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The Bay State Banner
Article 11-28-2002
Beyond O. J., Cochran continues crusade for justice
Johnnie Cochran (right) with Black Library Booksellers kiosk vendor Lloyd Hart at the
Ritz Hotel on Veterans Day. Since defending O.J. Simpson, Cochran has continued to take on
high-profile cases and written his autobiography A Lawyer's Life.
by Kay Bourne (The Bay State Banner)
Nov 28, 2002 - The media remains fixated on the
O. J. trial but defense counsel Johnnie Cochran has moved on.
America’s best known defense lawyer writes about the trial of the century and its
outcomes for him in an enthralling look at this rapper of consequential rhymes, the
autobiographical “A Lawyer’s Life” (Thomas Dunne
Books/St. Martin’s Press, Oct. 2002).
Happily for the goal of establishing a more democratized social order, his passion as a
litigator has been ignited by numerous other cases since. First up, he got involved in
representing Latrell Sprewell of the Golden State Warriors whose contract had been severed
for an aberrant infraction which was going to cost the basketball star $25 million.
Then came the Abner Louima personal injury/police brutality case, carried out in a new
city for Cochran, New York. Some changes that likely occurred because of the success of
the defense include the creation of a civilian panel rather than one comprised of members
of the NYPD to prosecute police brutality, and improved training procedures concerning the
use of force.
Police brutality cases have been a specialty of Cochran, who had been a longtime
resident of L.A., since the mid-1960s when the court battles he waged were fought far from
the glare of TV lights. These days, as in the case of the killing of Amadou Diallo by four
white police officers, there are public demonstrations and newspaper headlines. Madame
Diallo, Amadou’s mother, asks Cochran to take on the case against the NYPD officers.
To identify only two more of many significant cases, you will also read of how an
infuriated Cochran takes on the public transit system and a shopping mall in Buffalo, New
York in the case of the death of part-time worker Cynthia Wiggins, a teen mom. A case
involving racial profiling on the New Jersey turnpike put that phrase firmly in the public
consciousness.
Cochran’s prowess as a defense attorney has amazed people.
“A
Lawyer’s Life” displays another astonishing facet to this legal prudence
giant as reading along you realize how the outcomes of his cases have alleviated so many
injustices of our times.
The motivation for police misconduct in these cases is likely not a puzzle for the
victims who clearly sense they are being seen through the prism of race or as “the
other.” This entrenched twist of the psyche is at the heart of what Cochran is
battling in the courtroom. Little wonder he is such a passionate litigator.
Poet Lucille Clifton describes it very well in a piece she entitles “Powell,”
named for one of the officers who beat Rodney King.
She writes as if Powell were speaking: “This is that dream I wake from
crying...something about my life they know and hate and I hate them for knowing it so
well...and, as they surround me nearer, nearer I reach to pick up anything - a tool,
a stick, a weapon - and something begins to die.” The poem quoted from appears
in the most recent issue of “Callaloo” magazine (Vol. 25, No.4).
A heavy shower late in the morning on Veterans Day had surprised the guests at the Ritz
Carlton who shook off raindrops as they plunged into the swank lobby. Lloyd Hart, owner of
the Black Library Booksellers, and this writer were early for our meeting with Johnnie
Cochran, who had stopped in Boston as part of a tour promoting his book.
At exactly to the minute of our appointment, the sharply dressed Mr. Cochran stepped
off the elevator easily recognizing us as we waved copies of his book in his direction. A
helpful hotel employee showed us to a private room on the mezzanine level so we could talk
uninterrupted.
The three of us sat around a small table with Mr. Cochran pleasantly open to any
question we might have. Many of the topics were provided by Hart, who mans a book kiosk on
wheels in Downtown Crossing (and MBTA Bus Plaza, Dudley Square, Roxbury, MA)
where he talks books to customers every day.
In response to Hart’s query about what Johnnie Cochran thinks about being a black
man in this society, Mr. Cochran began his response by referring to a book published a
century ago. He knew passages of the book by heart. “In 1903, W. E. B. DuBois in his
“Souls of Black Folk” addressed that issue,” said the modern day lawyer.
“He wrote about functioning with two souls, two thoughts, two warring ideals.
“Only inner strength keeps you from being torn asunder,” Cochran said.
“To be successful you have to have a dual consciousness and be mindful of both
people ( that you are) and remain true to both,” he said.
Hart was also interested in hearing from Cochran about where he thinks the real power
of the African American lies. “That’s changed somewhat,” replied Cochran.
“The black church was a great repository of our strength, but maybe not so much now
as in the past.
“When Dr. King came to town, the black church was the golden place, now we’re
not (so apt to meet there).
“I would hope, along with the church, that the African American family unit would
be the source of strength.
“If we don’t have our unity, and with America so evenly divided as the last
(presidential) election showed, we are weakened. We could carry the day. We’re making
a serious mistake not to seize the power we could have,” he said.
The topic changed to Mr. Cochran’s reading habits. “Reading has all along
enhanced my desires,” he said.
When he was eleven years old growing up in the Louisiana countryside, Cochran became
fascinated by the crusading attorney Thurgood Marshall, whom he read about. He tracked
down and pored over important cases that the civil rights lawyer carried out despite the
danger to himself.
“I could read about what I didn’t see around me,” Cochran said. “I
could visualize what I wanted to be. I could dream about it.”
He was talking rapidly so the Cochranesque epigram slipped out naturally as part of his
impassioned recollections. “In order to lead, you’ve got to be able to
read.”
Cochran believes that “reading opens up vistas that will take a person out of
themselves (and into a new future).”
For Cochran reading also promotes a strength that has been a hallmark of African
American success. “We have learned in this country to make do with less. You
don’t cry about it, you deal with it.”
Hart wanted to know what advice Mr. Cochran has for young black men. He responded,
“Despite all the obstacles we have, there is a great possibility of success if you
can remain centered and apply yourself. Remember not to give up.
“It’s staying on the road. It’s a journey and if you give up, you lose
out. If you have the faith, I’m here to tell you it’s possible,” he said.
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