After fierce courtroom battles during the O.J. Simpson trial, attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. changed his tune and sang the praises of Christopher Darden at a tribute to the Los Angeles prosecutor.
"When the battle is over, you go on and you will appreciate the courage, the integrity and the strength of your adversary," Cochran said Monday night.About 500 people gathered at the California Afro-American Museum for the reception. Darden, who is black, had been criticized as a traitor to his race for his aggressive prosecution of Simpson.
"Deep racial lines were drawn in the sand - and you were inescapably caught in the middle of some of them," said John W. Mack, president of the Los Angeles Urban League.
Darden told the crowd they didn't have to welcome him back to the community because he never left.