Los Angeles Riots of 1992

Los Angeles Riots of 1992, major outbreak of

violence, looting, and arson in Los Angeles that
began on April 29, 1992, in response to the
acquittal of four white Los Angeles policemen on
all but one charge (on which the jury was
deadlocked) connected with the severe beating of
an African American motorist in March 1991. As a
result of several days of rioting, more than 50
people were killed, more than 2,300 were injured,
1 A car burns as looters take to the streets at the
intersection of Florence and Normandie Ave.- considered
and thousands were arrested. About 1,100
the flashpoint of the LA riots- on April 29, 1992. buildings were damaged, and total property
damage was about $1 billion, which made the
riots one of the most-devastating civil disruptions in American history.
Despite LA’s people being proud of the city’s ethnical diversity, many felt the police
discriminated African and Hispanic Americans.
On March 3,1991, a man shot a videotape of African American motorist, Rodney King, being
pulled over for speeding after an eight-mile chase. The officers clubbed him dozens of times
after failed efforts to bring him down.The videotape, which was broadcast across the United
States, prompted a huge outpouring of protest.
On April 29, 1992, protest and violence erupted almost immediately after the jury—composed
of 10 whites, a Hispanic, and an Asian—acquitted the officers of charges that included
assault with a deadly weapon and
2) The four police officers indicted for brutalizing black motorist
Rodney King in a videotaped attack are shown in these police mug excessive use of force (though the jury
shots taken March 14, 1991. From left: Sgt. S. C. Koon, Officer Th. J. was deadlocked on the excessive-force
Briseno, Officer T. E. Wind and Officer L. Powell. Two served time in charge against one of the policemen).
prison and all four lost their careers.
Hundreds of protesters congregated
outside police headquarters in
downtown Los Angeles, chanting, “No
justice, no peace.” In predominantly
Black South-Central Los Angeles a
growing crowd began harassing
motorists. The overwhelmed police on
the scene had retreated.
Violence, looting, and arson spread to encompass much of the
Los Angeles region, from Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley to
Long Beach, south of the city. Much of the worst rioting, though,
occurred in South Central, the Pico-Union neighbourhood, and
Koreatown, where relations between Korean merchants and
their African American customers had already been tense. As
firefighters battled blazes throughout the area, they became
targets of snipers, and even air traffic was disrupted by safety
concerns.
On the first night of rioting, Mayor Tom Bradley—who had responded to the verdict by saying,
“Today that jury asked us to accept the senseless and brutal beating of a helpless man”—
declared a state of emergency, and California Gov. Pete
Wilson mobilized a first contingent of National Guardsmen 3 LA Mayor Tom Bradley
(eventually, some 6,000 guardsmen were deployed). That day,
U.S. Pres. George Bush dispatched 3,000–4,000 army troops and marines, along with 1,000
riot-trained federal law officers, to help restore order. The next day he declared Los Angeles
a federal disaster area. On May 4, with calm prevailing, the dusk-to-day curfew that had been
imposed on the city was lifted, and Los Angeles businesses and schools reopened.

FOLLOW-UP
I) 1.The riots started as a result of:
a)Police brutality against Rodney King
b)Police brutality against LA people
c)Conflicts between African and Hispanic Americans
2.The jury that decided on the four policemen’s case:
a)Were all white Americans
b)Were 10 white, 1 Hispanic and 1 Asian Americans
c)It was an even mixed jury
3.Some of the tensions:
a)Were due to street fights between African Americans
b)Firefighters’ intervention in Koreatown
c)Were between African Americans and Korean merchants
II) Speak up : do you think the riots changed anything in LA? Was there any way to
prevent it?