The 1992 Los Angeles Riots Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The 1992 Los Angeles Riots April 26th, 1992, there was a riot on the streets, tell me where were you? You were sittin' home watchin' your TV, while I was paticipatin' in some anarchy. First spot we hit it was my liquor store. I finally got all that alcohol I can't afford. With red lights flashin' time to retire, and then we turned that liquor store into a structure fire. Next stop we hit it was the music shop, it only took one brick to make that window drop. Finally we got our own p.a. where do you think I got this guitar that you're hearing today? This is a verse of lyrics from a popular song, written by Sublime, shortly after the Rodney King verdicts, and ensuing riots in Los Angeles. These words would portray the streets of Los Angeles around midnight on the night of April 29, 1992. The people of Los Angeles become enraged over a jury verdict just hours before. Rodney King, a middle-aged African-American had been severely beaten by four Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers in March, and the four officers had just been found not guilty, igniting the blacks in Los Angeles into a revenged riot against the city and its system. On the night of March 2, 1991, Rodney King and two of his friends decided to go "cruising around looking for some girls." After a few drinks, the three men began cruising around the streets of Los Angeles. At about midnight, King was driving at speeds of up to 115 miles an hour on the freeway. Two California Highway Patrol officers clocked King's car, and began to pursue him. This, however, was not going to stop King. After a 7.8-mile pursuit on freeways and city streets, King was forced to pull over because another vehicle was blocking the street. Rodney King, a tall and muscular man ... ...ewer whiter were killed or injured (17)" An analysis of the first 5,000 arrests from all over the city revealed that 52 percent were poor Latinos, 10 percent whites and only 38 percent blacks. They also know that the nation's first multiracial riot was as much about empty bellies and broken hearts as it was about police batons and Rodney King (Urban). Today, the city of Los Angeles remains a magnet to immigrants, and Latinos now make up more than 40% of its population. The LAPD is now bigger, with nearly 10,000 officers, and claims to be more sensitive than it was before the riots. The riots opened up the eyes of people of all races and careers in Los Angeles, and especially opened the eyes on Capitol Hill. Changes have been made, and LA is a better place because of it. "May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house." --George Carlin