The L.A. Riots 25 Years Later: A Return to the Epicenter

Like many hopefully did I watched the John Ridley documentary last night and it crushed me with grief to see how that powder keg finally exploded. I was merely 2 years old and living on the East Coast so its not as if my pain is intimate but it is certainly profound. When you oppress human beings and pen them in like animals, question their personhood and deprive them of basics can you be surprised when they finally blow up under the pressure? I can only ever wish that whites in this country have their own racial reckoning about what they have done to people of color- but i was raised to not hold my breath.

25 years later and what have we as a society learned? “Because while we try to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well.” Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake April 25th, 2015.

The next revolution will percolate and begin from within the streets of our inner cities.
This is why any signs of rebellion are quickly extinguished, often using the military or national guard.
It's a powder keg and the powers that be know it and quell it ASAP.
Any mass group of individuals protesting today gets shut down rather expediently. Can't upset the power/control structure.

Odd that so many comments attack Bill Clinton since George H.W. Bush was President when the riots happened. Odder still that so many charged descriptors from another time, "primitive", "animals" keep getting used to describe the rioters. The rule of law is too fragile and central to our culture -- there is no need to show sympathy for the violent actions of a mob. But is it so hard to recognize that demeaning, racist assumptions continue to foul the public discussion of poverty and racial prejudice that is still very much needed in this country?

This article completely failed to mention the number 1 victim of the L.A. Riots, Korean business owners.

During the riot, something like 2,000 Korean-owned businesses were destroyed by the violence. Remember the images of the Korean shop owners shooting pistols in front of their stores?

These people had nothing to do with Rodney King, yet they suffered the most. Something like 40% of the destroyed shops never reopened, and Korean-Black tensions have never recovered.

Koreans were beaten and killed, their livelihoods destroyed, and their plight then forgotten in the analysis of this as a white vs black issue. Its not, this was the first mutli-cultural race riot in history, and all its victims and oppressors should be remembered.

I was a teenager at the time living in northern California. There were several instances of anti-white violence in retaliation in my area.
I sorta sympathized with King because I knew I was supposed to feel sorry for blacks, like a good little liberal. Now I see the hypocrisy. I also see the patterns. King had a history of anti-Asian violence. The rioters targeted Asians. So similar to the Mike Brown/Ferguson debacle last year. The anti-Jewish behavior still continues unabated just like it did in the era of the LA riots. It has become a norm for blacks to victimize Asians and Jews with both hate speech and violence. We have come to accept it as normal. Then the left wonders why many of us roll our eyes at their fear and loathing of the alt-right. I'm Jewish and have heard nothing from the alt-right or Trump, his cabinet and supporters that is any worse than the Al Sharpton's of both the 90's and the newer versions today espouse. The left destroyed this country by their blind racial solidarity. People of every race have frustrations but only blacks are allowed to victimize others, including in hate crimes, over their frustrations. They have learned they will be appeased. Many of their excuses for violence, such as Ferguson, have been shown to be lies. I wonder the truth about race in this country when it turns out so many narratives I've been spoon fed about black victimization have been shown to be false narratives.

More large scale unrest? Back then the LAPD just pulled out and just left parts of the city to fend for itself. Koreans called friends and neighbors to show up with their firearms which they did, and they protected their families, homes and businesses. Eventually elements of the Army 7th Infantry Division, the 1st Marine Division and the California National Guard restored order. We've seen similar incidents in cities but they have occurred in primarily in the black sections of town, not across larger sections of cities. These days such an act by those in charge will probably result in more violence as people have learned their lesson. Now after hurricanes, floods and other disasters across the country more than a few people readily post signs stating 'looters will be shot'.

I've read numerous articles on the 25th anniversary of the LA Riots/Uprising (your preference may vary), and I'm shocked that there are only two articles (one in English the other in Spanish) on Latinos' experience in the event. Not only did they represent over half of the folks arrested, they participated and were victims of the riots. Their absence only reinforces the obscure history of Latino riots in the United States that still have failed to become integrated into Americans' collective memory of the past.

Is it possible the the New York Times will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1967 East Harlem Riots? Not trying to take attention away from LA, but I would like to see the history of U.S. Latino riots given similar press coverage.

When Blacks riot, why is it that most of the resulting dead are men they would call "Brother."

Reporters at the L.A. Times have produced a table of those killed during the riot. (Most deaths were homicides, and most victims were black.) it includes thumbnail sketches of each death. It is remarkable reporting and makes for remarkable reading.

http://spreadsheets.latimes.com/la-riots-deaths/

I wondered why the simple facts about the Rodney King arrest were
not give the public notice they were due.

Rodney was high, he was driving over 100 mph, he refused to pull
over until he could go no further and refused to stay on the ground
and allow himself to be handcuffed.

He could have easily have been shot by any of the officers after he kept
getting up and charging the officers. They did their best to bring
Rodney under control.

Burning down your own neighbourhood and attacking people who had
nothing to do with the arrest of Rodney King or oppressing anyone
solves nothing.

Those that the piously Politically Correct call African Americans with such self-righteous weepy unctuousness will forever be linked to mass arson after this milestone riot. Here in Chicago and elsewhere one anticipates such inchoate racial-based violence that the threat of its eruption is never far. Nor is the sound of sporadic gunfire, most often blacks killing each other...we are a terminally ill society that cannot heal its most basic and original divisions.

We have all seen the video of the truck driver being beaten many times, but the news never shows is the local South Central residents who after watching what was happening on their TVs rushed out to help him.
The police purposely stayed away, so a lot more people would have died if local (black) residents hadn't come out of their homes to intervene and save the lives of white and Asian people being attacked

Yes, I agree the races are treated unfairly. Under Obama, blacks became emboldened here in Chicago terrorizing, primarily, non-whites. I saw waves of behavior like a series of incidences where black drivers would, after coming to a full stop, lurch into the crosswalk and nearly miss white pedestrians. In one case, the driver miscalculated. In the days after the Dallas shooting, the tourists areas of Chicago became emptied. In their stead were suddenly gangs of militant black fascists. I remember walking past one park cafe, usually thronged with a diverse international tourist clientele, only to find a posse of local black thugs and their girlfriends. The normally busy park walkway was empty except for me and when I walked near the cafe, there was cacophony of hyena-like laughter, silver clattering and pointed looks. Zero tourists. It reminded me of memoirs of anarchic 1917 Russia. I understand why a newspaper like this, now in the hands of black fascists ( as I write this, I see a band of newspaper articles floating above with only faces of black people), but I lived this nightmare and I think I'm not alone in observing this. I even have photographs and videos which have caused disquiet among white hillbilly liberals. Obama failed, Trump failed and I only see one way out of this and that's a Le Pen or a Putin (surprisingly, a PBS commentator claimed Trump was moving away from these figures towards a "safer" more traditional form of oligarchy).

It was all so primitive. All of it.

The police beating of Rodney King was terrible to watch. And to know that cops can get away with stuff like this makes me want to catch every on of them on film every possible time. Today, it seems like the police are more violent that ever. There is no attempt to de-escalate the situation. And it's little wonder that people are now fighting back and killing the police in return. It's a recipe for disaster, but what can we do when we see cops killing people and always walking free?

I guess my initial visceral reaction to recalling this vicious episode was a bit too venomous to post, thanks moderators for being sensible. Nonetheless, I think a couple of things might bear mentioning.

I have no doubt that the situation with LAPD brutality was terrible before the L.A. riots, aimed mainly at black people. At the time I was horrified by the beating of Rodney King; afterwards when I found out he tried to crush two female police officers into a wall with his car just beforehand, I figured the beating was illegal but understandable. If someone tried to kill my friend in front of me, I'd be hard pressed to avoid beating them up.

But when the riots broke out, and innocent people were killed and had their businesses burned, I lost all sympathy for the brutalized neighborhoods. The riots made me think, at the time, that the reason for the police brutality was apparent, that they were in hyper-violent warzones and acting appropriately.

So I'm glad to hear that things have gotten better, and I think better education and employment options will decrease the violence still further. But I never want to hear the rioters described as rebels or heroes; the rioters were insane mobs and there is no justification for their actions.

At 24 year, a 4th generation Californian, the riots were my first real experience with violent, racial unrest. Seeing it first hand created an impression that motivated my only tattoo.
An etched, life long reminder, a symbol, meaning to 'live and let live' stares from my naked leg;
a code, a promise to live and defend a life where everyone is equal, no matter what. The creed that people are basically good, and racial inequality is alive and breathing fire through our culture. its our job to speak up, out, and within to heal the past, empower the present and inspire the future.

live and let live.

I remember that day. Anticipating such an event I decided to call in sick to work. Best use of a sick day ever (the first floor of the building I worked in was burned and had all its windows broken).

Has anyone else ever made such beneficial use of a sick day (especially when they were not even ill)? If so, please share your story.

As a 15 y/o Korean American living in the east coast watching the images on TV and hearing about fellow Korean immigrants defending their lives, property, and business as the LAPD did nothing, I truly felt grateful I lived in a gun culture. Skeptics say "without rule of law" will never happen, and I tend to agree, except I saw it happen once in my lifetime against my community. The cops may be there to protect the white neighborhoods but I have my doubts that the same can be said about ALL neighborhoods. It will happen again. Just watch.

Until I read this article, I had no idea that more than 50 people died during those riots. I think this article would have been more balanced if some or any information about those 50 were included. Just mentioning their deaths right along side of the 1000s that were injured and the $1 billion in damage not only trivializes their deaths, but practically discounts them all together. Not sure why an individual who brutalized an innocent man, who was sitting in his truck, is showcased in this article, but others who were murdered go practically unmentioned if not unnoticed? Where's the justice in that possible oversight or omission?

Those who label the riots in LA the beginning of a rebellion should think very carefully about the implications of rebellion. A riot is simply that: a groups of people acting in violation of the law. But a rebellion implies the intent to overthrow the state. Riots are generally handled by police, but rebellions are suppressed by the armed forces. Do those who wish to express violently their dissatisfaction with the social conditions in LA wish to have their actions suppressed by the US military (with all its power) rather than by the police?

I was in LA during the riots. It was a far more complex situation than is ever presented in the press... it affected all the different groups in the city in different ways. The local TV coverage at the time probably captured it best. What was remarkable was how the city basically just shut down. Hard to believe that could happen in the U.S. but it did.

Sometimes I think it must be a rather slow news day at the Times when I read articles like this one and then a few weeks earlier, an article called "Vietnam - The Baby Boomers War". Not really sure why or what good it does writing about events that makes one remember with sadness how horrible, frightening and terrifying those times were. I mean, in some ways, it feels like walking down memory lane or something. . . and not in a good way either. I don't need to be reminded of those times because I will never forget how I felt while watching the tube when all of this was occurring. And the replaying of the same scenes over and over and over again. It was depressing then, it is equally depressing and embarrassing today. Most of the neighborhoods in Chicago that were burnt to the ground from rioting over 40 years ago still look the same - gutted and empty and terribly heartbreaking. The grass is so overgrown, you could hide a car any of the yards. At least there a level of rebirth in the area where the LA riots occurred. But the attitudes and anger still persist. Sometimes I wonder if stories like this merely helps stir the pot more than it already is.

Masculinity is becoming a curse, not just for the working class: "As he drank coffee with a friend at M’Dears, both men said they were thankful they did not have sons."

I vividly remember the footage of the LA cops beating and kicking Rodney King. Those actions still sicken me. But I also vividly recall the sickening footage of Henry Watson pulling Reginald Denny out of his truck, holding Mr. Denny's neck down with his foot and then smashing a brick to his head.

Both sets of actions were terribly violent, unprovoked, unnecessary and filled with hate and rage. Frankly, many individuals who were around and/or recall those horrific and heinous times are older now, hopefully more mature with a sense of decency and a sense of right and wrong. But the issues, emotions and sense of rage and anger still prevails in many of today's younger generation. What happened in LA in 1992 was the result of "a perfect storm". Similar anger and rioting occurred in LA in 1965 with the Watts riots, rioting occurred throughout major cities after MLK was murdered, and then the riots during the DNC in Chicago in 1968. I would like to think things have improved throughout this country since so long ago, but my gut says, not so much. The police in Chicago have their hands full with the current murder rate due to gangs and other domestic causes. But there isn't a cop I know who isn't concerned that at any given moment, things could turn real bad, real quick. Some days I don't think anything has changed since the 60s or the 90s.

After the LA Riots burned down a healthy part of LA the Korean community rebuilt in its place. Now Korea town has greatly expanded its footprint. This is neither good nor bad but it is an unintended consequence of the riots.

As a "black" man from an immigrant family I look at it quite differently. Does and did racism exist in the US? Of course! Was Rodney King innocent? No! The media purposely plays only the parts of the video it wanted to. The reality is King was belligerent. Never do we see him accepting beig arrested. In the country we come from - where the police are the same race - Mr King most likely would have been shot as he continued to try to lunge at officers. As to the riots themselves. That was completely cowardly of the LAPD. Not only did they abandon a hot corner - but they refused to return as people were being maimed and assaulted. The entire episode is shameful and did absolutely nothing to further any cause. All the rioters did was burn down their own neighborhoods.

I had some sympathy for the rioters at the time. I was young and knew little of the world. Decades later I can see the patterns of "black leaders" who use lies, half truths, and exaggerations to incite mob violence. Let's not forget Asians were targeted all over the country by blacks in the LA riots, and they were targeted again in the Ferguson and Baltimore riots last year. There is so much advocacy for Muslims and illegal immigrations but the left threw Asians under the bus.
Likewise I see irony that blacks were so appauled at the King beating but in the same era beat a Jewish driver even worse for a car accident that killed a black child. The Crown Heights pogrom still isn't called a hate crime due to the power of false narratives by black activists and their media lapdogs.
Every lynch mob has it's excuse. Poor whites suffer from poverty, police brutality, and all sorts of frustrations. They used to take that out on blacks. We do not allow that anymore. But for the past 25 years the left has given blacks a free pass at mob violence towards. Blacks claim they are reacting to injustice. They riot like this worldwide. They claim the problems with the police are because the police are racist against them because of their skin color. If this is true, why are police relations with black males as bad, if not worse, on the African continent?

I was a graduate student at UCLA and living in Venice at the time. We heard about the acquittal in the afternoon, and I stayed on campus for a class that evening. Driving home down the 405 after class, police cars sped by with their lights flashing but we didn't know what was going on - my passenger remarked that maybe they were "gloating." It wasn't until I got home and turned on the news that I realized. The next day there was a heavy smell of smoke in the air. At first the university stuck to a normal schedule but at some point everything was canceled and I headed home again. The freeway was a huge traffic jam, and it seemed that everyone had their radio tuned to the same thing. There was a sense of alarm and uncertainty. A couple of violent incidents took place in Venice. I stayed hunkered down for a day and then went out to Riverside to stay with a friend for the weekend. The smoke lingered in the air for days afterward. A week or two later I visited someone in South Central LA and there were still tanks on the street. It was disturbing to see tanks on the street in the US.

To think that the 4 thugs who beat Denny, no matter their "motivation", consider themselves heroes is a disgrace to them and theirs. Watch the beating and decide for yourself.

I don't care that he feels angry and oppressed. He acted like an absolute animal during the riots by attacking a completely innocent man because some drugged up man was beaten by police.

Whoever writes the headlines should be forced to look up "epicenter" in the dictionary. "Epi" comes from the word meaning skin, not from the word epic. In an earthquake, the epicenter is the location on the earth's skin above the earthquake that can occur miles below the surface.

What, no picture of Mr. Watson with his foot on Mr. Denny's neck? As I recall he delivered the coup de grace with a brick to Mr. Denny's head.

City officials make it difficult for developers to rebuild in South Central. Who would of thunk it.

We know this much: The New York Times will support the rioters.

The LA riots are one of those seminal moments in life where it felt like time stopped long enough for those moments to be permanently etched in my memory, and my psyche as an American. I was a teenage middle-class white kid growing up in the midwest at the time. The contrast between my world and the erupting anger and violence in a different part of the USA forced me to consider how fortunate I was, and how different other American experiences were. The 1990's were to me what the 1960's were to my parents...heavily influenced by social changes in the USA, war and foreign stumbles abroad, a revolution in music (the change in music from the frivolous 1980's to 1990's grunge and alternative rock, rap music, etc.).

The man beat a random stranger because of his race, and now commemorates the event with an annual block party. He feels angry and oppressed. I don't know how to help him. Do you?