Rodney King Riots

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The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 was an extremely controversial time in American history and also a great stepping stone for civil rights. Rodney King, a parolee under the influence of alcohol, although it had been assumed that he was under the influence of narcotics at the time of the arrest, had run red lights and stop signs and was chased down and detained in South Central Los Angeles on March 3rd, 1991 in the Lake View Terrace district. During his arrest, a local resident caught video of a violent beating on Rodney King by four members of the Los Angeles Police Department. This became a rallying cry for activists in and around Los Angeles and other places in the United States. The video that was captured shows four white police officers clubbing and kicking Rodney King repeatedly. With the exposure that this video tape created for the police force in Los Angeles, it was inevitable that the trial would “brings into focus the questions of police misconduct and racial bias that have aroused anger in Los Angeles and led to revisions in law-enforcement” (Mydans). There was a lengthy investigation and trail put on for the four officers involved. Each officer was charged with use of excessive force and assault with a deadly weapon in the apprehension of Rodney King. During the investigation and trial of the officers, the prosecution and defense used the home video shot by a man named George Holliday, a local man who shot the video from just outside his apartment. In the video, the first few seconds capture Rodney King beginning to charge the officers, before being taken down where he is clearly seen being hit repeatedly. The beginning part of the video was edited and not shown when major news outlets received the tape. “Most of America saw an edited version of the amateur videotape. Jurors in the officers' trial saw an additional 13 seconds, in which King

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