1992 Los Angeles riots

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Truck driver Reginald Denny lies beaten in an intersection as his assailant, Damian Williams, celebrates.

The 1992 Los Angeles riots, also known as the Rodney King uprising or the Rodney King riots, were sparked on April 29, 1992 when a mostly white jury acquitted four police officers accused in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King, after he fled from police. Thousands of people in Los Angeles, mainly young black and Latino males, joined in what has often been characterized as a race riot, involving mass law-breaking, including looting, arson and murder. In all 50 to 60 people were killed during the riots.

Contents

Underlying causes

In addition to the immediate trigger of the Rodney King verdict, there were many other factors cited as reasons for the unrest, including: the extremely high unemployment among residents of South Los Angeles, which had been hit very hard by the nation-wide recession; a long-standing perception that the LAPD engaged in racial profiling and used excessive force, supported by the Christopher Commission, an investigation led by Warren Christopher (who two years later would become Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton); and specific anger over the light sentence given to a Korean shop-owner for the shooting of Latasha Harlins, a young African-American woman. Additionally, in the time between the public revelation of King's beating and the trial verdict, the two largest L.A. street gangs, the Crips and the Bloods, agreed to a truce with each other, and began working together to make political demands of the police and the LA political establishment.

Racial tensions

Police caught on amateur videotape beating King

Commentators on the eruption of violence emphasize tensions arising from the changing demographics of South Los Angeles as building factors to the riots. The racial makeup of historically black neighborhoods changed as Hispanics took up residency and Koreans bought formerly black owned liquor and small grocery stores. According to census data, in the historically black areas affected by the riots, the Hispanic population increased 119% over the decade leading up to the violence. Economic competition between races in the labor force and in small enterprise provoked more racial animosity; in particular, the 1980s saw downtown Los Angeles' businesses fire most of their black-dominated janitorial staffs and replace them with Latino immigrants earning half the wages paid to their unionized black predecessors. The fracture between Korean-owned businesses and the black residents they served was also especially pronounced. The black community complained of poor treatment by store owners and inflated prices.

Latasha Harlins shooting

Acrimony between Koreans and blacks peaked in a video documented incident involving a 49-year-old Korean woman, Soon Ja Du, who shot and killed Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old African-American girl. The incident occurred on March 16, 1991, which shortly followed the Rodney King beating. Du confronted Harlins over a $1.79 bottle of orange juice sticking outside of her backpack. The security video recording of the incident shows Du initiating physical contact by tugging at Harlins' sweater during a verbal exchange before Harlins countered by punching her four times in the face, hard enough to knock her to the floor. Du responded by throwing a stool at Harlins. As Harlins walked away, Du fatally shot her in the back of her head.

Rodney King trial

On March 3, 1991, African-American Rodney King, on parole from prison on a robbery conviction, led police on a high speed pursuit, refusing to pull over in response to the red lights and sirens behind him. Finally, after driving through several red lights and boulevard stops, he pulled over in the Lake View Terrace district. The Los Angeles police was assisted by other law enforcement. King, who had a record of drunk driving and was believed to be under the influence of PCP, resisted arrest and was tasered, tackled, and beaten with nightsticks by four LAPD officers (three whites and one Hispanic). He is also alleged to have lunged for the weapon of one of the police officers on site, although that event, supposedly being early in the altercation, was not caught on the taping. In a later interview, King admitted that, being on parole, he feared apprehension and being returned to prison for parole violations.

The incident, minus the first few minutes, was captured on video by a private citizen, and it became an international media sensation and a touchpoint for minority activists in Los Angeles and the United States. Eventually the Los Angeles district attorney charged the four with the use of excessive force in the beating. Due to the media coverage of the beating, the trial received a change of venue to a newly constructed courthouse in predominantly white Simi Valley, a Ventura County city. Contrary to popular belief, however, no Simi Valley residents served on the jury, which had been empaneled in Los Angeles County; the jury was, however, drawn from the nearby San Fernando Valley, a predominantly white and Latino area. On April 29, 1992, the jury returned an acquittal on all but one count.

The riots

The riots, beginning in the evening after the verdict, peaked in intensity over the next two days, but would ultimately continue for several days. Continuous television coverage, especially by helicopter news crews, riveted the country and shocked viewers around the world as parts of the city went up in flames, stores were openly looted, innocent bystanders were beaten, and rioters shot at police. A curfew and deployment of California National Guard troops began to control the situation; eventually federal troops would be sent to the city to quell disorder.

Estimates of the number of lives lost during the unrest vary between 50 and 60, with as many as 2,000 persons 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. About 10,000 people were arrested; about 42% African-American, 44% Hispanic, 9% white, and 2% other. These numbers are proportional to the number of residents in the areas of Los Angeles where the events occurred, although they are not proportional to the racial make-up of Los Angeles as a whole. Stores owned by Korean and other Asian immigrants were widely targeted, although stores owned by whites and blacks were also targeted. Despite the race riot image the event retains, much of the looting and violence was done by young men, black, Hispanic, and white, and much of the looting was opportunistic theft of luxury goods. Criminals used the chaos to their own benefit, and street gangs settled scores with each other and with the police.

First day (Wednesday, April 29)

The unrest began at various points, intersecting with rush hour, as the news of the verdict spread. Protesters at the Los Angeles County Courthouse were generally peaceful, but protests at the Parker Center, the headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department, resulted in several arrests. Police chief Daryl Gates, long criticized for perceived racism and corruption in the department, later drew sharp rebuke for attending a political fundraiser that evening. 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. Violence appeared quickly, especially in the historically black South Los Angeles neighborhood around the intersection of Florence and Normandie. This intersection became infamous as the "flashpoint" of the riots.

Comments of Public Officials

In response to the violence, Los Angeles Mayor, Tom Bradley, commented that the verdict in the King trial "will never blind us to what we saw on that videotape." President George H.W. Bush said "The jury system has worked. What's needed now is calm, respect for the law."

Reginald Denny beating

In the late afternoon, Reginald Denny, a white truck driver stopped at a traffic light on the intersection of Florence and Normandie Ave, and was dragged from his vehicle and severely beaten by an angry mob of black youths as news helicopters hovered above, recording every blow, including a concrete fragment connecting with Denny's temple and a cinder block dropped on his head as he lay prostrate in the street. The police never appeared, having been ordered to withdraw for their own safety, although several assailants were later arrested and one sent to prison. Denny was rescued by black neighbors who, seeing the assault live on television, rushed to the scene. Denny would recover after brain surgery; due to the live coverage he remains the best-known victim of the riots.

Just minutes after Denny was rescued and at the same intersection, another victim was beaten on video tape. Fidel Lopez, a self-employed construction worker and Guatemalan immigrant, was ripped from his truck and robbed of nearly $2,000. A rioter smashed his forehead open with a car stereo as another rioter attempted to slice his ear off. After Lopez blacked out, the crowd spray painted his chest, torso and genitals black. Lopez survived the attack after extensive surgery to reattach his partially severed ear and months of rehabilitation.

Arsonists struck in that neighborhood and others, taking out their anger on unguarded businesses. 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. Rescue personnel were shot at. By darkness, stores were being openly looted and fires burned unfought as fire officials refused to send firemen into personal danger. The LAPD deployed in riot gear but were unseen in broad sections of the city.

Second day (Thursday, April 30)

By the second day the violence appeared widespread and unchecked. Open gun battles were televised as Korean shopkeepers (many of them veterans of the Korean War or South Korean participation in the Vietnam War) took to using firearms to protect their businesses from crowds of looters. Organized response began to come together by mid-day. Fire crews began to respond backed by police escort. California Highway Patrol reinforcements were airlifted to the city. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared a state of emergency and announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew. President George H.W. Bush spoke out against the rioting, stating that "anarchy" would not be tolerated. The California National Guard, which unfortunately had been advised not to expect civil disturbance, responded quickly by calling up some 2,000 soldiers, but could not get them to the city until nearly 24 hours had passed. Initially, they would only secure areas previously cleared of rioters by police. Later, they would actively provide firepower for law enforcement. The Los Angeles Times reported that several of the King jurors had fled their homes and that Rodney King had been placed under psychiatric care.

Third day (Friday, May 1)

The third day was punctuated by live footage of a shaken Rodney King asking, "Can we all get along?"Ralph Keyes. The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When. ISBN 0312340044 [link] That morning, at 1:00 a.m., California Governor Pete Wilson had requested federal assistance, but it would not be ready until Saturday. State guard units (doubled to 4,000 troops), continued to move into the city in Humvees. Additionally, a varied contingent of 1,700 federal law-enforcement officers from different agencies 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.

By this point, many entertainment and sports events were postponed or cancelled. The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Portland Trail Blazers in a basketball playoff game on the night the rioting started, but the following game was postponed until Sunday and moved to Las Vegas. The Los Angeles Clippers moved a playoff game against the Utah Jazz to nearby Anaheim. In baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers postponed games on four straight days from Thursday to Sunday; all were made up as part of doubleheaders in July. The Hollywood Park and Los Alamitos horse racing tracks were also shut down. L.A. Fiesta Broadway, a major event in the Latino community, was not held in the first weekend in May as scheduled.

Fourth day (Saturday, May 2)

With the fourth day, 4,000 soldiers from the United States Army and Marines were ready to deploy from Fort Ord and Camp Pendleton to suppress the crowds and restore order. Calm began to reappear as the federal presence spread. With most of the violence under control, Korean people conducted a march demanding that Koreatown be rebuilt. By the end of the day a sense of normality began to return, although many middle-class Angelenos had simply fled the city for the weekend. Others simply holed up at home and watched television coverage. Saturday night partying fed a slight resurgence of lawlessness.

Whether in response to the riots, or simply the verdict, 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 "pretty much under control". However, in an isolated incident, a motorist was shot in an evening encounter with National Guardsmen.

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, reluctant to leave residents unprotected, would not stand down until May 9; the state guard remained until May 14; and some soldiers remained as late as May 27.

Aftermath

After the riots, pressure mounted for a retrial of the officers, and federal charges of civil rights violations were brought against the officers. Near the first anniversary of the acquittal, the city tensely awaited the decision of the federal jury; seven days of deliberations raised speculative fear of an incendiary outcome in the event of a not guilty verdict.

Precautionary measures were taken by the government and media. The decision was read in an atypical 7:00 a.m. Saturday court session on April 17, 1993. Two officers--Officer Laurence Powell and Sergeant Stacy Koon were found guilty and another two acquitted. Mindful of accusations of sensationalist reporting following the first jury decision, media outlets opted for more sober coverage which included calmer on-the-street interviews. Police were fully mobilized with officers on 12-hour shifts, convoy patrols, scout helicopters, street barricades, tactical command centers, and support from the National Guard and Marines. No violence broke out.

Peter Ueberroth, president of the Organisation Committee of 1984 Summer Olympics in L.A., attempted to spur development of damaged areas as head of Rebuild L.A., which fell short of its monetary goals by more than half and failed to attract substantive corporate investment in poor areas. The effort lasted until its charter expired in 1997.

The riots in popular culture

Music

Body Count's track, "Cop Killer", from their self-titled debut album, was seen by many critics as a song that encouraged the behavior seen in the riots as well as promoting the arbitrary murder of police officers. The album was released on March 30, 1992, one month before the riots began.
Sublime's song entitled "April 29th 1992" is based on accounts of the riots.
Dr Dre's song "The Day The Niggaz Took Over" featuring Snoop (Doggy) Dogg, RBX & Daz Dillinger (formally known as "Dat Nigga Daz"), describes the specific situation from a black "thug" perspective and includes live interviews by people from the street.
Ice Cube's song, "We Had To Tear This Motherfucka Up" was written as a statement on the verdict and expressed sentiments similar to those of the alleged rioters. Most of his 1992 release, "The Predator", was in some way evocative of the riots and King.
Ice Cube's song "Black Korea" on his 1991 album "Death Certificate" targets racist Korean store owners. A year later, Koreans and Korean-owned stores were a major target in the riots.
Porno for Pyros' self-titled debut album was wholly inspired by the riots.
Downset song "Anger" from their self-titled debut album was inspired by the riots.
Ben Harper's song "Like a King" plays on the fact that Rodney King shares the last name of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.
Rage Against The Machine's third album was entitled The Battle of Los Angeles.
Billy Idol's song, "Shock to the System" contains many references to the riots.
Bad Religion's songs "Recipe For Hate" and "Don't Pray on Me" (both off the album Recipe For Hate) were influenced by the riots
Dr. Dre's song "Natural Born Killas" contains a line, rapped by Ice Cube: "So fuck Charlie Manson/I snatch him out his truck/hit him with a brick/and I'm dancin'", in reference to Reginald Denny/Damian Williams incident
Tori Amos's clip for the song "1000 Oceans" recreated scenes from the L.A. riots. The film-clip was shot in L.A. and featured local actors who had lived through the riots.
Rancid's song "I Wanna Riot" is based on the events.
The Californian African-American all-female group En Vogue released their anti-prejudice song "Free Your Mind" the same year after the riots. It was a Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit for them.
Machine Head's song "real eyes, realize, real lies" is an instrumental about the 1992 LA riots with sampled commentary from news reports and interviews
The Offspring's song "L.A.P.D." off Ignition is all about the Rodney King incident.
Tupac Shakur's song "To Live & Die in L.A." makes many references to the riots.
fIREHOSE's "4.29.92" from the album "Mr. Machinery Operator" contains sound effects from the riots.

Film

The 1991 film Grand Canyon, which reflected on the divide between people of different race and class in L.A., was widely seen as a prefiguration of the riots, particularly in a scene with a white driver who was nearly carjacked by young black thugs, then rescued by a black tow-truck driver.
Spike Lee's 1992 film Malcolm X opens with a scene of the Rodney King beating, juxtaposed with a burning American flag that burns down and forming the letter X.
The 1994 film Floundering explores the alienation and disaffection the main character sees in his neighborhood of post-riot Venice Beach.
Oliver Stone's 1994 film, Natural Born Killers, contains footage of police beating Woody Harrelson's character in a manner which closely parallels the Rodney King beating.
The 2002 film Dark Blue is set during the riots, and reenacts several portions of it, as well as showing the two famous videos.
Sa-I-Gu is a short 1993 documentary about Korean women affected by the rioting in Los Angeles in 1992.
The 1993 film Menace II Society opens with a scene that ambiguously depicts Korean racism against blacks. Two black boys are hassled by Korean shopkeepers who suspect they are shoplifting, and in retaliation, one murders them and robs the store.
The 1998 film American History X has characters argue over the circumstances of Rodney King's arrest.

Television

The NBC drama L.A. Law seventh-season opener was set on the day of the riots.
The NBC sitcom A Different World featured an episode where the two main characters are spending their honeymoon in Los Angeles during the L.A. riots
The fourth-season opener of the ABC sitcom Doogie Howser, MD was fully devoted to the 1992 riots in Los Angeles.
The third-season opener of the Fox comedy series In Living Color focused on the L.A. riots, and subsequent third-season episodes featured skits focusing on the L.A. riots (example: "The L.A. Riots Anniversary Special" promo).
The sitcom Everybody Hates Chris also frequently refers to the L.A riots.

Other

Stage actress Anna Deavere Smith created a play, [[Twilight: Los Angeles 1992]], based on interviews with people about the riots.
Video game [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] contained a section in which the player had to wade through a strikingly similar riot to complete missions near the end of the game. The riots were in Los Santos, the game's version of Los Angeles, and followed the acquittal of corrupt police officer Frank Tenpenny, the game's primary antagonist. The game is also set in 1992.
The spoken-word album Everything by Henry Rollins is a chapter out of his book Eye Scream, which contains accounts of Rollins's life in LA during the riots as well as his opinions of the cops and the reaction of the residents.
In the fourth Police Quest game it is, at one point, commented that Los Angeles has not yet recovered from the riots.
The posthumous Bill Hicks album Arizona Bay is a collection of stand-up routines about the L.A. Riots, Reginald Denny and the Rodney King trial. This routine is also featured on his UK albums: Salvation and Live at The Oxford Playhouse.

Notes

External links

[Military operations during the 1992 Los Angeles riots] - by a participating guardsman
[Lessons in command and control from the L.A. riots] - Parameters, journal of the Army War College
[Flawed Emergency Response during the L.A. riots] - professional article
[The LA Riots 1992] - An anarchist perspective focusing on riots, characterizes riots as political uprising.
[The L.A. 53] - full listing of 53 known deaths during the riots, from the L.A. Weekly
[L.A.'s darkest days] - Christian Science Monitor retrospective and interviews with victims and participants
[Charting The Hours of Chaos] - a Los Angeles Times article

Photography

[Urban Voyeur] - black and white photographs taken during the riots
[Aftermath of the Rodney King riots] - photographs

Video

[Los Angeles riots] - IFILM

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