La Race Riots
Gabriel Gullion
The 1992 Los Angeles Race Riots stemmed from a building of mistrust between the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the city’s African American population after the Civil War. There were numerous incidents with the police which boiled up to the start of the riots.
In the 1980s, unemployment was high, drugs and gang activity were prevalent in the poorer neighborhoods of Los Angeles. This created aggressive efforts carried out by the LAPD to control the situation which had become larger than they could manage. In August 1988, the LAPD initiated “Operation Hammer” drug searches throughout the city. In one case, 80 officers destroyed two apartments in south Los Angeles, leaving dozens homeless.
On March 3rd, 1991, Rodney King, an African American on parole who was intoxicated, led the LAPD on a high-speed chase through the city. When he was stopped in Lakeview Terrace, King was beaten excessively by eight police officers, fracturing his skull and cheekbone. The incident was recorded by a bystander and featured on the news soon after. The clip drew outrage nationwide, featuring the officers repeatedly kicking and beating King with their batons. Most of the officers faced charges of assault and false filing. The following day, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was shot and killed by Soon Ja Du after a dispute about shoplifting. Afterwards, Mayor Tom Bradley formed a commission to investigate the internal operations of the LAPD. The commission published a report which described repeated excessive use of force and recommended a new system to hold officers accountable. On Wednesday, April 29th, 1992, the verdict was released from King’s case. It concluded that all the officers would be acquitted of their charges except for one given to officer Powell for excessive force. The response from citizens was immediate, and soon the streets surrounding the Los Angeles County Courthouse had filled with protesters. Just hours after the verdict was announced, the riot had turned violent. Areas across south and central Los Angeles were set in flames as rioters firebombed and destroyed various building including the Parker Center police headquarters. At the end of the first day, governor Pete Wilson had declared a state of emergency and called for assistance from the National Guard reserve. Rodney King was featured on television asking the public that the riots cease. The riots continued for another two days and simmered out by May 2nd. The immense police and military presence made it impossible to continue in a violent way. 30,000 protesters continued marching peacefully and volunteers helped clean the streets. Over the course of the riots, 2,000 injuries occurred, 12,000 arrests, 63 deaths were a result of the uprising. It was estimated that 3,000 buildings were destroyed with damages in the $1 billion range. |
Rodney King
Sparked the start of the Los Angeles Race Riots after being excessively beaten by LAPD. |
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Rodney King Beaten by LAPD
Ice Cube - Wicked (Explicit)
- “Interactive: Los Angeles in Flux.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, graphics.latimes.com/storyboard-la-riot-demographic-maps/.
- “1992 Los Angeles Riots.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots.
- History.com Staff. “Los Angeles Riots.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2017, www.history.com/topics/the-los-angeles-riots.