NEWSWEEK: On Aug. 9, 1994, your co-counsel, Robert Shapiro, said, “Race is not and will not be an issue in this case.”
COCHRAN: Yes, he said that. And I really believe that Bob believed that with all his heart. But he couldn’t have understood at that time fully all the things that would happen. As an African-American, I would not have made that statement . . . I think race plays a part of everything in America, let alone this trial . . . I think Bob would have hoped and would have liked that it wouldn’t, but I think that would be extremely naive. That’s one of the problems in America. People don’t want to face up to the fact that we do have some racial divisions.
But what if the facts are that Mark Fuhrman Is a racist and there are racists In the LAPD and your client is guilty?
That’s possible, and you could argue that. But what I would say is that in this instance the same people – or at least one of the people who has racist views-plays such an important part of the evidence. He’s inextricably bound [to it].
Do you regret your comparison of Dot. Mark Fuhrman to Hitler?
No. Because I think it is misunderstood. All I said was that totalitarianism left unchecked led to the massacre of millions of people and . . . to World War II. That in no way trivializes all the lives lost under the terror of Hitler . . . The reason I alluded to Hitler was because . . . [Fuhrman] wanted to practice genocide on African-Americans.
But when you combine that statement with the fact that your new bodyguards are from the Nation of Islam, some people see a disturbing message that you’re sending.
We have had a lot of threats in this case. We got a death threat sent into the court on Tuesday during arguments . . . These fellows are volunteers. There is nothing political about it at all . . . It had nothing to do with the reference to Hitler.
Or to the fact that one of the victims was Jewish?
Absolutely not.
Are you concerned that your arguments might increase racial tensions in L.A.?
One of the things I feel strongly about is to set about on some sort of course of healing. But we have to be aware of what the problem is. It doesn’t make any sense for us to go back into our individual camps after this is over . . . There are people in the African-American community who will continue to have problems with the police. If you went places with me, you would see African-Americans who respond to what I have to say. I spoke what they feel is happening, and I spoke it as an African-American lawyer. This case cried out for that. I love Los Angeles. I don’t want to exacerbate racial problems. But you have to be true to who you are . . . This is not for the timid.
