Los Angeles riots in 1992

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The violent riots in Los Angeles in 1992 ( English Los Angeles Riots , also LA Riots , Rodney King Riots ) began on April 29, 1992, when four police officers who had been accused of mistreating the African American Rodney King in the California metropolis of Los Angeles were acquitted in a court of law. The resulting outrage, especially in the Afro-American population group, triggered an outbreak of violence in parts of Los Angeles for a few days with conditions similar to civil war . In the end, there were 53 known deaths - 48 men and 5 women -, several thousand people were injured and property damage totaled approximately one billion US dollars . Similar unrest erupted across the United States , including Los Angeles, following the death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 .

trigger

On the evening of March 3, 1991, Rodney King was caught by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) after he drove himself into a car chase through Los Angeles with multiple patrol cars . In his testimony, Sergeant Koon, the senior local police officer, described King as "very well trained, very muscular" and that he concluded "that he was probably an ex-convict." At the time of the violence, police officers were unaware that King was serving a six-month prison sentence for theft.

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In the footage of the incident from an eyewitness who filmed the process with a video camera from his nearby apartment , it can be seen that King tried to straighten up several times after being beaten by the police before dozens of other blows followed, including when he was on the ground while lying down, he hardly seemed capable of serious resistance. The recording was then passed on to television stations, which resulted in a heated debate among the population, under the impression of the excerpt, which was often played on television, which only showed the stick blows but not the previous sequence. The police officers affected, three white and one Latino , were particularly accused by African Americans of excessive, racially motivated violence.

The trial followed a year later. Previously, the defense of the four defendants succeeded in getting the Simi Valley court , a suburb of Los Angeles, to have jurisdiction. The jury , who were chosen at random from the respective district ( Ventura County ), were predominantly white according to its population share. There was not a single black person on the jury . Nevertheless, the acquittal of all accused on April 29, 1992, which was broadcast live on television, was considered a surprise in view of the video recording of the crime and public pressure. In several places in Los Angeles, mostly black people gathered to protest the verdict. The protests quickly turned into violence.

Deeper reasons for the riots

Beyond the immediate trigger, the Rodney King Beating , a number of other factors are named as causes of the unrest:

  • Unemployment and poverty were widespread in the affected areas of Los Angeles, primarily the South Central district . Rampant crime and gangs were an expression of the problems. South Central and adjacent counties were considered a social powder keg.
  • The police forces of the LAPD were often seen as a kind of occupying force due to their tough actions in the problem areas and the Rodney King recordings confirmed many in their feelings.
  • There were latent to open racial conflicts in the affected districts. Large numbers of Latin American and Korean immigrants moved to what had previously been all-black areas of the city. The Koreans, in particular, were unpopular with African Americans because of their obvious business acumen and the resulting takeover of local stores.
  • Between the Rodney King incidents and the acquittals, another videotape was released that was intended to heighten existing racial tensions. The surveillance camera of a beverage shop in Los Angeles run by the Korean Soon Ja Du had recorded how the shop owner of the 15-year-old African American Latasha Harlins , who she believed to be a shoplifter , fatally shot a gun from behind in the head after a brief physical confrontation. She was sentenced to five years probation, a fine and community service in the subsequent trial in 1991; Too mild a judgment in the eyes of many blacks and further evidence of discrimination against African Americans.

The course of the riots

Soldiers from the California Army National Guard's 40th Infantry Division patrol the streets of Los Angeles April 1992

In the afternoon, when the acquittal of the four policemen accused in Rodney King Beating became known, anger and frustration erupted among African Americans in South Central and other parts of Los Angeles. Stones were thrown and non-black passers-by and motorists were attacked. Shops were looted, vehicles and buildings were set on fire, and firearms were used. The local police, unable to cope with the outbreak of violence, withdrew - parts of the police leadership were not in town. The uprising was not nipped in the bud. This circumstance was later often viewed as a decisive failure with regard to the further course of the riots.

During the next two days, the rioting and the breakdown of public order reached their climax. Other ethnic groups had also increasingly participated in the looting. Business owners tried to defend themselves and their property through the use of firearms. A public call by Rodney Kings on television to “ get along ” ( “Can we all get along?” ) Had no effect. The unrest had little to do with its direct trigger. In a televised address , US President George HW Bush announced a tough and decisive crackdown on the rioters, citing the Insurrection Act , after publicly expressing his lack of understanding about the acquittals on April 29.

It was not until the fourth day that the police , supported by the National Guard , US Marines and US Army , succeeded in gaining the upper hand. A night curfew had been imposed. Over 20,000 security forces and soldiers and a large number of vehicles and material were meanwhile in use in the city. Still, it took another two days for the unrest to subside and for the curfew to be lifted. More than 7,000 people had been arrested by then.

In the end, 53 people were killed directly and indirectly as a result of the riots, 35 from gunshot wounds, eight from car accidents, five were burned, two people were killed or stabbed to death and one man was strangled. Among the victims were 25 African Americans, 16 Latin Americans, eight whites, two Asians , one French of Algerian descent, and one person from India or the Middle East . 22 deaths have not yet been clarified. Ten killings by firearms were carried out by the security forces deployed.

Fatalities of the riots in detail
time place Surname Age Ethnicity status
circumstances
April 29, 7:30 p.m. South Central LA Arturo Carlos Miranda 23 Americans of Mexican Descent open case
Miranda was driving home with a nephew and friend when a blue car approached and a gunshot could be heard. Miranda was hit in the chest.
April 29, 8:15 p.m. Downtown Los Angeles Dwight Taylor 43 African American open case
Taylor was just getting home from work and standing on the street when he was shot from a passing car.
April 29, 8:35 p.m. South Central LA Franklin Antonio Benavidez 27 Latin American Investigation stopped
Benavidez was shot dead by police officers while he was about to raid a gas station.
April 29, 9:00 p.m. Ladera Heights Eduardo Canedo Vela 33 Americans of Mexican Descent open case
Vela and two friends broke down their car. After the two friends returned from looking for a phone, they found Vela with a gunshot wound in the chest.
April 29, around 9:30 p.m. South Central LA Anthony Lamarr Netherly 21st African American open case
Netherly was found on the street by a passing motorist and was taken to a hospital. He died of a gunshot wound in the left eye.
April 29, 9:30 p.m. unknown Willie Bernard Williams 29 African American Investigation stopped
Williams weighed 150 kg and fell out of the back of his brother's truck, sustaining serious head injuries. The incident was classified as an accident resulting from poor driving conditions.
April 29, 11:00 p.m. El Segundo John Henry Willers 37 Whiter open case
Willers was in the process of helping other people involved in a head-on collision. He was shot down by a passerby. The fatal shot hit his heart.
April 29, 11:30 p.m. South Central LA Elbert Ondra Wilkins 33 African American open case
Wilkins and friends were standing by their car when shots were fired from another vehicle passing by. One bullet struck the aorta of Wilkins, who later died in the hospital.
April 29th, time unknown Koreatown Nissar Daoud Mustafa 20th Indian or from the Middle East open case
Mustafa was discovered in a burned down shop on August 12, 1992.
April 29th, time unknown North Hollywood Elias Garcia Rivera Latin American case closed
A group of African Americans began collecting money that they said they would use to go to trial against white police officers. A local resident refused to pay more than two dollars and tried to escape but was hit on the head with a board. His neighbor Rivera tried to intervene, but was also hit in the head and suffered a fractured skull. He then fell into a coma and on December 16, 1992, his family switched off life support. Traville Craig, 19, was convicted of what was considered murder and received life imprisonment with no early release.
April 30, around midnight Watts Ira Frederick McCurry 45 Whiter open case
McCurry was shot in the right eye trying to stop looters from burning down a shop that was right next to his house.
April 30, 12:00 AM Watts Jimmie Harris 38 African American no investigation started
Harris crashed into another vehicle due to poor driving conditions. Rescue measures were delayed because of the unrest.
April 30, 12:00 AM Watts Anthony James Taylor 31 African American Investigation stopped
Dennis Ray Jackson Sr. 38 African American
Taylor and Jackson were killed in an exchange of fire with the police.
April 30, 12:10 a.m. Hollywood Juanita Rena Pettaway 38 African American Investigation stopped
Jerel Channell 26th African American
Darnell Levalle Mallory 18th African American
Pettaway, Channell and Mallory fled the police by car, throwing a pistol and stolen goods out of the window. The chase ended when Mallory lost control of the car, rammed a fire hydrant , and then crashed into a wall, killing all three.
April 30th, after midnight Watts Deandre Harrison 17th African American Investigation stopped
Police believe Harrison was a sniper who was shot by police officers.
April 30, 4:30 a.m. Pomona Meeker Mardah Gibson 35 African American open case
Gibson was shot dead while he was believed to be on the phone at a gas station.
April 30, before 8 a.m. Koreatown William Anthony Ross 25th African American open case
Ross burned to death in a grocery store that had been infected. He died curled up under a metal desk in the study with a wad of money in his pocket. The coroner came from a homicide.
April 30, 12:30 p.m. Compton Brian Edmund Andrew 30th African American Investigation stopped
Andrew was caught by the police while he was raiding a shop. After he hit one of the police officers with a bottle on the head, his colleague shot him in the face. The investigation revealed that the shot was justified.
April 30, around 3 p.m. South Central LA Howard A. Epstein 45 Whiter open case
Epstein was walking down Slauson Avenue when someone shot him from another car and hit his left temple. As a result, he drove into a tree and, despite his serious injuries, was robbed by looters who had rushed up. Due to the hostility of the crowd present, the police were forced to tow Epstein directly in his car.
April 30, 3:15 p.m. Compton Thanh Lam 25th Americans of Vietnamese Descent open case
Lam tried to make deliveries for his family's grocery store despite the unrest. When he stopped at a red light, another vehicle pulled up and an inmate described as an African American man in his early twenties yelled a racist remark and opened fire. Lam was hit four times and died.
April 30, 4:20 p.m. Lennox Mark Garcia 15th Americans of Mexican Descent Investigation stopped
The police followed a gang who ransacked a jewelry store. After the getaway vehicle crashed, the suspects ran a few meters before an exchange of fire with the police ensued. Garcia, who had followed in another car, also went into chase. He came into the line of fire and was hit in the chest. An investigation concluded that there was no wrongdoing by the officers.
April 30, 4:45 p.m. Koreatown Patrick Bettan 30th Frenchman of Algerian descent Investigation stopped
Bettan was employed by security guards at a shopping mall when he and shopkeepers took action against looters. He was shot in the head. It turned out that the shot was fired from a shopkeeper's gun and Bettan was accidentally hit. No charges were brought.
April 30, 5:30 p.m. Central City Frank Daniel Lopez 36 Latin American Investigation stopped
Lopez was hit by a car and found shortly afterwards. His death was classified as an accident.
April 30, 6:35 p.m. Long Beach Matthew Ellis Haines 32 Whiter Investigation completed
Haines was with his nephew Scott Coleman on the way to a black friend and their children, because they had broken down with their van in an unrest area. A mob of about twelve young Afro-Americans approached Haines and Coleman, first pulled them both off the motorcycle they were on and robbed them. Then Haines was shot while Coleman escaped and was hit three times in the arm. A total of seven people were convicted of the crime.
April 30, 7:00 p.m. South Central LA Gregory Davis Jr. 15th African American open case
Davis Jr. was shot in the head while walking down a street.
April 30, 7:15 p.m. Pico union Adolpho Morales 37 Latin American open case
Morales was found stabbed to death. He had a fake ID with him that said his name was Andre Garnica.
April 30, 7:30 p.m. East Hollywood Hector Rivas Castro 49 Latin American Investigation stopped
Castro was shot in the back while walking. The police assume that a national guard fired the bullet and assessed the incident as an accident.
April 30, 7:45 p.m. South Central LA Louis Amari Watson 18th African American open case
Watson was part of a larger crowd when someone shot him in the head. The police suspect that the perpetrators are known to the people, but no one dares to consult the authorities.
April 30th, time unknown South Central LA Armando Ortíz Hernández 18th Mexican Investigation Completed
He was burned to death in an auto accessories store. Until his identification in 2017, he was referred to as " John Doe no. 80".

He was found by a police officer days after the shop burned down. Investigators were able to take a fingerprint from his left middle finger and solve the case around 25 years after the riots. [1]

April 30, 8:00 p.m. Huntington Park George Antonio Sosa 20th Latin American Investigation stopped
Sosa was shot dead by a stranger while he was ransacking a shop.
April 30, 8:15 p.m. East Hollywood Jose Very Solorzano 25th Latin American Investigation stopped
Solorzano was shot dead by the shopkeeper whose shop he was raiding.
April 30, 8:47 p.m. East Hollywood James Lino Taylor 27 African American Investigation stopped
Taylor was believed to have been shot and killed by a warehouse worker as he was raiding the shops.
April 30, 9:45 p.m. East Hollywood Juan Antonio Pineda 20th Latin American Investigation stopped
Pineda was hit by a sniper while driving with his brother and a friend. A murder charge was denied by the presiding judge after a preliminary hearing.
April 30, 9:50 p.m. Wilshire Edward Song Lee 18th Americans of Korean descent Investigation stopped
Lee was part of a group of four Koreans who clashed with another Korean group. After the first shots were fired, the police intervened and shot both groups. The shots that fatally hit Lee while sitting in a car were fired from within the other Korean group. It later turned out that the shooting was caused by a fatal error. Both groups wanted to protect Korean property and believed the other group to be looters. There was an initial arrest, but later no charges were brought.
April 30, approx. 10:30 p.m. Westlake Cesar Augusto Aguilar 19th Hondurans Investigation stopped
Aguilar was asked by police in a shop to raise his hands. However, Aguilar did not obey and even lowered his hands. As a result, he was shot dead by the police who feared he was going to grab a gun. The shots were deemed justified.
April 30, 11:30 p.m. South Central LA Ernest Neal Jr. 27 African American open case
Neal Jr. was standing around with another person when he was shot in the head by a third person.
May 1st, around 12:00 p.m. South Central LA Paul Douglas Horace 38 African American Investigation completed
Horace was involved in a failed drug deal. He was fatally injured while trying to flee from his tormentors. Two adults and one teenager were convicted of the murder.
May 1st, 2:00 p.m. Altadena Lucie Rose Maronian 50 Whiter Jury disagreed
Four African American youths armed with knives chased Maronian's son and friends through the neighborhood. After they fled to a neighbor's roof, Maronian tried to intervene. She was stabbed three times in the chest and twice in the back. The attackers were convicted of assault and theft. The jury could not agree on the murder charge. The police then announced that they would reevaluate the DNA evidence and reserved the right to re-initiate murder proceedings at a later date.
May 1st, 4:30 p.m. West Los Angeles Aaron Ratinoff 68 Whiter Investigation stopped
Ratinoff was shopping for vegetables in a store when he dropped a few ears of corn. He then started arguing with someone, the situation escalated and Ratinoff was strangled. One person was later arrested but was not charged.
May 1st, 6:00 p.m. South Central LA Charles William Orebo 22nd African American Investigation stopped
Orebo was driving on a motorway when he threatened another driver. This later turned out to be an off-duty policeman who was followed by another off-duty policeman in a third vehicle. In the further course, shots were fired from all three vehicles. After Orebo was fatally hit in the head, back and forearm, he fell out of the car at the next exit. The shooting was deemed justified.
May 1st, 7:30 p.m. Central City Betty Jackson 59 African American Investigation stopped
Jackson was killed in a car accident. She hit the vehicle in front.
May 1st, 7:30 p.m. South Central LA Alfred Miller 32 African American Investigation stopped
Miller was shot in the neck from a passing vehicle. No charges were brought.
May 1st, time unknown Hawthorne Wilson Alvarez 40 Latin American open case
Alvarez was believed to have been beaten to death with sticks by looters after throwing stones at her to keep her from doing their thing. Death occurred on May 23, 1992. The police suspect that there are witnesses for the crime.
May 2nd, 12:00 am Venice Kevin Andrew Evanshen 24 Whiter open case
Evanshen tried to put out a fire at a financial institution. He fell through a weakened part of the roof on which he was standing. He died of burns and smoke inhalation .
May 2nd, time unknown near downtown LA Carol Ann Benson 43 African American open case
Benson was found on the Harbor Freeway. The police suspect an accident with a hit and run .
May 2, 12:20 p.m. Watts Juana Espinosa 65 Latin American case closed
Espinosa was walking down a street when she was shot and killed by a Latino teenage boy. The gunshots were actually aimed at the police vehicles that were chasing him. The perpetrator was sentenced to only two years in an educational institution for the murder and for another attack on a person with a firearm.
May 2, 10:45 p.m. Pacoima Fredrick Ward 20th African American Investigation stopped
Ward was hit by bullets several times while standing in front of a house.
May 2nd, time unknown South Central LA Juan Veron Roberto Salgado 20th Latin American open case
Salgado's body was found in a burned-out clothing store on May 20. The police assume a homicide.
May 3, 12:40 a.m. Pasadena Howard Eugene Martin 22nd African American Investigation stopped
Martin was part of a party that turned violent. After a police helicopter that was shot at landed, patrol cars arrived. They exchanged shots with the party guests. When Martin opened the door, a bullet hit him in the head. His shooting was classified as an accident.
May 3, 7:40 p.m. Pico union Victor Rodrigo Rivas 31 Latin American Investigation stopped
It was after the curfew began when Rivas, who was traveling at high speed, was stopped by National Guardsmen. Rivas then turned the vehicle around and drove around the block until he met the security forces a second time. This time after he hit one of the men, the others opened fire. Rivas was hit five times. The action of the National Guard was classified as permissible.

aftermath

Burned down buildings in Los Angeles

Two of the accused police officers were found guilty of violating Rodney King's civil rights in another trial . They were sentenced on August 4, 1993 to 30 months' imprisonment each. The other two police officers were acquitted - also in this process. On the day of the verdict, extensive security precautions were in place in Los Angeles. The media had agreed on a less controversial coverage of the verdict. This time there were no riots.

As a result of the unrest, the South Central Farm project, which ran until 2006 and was portrayed in 2008 by the Oscar-nominated documentary The Garden , was launched.

Traces of the Los Angeles Riots can still be seen in South Central, which is now officially called South Los Angeles . Despite diverse public efforts to rebuild, there are still large gaps in those blocks where over 800 buildings were burned down in the spring of 1992. There is little willingness to invest in this still problematic area.

The situation in South Los Angeles had improved in 2012, twenty years after the riots, in that the majority of residents felt that the different ethnic groups were getting along better.

Movies

  • Dark Blue with Kurt Russell reports on the problems of the various ethnic groups in LA and the actions of the security forces.
  • Menace II Society by directors Allen and Albert Hughes from 1993 focuses on the corresponding time after the unrest in Los Angeles
  • Demolition Man , a1993dystopian action film starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes , sets its narratives in 1996 in a Los Angeles torn by civil war.
  • The 2005 LA Riot Spectacular by director Marc Klasfeld takes on the subject in a satirical manner.
  • In Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank and Danny Devito, the "Rodney King case" is used as an introduction and named as the basis for the gang wars in Long Beach.
  • Doogie Howser, MD exploresthe aftermath of the riots from the perspective of a hospitalin the first episode, "There's a Riot Going On" of the fourth season (from 1992).
  • Kings mentions the riots from the social point of view of a large African American family in the neighborhood and finally describes the first two days of the riots.

In “The People v. OJ Simpson “in the American Crime Story series with Cuba Gooding junior and John Travolta , the LA riots are a multiple theme. Right at the beginning, a video is shown in which the police beat a man lying on the ground, followed by protests in the city. As the series progresses, OJ Simpson's attorneys base their defense on the fact that the police acted for racist motives.

Games

In the action game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, there is a section of the game in which riots are also shown due to the acquittal of two corrupt police officers in a city modeled on Los Angeles. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is also set in 1992. In addition, in the underground parking lot of the police station, two policemen beat up a civilian.

Musical publications on the subject

  • The song Cop Killer (March 30, 1992) by the band Body Count makes explicit reference to Rodney King and the then Police Commissioner of Los Angeles.
  • In the song "Wicked" from the 1992 album "The Predator", Ice Cube refers to the incidents in the text line "April 29th was power to the people".
  • The song "April 29th 1992" by the band Sublime about looting and unrest in Los Angeles refers to these events with its lyrics.
  • The song "LAPD" from the album Ignition (1992) by The Offspring refers to the Rodney King incident.
  • In 1993 the album "Cyberpunk" by Billy Idol was released , which contains the song "Shock to the System", which deals with the topic and sparked controversy about its alleged glorification of violence.
  • In 1994 a song was released by Downset called "Anger", which is about the events of 1992.
  • In 1999 the band Rage Against the Machine released the album " The Battle of Los Angeles ", which alludes to the unrest with its title.
  • On his album “Welcome to the cruel world” Ben Harper sings the song “Like a king” and draws a connection between Rodney King and Martin Luther King.
  • In 1995 Michael Jackson released the song " They Don't Care About Us ", which refers to racial discrimination in the USA. In the first version of the video, the so-called "Prison Version", parts of the original Rodney King video were used in the intro. The video was withdrawn at the instigation of SONY and replaced by the "Brazil Version".

The song "Fuck the Police" by the rap group NWA described the behavior of the police towards minorities.

See also

literature

  • Janet L. Abu Lughod: Race, Space, and Riots in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Oxford University Press, New York 2012, ISBN 978-0-19-993655-7 , pp. 227-268 (= 7. Riot Redux: South Central, 1992 ).
  • Lou Cannon: Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the Riots Changed Los Angeles and the LAPD , Westview Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8133-3725-9 (English)
  • Ronald N. Jacobs: Race, Media, and the Crisis of Civil Society: From Watts to Rodney King. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2000, ISBN 978-0-521-62578-4 .
  • Josephine Metcalf, Carina Spaulding: African American Culture and Society After Rodney King: Provocations and Protests, Progression and 'Post-Racialism'. Routledge, London 2015, ISBN 978-1-4724-5539-0 .
  • Brenda Stevenson: The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins: Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots. Oxford University Press, New York 2013, ISBN 978-0-19-994457-6 .

Web links

Commons : Los Angeles Riots 1992  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Sergeant Says King Appeared to Be on Drugs . In: The New York Times . March 20, 1992, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed July 4, 2020]).
  2. ^ Libby Cathey: What is the Insurrection Act and why has it been invoked before? ABC News , June 2, 2020 (English).
  3. ↑ Detailed Description of the 53 deaths during the riots (English)
  4. ↑ Susanne Janssen: There are still gaps in South Los Angeles. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung from April 28, 2012