209 - American Riots: the 1992 LA Riots and So Much More

LAPD and California Highway Patrol officers chased, arrested, and beat Rodney King, a twenty-five-year-old Black man, in 1991, and the fateful encounter would lead to a verdict of “not guilty” for the four officers that brought the city of LA to its knees. Long standing racial tensions bubbled over the surface, and inflamed by a video of the altercation, people took to the streets, burning, looting, and brutalizing their fellow civilians. The LA riots happened just under thirty years ago, yet from a historical perspective - so recent. And they are one of many. Tulsa in 1921. Watts in 1965. Ferguson in 2014. So many in 2020. Why? Are black Americans actually being unfairly targeted by law enforcement? Or is that just the perception? The answer, as is so usually is, seems to be more complicated than many in the media would have you believe. I do my damndest today to answer some really complicated, complex, and culturally volatile and polarizing questions in this “Why can’t we all just get along?” edition, of Timesuck.

Donated $7000 to the SBP. Founded in 2006 by a couple in St. Bernard Parish, its model is focused on streamlining the recovery process, which includes quickly rebuilding homes and restoring local businesses, and supporting policies that aid long-term recovery. Go to https://sbpusa.org/ to donate, volunteer, or find out more.

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