now, Bill? No solidarity. Not with whites. Not with blacks. Not with anybody. Oswald did his job but distanced himself from every single person who worked there. No friends. You hear me, Bill? No friends, no friends, no friends, no friends.

So, look at the extremes we have: We have some people claiming that Oswald was a homicidal maniac, that he would do his morning rounds, then go eat lunch, then use up the rest of his lunch break by browsing through the newspaper, and when he caught glimpse of the President's motorcade route, the sight of that triggered in his mind: "I think I'll kill him. That would really be satisfying. That would really make my day. That would really give me what I need in my life."  And then there's Bill Simpich, who imagines Oswald standing on the protest line with arms crossed, clasping others, and singing Go Tell It On The Mountain. What a circus.