Johnnie Cochran's Legacy

[ENewton]

I know that this brother was a Kappa, but i'm not addressing his greek affiliations:

I was reading on another message board this morning when I came across a thread about the passing of Johnnie Cochran. This man has made an enormous impact on the African American community through hi work and service. He has been a steadfast beacon in his field for years. What bothered me about what I read was the overall response of the MB members (who are mostly white) to Mr. Cochran's death. They made such comments as "That's what he gets for setting a killer free" and "Now they will be able to convict killers in California..." The negativity goes on and on. I am truly amazed that after all of this time, our white counterparts still display ill feelings toward this man.

My thought process on this situation is this: Do they seemingly hate Mr. Cochran for :setteing a killer free" or is it the fact thatthe woman that OJ allegedly killed was white? Please share your thoughts on this situation.

[TonyB06]

The bigger point you're addressing points to the "small-mindedness" of these comments, which comes in all colors. In Cochran's case it's exacerbated because of the racial subtexts of the Simpson case--as race is never very far from the surface of American life.

Cochran did his job in the Simpson case, making the state meet (or in that case pointing out their failure to meet) the burden of proof in the eyes of a jury. Anyone reading about the full scope of Cochran's work, available in every media account I've seen, would be foolish to make a judgement on Cochran the man based on any one case.

Long story short, small-mindedness, or the inability to grasp that with which you don't agree, will always be around. Shake it off and roll on.

[Steeltrap]

^^
Exactly. Johnnie Cochran poked holes in a weak, poorly executed prosecution case that hinged on a witness with a documented racial animus. Not exactly strong stuff.

And I say this as someone who LOATHES Ohhhhjjjjenthal Simpson.

[AKA2D '91]

Since the OJ case was more than 10 years ago, I guess this person feels that Johnnie "got what he deserved", so I guess Nicole got what she deserved by breaking up OJs marriage to Margurite. Yeah, she knew OJ was a married man, with a family, yet she CONTINUED to wreak havoc (calling and hanging up, driving by the house, etc PER Margurite 10+ years ago on Larry King Live (that has NOTHING to do with color). So, I guess she got what she deserved as well.

Whatever the case is...Johnnie did his job, just like MOST attorneys do, have done and will continue to do!

Tony, this is what Johnnie said in an interview BET showed parts of last night. Race will always be an intricate part of this country...





May he rest in peace!

[Professor]

Johnnie was the attorney not the jury - - - he did the job he was paid to do. I think he was a brilliant man even for a Kappa

[KSigkid]

I only see one post that is at all negative about Mr. Cochran's passing. The rest of the posts (mine included) seem to be in shock that he died so suddenly and at such a relatively young age.

[TonyB06]

Friends, Famous Clients Attend Johnnie Cochran's Funeral in Los Angeles
Date: Wednesday, April 06, 2005
By: Linda Deutsch, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Johnnie Cochran Jr.'s most celebrated clients, O.J. Simpson and Michael Jackson, joined civil rights figures and Hollywood stars at the lawyer's funeral Wednesday, remembering Cochran's cunning legal skills and his commitment to the people he represented.

"He didn't just love justice or admire justice - he did justice, he achieved justice, he fought for justice, he made it happen," said Mayor James Hahn, the former city attorney and a Cochran friend.

"We didn't clap when the acquittal of Simpson came for O.J. We were clapping for Johnnie," the Rev. Al Sharpton told the packed West Angeles Cathedral, drawing applause from a throng that ranged from the Rev. Jesse Jackson to Michael Jackson and his attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr.

"We were clapping because for decades our brothers, our cousins, our uncles had to stand in the well with no one to stand up for them. And finally a black man came and said, 'If it don't fit, you must acquit,'" Sharpton said, referring to Cochran's famous quote from Simpson's trial about a glove found at the murder scene.

Jesse Jackson called Cochran "the tallest tree in our legal forest. ... The national stage did not make Johnnie, it revealed him."

The range of mourners reflected Cochran's work in high-profile civil rights cases and high-glamour trials. Also paying respects were such celebrities as Stevie Wonder and Earvin "Magic" Johnson. "We've known him for representing O.J. and Michael, but he was bigger and better than that," Johnson said outside. "He represented people you've never heard of."

In a tribute advertisement published in the Los Angeles Times, former colleagues called attention to a lesser-known case - Cochran's advocacy for people affected by 1921 race riots in Tulsa, Okla.

"Johnnie was to this era what Thurgood Marshall was to the era before him," Sharpton said, referring to the first black U.S. Supreme Court justice. "The press does not understand why thousands are here. But you would've had to be someone stopped by a cop only because of your skin color to know why we love Johnnie Cochran."


In 1997, Cochran won freedom for Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt, a former Black Panther who spent 27 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. The attorney called the moment "the happiest day of my life practicing law."


http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site....ews/cochran407

[Gyrl7]

I'ain hear/read the ignoramuses say anything about F. Lee Bailey getting what he deserves. I mean after all, he was on the dream team too. And wasn't he on the case before Johnnie and because he was doing such a bang up job JOHNNIE HAD TO TAKE OVER??? Nyellooo???

Oh, dang, wait I guess that's because F. Lee hasn't passed on yet???

And to take it a step further how many people have NOT been getting what they deserve for enslaving, beating and killing our people for YEARS?

Hmmmph! Yeah!

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by Gyrl7
I'ain hear/read the ignoramuses say anything about F. Lee Bailey getting what he deserves. I mean after all, he was on the dream team too. And wasn't he on the case before Johnnie and because he was doing such a bang up job JOHNNIE HAD TO TAKE OVER??? Nyellooo???

Oh, dang, wait I guess that's because F. Lee hasn't passed on yet???

And to take it a step further how many people have NOT been getting what they deserve for enslaving, beating and killing our people for YEARS?

Hmmmph! Yeah!

I'd be surprised if anyone is saying anything nice (professionally) about F. Lee Bailey. He ended up being disbarred for misusing millions of dollars of stock that belonged to one of his clients.