Time Video Audio

0.40-0.49  April 29th, 1992 – The beginning of

5 days of riots across Los Angeles
after 4 policemen savagely beat
Rodney King, an African American
man.

37.28-37.48  A year prior to the protests, King

had led the police on a high-speed
car chase, later being charged
with driving under influence.
When he was finally stopped, King
was reportedly beaten for 15
minutes with a baton by the
police officers, resulting in brain
fractures, broken bones and teeth
and permanent brain damage.

14.26-14.46  During the time, the LAPD had a

reputation for being against poor
communities of color. It was an
open campaign to obtain and
suppress people of color.

16.52-17.11  In protest, locals set fires, looted

liquor shops, grocery shops and
fast-food restaurants. The riots
caused 50 deaths, including 10
people who were shot and killed
by police officers.

47.15-47.41  One of the most astounding

aspects is that the police didn’t
respond to any incidents of
looting or violence until almost 3
hours after the rioting broke out.
More than 1,000 buildings were
damaged or destroyed, and
around 2,000 Korean-run
businesses were also damaged or
destroyed. Overall, approximately
$1 billion worth of property was
destroyed

54.08-54.27  During the 5 days of unrest, along

with the 50 deaths, more than
2,000 were injured and nearly
6,000 alleged looters and
arsonists were arrested. Of those
arrested, 36 percent were African
Americans and 51 percent were
 Latinos.

 Daily life changed throughout the

46.17-46.30 time such as a curfew from
sunrise and sunset and most
residents couldn’t even go to work
or school.

 On May 4th most schools,

13.11-13.29 businesses and banks were
allowed to reopen. Slowly
everyday life began to return to
normal. The rioting may have
stopped, however, issues such as
racial profiling are still very much
an issue that occurs frequently in
today’s society. Many agree with
the statement that nothing has
changed, but the year.