LA Riots
Believe it or not, Los Angeles was just waiting for an event like the Rodney King verdict to explode. All that was needed was that one spark to ignite the anger in the citizens of South Central and cause the area to explode. One of the recent and most significant riots took place on the streets of Los Angeles on April 29, 1992. The case was controversial because Rodney King was a black male beaten with excessive force by four white Los Angeles police officers. The not guilty verdict of the four officers may have been the initial cause, but the riots were not about Rodney King and the issue of racism; rather they were more about the class tension between poor and rich. The riots were due to all the underlying festering rage that had been building up in the residents of Los Angeles and the disbelief that police, even when caught on tape, could get away with such brutality. Although many people believe the riots were caused solely by the King verdict, in reality, these widespread brutal actions were a justified protest to the social injustice and economic inequality in which people live. It was obvious that the media focused on the issue of discrimination and portrayed the riots as black rage on the streets due to the not guilty
However, according to the history, the community of South Central had been dealing with significant underlying racial and economic problems in the years since the Watts riots in 1965 that caused by an event that was similar to the Rodney King incident. While South Central LA has a high population of blacks, Hispanics and Asians, it has a low percentage of whites. Again, just another verdict that led and worsened the conflict between the Koreans and Blacks. Certainly, the lack of contact with other communities limits the opportunities for the children in the neighborhood to learn and work, but rather encourage them to follow in the footsteps of their troubled old peers. It is clear that people in the neighborhood suffer from poor standard of living generated resentments to the society, as they believed they were a group of abandoners. The civil rights activists said, "the log shows that LAPD offers apply a different set of standards when dealing with minorities" (Serrano). There are many sub cities in LA such as Westwood, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Downtown, and of course, South Central. Although the city has changed in those years since the Watts riots, unfortunately, many of the unresolved issues have remained the same and one of them is the city of Los Angeles is not a unified city. Thus, the riots arose out of the frustration of minorities being overlooked and not properly represented. As a result, the Watts riots left 34 dead and more than 1,032 injured (USA Today). At the same time, the city's minorities are engaged in racial warfare. The anecdotal evidence suggests, "at least 25% of the young black males in South Central Los Angeles have had a brush with the law" (Oliver, Johnson and Farrell 127). verdict of the four Los Angeles policemen that were facing excessive force charges. South Central is just a shining example of a community divided. Perhaps if these issues had been addressed adequately and repaired, then the destruction and violence that occurred on the streets of South Central Los Angeles in 1992 would not have to have been endured.
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Acceptance Essays
