Rodney King
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Rodney Glenn King (born April 2, 1965 in Sacramento, California) is an African American who — while being videotaped by a bystander (George Holiday) — was continually struck with batons, and subsequently arrested by Los Angeles police officers (LAPD).
The incident raised a public outcry among people who believed it was racially motivated. In an environment of growing tension between the African American community and the LAPD as well as increasing anger over police brutality and more general issues of unemployment, racial tension, and poverty facing the African American community in South Central Los Angeles the acquittal in a state court of the four officers charged with using excessive force in subduing King provided the spark that led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Prior legal history
The incident was not King's first encounter with the police. In 1987 his wife had filed a complaint that he had beat her while she was sleeping, then dragged her out of the house and beat her outside. King pleaded no contest to battery and received probation on the condition that he would seek counseling, which he did not.In 1989, King robbed a convenience store. Faced with charges of assault, robbery, and aggravated assault, he pleaded guilty to the robbery charge in exchange for the assault charges being dropped. King was sentenced to two years in prison and received parole in December 1990.
Confrontation
On the night of March 3, 1991, California Highway Patrol officers saw King speeding on Interstate 210 and chased him for 8 miles at high speeds. When he stopped in Lake View Terrace, he did not obey commands to lie down and reportedly charged one of the officers.At trial, the defense argued that the officers had legitimate reason to believe King was extremely dangerous and possibly on a mind-affecting drug such as PCP and that the force used was justified by that threat. One piece of evidence offered to support this argument was that King showed no response after having been shot by at least one Taser weapon [The Rodney King Trial: Police Transmissions]. The Taser will immediately incapacitate most people. However, the videotape shows that King was putting up little or no resistance against the policemen and for most of the incident lay on the ground, shielding himself. The video shows the officers striking King, giving him verbal commands, and repeating this process. The officers later argued that this was done because King did not comply with their commands during the arrest, and that their actions were in compliance with standard police procedure. King suffered eleven skull fractures, broken bones and teeth, kidney injuries, and permanent brain damage due to injuries suffered during his arrest.
The video footage, while showing most of the incident, is notably lacking in the first few minutes of the confrontation, during which King is alleged to have lunged for the weapon of one of the police officers present. Rodney King was charged with felony evading the night of the incident, but this charge was dropped.
Indictment and prosecution of arresting officers
Three officers and a sergeant were indicted on March 14 for "assault by force likely to produce great bodily injury" and with assault "under color of authority," and two were charged with filing false police reports. Three of the men charged were Caucasian, and one was Latino.The defense successfully filed for a change of venue away from Los Angeles County, where the incident occurred and where, they argued, the defendants could not receive a fair trial, to suburban Simi Valley, in Ventura County, whose population is more affluent, contains a much smaller proportion of African-Americans, and contains a disproportionately large number of law-enforcement officers. However, the jurors themselves were drawn from the entirety of Ventura County, which is not an entirely white and conservative county and includes some blue collar and minority districts. On April 29, 1992, three of the officers were acquitted by a jury of ten whites, one Latino, and an Asian. The jury could not agree on a verdict for one of the counts on one of the officers.
Verdict, LA riots, and aftermath
The verdict triggered massive rioting in Los Angeles, which lasted for 3 days, making it one of the worst civil disturbances in Los Angeles history. By the time the police and the National Guard restored order, there was nearly $1 billion in damage, with over 50 people killed, over 2,000 injured, and more than 8,000 arrested[[Citing sources citation needed]]. Smaller riots occurred in other U.S. cities. King made an appearance before television news cameras to plead for peace, saying, "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along?"Ralph Keyes. The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When. ISBN 0312340044 [link]Since the 1991 incident, King has been arrested several times for drug infractions, spousal abuse, soliciting a prostitute and motoring offenses. He has also worked in construction and started the rap label "Straight Alta-Pazz". Although he received $3.8 million in a civil suit against the LAPD, he is reportedly bankrupt and living in a drug rehab center. To quote BBC news, "much of it went to pay his lawyers, but he used the rest to found a rap record business, the Straight Alta-Pazz Recording Company".
Analysis and cultural impact of the event
The video of the incident is an example of inverse surveillance (i.e. citizens watching police). As a result of the incident, several Copwatch organizations were formed nationwide to safeguard against such abuses in the future. Anti police-abuse organizations and justice committees for victims of police violence increased after 1992, and a national umbrella group known as the October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality was established. African American community and civil rights leaders have repeatedly used the Rodney King incident in analogy along with other incidents of police violence against black suspects.Trivia
- Footage of the Rodney King incident was used in the title credits of the movie Malcolm X.
- The Rodney King incident was discussed extensively in American History X.
- Rodney King and the April Riots are the focus of the song "April 29, 1992" by Sublime.
- The 2002 film Dark Blue, starring Kurt Russell, takes place during the days leading up to and including the Rodney King trial verdict.
Notes
References
- Koon, Stacy (1992). Presumed Guilty: The Tragedy of the Rodney King Affair. Regnery Publishing. ISBN 0-895-26507-9.
External links
- [Rodney King incident video]
- Stan Chambers: ["Rodney King and the Los Angeles Riots"]
- [Salon: "Rethinking Rodney King"]
- [Court TV: Rodney King's Legacy]
- [Arrest record]
See also
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