Encyclopedia of African American Society

Los Angeles Riots

Contributors: Gerald D. Jaynes Print Pub. Date: 2005 Online Pub. Date: September 15, 2007 Print ISBN: 9780761927648 Online ISBN: 9781412952507 DOI: 10.4135/9781412952507 Print pages: 511-512 This PDF has been generated from SAGE knowledge. Please note that the pagination of the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book.

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10.4135/9781412952507.n389 Riots that erupted after four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of brutality charges in the beating of African American motorist, Rodney King. The riots, lasting from April 29, 1992, to May 1, 1992, left 53 people dead and 2,383 injured and inflicted nearly $1 billion in damages to city and federal property, stores, and homes. On March 3, 1991, twenty-seven-year-old motorist Rodney King was stopped by police officers after leading them on a high-speed chase through the city [p. 511 ] streets of Los Angeles. The angry police removed King from his vehicle and assaulted him with their fists, feet, and clubs. An onlooker, George Holliday, videotaped the entire incident and later sold it to a local television station, which aired the tape. Soon, the videotape was being broadcast nationally. The broadcast of the vicious beating generated protests across the nation, and the four officersTheodore Briseno, Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, and Timothy Wind were charged with police brutality. Fearing that the officers could not get a fair trial in Los Angeles, their defense attorneys received a change of venue from Los Angeles to Simi Valley, a predominately white community northwest of Los Angeles. The trial of the officers ended on April 29, 1992, with each acquitted on all charges. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and Chief of Police Daryl Gates had feared racial unrest if the officers were acquitted, but they underestimated the anger of the city's African American and Latino populations. Within hours after the announcement of the verdict, a riot broke out in South Central Los Angeles. Anger among African Americans and Latinos prompted the attack of white motorists in the area, including truck driver Reginald Denny, who nearly died after being beaten with bricks and bats on the first day of the riot. Denny's assailants were later convicted and sentenced to prison. The rioting soon spread to other parts of Los Angeles and surrounding areas. Looting and violence were reported in Hollywood, Long Beach, Culver City, and the San Fernando Valley. After three days, the unrest was quieted with the help of the National Guard.

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Encyclopedia of African American Society: Los Angeles Riots

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Compared with the violence that occurred during the Watts riot of 1965, which also took place in Los Angeles, citizen participation in these riots was different. The 1992 Los Angeles riots were not entirely about raceAfrican Americans versus whitesbut were more symptomatic of a rigid class system in which citizens of all ethnic backgrounds felt powerless. African Americans, Latinos, and whites all participated in the looting and violence, setting fire to city hall, damaging the criminal courts building, and grabbing consumer goods from businesses. After the riots, the residents of South Central Los Angeles began to rebuild their community as federal authorities charged the four police officers in the King case with civil rights violations. Brought to trial again, this time on federal charges, officers Laurence Powell and Stacey Koon were found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison. The other two officers, Theodore Briseno and Timothy Wind, were again acquitted of all charges. 10.4135/9781412952507.n389 See also Further Reading Salak, John. The Los Angeles Riots: America's Cities in Crisis . Brookfield, CT: Millbrook, 1993.

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Encyclopedia of African American Society: Los Angeles Riots