Apr 27 2012

Eye Witness Account of LA Uprising, 20 Years Ago

On April 29th 1992, as shock and outrage at the Rodney King verdict was expressed across LA, some 150 volunteers, largely from African American church and community groups, were dispatched to urge residents to remain non-violent. Reverend Cecil Murray, former pastor of the First African Methodist Church, told the Huffington Post that history may have been different if police had supported their efforts. However the LAPD was seemingly not prepared with a city-wide response. Then Police Chief Daryl Gates was later blamed for failing to issue a tactical alert once the verdict was read. On the first night of unrest, Gates appeared nonplussed and attended a fundraising dinner.

The violence accompanying the LA Uprising continued for days before calm was restored. Ultimately, over 60 people were killed and 2,300 injured as a result of the unrest, and over 1000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Calls for reconciliation between races and across communities were made immediately and efforts began to heal and rebuild.

On April 27, 2012, Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar spoke with Monty X, a local activist, who was 18 years old, attending Compton College in April 1992.

Watch a video of the interview here:

Martina Steiner recorded this interview.

3 responses so far

3 Responses to “Eye Witness Account of LA Uprising, 20 Years Ago”

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