Rodney King: 20 years ago today (1 Viewer)

[BobbyLayne]

Pretty sure the OP has a link. The link has a story. The story includes a video of a recent King interview. The interview includes this direct quote from Rodney King:

"I was doing every bit of 100 m.p.h."

Then again dude was driving a Hyundai so...

Whoa...did NOT know that.Sounds like Rodney was engaging in some nostalgic embellishment. NFW he topped 85.

 

[Nigel Tufnel]

At least his movie won a Golden Globe. Too bad he isn't around to see that his dream is coming true.

I heard Colin Firth was awesome as Rodney King.

I can't wait until it comes out on laser disc. I heard there was a dragon involved and I'm not sure why. I guess it's a Hollywood thing.

I just want to know what his speech was about.

 

[St. Louis Bob]

At least his movie won a Golden Globe. Too bad he isn't around to see that his dream is coming true.

I heard Colin Firth was awesome as Rodney King.

I can't wait until it comes out on laser disc. I heard there was a dragon involved and I'm not sure why. I guess it's a Hollywood thing.

I just want to know what his speech was about.

He had a dream about Four Square seven years ago.

 

[Thread Killer]

The riots were a scary time. Walking home while ash fell from the sky was a surreal experience.

 

[jimmy b]

Alot of simple minded, low 70's digit IQ's going on in this thread......

Any AD post will do......

WOW......Really Dude

I've come to expect better from you.

neanderthal

 

[cstu]

Officers also cite to a 100 mph chase which, IIRC, the female officer later recanted. Several texts state as a fact King never got anywhere near 100 mph and it's questionable whether he even fled from police.

Come on Woz. According to King’s own statements, he refused to pull the car over because a DUI would violate his parole for a previous robbery conviction.

True, but regardless it does not mean he traveled 100 mph.

When you're on PCP, sitting down feels like you're going 100 mph.

 

[dickey moe]

At least his movie won a Golden Globe. Too bad he isn't around to see that his dream is coming true.

I heard Colin Firth was awesome as Rodney King.

It's more awesome because he didn't even stutter.

 

[Mr. Retukes]

Alot of simple minded, low 70's digit IQ's going on in this thread......

Any AD post will do......

WOW......Really Dude

I've come to expect better from you.

Why?

 

[timschochet]

Today's date is actually not that significant, because this didn't become a big story until the video began to circulate on local news broadcasts a few nights later.The significant date in the Rodney King affair is April 29, 1992. That is is the day the officers were acquitted of the beating. The riots began that night on Florence and Normandy. I was at a Dodger game, and got caught in the middle of the riots on my way home.

Damn!So spill. Car get beat on? People lobbing bricks at you?What happened?

At the game, we had no idea what was going on outside the game. When my dad and I got in the car, we turned on the Lakers game (I think it was a playoff game against Portland; I remember it was one of the first teams after Magic retired) so we were listening to Chick Hearn and had no idea there was anything going on. My dad always took a shortcut to the freeway- I don't remember what it was, but it involved going down side streets and not getting on the 110 right away. As we turned onto the side streets I saw right in front of me two guys take a tire iron and smash a glass window. Meanwhile lots of people were running up and down the street, slamming cars (one hit the hood of our car) and setting palm trees on fire. We were stunned. We tried to get out of there, but you couldn't move your car because there was heavy traffic and all these people were running everywhere. We were basically stopped for 15 minutes. During that time I watched a bunch of people head into the store through the broken window and carry out stuff. People were yelling and screaming and dancing. Other than the one car slam, nobody approached us or any of the other cars. They lit up a whole bunch more of the trees and soon most of the street was burning. I remember my dad, who is a veteran, was pissed off and wanted to know where the police was (answer: nowhere in sight.) He was calling these people savages; I said to quiet down; I was pretty scared.Eventually the traffic cleared and we got on the freeway. That was my experience; sorry it wasn't more exciting.

 

[joffer]

where is Rodney today?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Alot of simple minded, low 70's digit IQ's going on in this thread......

Any AD post will do......

WOW......Really Dude

I've come to expect better from you.

neanderthal

What in the world are you talking about?

 

[Getinthemix]

Today's date is actually not that significant, because this didn't become a big story until the video began to circulate on local news broadcasts a few nights later.

The significant date in the Rodney King affair is April 29, 1992. That is is the day the officers were acquitted of the beating. The riots began that night on Florence and Normandy. I was at a Dodger game, and got caught in the middle of the riots on my way home.

Damn!So spill. Car get beat on? People lobbing bricks at you?

What happened?

At the game, we had no idea what was going on outside the game. When my dad and I got in the car, we turned on the Lakers game (I think it was a playoff game against Portland; I remember it was one of the first teams after Magic retired) so we were listening to Chick Hearn and had no idea there was anything going on. My dad always took a shortcut to the freeway- I don't remember what it was, but it involved going down side streets and not getting on the 110 right away. As we turned onto the side streets I saw right in front of me two guys take a tire iron and smash a glass window. Meanwhile lots of people were running up and down the street, slamming cars (one hit the hood of our car) and setting palm trees on fire. We were stunned. We tried to get out of there, but you couldn't move your car because there was heavy traffic and all these people were running everywhere. We were basically stopped for 15 minutes. During that time I watched a bunch of people head into the store through the broken window and carry out stuff. People were yelling and screaming and dancing. Other than the one car slam, nobody approached us or any of the other cars. They lit up a whole bunch more of the trees and soon most of the street was burning. I remember my dad, who is a veteran, was pissed off and wanted to know where the police was (answer: nowhere in sight.) He was calling these people savages; I said to quiet down; I was pretty scared.

Eventually the traffic cleared and we got on the freeway. That was my experience; sorry it wasn't more exciting.

You scolded your father in his car as a teenager? Is anyone really expected to believe this?

 

[YSR]

where is Rodney today?

Arcadia, CA

 

[timschochet]

Today's date is actually not that significant, because this didn't become a big story until the video began to circulate on local news broadcasts a few nights later.

The significant date in the Rodney King affair is April 29, 1992. That is is the day the officers were acquitted of the beating. The riots began that night on Florence and Normandy. I was at a Dodger game, and got caught in the middle of the riots on my way home.

Damn!So spill. Car get beat on? People lobbing bricks at you?

What happened?

At the game, we had no idea what was going on outside the game. When my dad and I got in the car, we turned on the Lakers game (I think it was a playoff game against Portland; I remember it was one of the first teams after Magic retired) so we were listening to Chick Hearn and had no idea there was anything going on. My dad always took a shortcut to the freeway- I don't remember what it was, but it involved going down side streets and not getting on the 110 right away. As we turned onto the side streets I saw right in front of me two guys take a tire iron and smash a glass window. Meanwhile lots of people were running up and down the street, slamming cars (one hit the hood of our car) and setting palm trees on fire. We were stunned. We tried to get out of there, but you couldn't move your car because there was heavy traffic and all these people were running everywhere. We were basically stopped for 15 minutes. During that time I watched a bunch of people head into the store through the broken window and carry out stuff. People were yelling and screaming and dancing. Other than the one car slam, nobody approached us or any of the other cars. They lit up a whole bunch more of the trees and soon most of the street was burning. I remember my dad, who is a veteran, was pissed off and wanted to know where the police was (answer: nowhere in sight.) He was calling these people savages; I said to quiet down; I was pretty scared.

Eventually the traffic cleared and we got on the freeway. That was my experience; sorry it wasn't more exciting.

You scolded your father in his car as a teenager? Is anyone really expected to believe this?

I was 24. And I was a jerk. And a coward.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Four LAPD officers -- Theodore Briseno, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind and Sgt. Stacey Koon -- were indicted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force by a police officer.

In April 1992, after a three-month trial in the predominantly white suburb of Simi Valley, three of the officers were acquitted of all charges. But the jury, which had no black members, was deadlocked on one charge of excessive force against Powell. A mistrial was declared on that charge.

Powell's attorney, Michael Stone, said the unedited video worked against King and helped prove the officers' case.

"Most of the nation only saw a few snippets where it's the most violent. They didn't see him get up and run at Powell," Stone said.

"In a use-of-force case, if the officers do what they're trained to do, how can you find them guilty of a crime? And the jury understood that."

Still, black Los Angeles exploded in outrage.

Rioters rampaged through the streets, looting businesses, torching buildings and attacking people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

By the time it was over, 55 people were dead, more than 2,000 were hurt, and property damage exceeded $1 billion.

Nearly a year later, the four officers were tried in federal court on civil rights charges. This trial would be very different from the first: It took place in Los Angeles, two African-Americans were picked for the jury and King actually testified this time.

"There was no way in the world that any jury would acquit all of the defendants again," Stone, the defense attorney, told CNN.

King's own testimony may have hurt the federal case, as he hedged on whether police had used racial slurs during the beating. King recently told CNN that slurs definitely were uttered, but he said he vacillated on the stand because his mother had advised him to avoid talking about race.

Ultimately, Koon and Powell were found guilty, while Briseno and Wind were acquitted.

"It was like, ... I just hope we just get one. I hope we just get one on that," King said. "If we get one, we're good. So to get the two, I was really happy."

"The main impact that the Rodney King case had is that it accelerated change," journalist Lou Cannon said. "It's not tenable any longer in the United States of America for a police force of a major city to govern without having the community being a part of that governance."

Whether society itself has sufficiently changed is a question for every generation to consider.

From the original link.

So how are we doing now?

 

[Greggity]

Four LAPD officers -- Theodore Briseno, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind and Sgt. Stacey Koon -- were indicted on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and excessive use of force by a police officer.

In April 1992, after a three-month trial in the predominantly white suburb of Simi Valley, three of the officers were acquitted of all charges. But the jury, which had no black members, was deadlocked on one charge of excessive force against Powell. A mistrial was declared on that charge.

Powell's attorney, Michael Stone, said the unedited video worked against King and helped prove the officers' case.

"Most of the nation only saw a few snippets where it's the most violent. They didn't see him get up and run at Powell," Stone said.

"In a use-of-force case, if the officers do what they're trained to do, how can you find them guilty of a crime? And the jury understood that."

Still, black Los Angeles exploded in outrage.

Rioters rampaged through the streets, looting businesses, torching buildings and attacking people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

By the time it was over, 55 people were dead, more than 2,000 were hurt, and property damage exceeded $1 billion.

Nearly a year later, the four officers were tried in federal court on civil rights charges. This trial would be very different from the first: It took place in Los Angeles, two African-Americans were picked for the jury and King actually testified this time.

"There was no way in the world that any jury would acquit all of the defendants again," Stone, the defense attorney, told CNN.

King's own testimony may have hurt the federal case, as he hedged on whether police had used racial slurs during the beating. King recently told CNN that slurs definitely were uttered, but he said he vacillated on the stand because his mother had advised him to avoid talking about race.

Ultimately, Koon and Powell were found guilty, while Briseno and Wind were acquitted.

"It was like, ... I just hope we just get one. I hope we just get one on that," King said. "If we get one, we're good. So to get the two, I was really happy."

"The main impact that the Rodney King case had is that it accelerated change," journalist Lou Cannon said. "It's not tenable any longer in the United States of America for a police force of a major city to govern without having the community being a part of that governance."

Whether society itself has sufficiently changed is a question for every generation to consider.

From the original link.

So how are we doing now?

Well, I think we loot and riot better.....

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Looks to me like we are right back where we started from.

If the Ferguson cop gets indicted (if) by the grand jury, case gets moved due to publicity to more conservative, suburban venue, more evidence comes out, jury feels cop had to protect himself, cop gets off. More riots ensure, maybe worse than what we've seen, DOJ institutes civil rights charges, the mob is satisfied.

 

[El Floppo]

So- :innatimmystyle: - A gb and I were driving around country after graduating from college the spring of the trial/verdict. We were in LA a couple of weeks before the verdict was announced and went to check out the Watts Towers (worth seeing if you haven't). I don't feel like telling the whole story :notinnatimmystyle:, but end result is that as we tried to get back to the highway, LA Police pulled us over on a quiet city street. Two white guys, brand new Saab, NY plates, in Watts. Aside from a small container filled to the brim with white powder and a ziplock bag full of money we were clean, and they let us off with the following warning: "you're lucky you weren't shot at- there have been threats of violence for weeks on account of the Rodney King trial."I'll never forget those words- especially when seeing the press conferences after the verdict where the police expressed such shock and surprise that the riots happened.

To this day, one of the most memorable moments in my life, especially given what happened with the verdict.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Today's date is actually not that significant, because this didn't become a big story until the video began to circulate on local news broadcasts a few nights later. The significant date in the Rodney King affair is April 29, 1992. That is is the day the officers were acquitted of the beating. The riots began that night on Florence and Normandy. I was at a Dodger game, and got caught in the middle of the riots on my way home.

Damn! So spill. Car get beat on? People lobbing bricks at you? What happened?

At the game, we had no idea what was going on outside the game. When my dad and I got in the car, we turned on the Lakers game (I think it was a playoff game against Portland; I remember it was one of the first teams after Magic retired) so we were listening to Chick Hearn and had no idea there was anything going on. My dad always took a shortcut to the freeway- I don't remember what it was, but it involved going down side streets and not getting on the 110 right away. As we turned onto the side streets I saw right in front of me two guys take a tire iron and smash a glass window. Meanwhile lots of people were running up and down the street, slamming cars (one hit the hood of our car) and setting palm trees on fire. We were stunned. We tried to get out of there, but you couldn't move your car because there was heavy traffic and all these people were running everywhere. We were basically stopped for 15 minutes. During that time I watched a bunch of people head into the store through the broken window and carry out stuff. People were yelling and screaming and dancing. Other than the one car slam, nobody approached us or any of the other cars. They lit up a whole bunch more of the trees and soon most of the street was burning. I remember my dad, who is a veteran, was pissed off and wanted to know where the police was (answer: nowhere in sight.) He was calling these people savages; I said to quiet down; I was pretty scared. Eventually the traffic cleared and we got on the freeway. That was my experience; sorry it wasn't more exciting.

This reminds me a little bit of that scene at the beginning of the movie Grand Canyon where Kevin Kline does the same thing and lands in racial trouble.

That's a heck of a story you've got there actually, terrible times.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

So- :innatimmystyle: - A gb and I were driving around country after graduating from college the spring of the trial/verdict. We were in LA a couple of weeks before the verdict was announced and went to check out the Watts Towers (worth seeing if you haven't). I don't feel like telling the whole story :notinnatimmystyle:, but end result is that as we tried to get back to the highway, LA Police pulled us over on a quiet city street. Two white guys, brand new Saab, NY plates, in Watts. Aside from a small container filled to the brim with white powder and a ziplock bag full of money we were clean, and they let us off with the following warning: "you're lucky you weren't shot at- there have been threats of violence for weeks on account of the Rodney King trial."I'll never forget those words- especially when seeing the press conferences after the verdict where the police expressed such shock and surprise that the riots happened.

To this day, one of the most memorable moments in my life, especially given what happened with the verdict.

Couple white guys driving in a nice new foreign car in a black neighborhood, yep, that'll get you pulled over.

Still 55 people were killed, over 2000 hurt. No idle warning.

First time I was in L.A., first time even getting out and about, I was walking around Hollywood by a convenience store, cop car pulls up, cops grab an Hispanic guy and basically throw him down and arrest him. Wild.

 

[Thorn]

I love sentences like this in news stories:

The beating of Rodney King 20 years ago Thursday marked the end of a 100-mph car chase and the beginning of a chain of events that would forever change Los Angeles, its police department and the racial conversation in the United States.

Changed forever? Really? This couldn't happen again tomorrow?

It could happen again, but it's far more unlikely. A lot has changed with the LAPD since then.

I think you're kidding yourself.

 

[Henry Ford]

So- :innatimmystyle: - A gb and I were driving around country after graduating from college the spring of the trial/verdict. We were in LA a couple of weeks before the verdict was announced and went to check out the Watts Towers (worth seeing if you haven't). I don't feel like telling the whole story :notinnatimmystyle:, but end result is that as we tried to get back to the highway, LA Police pulled us over on a quiet city street. Two white guys, brand new Saab, NY plates, in Watts. Aside from a small container filled to the brim with white powder and a ziplock bag full of money we were clean, and they let us off with the following warning: "you're lucky you weren't shot at- there have been threats of violence for weeks on account of the Rodney King trial."I'll never forget those words- especially when seeing the press conferences after the verdict where the police expressed such shock and surprise that the riots happened.

To this day, one of the most memorable moments in my life, especially given what happened with the verdict.

"white powder"?

 

[Sweet J]

I love sentences like this in news stories:

The beating of Rodney King 20 years ago Thursday marked the end of a 100-mph car chase and the beginning of a chain of events that would forever change Los Angeles, its police department and the racial conversation in the United States.

Changed forever? Really? This couldn't happen again tomorrow?

It could happen again, but it's far more unlikely. A lot has changed with the LAPD since then.

I think you're kidding yourself.

boom goes the dynamite.

 

[El Floppo]

So- :innatimmystyle: - A gb and I were driving around country after graduating from college the spring of the trial/verdict. We were in LA a couple of weeks before the verdict was announced and went to check out the Watts Towers (worth seeing if you haven't). I don't feel like telling the whole story :notinnatimmystyle:, but end result is that as we tried to get back to the highway, LA Police pulled us over on a quiet city street. Two white guys, brand new Saab, NY plates, in Watts. Aside from a small container filled to the brim with white powder and a ziplock bag full of money we were clean, and they let us off with the following warning: "you're lucky you weren't shot at- there have been threats of violence for weeks on account of the Rodney King trial."I'll never forget those words- especially when seeing the press conferences after the verdict where the police expressed such shock and surprise that the riots happened.

To this day, one of the most memorable moments in my life, especially given what happened with the verdict.

"white powder"?

 

[timschochet]

Looks to me like we are right back where we started from.

If the Ferguson cop gets indicted (if) by the grand jury, case gets moved due to publicity to more conservative, suburban venue, more evidence comes out, jury feels cop had to protect himself, cop gets off. More riots ensure, maybe worse than what we've seen, DOJ institutes civil rights charges, the mob is satisfied.

I disagree. Remember that many people predicted there would be riots after Zimmerman was acquitted- some conservatives around here seemed anxious for them. But there weren't any of note.

I think Wilson WILL be charged, WILL go to trial, and WILL be acquitted (for lack of evidence and reasonable doubt, like Zimmerman, and just like Z, I think he is probably guilty of a crime.) But the difference is the video. There was no video of Zimmerman shooting Martin, and there is no video of Wilson shooting Brown. But there WAS a video of Rodney King being beaten up. And that is all the difference in the world.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Looks to me like we are right back where we started from.

If the Ferguson cop gets indicted (if) by the grand jury, case gets moved due to publicity to more conservative, suburban venue, more evidence comes out, jury feels cop had to protect himself, cop gets off. More riots ensure, maybe worse than what we've seen, DOJ institutes civil rights charges, the mob is satisfied.

I disagree. Remember that many people predicted there would be riots after Zimmerman was acquitted- some conservatives around here seemed anxious for them. But there weren't any of note.

I think Wilson WILL be charged, WILL go to trial, and WILL be acquitted (for lack of evidence and reasonable doubt, like Zimmerman, and just like Z, I think he is probably guilty of a crime.) But the difference is the video. There was no video of Zimmerman shooting Martin, and there is no video of Wilson shooting Brown. But there WAS a video of Rodney King being beaten up. And that is all the difference in the world.

Yeah, that's a very good point.