For some in LA, Wednesdays anniversary of the 1991 attack is a painful reminder of the ways the racist and deadly law enforcement practices of the 1990s remain alive today. Those civil rights leaders with whom I met were stunned. The chase began after . Officers Wind, Briseno, and Powell attempted numerous baton strikes on King, resulting in some misses but with 33 blows hitting King, plus seven[28] kicks. In Koon's report as well, the use of force was downplayed and justified. Image Credit Birthday: April 2, 1965 ( Aries) Born In: Sacramento, California, United States 45 32 Quick Facts Also Known As: Rodney Glen King Died At Age: 47 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Crystal Waters (m. 1989-1996), Danetta King (m. 1984-1988) It's not right, and it's not going to change anything. Instead, in the late 90s, the LAPD was caught in a vast corruption, abuse and drug dealing scandal, in which police framed civilians and falsified reports, leading to more than 100 wrongful convictions. LAPD's Police Reforms and the Legacy of Rodney King The department's reforms in the decades following the 1992 Los Angeles riots could provide direction for other police forces. People waited for the criminal justice system to make good on its promise to give equal justice. "The Rodney King video was the Jackie Robinson of police videos," the Rev. Powell's report would leave out several important details, such as the presence of Allen and Helms in the car and civilian witnesses at the scene. Holiday's name became known after he recorded footage in 1991 of a group of police officers beating and shocking 25-year-old motorist Rodney King. This marriage also ended in divorce. Police guard Hollywood Boulevard after the Rodney King incident sparked riots. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Peace is more productive. He was released on December 27, 1990, after serving one year in prison. Hollywood writers going on strike over fair pay in streaming era, Missing teens may be among 7 people found dead in Oklahoma, authorities say, Fish contaminated with "forever chemicals" found in nearly every state, Gordon Lightfoot, "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" singer, dies at 84, CBS News Poll: How GOP primary race could be Trump v. Trump fatigue, At least 6 dead after dust storm causes massive pile-up on Illinois highway, Oklahoma governor signs gender-affirming care ban for kids, U.S. tracking high-altitude balloon first spotted off Hawaii, Bob Lee died from three stab wounds, medical examiner says, Missing teens may be among 7 found dead in Oklahoma, authorities say, DNA solves "decades-old mystery" after woman's remains found in 1995, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell case: A timeline of events, Arkansas woman indicted for selling stolen body parts to Pennsylvania man. King was born in Sacramento, California, in 1965, the son of Ronald and Odessa King. We can reimagine public safety by divesting from police and freeing up those dollars to invest in the things that actually bring about safe communities, said Abdullah. The blood alcohol content from King's test samples was 0.075%, indicating that he was intoxicated as defined by California law, the legal limit being 0.08% at the time of his arrest. The riots left more than 50 dead, over 4,000 were injured and cost $1 billion in property damage. The acquitted police officers were later convicted of violating Rodney King's civil rights in a federal court trial. March 3, 1991: California Highway Patrol officers pull over Rodney King for speeding on a Los Angeles freeway. The low sentences were controversial and were appealed by the prosecution. [11] At 12:30a.m., officers Tim and Melanie Singer, husband and wife members of the California Highway Patrol, noticed King's car speeding on the freeway. [68], King was subject to further arrests and convictions for driving violations after the 1991 incident, as he struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction. Two decades after the riots, King told CNN that he had forgiven the officers. Businesses burn on Pico Boulevard near Hayworth Avenue on 30 April 1992. The officers' jury consisted of Ventura County residents: ten white, one Latino, one Asian. June 17, 2012 -- Rodney King, the man who was at the center of the Los Angeles police brutality case that later sparked the Los Angeles riots has died. By December 1995, both Koon and Powell had been released from prison. Rodney King died of an accidental drowning in 2012 at age 47. Very little has changed, other than theyve gotten better at PR.. [34], King was taken to Pacifica Hospital after his arrest, where he was found to have suffered a fractured facial bone, a broken right ankle, and multiple bruises and lacerations. Riots: 15 Years After Rodney King", "Rodney King Comes To Grips With 'The Riot Within'", "LOS ANGELES: Rodney King's Wife Files Petition for Divorce", "Rodney King's Wife Files Petition for Divorce", "Rodney King slams SUV into house, breaks pelvis", "Report: Rodney King Shot in the Face | Fox News", "Sober House will follow Celebrity Rehab cast, Andy Dick in sober living", "Rodney King Forgives Officers Who Beat Him LAist", "No Plan to 'Get Along' When Rodney King Takes on Former Cop", "Rodney King stopped after traffic violation, police say", "Rodney King once again runs afoul of the law, cited for expired license in Arcadia", "Rodney King pleads for calm in Trayvon Martin case", "Los Angeles riots: Rodney King funeral held", "Rodney King Comes To Grips With 'The Riot Within', "911 call reveals frantic moments, fiancee's pleas after finding Rodney King submerged in pool", "Police Beating Victim Who Asked 'Can We All Get Along? King later filed a civil suit against the city of Los Angeles and was awarded $3.8 million. The officers struck King 56 times. [16] King grabbed his buttocks, which Officer Melanie Singer took to mean King was reaching for a weapon,[21] though he was later found to be unarmed. CBS Los Angeles reports that the coroner said alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and PCP were found in his system and were contributing factors to the 47-year-old's death on June 17. Melina Abdullah speaks during a Black Lives Matter-Los Angeles news conference last month. Rodney King himself would speak out publicly on the third day of the riots, proclaiming what would become an iconic statement: "People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? The first five Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers to arrive were Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Rolando Solano. It's just not right. Holliday, 61, died Sunday at a Los Angeles hospital, where he had been for more than a month, according to Robert Wollenweber, a longtime friend and former coworker. [15][16][17] By this point, several police cars and a police helicopter had joined in the pursuit. [76], In 2009, King and other Celebrity Rehab alumni appeared as panel speakers to a new group of addicts at the Pasadena Recovery Center, marking 11 months of sobriety for him. Kelly told the Rialto, Calif., police that King was possibly under the influence of marijuana and alcohol when he died. Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids? . "[53], Within hours of the acquittals, the 1992 Los Angeles riots began, lasting six days. "[86][96] Since his death, his daughter Lora King has worked with the LAPD to build bridges between the police and the black community. King is placed in handcuffs and cord cuffs, restraining his arms and legs. We've got to quit; I mean, after all, I could 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 the security guard shot on the ground it's just not right. Who Is Suspected Pentagon Leaker Jack Teixeira? He described how he had knelt, spread his hands out, then slowly tried to move so as not to make any "stupid moves", being hit across the face by a billy club and shocked. Can't we all get along?". civil disturbance occurred on Yonge Street, United States District Court for the Central District of California, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, History of African Americans in Los Angeles, "Rodney King to marry juror from LA police beating case", March 3, 1991: Rodney King beating caught on video, "25 years after racial tensions erupted, black and Korean communities reflect on L.A. riots", "Rodney King, L.A. police beating victim, dies", "Profile: An icon, anxious and shy: Rodney King As he awaits a new trial of the police who beat him, Rodney King has become a hero, a demon, and a gold mine", "The Trials of Los Angeles Police Officers' in Connection with the Beating of Rodney King", "Stacey C. Koon, Petitioner 94-1664 v. United States", "Seven Minutes in Los Angeles A special report; Videotaped Beating by Officers Puts Full Glare on Brutality Issue", "An Account of the Los Angeles Police Officers' Trials (The Rodney King Beating Case)", "Passenger Describes L.A. Police Beating Of Driver, Calls It Racial", "Prosecutor Says Officers Hit Passenger in King's Car", "Rodney King Beating at 25: What Happened in Los Angeles", "Bid for Officers' Acquittal Fails: King case: The judge, in rejecting the defense motion, rules that there is sufficient evidence to support a conviction of each defendant in the beating of the motorist", Prosecution Rests Case in Rodney King Beating, "CHP Officer Describes Chase, Beating of King: LAPD: One defendant tried to stop another's baton blows to motorist's head, she says", "Video: March 7, 1991: Video of Rodney King Beaten by Police Released", "Rodney King symbolized police brutality", "How citizen journalism has changed since George Holliday's Rodney King video", "The Holliday Videotape, George Holliday Video of King Beating", "Fighting Police Abuse: A Community Action Manual", "George Holliday, Who Shot The Video Of Officers Beating Rodney King, Has Died", "Rodney King Is Arrested After a Fight at His Home", "Police Beating Trial Opens With Replay of Videotape", "An aggravating anniversary for Simi Valley, where a not-guilty verdict sparked the '92 L.A. riots", "Rodney King Juror Talks About His Black Father and Family For the First Time", "After the riots; A Juror Describes the Ordeal of Deliberations", "Jurist The Rodney King Beating Trials", "Online NewsHour Forum: Authors' Corner with Lou Cannon April7, 1998", "All 4 Acquitted in King Beating: Verdict Stirs Outrage; Bradley Calls It Senseless: Trial: Ventura County jury rejects charges of excessive force in episode captured on videotape. In 2019, she launched the "I am a King" scholarship, which works toward offering financial support to Black fathers in order to relieve financial insecurity and provide opportunities for the entire family. It was like being raped, stripped of everything, being beaten near to death there on the concrete, on the asphalt. [60], During the three-hour sentencing hearing, US District Judge John G. Davies accepted much of the defense version of the beating. Can we get along?". Lead prosecutor Terry White was black. He was caught, convicted, and sentenced to two years' imprisonment. It was one of the first videos to capture this form of abuse that was so common. The buildings were burning so bad that you could feel the heat from both sides of the street coming into the car as we were driving, recalled Quintus Moore, a 62-year-old South LA resident who lived through the riots. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. That case, known as the Rampart scandal, led to federal oversight, and a number of reform efforts were adopted in the following years, including implicit bias training, de-escalation efforts, community outreach work, audits, improved data collection, training on community policing, and increased diversity of the force. Advocates are hopeful that there might be some change under the newly elected LA district attorney, George Gascn, who was backed by progressive groups and pledged to hold police accountable and reopen cases of killings by law enforcement. After several more incidents with drinking and domestic disputes, King would go on to appear on two seasons of Celebrity Rehab in his attempts to get his addiction under control. LAPD in recent years has faced scrutiny from a new wave of activists who have organized against police killings of civilians, discriminatory arrests and traffic stops, harassment and surveillance of Black and Latino residents, and militarized responses to protests. [61], Davies found that King's provocative behavior began with his "remarkable consumption of alcoholic beverage" and continued through a high-speed chase, refusal to submit to police orders and an aggressive charge toward Powell. Al Sharpton told the New York Times last year. [97] She also started a nonprofit, the Rodney King Foundation, on behalf of her father.[98]. When a mostly white jury acquitted the police officers who were caught on video beating Rodney King, it set off the L.A. riots of 1992. ", He went on to talk about his healing process, which included forgiving the officers who injured him. [66] King invested a portion of his settlement in a record label, Straight Alta-Pazz Records, hoping to employ minority employees, but it went out of business. The United States Department of Justice filed federal civil rights charges against the four officers, and in August 1992, two of them were found guilty while the other two were acquitted. I didn't want to be angry my whole life. This past Sunday, Rodney King died at age 47, closing the book on a troubled life burdened by one of the more tragic cases of unwanted celebrity in recent American history. [70] He was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted of hit and run. There were no smartphones at the time, but a witness filmed the beating from his balcony and gave the footage to a local news station. Still, he could not find anyone interested in seeing the video. We'll get our justice. Davies said that only the final six or so baton blows by Powell were unlawful. Los Angeles CNN Rodney King's death in June was the result of accidental drowning, although alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and PCP found in his system were contributing factors, authorities. ], It's not painful to relive it. Within hours of the acquittals, the 1992 Los Angeles riots started, sparked by outrage among racial minorities over the trial's verdict and related, longstanding social issues, overlaid with tensions between the African American and Korean American communities. On May 7, federal prosecutors began presenting evidence to the federal grand jury in Los Angeles. the death of George Floyd at the hands of police is also filmed by . Rodney King would have lived and died a complete unknown, were it not for the most famous home video ever made. Riots start at the intersection of Florence and Normandie in South Central Los Angeles. (CBS/AP) SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Rodney King died as the result of an accidental drowning, according to the San Bernardino County Coroner's official report released Thursday. On 3 March 1991, just after midnight, 25-year-old Rodney King was pulled over, and four white LAPD officers brutally kicked and beat him on the pavement. No one wants to be mad in their own house. By standing to remove Officers Powell and Briseno from his back, the four officers claimed King had resisted attempts to restrain him. [58] The jury found Officer Laurence Powell and Sergeant Stacey Koon guilty, and they were subsequently sentenced to 30 months in prison. Since Kelly was not too good a swimmer herself, she got a pitchfork and hoe and tried to arouse Rodney before help arrived. [36] The city did not pursue charges against King for driving while intoxicated and evading arrest. [26]:8 Pacifica Hospital nurses reported that the officers who accompanied King (including Wind) openly joked and bragged about the number of times they had hit King. [85][86] King died 28 years to the day after his father, Ronald King, was found dead in his bathtub in 1984.[87]. Shot on a dark Los Angeles street the morning of March 2, 1991, it instantly turned . [26]:8 Blood and urine samples were taken from King five hours after his arrest. At this point, Koon, the ranking officer at the scene, told Singer that the LAPD was taking command and ordered all officers to holster their weapons. In a final tragic twist, Rodney King's life ended on June 17, 2012. He was 61. In his memoirThe Riot Within, King recounts growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father and the struggles that produced at a young age. [33], On September 19, 2021, Holliday died of COVID-19 complications at a hospital in Los Angeles. The suit seeks a jury trial and . Alta-Pazz, according to King, was meant to be a label that brought opportunities to young Black and Hispanic people who were struggling with employment. E.J. Imani Perry: Rodney King, 30 years later King was still suffering more than a year later, on April 29, 1992, when a Simi Valley jury failed to convict any of the police officers who'd beaten. [32], Several "copwatch" organizations subsequently were started throughout the United States to safeguard against police abuse, including an umbrella group, October 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality. The LAPD initially charged King with "felony evading", but later dropped the charge. The acquittals were considered a gross miscarriage of justice, with the mayor of Los Angeles,Tom Bradley, calling the verdict "senseless." Rodney King was released without charges, and on March 15 Sergeant Stacey Koon and officers Powell, Wind, and Briseno were indicted by a Los Angeles grand jury in connection with the beating . Witnessing the scene from his balcony, Holliday decided to start recording. The mayor agreed to some reductions last year, and activists are fighting now to hold him accountable for his promises. [61], These mitigations were critical to the validity of the sentences imposed because federal sentencing guidelines called for much longer prison terms in the range of 70 to 87 months. The trial was moved to Simi Valley, a predominantly white suburb of L.A. . LAPD is still corrupt and violent and brutal, said Melina Abdullah, co-founder of Black Lives Matter LA. [83] Co-authored by Lawrence J. Spagnola, the book describes King's turbulent youth as well as his personal account of the arrest, the trials, and the aftermath.
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