Rodney King Research Paper

Rodney King Trial & LA Riots

Increased media coverage of police brutality has initiated a debate regarding white supremacy. White Supremacy is the belief that whites are superior to those of all other races, especially the black race, and should therefore dominate society. On March 3, 1991, Rodney King, an African American male, was beaten by 4 white LAPD officers. The officers involved in the beating were acquitted by an all-white jury. This verdict enraged the African American community and protest quickly turned to violence. The beating of King calls attention to civil rights issues still affecting the African American community.

The Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s were great breakthroughs, however not 100% effective. “King's beating marked

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." (CNN). The LAPD became widely known as a corrupted system. “Changes in police hires and a focus on the police department’s community relationships became a key result of the Rodney King beating, and the riots. It also elevated the discussion of the racial composition of juries and the location of trials.” (CNN). The case became a benchmark for teaching best practices in both police stations and jury selections. Riots transformed our conversations about race beyond black and white to include Asian and Latino. Half of the arrests made were of Latino men. A Korean woman, named Hyepin Im, recalled how the Korean community had felt a sense of abandonment. It is crucial that we all come together as one. As brothers and

Though we are born free, we live in a community that functions because there is an understanding among its members. “As humans we can think and articulate thoughts, we also have a sense of right and wrong which means our conscious. Nobody has the right to own another person or to force them to work under threat or punishment.” (Voices of Youth). In an attempt to quell violence, King made a plea for peace. “People, I just want to say, can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it horrible for older people and the kids? I mean, we've got enough smog here in Los Angeles, let alone to deal with setting these fires and things. It's just not right; it's not right. And it's not going to change anything. We'll get our justice. They've won the battle, but they haven't won the war. We'll have our day in court, and that's all we want. I'm neutral. I love everybody. I love people of color. You know, I'm not like they're making me out to be. We've got to quit. We've got to quit. After all, I mean, I can understand the first upset, for the first two hours after the verdict. But to go on—to keep going on like this and to see this security guard shot on the ground, it's just not right. It's just not right because those people will never go home to their families again. I mean, please, we can get along here. We can all get along. We've just got to. I mean, we're all stuck here for a while. Let's try to work it