1992 Los Angeles riots: Difference between revisions

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The most accurate documented count of the dead may be the April 24, 2002 [[LA Weekly]] article, "The L.A. 53", by Jim Crogan. Using coroner's reports, police records and interviews, he documented 53 people and how they died.
The most accurate documented count of the dead may be the April 24, 2002 [[LA Weekly]] article, "The L.A. 53", by Jim Crogan. Using coroner's reports, police records and interviews, he documented 53 people and how they died.

==Underlying causes==
In addition to the immediate trigger of the verdict, many other factors were cited as reasons for the unrest, including extremely high unemployment among residents of [[South Central Los Angeles]], which had been hit very hard by the [[Late 1980s recession|nation-wide recession]]. Economic factors such as poverty<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/29/local/me-riots29 15 years after L.A. riots, tension still high]</ref> and high levels of unemployment<ref>[www.cityresearch.com/pubs/la_riot.pdf The Los Angeles Riot and the Economics of Urban Unrest]</ref> are argued to have contributed to the riots.

Moreover, a long-standing perception that the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] (LAPD) engaged in [[racial profiling]] and used excessive force, subsequently supported by the [[Christopher Commission]], an investigation led by [[Warren Christopher]] (who would become Secretary of State the following year under President [[Bill Clinton]]); and specific anger over the sentence given to a [[Korean American]] shop-owner for the killing of [[Latasha Harlins]], an [[African American]] girl.

Then Republican Vice President [[Dan Quayle]], however; [[Dan_Quayle#Vice_Presidency|blamed]] a "Poverty of Values"{{ndash}}"I believe the lawless social anarchy which we saw is directly related to the breakdown of family structure, personal responsibility and social order in too many areas of our society"<ref>[http://www.commonwealthclub.org/archive/20thcentury/92-05quayle-speech.html THE VICE PRESIDENT SPEAKS]</ref>


==Media coverage==
==Media coverage==

Revision as of 16:19, 11 April 2009

Home movie showing Rodney King being beaten by police

The Los Angeles Riots of 1992, also known as the Rodney King uprising or the Rodney King riots, were sparked on

Los Angeles area rioted over the six days following the verdict. Widespread looting, assault, arson and murder occurred, and property damages totaled US$1 billion. Many of the crimes were racially motivated or perpetrated. In all, 53 people died during the riots and thousands more were injured.[1]

Background

On

tasered, and heavily beaten with clubs, by four L.A.P.D. officers. The incident, without the first few minutes where police claim King was violently resisting arrest, was captured on camcorder by Argentine George Holliday[2]
from his apartment in the vicinity. The footage of King being beaten by police officers while lying on the ground became an international media sensation and a rallying point for activists in Los Angeles and around the United States.

The police officers claimed that King appeared to be under the influence of

Lake View Terrace district. In a later interview, King, who was on parole from prison on a robbery conviction, and who had past convictions for assault, battery and robbery[4][5]
said that, being on parole, he feared apprehension and being returned to prison for parole violations.

The Los Angeles DA subsequently charged four police officers with assault and three of the four with use of excessive force.[6] Due to heavy media coverage of the arrest, the trial received a change of venue from Los Angeles County to a newly constructed courthouse in the predominantly white city of Simi Valley in neighboring Ventura County. No Simi Valley residents served on the jury, which was drawn from the nearby San Fernando Valley, a predominantly white and Hispanic area, and composed of ten whites, one Hispanic, and one Asian.[7] The prosecutor, Terry White, was black.[8][9]

On April 29, 1992, the seventh day of jury deliberations, the jury acquitted all four officers of assault and acquitted three of the four of using excessive force. The jury could not agree on a verdict for the fourth officer charged with using excessive force.[7] The verdicts were based in part on the first two seconds of a blurry, 13-second segment of the video tape that was edited out by television news stations in their broadcast.[10] During the first two seconds of videotape[11], Rodney King allegedly gets up off the ground and charges in the general direction of one of the police officers, Laurence Powell, but this allegation is disputed due to the blurriness of the video. During the next minute and 19 seconds, however, King is beaten continuously by the officers. The officers testified that they tried to physically restrain King prior to the starting point of the videotape but, according to the officers, King was able to physically throw them off himself.[12] Based on this testimony and the previously unseen segment of the videotape, the officers were acquitted on almost all charges.

Another theory offered by the prosecution for the officers' acquittal is that the jurors may have become desensitized to the violence of the beating, as the defense played the videotape repeatedly in slow motion, breaking it down until its emotional impact was lost.[13]

Riot

The riots, beginning in the evening after the verdict, peaked in intensity over the next two days, but ultimately continued for several days. Television coverage of the riots was near-continuous, including much footage from helicopter news crews. A curfew, and deployment of the

Camp Pendleton
were ordered to the city to quell disorder as well.

Fifty-three lives were lost, many of them murdered, [citation needed] with as many as 2,000 people injured. Estimates of the material damage done vary between about $800 million and $1 billion. Approximately 3,600 fires were set, destroying 1,100 buildings, with fire calls coming once every minute at some points. Stores owned by Korean and other Asian immigrants were widely targeted, although stores owned by whites and African-Americans were targeted by rioters as well. Street gangs used the riot as an opportunity to settle scores with each other, and fought the police and military as well.

First day (Wednesday, April 29)

The acquittals of the four accused LAPD officers came at 3:15 p.m. local time. By 3:45, a generally peaceful crowd of more than 300 people had appeared at the Los Angeles County Courthouse, most protesting the verdict passed down a half an hour earlier. Between 5 and 6 p.m., a group of two dozen officers, commanded by LAPD Lt. Michael Moulin, confronted a growing crowd at the intersection of Florence and Normandie in

Latino-Americans
of white appearance.

Reginald Denny beating

Main article:
Reginald Denny incident

At approximately 6:45 p.m., Reginald Oliver Denny, a white truck driver who stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of Florence and South Normandie Avenues, was dragged from his vehicle and severely beaten by a mob of local black residents as news helicopters hovered above, recording every blow, including a concrete fragment connecting with Denny's temple and a cinder block thrown at his head as he lay unconscious in the street. The police never appeared, having been ordered to withdraw for their own safety, although several assailants (the so-called

Damian Williams
, was sent to prison. Instead, Denny was rescued, not by police officers, but by an unarmed, African-American civilian named Bobby Green Jr. who, seeing the assault live on television, rushed to the scene and drove Denny to the hospital using the victim's own truck, which carried twenty-seven tons of sand. Denny recovered after brain surgery. Although several other motorists were brutally beaten by the same mob, due to the live coverage, Denny remains the best-known victim of the riots.

Fidel Lopez beating

At the same intersection, just minutes after Denny was rescued, another beating was captured on video tape. Fidel Lopez, a self-employed construction worker and Guatemalan immigrant, was ripped from his truck and robbed of nearly $2,000.

Damian Williams smashed his forehead open with a car stereo[15] as another rioter attempted to slice his ear off. After Lopez lost consciousness, the crowd spray painted his chest, torso and genitals black.[16]
Rev. Bennie Newton, an African American minister who ran an inner-city ministry for troubled youth, prevented others from beating Fidel by placing himself between Fidel and his attackers and shouting "Kill him and you have to kill me, too". He was also instrumental in helping Fidel get medical aid by taking him to the hospital. Lopez survived the attack, after extensive surgery to reattach his partially severed ear and months of recovery.

The riots continue

Arsonists struck in that neighborhood and others, taking out their anger on several unguarded businesses, police and other

races. By 7:30 the intersection of Florence and Normandie was completely looted, burned and destroyed, causing the rioters to move into other neighborhoods of South Central. The LAFD's first fire call relating to the riots came at about 7:45 p.m. Looters threw bricks to smash windows and Molotov cocktails to start fires. Cars were torched to block intersections; others were carjacked and their drivers beaten. Shots were fired at rescue personnel. By dark, stores were being openly looted and fires burned unabated as fire officials refused to send firemen into personal danger. The LAPD ordered all officers to report for duty, and many deployed in riot gear but they were unseen in broad sections of the city. Between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. rioting focused in South Central Los Angeles began to spread. Between 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. rioting began in Inglewood
and other communities.

By 9:00 p.m., the protest at

Nickerson Gardens
projects that were killed during the battle.

Long-established LAPD tactics and procedures held that the opening hours of a riot were critical, and that a full-force response was required. The LAPD did not respond quickly and decisively in the opening hours, however, and suffered persistent criticism as a result during and following the riots.

National Guard
.

Second day (Thursday, April 30)

By the second day violence appeared widespread and unchecked as heavy

Paso Robles). Initially, they only secured areas previously cleared of rioters by police. Later, they actively ran patrols, maintained checkpoints
, and provided firepower for law enforcement.

In an attempt to end hostilities, Bill Cosby spoke on the NBC affliate television station KNBC and asked people to stop what they were doing and instead watch the final episode of The Cosby Show.[18][19]

The same members of LAPD

Metropolitan Division C-platoon that were involved in the firefight at 114th Street and Central Avenue on the first night drove into a robbery in progress at the gas station at Vernon and Western. One robber was killed, a second was wounded and a sawed-off shotgun
was recovered.

Third day (Friday, May 1)

The third day was punctuated by live footage of Rodney King asking, "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?"

Humvees. Additionally, a varied contingent of 1,700 federal law-enforcement officers from different agencies from across the state began to arrive, to protect federal facilities and assist local police. As darkness fell, the main riot area was further hit by a power outage
.

Friday evening, President

George H.W. Bush spoke to the nation, denouncing "random terror and lawlessness", summarizing his discussions with Mayor Bradley and Governor Wilson, and outlining the federal assistance he was making available to local authorities. Citing the "urgent need to restore order", he warned that the "brutality of a mob" would not be tolerated, and he would "use whatever force is necessary". He then turned to the Rodney King case and a more moderate tone, describing talking to his own grandchildren and pointing to the reaction of "good and decent policemen" as well as civil rights leaders. He said he had already directed the Justice Department to begin its own investigation, saying that "grand jury action is underway today" and that justice would prevail.[22]

By this point, many entertainment and sports events were postponed or canceled. The

World Wrestling Federation also canceled events on Friday and Saturday in the respective cities of Long Beach and Fresno.[23]

Fourth day (Saturday, May 2)

On the fourth day, 4,000

Camp Pendleton
to suppress the crowds and restore order. Order began to appear as the Army and Marines arrived. With most of the violence under control, 30,000 people attended a peace rally. By the end of the day a sense of normalcy began to return.

Whether in response to the riots, or simply to the acquittal, on May 2 the Justice Department announced it would begin a federal investigation of the Rodney King beating.

Fifth day (Sunday, May 3)

Overall quiet set in and Mayor Bradley assured the public that the crisis was, more or less, under control.[24] In one incident, National Guardsmen shot and killed a motorist that they said tried to run them over.[25]

Sixth day (Monday, May 4)

Although Mayor Bradley lifted the curfew, signaling the official end of the riots, sporadic violence and crime continued for a few days afterward. Schools, banks, and businesses reopened. Federal troops did not stand down until May 9; the state guard remained until May 14; and some soldiers remained as late as May 27.

The most accurate documented count of the dead may be the April 24, 2002 LA Weekly article, "The L.A. 53", by Jim Crogan. Using coroner's reports, police records and interviews, he documented 53 people and how they died.

Underlying causes

In addition to the immediate trigger of the verdict, many other factors were cited as reasons for the unrest, including extremely high unemployment among residents of

nation-wide recession. Economic factors such as poverty[26] and high levels of unemployment[27]
are argued to have contributed to the riots.

Moreover, a long-standing perception that the

African American
girl.

Then Republican Vice President Dan Quayle, however; blamed a "Poverty of Values"–"I believe the lawless social anarchy which we saw is directly related to the breakdown of family structure, personal responsibility and social order in too many areas of our society"[28]

Media coverage

Ronald N. Jacobs’s book, Race, Media, and the Crisis of Civil Society: From the Watts Riots to Rodney King, covers some of the basic effects of the media prior and during the Rodney King beating and Riot. [29]

Media coverage prior to the riots

The media, especially the daily press and television, played a huge role in the story immediately after the beating. Coverage related to the beating was published tremendously during the initial two weeks after the beating: the

New York Times published twenty-one articles, and the Chicago Tribune published fifteen articles. Eight stories appeared on ABC News
, including a sixty minute special on Primetime Live. All of the stories in the media presented the incident as a shocking tragedy, and blame the police for being irresponsible and taking advantage of their power. A majority of the stories presented the police in a negative light, one story even states that the police were seen laughing and joking about the incident shortly afterwards. All of the stories commented on the appalling images from the video of the white cops beating a helpless black man.

Media coverage during the riot

Almost as soon as the disturbances broke out in South Central, local TV cameras were on the scene and in the air to record the events as they happened. Los Angeles' seven major television stations broadcast nearly continuous live coverage of the disorder for the first two days of the rioting, and their coverage remained comprehensive for the next week. By virtue of their extensive coverage, mainstream television stations provided a vivid, comprehensive and valuable record of the carnage, violence and destruction occurring on the streets of L.A.[30]

There were two different perspectives of the participants during the riot.[citation needed] One side took the riot and turned into a romanticized drama. They portrayed the riot participants as heroic and fighting the evil giants of the Los Angeles Police Department and its leader, Police Chief Daryl Gates.[citation needed]

There was also a second romantic narrative formed during the course of the riot by the Los Angeles Sentinel; it placed the African-American community as a whole as the hero in the riot.[citation needed] The Sentinel's articles seemed to suggest that American society was deeply flawed, and that the African-American community was destined to ultimately change society for the better. They viewed the African-American community as the sole voice for unity and morality, and the only ones that could solve the crisis.[citation needed] The Rodney King beating was a breaking point for the African-American community, and they decided it was time to unleash their full potential and power on the city.

However, not all media portrayed the rioters as heroic. Both the

Chicago Defender and the Los Angeles Sentinel were very critical of the riot participants. They accused the rioters of being wrong in their actions, and that no matter what violence is never justified. They compared the Rodney King Riot to the Watts Riots of Los Angeles in 1965, stating that the African-American community handled the situation wrong and that they were overlooking the actual underlying problems that resulted in the Rodney King beating. The newspapers argued that the catharsis of destructing the city was merely a temporary feeling and that nothing was solved from their actions. On May 9, 1992 the Chicago Defender stated, “The recent two days of rioting and devastation that took place in South Central Los Angeles are a sad, sad commentary on the state of affairs of Black America…The real underlying factor was and still is economics” (p.119). These public statements also reflected those of the 1965 Watts riots
in that they reprimanded the African-American community for acting out in destructive ways, and what they really needed to was redesign their infrastructure to become more successful in their tactics.

There was also the use of a tragic frame by various newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times.[citation needed] The key to a tragic frame is to relinquish all hope, regardless of how just a cause is. To accomplish this they made a hero out of the riot participants, however they also made it clear that a victory was impossible.[citation needed] This was achieved by not so much relying heavily on the details of the Rodney King beating, but to relate it to a larger historical context.[citation needed]

Aftermath

In the aftermath of the riots, pressure mounted for a retrial of the officers, and federal charges of

civil rights violations were brought against the officers. As the first anniversary of the acquittal neared, the city tensely awaited the decision of the federal jury; seven days of deliberations raised fears of further violence in the event of another "not guilty" verdict. The LAPD Captain in charge of the division hired a press agent, thus avoiding direct contact with news media after the riots. (source: Reader's Digest[volume & issue needed
])

The decision was read in an atypical 7:00 a.m. Saturday court session on

National Guard and Marines.[32][33]
These precautionary measures proved an effective deterrent and no further force was needed.

All four of the officers involved have since quit or have been fired from the LAPD. Officer Theodore Briseno left the LAPD after being acquitted on federal charges. Officer Timothy Wind, who was also acquitted a second time, was fired after the appointment of Willie L. Williams as Chief of Police. Chief Williams' tenure was also short-lived. The Los Angeles Police Commission declined to renew his contract, citing Williams' failure to fulfill his mandate to create meaningful change in the department in the wake of the Rodney King disaster.[34]

Rodney King was awarded 3.8 million dollars in damages from the City of Los Angeles for the brutal attack. He invested most of this money in founding a record label, “Straight Alta-Pazz Records”. The venture was unable to garner any success and soon folded. Since the arrest which culminated in his severe beating by the four police officers, King has been arrested eleven times on a variety of misdemeanor charges, including domestic abuse and hit-and-run. [35]

San Bernardino County
in an attempt to escape the fame and notoriety and to begin a new life. King and his family later returned to Los Angeles, where they run a family-owned construction company. King rarely discusses the incident or its aftermath, preferring to remain out of the spotlight. Renee Campbell, his most recent attorney, has described King as “...simply a very nice man caught in a very unfortunate situation.”

The Korean American community in Los Angeles refers to the event as "Sa-I-Gu" (literally 4-29, the first day the riots broke out). The riots prompted various responses from the Korean community, including the formation of activist organisations such as the Association of Korean American Victims, and increased efforts to build bridges with other ethnic groups. [37]

In popular culture

Main article: 1992 Los Angeles riots in popular culture

The Los Angeles riots had a broad impact on popular culture that still continues, influencing music, film, television, video games and other art forms.

The band Sublime wrote and recorded a song about these riots titled "April 29, 1992". The television show Doogie Howser M.D. aired the episode "There's a Riot going On" centered around the riots.

The 2002 film "Dark Blue" starring Kurt Russell uses the riots as a backdrop to a story of corrupt L.A. cops. The climax of the film takes place in South Central as the verdict is read and the riots begin.

The video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas includes a similar riot based on the acquittal of two officers suspected of police brutality.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "The L.A. 53". By Jim Crogan. LA Weekly. April 24, 2002.
  2. ^ la-otra-paliza-con-rodney-king
  3. ^ "Sergeant Says King Appeared to Be on Drugs". The New York Times. March 20, 1992. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ The Arrest Record of Rodney King
  5. ^ Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the Riots Changed Los Angeles and the LAPD pages 41-42
  6. ^ "Police Beating Trial Opens With Replay of Videotape". The New York Times. March 6, 1992. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b "AFTER THE RIOTS; A Juror Describes the Ordeal of Deliberations". The New York Times. May 6, 1992. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ JURIST–The Rodney King Beating Trials
  9. ^ http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/lapd/white.jpg
  10. ^ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/authors_corner/jan-june98/cannon_4-7.html
  11. ^ videotape
  12. EDT
    , approximately 27 minutes into the hour (including commercial breaks).
  13. ^ Cannon, L. (2002). Official Negligence : How Rodney King and the Riots Changed Los Angeles and the LAPD. Basic Books. ISBN 0-81-333725-9
  14. EDT
    , approximately 38 minutes into the hour (including commercial breaks).
  15. ^ "Man Pleads Guilty to Trying To Rob Trucker During Riot". New York Times. March 17, 1993.
  16. ISBN 0195144376
    .
  17. ^ Peter Kivisto, Georganne Rundblad, ed. (2000). Multiculturalism in the United States: Current Issues, Contemporary Voices. Pine Forge Press.
  18. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001070/bio Bill Cosby asks for peace during 1992 Los Angeles Riot
  19. ^ Bay Weekly: This Weeks Feature Stories
  20. ^ Ralph Keyes. The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When ISBN 0-312-34004-4
  21. ^ Mydans, Seth (1993-12-09). "Jury Could Hear Rodney King Today". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-01-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Bush, George H.W. (1992-05-01). "Address to the Nation on the Civil Disturbances in Los Angeles, California". George Bush Presidential Library. Retrieved 2006-05-12.
  23. ^ Cawthon, Graham. "1992 WWF results". The History of WWE. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  24. ^ Del Vecchio, Rick, Suzanne Espinosa, & Carle Nolte (1992-05-04). "Bradley Ready to Lift Curfew He Says L.A. is 'under control'". San Francisco Chronicle. p. A1.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ Reinhold, Robert (May 5, 1992). "RIOTS IN LOS ANGELES: The Overview; As Rioting Mounted, Gates Remained at Political Event". The New York Times. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ 15 years after L.A. riots, tension still high
  27. ^ [www.cityresearch.com/pubs/la_riot.pdf The Los Angeles Riot and the Economics of Urban Unrest]
  28. ^ THE VICE PRESIDENT SPEAKS
  29. ^ Jacobs, R: “Race, Media, and the Crisis of Civil Society: From the Watts Riots to Rodney King”, pages 81-120. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
  30. ^ Erna Smith, Transmitting Race: the Los Angles Riot in Television News, Research Paper, President of the Fellows of Harvard College, 1994, p. 6.
  31. ^ Rosenberg, Howard (1993-04-19). "Los Angeles TV Shows Restraint". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 22.
  32. ^ Mydans, Seth (1993-04-19). "Verdict in Los Angeles; Fear Subsides With Verdict, But Residents Remain Wary". The New York Times. p. 11. Retrieved 2008-04-08.
  33. ^ Tisdall, Simon, & Christopher Reed (1993-04-19). "All Quiet on the Western Front After King Verdicts". The Guardian. p. 20.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ Ayres Jr., B. Drummond (1997-03-11). "Los Angeles Police Chief Will Be Let Go". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Gray, M: “The L.A. Riots 15 Years After Rodney King” [1], TIME Magazine, 25 Apr. 2007.
  36. ^ LeDuff, Charlie (2004-09-19). "12 Years After the Riots, Rodney King Gets Along". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ CGU Culture Critique–Los Angeles Riots: Sa-I-Gu – From a Korean Women’s Perspective

External links

Photography

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