American Crime Story

Johnnie Cochran:
[conducting a TV interview] Yes, it’s a complex situation. But we must remember that he is a person not used to being arrested. He’s fragile, confused. Whenever I see a black man being chased by armed officers, my guard goes up.

Interviewer:
With all due respect, this is a… a possible killer who fled from the police.

Johnnie Cochran:
Innocent until proven guilty. If the LAPD is involved, we should let history be our guiding principle. Time after time, the police shoot first and offer sloppy apologies afterwards. 30 years ago, a young man named Leonard Deadwyler was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital. She was about to give birth to their child. And that very same LAPD saw a black man driving too fast, and they did what they do. They shot and killed him. I represented Leonard’s family. It was one of my very first cases. Unfortunately, the first of many. It was a terrible thing. Leonard’s only crime: the colour of his skin.