4/29 LA Riots
On April 29, 1992 Los Angeles experienced civil unrest as a result of the trial of four LAPD officers. The four officers had severely beating an unarmed African American man by the name of Rodney King on March 3, 1991. King had led police on a chase through the streets of Los Angeles after police tried to pull him over for speeding. King was beaten with 56 baton blows and six kicks in a period of two minutes1. A citizen recorded the beating of Rodney King and released it to the media. As a result four LAPD police officers-Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Theodore Briseno, and Timothy Wind1 were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and use of excessive force. The four officers were tried in Simi Valley, California. On April 29, 1992 the 12 person jury composed of 10 whites, 1 Latino, and 1 Asian found two of the officers guilty and acquitted the other two officers1.
By: Thania Lucero
Shortly after the verdict violence sparked in the streets of Los Angeles, today some call this events the "LA riots." The first incident of violence took place on Florence Boulevard and Normandie Avenue in South Los Angeles. Civil unrest in LA lasted four days. At the end of the four 53 were dead, 2,383 injured, and 12,545 arrested. 700 structures were destroyed, and damages totaled more than $1 billion1. The U.S. Army, Marines, and National Guard were called in to restore order. The People's Guide to Los Angeles calls the civil unrest the "the largest urban unrest in U.S. history."
Some refer to the civil unrest of 4/29 as "race riots." This is due partly because the discourse around the civil unrest have been framed as Korean store owners vs. the African American community. On March, 16 1991 a 15 year old Latasha Harlins was killed by Korean store owner Soon Ja Du. The beating of Rodney King and the killing of Latasha Harlins are often seen as the triggers of racial tension in Los Angeles. In this case study of the LA riots we will explore how the discourse around the riots have built a discourse of us vs. them, and how this creates tension within ethnic groups in LA.
Some refer to the civil unrest of 4/29 as "race riots." This is due partly because the discourse around the civil unrest have been framed as Korean store owners vs. the African American community. On March, 16 1991 a 15 year old Latasha Harlins was killed by Korean store owner Soon Ja Du. The beating of Rodney King and the killing of Latasha Harlins are often seen as the triggers of racial tension in Los Angeles. In this case study of the LA riots we will explore how the discourse around the riots have built a discourse of us vs. them, and how this creates tension within ethnic groups in LA.
These clips are footage from local news stations that covered the riots. The clips emphasize that police presence was responsible for ending the violence in the area. Also, the people who are a part of the riots are portrayed as savages. The police versus people dichotomy is very clear in these videos.
By: Thania Lucero
1. Pulido, Laura, Laura R. Barraclough, and Wendy Cheng. A People's Guide to Los Angeles. Berkeley: U of California, 2012. Print.
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