Restaurant Owner Not Anti-Black, Just Anti-Murderer

OJ Simpson has managed to get his name in the news once again, and he didn't have kill anyone this time to do it:

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.

Owner Jeff Ruby said O.J. Simpson quietly left his restaurant after Ruby refused to serve him. Simpson's attorney said the incident was racial and raised the possibility of going after the business' liquor license.

"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." ...

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.

And of course, now there's a lawyer involved:

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.

Were there no other black patrons in the restaurant that night? Not likely in Louisville, which makes the whole racist charge silly.

The restauranteur is now a hero in the local community:

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.

Good for Mr. Ruby. If more restaurant and golf course owners would take the same approach, Simpson wouldn't be living such a life of luxury.