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On April 29th 1992, a predominantly white jury acquitted four LAPD officers in the videotaped beating of a black man named Rodney King. That evening existing unrest in Los Angeles, sparked by the verdict, resulted in the outbreak of an all-out riot that lasted five days. A total of 53 people died: 25 blacks, 16 Latinos, 8 whites, 2 East Asians and 2 West Asians. Approximately 3,600 fires were set, destroying 1,100 buildings. About 10,000 people were arrested. Stores owned by Korean and other Asian immigrants were widely targeted, although stores owned by whites and blacks were also targeted. <\/p>\n
Three days after the violence began, President George H W Bush an announcement to deploy federal troops. <\/p>\n
The Rodney King verdict triggered a violent response among residents. But what were the riots really about? Few in the media or government stopped to consider the extreme poverty, unemployment, and rampant police brutality in South Los Angeles, or anger over the tragic shooting of Latasha Harlins by a Korean grocery store owner in 1991. The videotaped beating of Rodney King was the spark that set the fire. <\/p>\n
We heard what the president said about the riots. We also hear the voices of LA residents. A day after the announcement of the Rodney King verdict, KPFK reporter Nancy Clark spoke to many residents in and around South Los Angeles, including children, to get their reaction to what was happening. The interaction between the white reporter and mostly black residents is very instructive. <\/p>\n