Los
Angeles Riots
On April 29, 1992, twelve jurors
in Sylmar, California rendered their
verdicts in a controversial
case involving the 1991 beating of Rodney
King by four LAPD officers.
The case had received heavy media
coverage dating from before
it even went to trial, when a video of the
beating hit the national
airwaves. It came as a surprise then, as the
verdicts were read: One
of the officers was found guilty of excessive
force; the other officers
were cleared of all charges.
The verdicts were broadcast
live, and word spread quickly throughout
Los Angeles. At various
points throughout the city that afternoon, people
began rioting. For the next
three days the violence and mayhem
continued. Mayor Tom Bradley
imposed a curfew, schools and
businesses were closed.
Governor Pete Wilson dispatched 4,000
National Guard troops to
patrol the streets. People stayed home,
watching on TV with the
rest of the country as live TV coverage
showed fires raging throughout
the city, innocent bystanders being
assaulted and looters sacking
businesses.
On Monday, May 4, schools and
businesses reopened and life returned
to some semblance of normality.
The toll from the worst civil unrest LA
had experienced since 1965
was devastating: more than 50 killed, over 4thousand
injured, 12,000 people arrested,
and $1 billion in property
damage.
L.A. Insurrection surpasses
1965 Watts Riots, 38 dead, more
than 1,200 injured.
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