MSNBC: Johnnie Cochran died

[rainbow4321]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

and...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-032905cochran_lat,0,1676319.story?coll=la-home-headlines


Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., the masterful attorney who gained prominence as an early advocate for victims of police abuse, then achieved worldwide fame for successfully defending football star O.J. Simpson on murder charges, died this afternoon. He was 67.

Cochran died at his home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles of an inoperable brain tumor, according to his brother-in-law Bill Baker. His wife and his two sisters were with him at the time of his death.

edited for link

[Pirate Smile]

1. "extended illness"

[bleedingheart]

15. he had been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor....

I actually thought he had died...

[Scairp]

2. Wow

I knew he had been ill, but not dying. Anybody know how old he was?

[LSdemocrat]

21. He was 67 according to CNN

http://www.cnn.com

[genius]

73. This is a real tragedy. Here's a note the PHDC put up about Cochran

Their site is http://patrickhenrythinktank.org/

America Loses One of its Greatest
America has lost a great champion of civil rights who spent his life fighting for against injustice. The passing of Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., is a great loss to all Americans. You may send your condolences to his law firm at 4929 Wilshire Blvd #1010, Los Angeles, CA 90010; Phone [phone].

[Yupster]

78. He sure didn't look 67

Best of wishes to his family and friends.

[qanda]

3. Oh my

That's so sad!

[currents]

83. Damn, there goes my plans for murder, I guess I'll have to hire Robert Bla

ke's lawyers instead afterwords..

[intheflow]

4. Do you have a link to the specific story?

The link you provided brings up the main page, but I didn't find Cochran's name on it. :shrug:

[soulcore]

5. top of the page. see "breaking news" eom

[Catherine Vincent]

7. Look where it says "Breaking News"

[salin]

8. It is a banner at the top - but no link to any story

on that page.

[rainbow4321]

10. I know..sorry..looking for a real link..

Soon as I find one I will edit and post it...looked at AP braking but nothing yet

[tridim]

6. He should have put the balm on

I told him to put the balm on!

Bad joke aside. RIP.

[The_Casual_Observer]

9. The slime ball couldn't talk the grim reaper out of it?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

20. Cochran was a great attorney..He got Geronimo Pratt out of jail

after 19 years worth of appeals had failed him.

[undergroundrailroad]

35. You are absolutely correct. He was a great attorney. (n/t)

[TahitiNut]

44. Udamnwellbetcha!

:thumbsup:

[Midlodemocrat]

72. Yes, he was.

Whether or not you agreed with the specific verdicts, he really knew his stuff and was a gifted and talented speaker.

[Jawja]

109. Agreed. Johnny Cochran

was indeed a great attorney and his defense of O.J. Simpson - whatever you may feel about the outcome - was masterful.

[Skittles]

121. if there is any justice he will run into Nicole and Ron

getting a double-murderer off, while "masterful", is quite sick

[genius]

79. This is a devastating blow to civil rights.

There is no replacement for Johnnie.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

23. I guess your post means you don't know very much about Cochrane....

...would that be a fair assumption on my part?

[Tomee450]

25. I find your remark greatly offensive.

Johnnie Cochran was a great man who spent his life fighting for civil rights and trying to help the poor. He not only fought for blacks but for poor whites as well. People hate him because he did his job as a defense attorney and defended OJ Simpson and was successful. He did the same thing that Robert Blake's attorney did but Blake's attorney will never be called a slime ball because the man he got acquitted, a man most people including lawyers thought to be guilty, was white. Cochran will be forever hated by some for gaining the acquittal of a black defendant accused of killing white persons. Blake's attorney will never be vilified. I notice no one is expressing outrage over Blake's acquittal yet here you are calling a black attorney who did exactly as Blake's attorney, a slime ball. I don't have to wonder why.

[malaise]

33. Well said n/t

[Karenina]

37. So happy the mods got here before me...

What a great mind! May his spirit find its peace. An expat joke is: Johnny Cochran brought true equality to the U.S. You got the money to afford the best legal eagle, you get a "Get Out of Jail Free" card EVEN IF YOU'RE BOTH AND BLACK MALES DEALING WITH A WHITE FEMALE VICTIM.

Gender trumps race.

Peace to him and his family.

[0007]

38. I was outraged by both O.J. & Blake's acquittal.

Johnnie Cochran was a great man and enjoyed watching Mr. Cochran making a sucker out of the prosecutors in Judge Lance Ito court and the L.A. Police Department. That part I loved.

[ariesgem]

40. Took the words out of my mouth

RIP Johnnie..

[Demeter]

42. Not so--Blake's attorney also did us a disservice

but the ones that really let down the public are the LAPD and the prosecuting attorneys,who couldn't get out of a paper bag with directions and a flaming torch

[Straight Shooter]

55. Bingo! Marcia Clark the prancing prosecutor and her sidekick Darden.

What a disgusting display of incompetence, especially when one finds out what never got into evidence due to their dropping the ball.

Kudos to the jury for sticking it out, though. 9 long, grueling months.

[Bake]

67. Don't blame Johnnie. He just did his job, and did it well.

The State has the burden of proof. They blew it, thanks Marcia. And RIP, Johnnie.

Bake

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

77. Not so..Blame Gil Garcetti..he made every tactical decision on that

case..Marcia Clark was a grunt making $108,000 a year which probably amounted to 25 bucks an hour when you consider the time involved in trying that case. Garcetti called the shots because his political career was so important to him. He was an ass.

[SharonAnn]

88. You could blame racism in law enforcement since it destroyed

the credibility of the evidence (the socks?) because they were found by a racist detective.

[KurtNYC]

111. The lead attorney had a heart attack

at the start of the court proceedings. Clark and Darden were supposed to be the bench. Does anyone remember the name of the heart attack guy?

I found this while digging for it:

Dershowitz had little praise for them either. In a television interview he said, "In 35 years of practicing law, I never encountered two more incompetent bunglers than Clark and Darden." He claimed that he had heard Clark whispering to another lawyer in the courtroom, "I want you to remember I'm not wearing any underwear." Added Dershowitz, "And that was one of her better moments."

http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/simpson/do_7.html?sect=13

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

43. Good point. Cochran also handled a number of consumer product

liability cases as well as representing Abner Louima.

[iamjoy]

92. Yeah, Like The Fertilizer Company

That made the fertilizer that McVeigh & friends used to blow up the Oklahoma City Federal Building.

Mr. Cochrane sued on behalf of the victims of that tragedy. Now why not sue the terrorist organizations that supported and encouraged McVeigh?

[Maat]

61. I can assure you.

I feel equally outraged about Blake's acquittal as I do about O.J.'s acquittal.

But ... I blame the prosecution for both verdicts.

The man was a very skilled and successful attorney, but that doesn't mean I had to like him as a person (read his ex-wife's book - I did).

That's just that.

On edit:
May he transition in peace.

[goclark]

123. His ex wife is the beautiful mother of his two children

and they raised two lovely girls.

The complete picture of two outstanding parents is not written on the pages of a book.

[jrthin]

66. I agree, WELL STATED. n/t

[jasop]

124. Do a little research on the Jury the Blake had....

and then come back and apologize for using the race card the same way Johnny Cochran did to defend a superstar athlete MURDERER who will never be punished the way millions of everyday WHITES, blacks, hispanics and others are put away, not allowed to vote, and lives ruined for simply choosing marijuana instead of alchohol, or cigarettes which by the way combined kill more people each year than ANY OTHER means of death on the planet.

[Name removed]

39. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[lastliberalintexas]

47. Slime ball eh?

Let's hope you have such a slime ball if you are ever charged with a crime. Let's hope your slime ball also does everything within her/his power to defend you, put the state to the test and damn well require them to by god prove that you are actually guilty of something before they throw your sorry ass in jail.

Don't like the rule of law/due process demanded by criminal defense attorneys? You can always go live in China, where the government follows no such rules and incarcerates people it doesn't like *JUST BECAUSE IT CAN*. Let us know how that works out for you.

[jrthin]

64. You are dead wrong.

Most of his legal career was spent defending the rights of women and the underdog. Know you facts before you mouth off.

[The_Casual_Observer]

69. The guy's crowning achievement was playing the "race card"

to free a rich multiple-murderer. But no worry, he did lots of nice stuff too.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

76. If the star prosecution witness in my case was a racist who lied about it

I'd play it too. The jury is entitled to hear anything that might be prejudicial to the defendant. The fact that Mark Fuhrman had other things in his record that indicated he would do anything to obtain a conviction WAS material and relevant to his evidence gathering in the Simpson case.

Granted it's not the high road, but a defense attorney is not paid to take the high road, he is paid to defend his client. Cochran did that well.

Furthermore, the day the verdict was read, all I could say to my white Orange County friends was, "Now you know how it felt for them when every white supremacist in the south walked."

[The_Casual_Observer]

80. Sure thing, Johnnie was just doing his job, and did it well.

So did the white supremacist's lawyers. All I could say when they read that verdict was, " How is that guy going to live with himself?".
I would have said the same thing had I seen the supremacist's trials.

I guess I am one of the unfortunate people who ends up having to answer for the results of the actions of my work, instead of being able to pass it off as just being the result of my job and not a personal kind of thing.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

81. Actually not the same thing since in most cases in the south

it was more of a conspiracy amongst prosecutors not to do their job. Be that as it may, I still believe in the proposition that it's better to let 100 guilty people walk than to prosecute an innocent person. Again, Cochran's job was to defend OJ. One day he lets OJ walk..the next day he gets Geronimo Pratt, an innocent man, out of jail after 19 years.

[Tomee450]

84. How absurd.

If you or a member of your family got into trouble with the law, who would you rather have, Marcia Clark, Chris Darden or Johnnie Cochran. It's easy to talk when it's not your life or freedom at stake. Johnnie Cochran did the job of a defense attorney. What would this country be like without defense attorneys.

[The_Casual_Observer]

86. "What would this country be like without defense attorneys."

I don't know, I but would rather wonder what it would be like if no one became a murderer or criminal, but that's absurd, there are no criminals, only victims, right?

[Tomee450]

90. What are you talking about?

There will always be people accused of criminal behavior. Some are guilty, others are not. You believe they should not be defended? Would you like to appear in court without an attorney? People are quick to trash attorneys but they tried to get the best one possible when they are their relatives need legal representation. Without defense attorneys to stop them, some authorities would not hesitate to trample on the rights of ordinary citizens.

[HarveyBrooks]

107. Well, If I was guilty...

I sure would want Cochran.
He had no problem getting a double murderer off - and was damn proud of it.

[Tomee450]

113. Cochran had no problem getting

an accused defendant an acquittal since the case was full of holes causing reasonable doubt. You might not like it, but the jury decided Simpson was not guilty, thus no double murderer. It's amazing how certain people are so willing to discard a jury's verdict when it is not in accord with what they believe to be the truth. Are you as upset over Robert Blake's acquittal? Are you calling him a murderer?I suppose you would not mind having his attorney too,since he succeeded in gaining an acquittal of a man whom many people strongly believed to be guilty. Simpson's case is about ten years old yet people are still talking about it and hating his attorneys. Blake's case has just ended yet his acquittal is being accepted and we hear no hatred of his attorney. In fact Blake already is being forgotten. Why the double standard? I guess when race is involved, for some people fairness goes out the window.

[Laurab]

91. I'm not sure it was his crowning achievement

but he did his job, and did it well. There is still a presumption of innocence, and in this country, you have to be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution in that case failed to do that. I don't fault him for doing his job, and I believe it's a good thing that guilt has to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

You cannot blame the prosecution's lack of proof on a defense lawyer. Well, you can, obviously, and you are, but nonetheless, I disagree. If you want to blame someone, you'd have to start with the legal system itself.

His life did however have a number of "crowning achievements", and he did accomplish many good things.

RIP Johnnie.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[liberal43110]

17. Good one

:)

[Tesibria]

12. they're saying brain tumor on MSNBC .. ? nt

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[meganmonkey]

59. LOL!!

Not at your post, rest assured, rather because I am wondering what could possibly have been a reaction to yours worthy of deletion?!
:wtf:

[rzemanfl]

13. This is one funeral O.J. better go to. n/t

[Snivi Yllom]

27. ouch

LOL, I feel for his family,but maybe he will finally be able to ask Ron and Nicole who really killed them.

[Megahurtz]

116. I'm sure he already knew.

eom.

[Up2Late]

16. WOW. He just had a Slander case heard at the SCOUS

Anyone know what will happen now with that?

[merh]

18. Bless his heart! May he rest in peace.

The struggle with a brain tumor is very hard. I pray his family finds peace too.

[MrSlayer]

19. I'm all broken up.

Really, I swear.

[Pithlet]

22. Oh, that's too bad.

I'm sorry to hear that.

[cal04]

24. Famed Attorney Johnnie Cochran Dies at 67

Cochran died at his home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles of an inoperable brain tumor, according to his brother-in-law Bill Baker. His wife and his two sisters were with him at the time of his death.


Cochran, his family and colleagues were secretive about his illness to protect the attorney's privacy as well as the network of Cochran law offices that largely draw their cache from his presence. But Cochran confirmed in a Sept. 2004 interview with The Times that he was being treated by the eminent neurosurgeon Keith Black at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Long before his defense of Simpson, Cochran was challenging the Los Angeles Police Department's misconduct.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-032905cochran_lat,0,7031128.story?coll=ny-top-span-headlines

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-032905cochran_lat,0,1676319.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[malaise]

30. RIP Johnny Cochran

He was very popular in my part of the world.

[malmapus]

26. Wow he was quite an attorney

Afraid until now all I knew of him was from the OJ trial, knew he was good and that he was great at rhyming.

Rest in peace...

[DS1]

28. guilt-induced brain tumor

he knew OJ was guilty as hell, shit I almost puked when I saw that footage of OJ trying to 'squeeze' those gloves on.

[onenote]

41. Bull

His job was to be OJ's defense attorney. Sure, I think OJ was guilty, but blaming Cochran for OJ's acquittal is stupid. The blame belongs to the prosecution, the cops, the judge, and the jury. They're the ones that didn't do their jobs particularly well. Johnnie did exactly what he was supposed to do...

onenote

[DS1]

62. I'm not arguing that he didn't do his job.

Yet I will continually point out that even if a defense lawyer knows for a fact that his client is guilty, they'll argue against it. It's up to them to live with it, not me.

[Egalitariat]

29. Get out your boots

We've got some grave-stompin' to do.

[Greylyn58]

31. Did it say what he died of??

[Dukkha]

32. Guess he won't be using the Chewbacca defense anymore

It Doesn't make sense!

[AlFrankenFan]

34. Heheh

I'm not glad this happened...I mean, people do get what's coming to them eventually, but a brain tumor is a horrible way to die. RIP.

[The Animator]

112. Damn it!

I was going to use a Chewbacca defense line!

Well as my roomate says, great minds think a like... and apparently so do ours.

[CO Liberal]

36. THAT'S AN OUTRAGE!!!!

As the Johnny Cohoran look-alike lawyer used to say on "Seinfeld".

[Piperay]

45. R-I-P Johnnie

No matter what Cochran was a great lawyer and if I was on trial and especially if I was guilty I would've wanted Johnnie on my side.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

46. Holy fuck! Du is praying for Jerry Falwell and villifying Cochran?

Give me a fucking break...

[jayfish]

53. Tell It Sis.

RIP Johnnie.

Jay

[Tomee450]

85. Isn't that the truth!!!

[mermaid]

89. Well, I Am Praying For Falwell

TO FUCKING DIE!!!!

GO TO HELL, JERRY...GO DIRECTLY TO HELL...DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $200!!

BASTARD.

[Fleshdancer]

48. I can't believe he was 67. He looked younger to me.

My sympathies to his family, I hope he went without pain.

[Barkley]

99. Black Don't Crack - eom.

[wysi]

49. Hmmmm....

... my wife and I were wondering why Michael Jackson didn't have him as his lawyer... now we know why.

[Must_B_Free]

50. I'm a MAN!

"I think I go down,
to old Kansas Stew
I'm gonna bring back my second cousin,
that little Johnny Cocheroo"

If it doesn't fit, you must acquit

[gizmo1979]

51. Put the simpson controversy to bed

Johnnie cochran is dead.

[Benhurst]

52. My guess is that he was on a cell phone practically 24/7. Why

pay expensive roaming charges when all you have to do is stick your head into a microwave oven?

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Trajan]

56. Great Attorney ....

Even as I despised the result of the OJ trial, you have to respect the abilities and mind of Johnnie Cochran .....

RIP old man .....

[LostInAnomie]

57. Anybody know where OJ was at the time?

I'm just saying...

[DinahMoeHum]

65. Who gives a shit about HIM ???

He was probably on the golf links as usual.

Probably just as well. If he knows what's good for him, he better not show a hair of his asshole in public. There is also that little matter of him still owing Nicole and Ron's relations big $$$$.

:sarcasm:

[slackmaster]

58. Very sad news

I lost an uncle to a brain tumor last year. It was a very unpleasant affair.

I regret not every having met Mr. Cochran.

RIP

[ckramer]

60. Johnnie Cochran = Only the rich can afford good defense and freedom = USA

That is that.

[Township75]

63. Are we supposed to bash dead people, or just dying people?

I don't know...someone help me out here, please so I know what to say.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

100. bash 'm all--and feel stronger for it !!

Makes us feel 'real' superior when we start to experience self doubt.

Try it,
highly recommended--
it helps alot of people here at D.U. and in Freeperville--



Bash on Garth.

[psychopomp]

68. RIP Johnnie Cochran

We could have used a fighter like him on our side in the battles ahead.

[Bake]

70. I got to give it up for Johnnie, RIP to a great trial lawyer

I'd count myself lucky to be 1/10th the trial lawyer Johnnie was. He stood for the adversarial process we trust to expose the truth.

He was an ADVOCATE. And a damned great one. RIP. I tip my hat to you.

Johnnie was scheduled to speak at the Mississippi Bar convention last year, but had to cancel. I guess now we know why.

Bake, Esq.

[HarveyBrooks]

108. He had nothing to do

with "exposing the truth." All he was concerned about was getting his clients off weather guilty or not by whatever means necessary.

[Tomee450]

114. Johnny Cochran

was a defense attorney doing his job and he did it well. He was an honorable man and well respected. I've heard nothing but good things said about him since his death was announced. Even his adversaries are giving him high praise. Johnnie spent his life trying to do good things. He especially tried to help women, minorities and poor people.

[nonconformist]

71. This was shocking

I wasn't even aware he was ill.

[medeak]

74. Larry King doing tribute

can always count on him edited to say...Pdiddy gave a heartfelt tribute

[johnnyrocket]

75. Yet killer O.J. stills walks free...

...wow, the irony.

[Tomee450]

82. O J. the acquitted

is walking about free as is Robert Blake, also the acquitted.

[oasis]

93. O.J. was found not guilty in a court of law. Those who can't deal with

that fact after all of these years should seek counseling.

[TahitiNut]

97. I sure do agree with that.

And how many people have been taken off death row after being PROVED innocent? 170? It beggars the imagination to think of the number of innocent people who've been executed ... and those "merely" imprisoned have to be in the thousands.

[Tomee450]

117. I couldn't agree more.

Ten years later, people are still talking about the Simpson case. There have been plenty of people acquitted of crimes whom some believed to be guilty. People should watch Court TV sometimes. I wish the people so outraged over the Simpson acquittal would express similar outrage when it's discovered that innocent people have been incarcerated for years for crimes they never committed. It seems every few month Gary Scheck's Innocence Project gains the release of someone who had been convicted of crimes they did not commit. Often, such individuals have spent long years in prison. For me, the fact that innocent people are being sent to prison is a very great outrage.

[Megahurtz]

118. O.J. found not guilty by court jesters of law?

All that bullshit aside, Johnnie Cochran was an excellent attorney.
My condolences to his family.

[mermaid]

87. Johnnie Cochran Dies

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Famed attorney Johnnie Cochran, perhaps best known for his defense of O.J. Simpson, died Tuesday afternoon after suffering from an inoperable brain tumor, his family said. He was 67.

"Johnnie Cochran was a loving, heartful human being who cared about everybody," said William Epps, pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles, which Cochran attended for 18 years.

Cochran died at 12:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. ET) at his home in Los Angeles. His family was by his side and he had been in a hospice, Epps said.

Cochran's family and members of his law firm issued a joint statement saying the "world has lost not only a legendary attorney, but an outstanding humanitarian."

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/29/cochran.obit/index.html

[ContraBass Black]

94. Johnny Cochrane Dead

This is probably old news, but I don't see a thread on it.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/29/cochran.obit/index.html

[catzies]

95. You're spelling it wrong. It's "Johnnie Cochran."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1351359

[ContraBass Black]

96. Oh

That's what I get for rushing.

[Hailtothechimp]

98. St. Peter to Johnnie C: "If it didn't fit, I won't admit"

Welcome to the dirt nap Johnnie. OJ's money won't help you here.

[Selteri]

101. Famed attorney Johnnie Cochran dead

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/29/cochran.obit/index.html

Cochran died at 12:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. ET) at his home in Los Angeles. His family was by his side and he had been in a hospice, Epps said.
-=-=-=-
As Johnnie always said, 'An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' It was his rallying cry as he worked to right many wrongs, and as he provided a voice to those who needed to be heard. He was deeply committed to helping and inspiring others, especially young people."
-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=

I didn't always agree with him, but my heart goes out to his family and friends for their loss.

[merwin]

102. Not LBN. Came in midday yesterday.

[Hissyspit]

103. Dupe:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=1351359&mesg_id=1351359

[Syrinx]

104. I appreciate your comments

And I wish more people around here would feel the same way toward Jerry Falwell (whom I detest).

"I didn't always agree with him, but my heart goes out to his family and friends for their loss."

[Lucky Luciano]

105. The democrats lose elections because they are too nice

To hell with Falwell. Fuck him. It is time to get medieval on the thugs.

I could easily have those sentiments above regarding Cochran though. I do feel bad for his family and their loss even though I thought he was not the most ethical man.

[Syrinx]

106. I understand your feelings

I think we should be the "bigger" people. I think it will reward us in the long-run. We can detest his views without wishing pain for his family,

[jayfish]

110. Would You Care To List...

a few of his ethical transgressions? I only know what I have read and I can't remember reading about any of them.

Jay

[Tomee450]

115. And in just what

manner was he unethical? I really would like to know. I've been listening to comments about him since his death was announced. Everyone is saying exactly the opposite of what you have expressed.Johnnie Cochran had friends from all races and they are expressing nothing but great respect and admiration. Even those who opposed him in court are saying that the was a good, decent, man. Please state your reasons for calling him unethical. I've never heard that label penned on him.

[Lucky Luciano]

122. I don't dislike the guy

He was just doing his job. He sure knew how to twist things though to get his clients off the hook. I would have hired him in a second.

BTW - my remark looks really bad - when I was referring to comments "above," I was speaking about the poster above me and not the evil I want directed towards Falwell.

[Spinoza]

119. Astonished

to read all the posts that excuse Johnny Cochran's role in insuring a brutal double-murderer (and wife beater) walks free-- by deliberately stirring up racial hostilities among an all black jury. Apparently, many people think this is what a "good" lawyer is supposed to do.

Let me pose a question. If a prosecuting attorney, with great legal and forensic skill, managed to get an innocent black man (or woman) convicted of murder--, by stirring up racial animosities with an all-white jury, would we also excuse him? He was just doing his job, right? After all, lawyers are not expected to show any integrity, are they?

There is a reason many people feel that, as a group, lawyers
are too often totally amoral scum. Johnny Cochran is a prime example of the breed.

[Tomee450]

120. Nonsense

The same people so outraged over the Simpson verdict never become outraged when innocent black people are sent to prison for something they never did. Some have even been given the death sentence only later to be released when new evidence proved they did not commit the crime. Where was such outrage when Emmit Till was murdered and his killers acquitted by all white juries. I don't see such outrage when white cops are exonerated after shooting black youth in the back as they are fleeing from them and no threat. Johnnie Cochran did exactly as all defense attorneys do, defended his client.

Johnny Cochran did not stir up the jury by using race. Why is it that some people believe blacks can't evaluate evidence, can't think for themselves? Blacks would have been a fool to accept the testimony of someone like Fuhrman who had a history of showing his dislike for black people. Why would they dismiss the fact that blood appeared later that was never seen on the day the bodies were discovered, or dismiss the fact that a detective failed to turn in blood immediately, the normal procedure, and when it was turned in, some was missing. Since the Simpson verdict, the LA police department has been found to have planted evidence to frame defendants and many verdicts have been overturned. Also forensic labs in several states have been found to be sources of contamination of evidence. There was a report on this last year.

All white juries acquit white defendants who have harmed black people even when it is clear the defendant is guilty. At least in the Simpson case there was reasonable doubt.

The reason why Simpson and Cochran are hated is because of the race of the victims and the defendant. Also, the jury was not an all black jury. There were three jurors who were not black. Were they also influenced by Cochran's alleged race card?

As an African American I am tired of hearing about the Simpson case. I've heard of too many black defendants lacking the resources to mount an adequate defense, who have been railroaded into prison for crimes they never committed. That is a reason for great outrage. OJ Simpson was lucky enough to have the money to mount an adequate defense. Most blacks accused of harming whites are not so lucky. They wind up with poor defense attorneys and usually are sent to prison or to death row.

[Spinoza]

125. Nonsense.

I am outraged at any injustice I come across. I am outraged at any innocent human being, black, white, or blue, convicted for a crime they did not commit. I am also outraged at any MURDERER, black, white or blue, who is NOT convicted. Two wrongs don't make a fucking right. If an innocent black man is convicted of a crime a terrible injustice has been committed. If a fucking MURDERER, of any color, is NOT convicted of his crime, a terrible injustice has been committed. How does not convicting the murderer help the innocent black man who was railroaded?

[Tomee450]

126. Nonsense

Are some of your best friends black? The kind of hatred directed at Simpson and Cochran is never heard when the defendant is black and the perpetrator is white. We are not seeing that kind of outrage even though Robert Blake, who looked guilty to a lot of people, was acquitted. In fact I've heard people say the jury has spoken. With Simpson, the jury was also vilified because it was mostly black. No one is vilifying the jurors in the Blake case. The reason? Most in the majority community will accept the acquittal of a white person.

As for as two wrongs don't make a right, it's not about two wrongs but about thousands of wrongs against blacks in the forms of lynchings and beatings and other forms of brutality for which the white perpetrators never spent a day in jail. No outrage when it's black people being killed and their murderers going free. No, it's perfectly clear. Cochran got a black man acquitted for killing whites and for that some will never forgive him. When it comes to blacks some people believe being fair is not important.

Blaming a defense attorney for simply doing his job is absolutely absurd. If any member of your family were facing life imprisonment or the death penalty you'd be seeking the best attorney your money could buy. If he succeeded in gaining an acquittal, you would be celebrating his victory, not calling him scum. And I have no doubt that you'd feel that way even if you knew your relative was guilty. Most people do not wish to see even their guilty relatives sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or sent to death row to be executed.

My comment about innocent black people being sent to prison was made not to say that that justifies a murderer going free but to question why no similar outrage is seen when an innocent black is convicted then released after spending long years in prison away from his loved ones. I also pointed out that quite often the white killers of black people go free without the kind of outrage seen over the Simpson acquittal. Some people are still angry about the Simpson case even though it is ten years old. Where is the sense of fairness? As I said, when the case involves race, sometimes fairness evaporates.

By the way it's the jury's job to convict, not the general public, not the media. It is the jury that looks at the evidence, hears the witnesses. The Simpson and Blake juries, have spoken. They acquitted two defendants, one black, the other white. Many people will continue to vilify the black man and his black attorney but the people involved with the Blake case will never be subjected to such vilification. They are white and will be allowed to get on with their lives. That's perfectly fine with me. I accept the judgment of the Blake jury. However, I do think this continued obsession with the Simpson verdict smacks of nothing but racism.

Johnny Cochran was a good, decent man who worked hard to make life better for people. I, like many others, have nothing but the greatest respect for the man.