Preview

92' L.A. Riots

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4879 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
92' L.A. Riots
LA was held hostage; not by any foreign terrorists, not by a splinter cell organization, or even by some fundamentalist group. But by its own citizens, the people who live their lives and settle themselves in LA: storeowners, office workers, construction workers, gang members, people who were on welfare, and even middle class whites were involved in the Siege of LA. It affected everyone, it didn 't discriminate, and it didn 't care what race you were or what your financial status was. All of that was a moot point. LA has always been a diverse and distinct city: sun, fun, entertainment, glitz, glamour, celebrities but also one of smog, gloom, poverty, ghettos, gangs, and violence. But regardless LA has been looked upon many as the city to restart and begin afresh. The 90s had just barely started a new decade with some new trends and some old. A war had already been waged in the Middle East. Then the second major event in the decade 's young existence was about to begin. LA was a highly volatile place due to the circumstances of how many people lived. The economy was in a slump, and people were turning to less than favorable ways to make a living. LAPD was not liked by many due to the fact that many people saw their tactics and methods as questionable at best. Also because of what 's happened in the past with law enforcement such as Watts during the 60s as well as Kent State shooting. So when you add this together you get one very explosive and deadly combination and to make matters even worse it 's not like LAPD or any other agency had made attempts to mend past errors and mistakes. So what you get when all of these elements were mixed together was the worst riot in U.S. history. March 3, 1991 Rodney King was pulled over for reckless driving and while being arrested was beaten by police in order to put him in custody. It was said at the time that he was under a pain-numbing drug such as PCP. He was shocked twice by 50,000 volt tasers which is enough power


Bibliography: Clark Staten, "Emergency Report". Unknown. Pages 1-7 5/Jun/2005. http://www.emergency.com/la-riots.htm Lou Cannon, "Los Angeles and the worst riots of modern times". Unknown. Pages 1-5, 5/Jun/2005. http://www.worldfreeinternet.net/news/nws75.htm Jessica N. Jones, "The Los Angeles Riots". Unknown. Pages 1-3, 5/Jun/2005. http://www.louisville.edu/~jnjone02/riots.html Unknown. "Rodney King" Wikipedia. Pages 1-4, 5/Jun/2005, 3/Jun/2005 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodney_King Stan Chambers. "Rodney King and the Los Angeles Riots" Unknown. Pages 1-6. 17/Feb/2005, 5/Jun/2005, http://www.citivu.com/ktla/sc-ch1.html James Vanhise. "The Poor Are Coming To Your Town". Unknown. Pages 1-4, 5/Jun/2005. http://www.fragmentsweb.org/stuff/rodking.html
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Gorillas In The Mist: A Case Study
    • 1365 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Gorillas In The Mist: A Case Study

    On March 2, 1991 a high speed police chased turned into a brutal police beating of the intoxicated Rodney King. Rodney King was driving down the 210 freeway at 12:30 AM when Tim and Melanie Singer spotted him. They pursude him at speeds of up to 117 miles per hour. King eventually went up a ramp and stopped at the intersection of Osbourne and Foothill Boulevard, where three more cop cars that were holding Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, Rolando Solano, and Sergeant Stacy Koon, showed up along with a police helicopter. Singer got out of her car and ordered the suspects to get down on the ground, where Allen and Helms did as they were told who were with him in the vehicle, King did not. She told him again and he finally got out but not before he "grabbed his right buttock with his right hand and shook it" at Singer, as she recalls. Melanie Singer had her gun drawn and was going to arrest him when Sergeant Koon told her to stand back because they could handle…

    • 1365 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Los Angeles Riots: The Rodney King Case
    • 217 Words
    • 1 Page

    Los Angeles Riots: The Rodney King Case

    The Rodney King case is widely known across the United States and even some parts outside of the U.S.. This incident occurred in the year 1991 in Los Angeles. King resisted arrest and got physical with the officers. This caused him to be shot with a Taser gun knocking him to the floor. The electricity takes over the central nervous system, leaving him incapacitated (Sergo) . Yet even after being completely helpless the officers repeatedly beat King with a baton and kicked him. Three officers were left free of charge and the jury never reached a verdict for the fourth. This decision led to the Los Angeles riots that concluded with two officers being charged guilty.…

    • 217 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Zoot Suit Riot Research Paper
    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Zoot Suit Riot Research Paper

    Set in the environment of ethnic and racial paranoia that defined the early 1940s in Los Angeles, California, the "Zoot Suit Riots" were a defining moment for Zoot Suiters and the Mexican American community. The ethnic populations of California as a whole, and Los Angeles in particular, were under siege. In March and April of 1942, the entire Japanese and Japanese American population on the West Coast of the United States were deported to "relocation centers" (mild euphemisms for concentration camps) located in the interior of the U.S.. Without the Japanese Americans around to focus the locals' racial paranoia, Los Angeleans began to look toward the Zoot Suiters. A "Mexican Crime Wave" was announced by local newspapers (precursors to today's…

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Zoot Suit Riots Research Paper
    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Zoot Suit Riots Research Paper

    In the early '40s in Los Angeles, several factors made the city remain under stress, contributing to conflicts known as the Zoot Suit Riots. Decades of discrimination have forced the Mexican-American community to turn inward. By the 1940, LA 240,000 Mexican-American lived in a series of neighborhoods called barrios. These communities were traditional, conservative and self-contained. During those years, segregations was very usual, and any thing was used as an excuse to bad treat Mexicans, with the Zoot Suits, they were seen as criminals and rebels.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Shana Bernstein's Bridges Of Reform
    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Shana Bernstein's Bridges Of Reform

    Throughout the 1900s, the United States of American dealt with civil rights issues. California struggled with civil rights starting with the labor wars all the way to the 1970s. In the book Bridges of Reform, the author, Shana Bernstein, focuses on civil rights activism in the West coast, specifically Los Angeles. Additionally, Bridges of Reform attempts to point out how important the West, especially cities like Los Angeles, were in dealing with a nation of civil rights issues. Bernstein successfully argues how coalitions among multiple races in Los Angeles helped shape civil rights battles not only in Los Angeles but across the nation.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Zoot Suit Riots Analysis
    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Zoot Suit Riots Analysis

    It is without a doubt that World War II had a great impact on our nation as a whole. This is because the war required changes and sacrifices for most individuals and was viewed as one’s patriotic duty. As with any life changing event, there were bad and good consequences that were a direct result of World War II. Significant changes took place during World War II that directly affected Mexicans in the United States. Although there were some positive effects on a national level, most remembered are the negative ones that impacted the Mexican communities in Los Angeles, California. It is what became to be known as the Zoot Suit Riots. To understand the Mexican community’s point of view of their treatment during the riots, one first needs to…

    • 1529 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Zoot Suit
    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Zoot Suit

    One article i found was titled “Youth Gangs Leading Cause of Delinquencies,” in this article it stated “juvenile files repeatedly show that a language variance in the home, where the parents speak no english and cling to past culture, is a serious factor of delinquency. Parents in such a home lack control over their offspring.” This specific article only reinforced the ideas that the public had about the difference of mexican americans and themselves. By portraying mexican american youths as criminals, it gave people more of a reason to justify their opinions as true. By the time the riots started, the public already made up their mind about the zoot suiters as being guilty. On the contrary, In the Los Angeles Daily News on June 11, 1943 an article stated “every true Californian has an affection for his fellow citizen of Mexican culture that influence our way of living, our architecture, our music, our language, and even our food.” The press was backtracked from its previous claim of…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Detroit 1967 Riot Analysis
    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Detroit 1967 Riot Analysis

    It appears that both riots occurred because of the discrimination against the black communities, the Detroit 1967 Riot was because of the unnecessary raids on the black communities, more specifically the bar where it all began and the Los Angeles 1992 riot was due to the police officers that were acquitted in the beating of Rodney. Even though the bar was unlicensed, the black communities felt that they’ve had enough of the police brutality as well as the racism and discrimination against them. The similarities are the racism and discrimination against the black communities and police officers abusing their power mainly against the black communities. The difference is the reason it started and it was at a different time, but the racism is still very much present 25 years after the Detroit riot of 1967 and to this day as well.…

    • 262 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Racial Tension In Ferguson
    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Racial Tension In Ferguson

    The racial tensions in Ferguson had been growing over time, but the incident with Michael Brown set the city over edge. The fact that it was a white man that shot an African-American male was enough to cause a bit more of racial tension between the police department and the citizens of Ferguson, a predominately black community. The riots that broke out in Ferguson were similar to the riots that broke out in Watts . The incident showed feelings of racism, actions taken by the courts, and actions taken by the citizens of Ferguson.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1992 Los Angeles Riots 1992
    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1992 Los Angeles Riots 1992

    The riots began with the violent arrest of Rodney King March 3, 1991, in a high-speed pursuit King drove through several red lights and stop signs; he pulled over in the Lake View Terrace.…

    • 324 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mexican American Zoot Riots Essay
    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Mexican American Zoot Riots Essay

    Many residents of Los Angeles saw the death of Jose Diaz as a tragedy that resulted from a larger pattern of lawlessness and rebellion among Mexican American youths. Much of this animosity had to do with the police and press characterizing all Mexican youth as “pachuco hoodlums and baby gangsters” (2). This was a great example of how the media and police played a large role into contributing to adding discrimination towards the Mexican American zoot suits. Not only was it that but also some of the sailors who were trying to justify their acts by spreading rumors. On June 3, 1943, a number of sailors claimed that they were beaten and robbed by Mexican Pachucos. The following evening, a group of around 200 sailors set out for East Los Angeles and began to beat up any Mexican male dressed in a zoot suit. Aided by a police department who seemed to approve of the violence, the initial attacks quickly turned into a riot that lasted for a period of nine days and has come to be known as the “Zoot Suit Riots” (1). The police were not doing their jobs correctly they weren’t protecting civilians that is the number one reason they wear that uniform. The police watch many of the young Mexican Americans getting beat up and the sailor tearing up their clothes and instead of stopping this from happening they watched and then proceeded to arrest the Mexican Americans…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Tulsa Race Riots
    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Tulsa Race Riots

    Anonymous, A. (October 26, 1996). "Race Riot Verdict", New York Times. Retrieved October 28th 2006 from http://writing.upeen.edu/~afileris/50s/race-riot-verdict.html…

    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nonwhite In The Criminal Justice System
    • 1671 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Nonwhite In The Criminal Justice System

    I’m not sure about what if any affect it had on other states, but mine will never be the same. On April 29.1992 throughout California race lines were drawn. For the first time middle to upper class white people were seeing how defenseless the LAPD were in controlling mayhem. Thus seeing innocent people dragged and beaten from cars while no one came to their aid. The streets of LA were a war zone. Public option of Law Enforcement forever changed that day. As was seen in later cases such as OJ Simpson Trial. 10/3/1995 Frontline@pbs.org Charles J. Obletreb Jr. The Trials Significance and Lasting…

    • 1671 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Chicano Riots
    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Chicano Riots

    The riots began in Los Angeles, amidst a period of rising tensions between American servicemen stationed in southern California and Los Angeles' Chicano community. Many of the tensions between the Chicano community and the sailors existed because the servicemen walked through a Chicano neighborhood on the way back to their barracks after nights of drinking. The discrimination against the Chicano minority community was compounded by robberies and fights during these drunken interactions. In July 1942, a group of Hispanic youth fought back against police who attempted to break up a street corner gambling game. In October 1942, over 600 Chicano youth were arrested, and dozens charged, in the killing of Jose Diaz in a supposed gang brawl at the…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Persuasive Essay On Police Brutality
    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Persuasive Essay On Police Brutality

    Police brutality has been occurring for many years. In the case of Rodney King videotape recorded by a bystander captured five officers attacking King with batons more than 50 times as he struggled on the ground outside his car. The recording immediately sparked outrage among people. The anger became more intense when the officers who assaulted King were acquitted by a jury the following year. The acquittal…

    • 1139 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics