The 1992 Los Angeles riots, also known as the LA riots or the Rodney King uprising, was sparked by the acquittal on April 29, 1992 of four officers (three non-Hispanic whites and one Hispanic) charged with the use of excessive force in the beating of black motorist Rodney King, by a mostly white jury. This resulted in thousands of people in Los Angeles, mainly young black and Latino males, to participate in what has often been characterized as a race riot, involving mass law-breaking, including looting and arson.
Underlying Causes
In addition to the immediate trigger of the Rodney King verdict, there were many other factors cited as reasons for the unrest, including: the extremely high unemployment among residents of the South Central neighborhood, which had been hit very hard by the nation-wide recession; a long-standing perception that the LAPD engaged in racial profiling and used excessive force, supported by an investigation led by former diplomat Warren Christopher; and specific anger over the light sentence given to a Korean shop-owner for the shooting of Latasha Harlins, a young African-American woman. Additionally, in the time between the public revelation of King's beating and the trial verdict, the two largest LA street gangs, the Crips and the Bloods, agreed to a truce with each other, and began working together to make political demands of the police and the LA political establishment, leading to the establishment of the Christopher Commission.
Racial Tensions
Commentators on the eruption of violence emphasize tensions arising from the changing demographics of South Central as building factors to the riots. The racial makeup of historically black neighborhoods changed as Hispanics took up residency and Koreans bought formerly black owned liquor and small grocery stores. According to census data, in the historically black areas affected by the riots, the Hispanic population increased 119% over the decade leading up to the violence1 Economic competition between races in the labor force and in small enterprise provoked more racial animosity. The fracture between Korean businesses and the black residents they served was especially pronounced. The black community complained of poor treatement by store owners and infalted prices.
Latasha Harlins
Acrimony between Koreans and blacks peaked in a ghastly video documented incident involving a Korean woman, Soon Ja Du, shooting Latasha Harlins, a 15 year old black girl. The incident occurred on March 16, 1991, which shortly followed the Rodney King beating. Du claimed to confront Harlins over a $1.79 bottle of orange juice sticking outside of her backpack. According to witnesses the argument escalated into slapping and stool-throwing. The security video that captures the incident shows Harlins walking away before Du fatally shot her in the back2. The black community was outraged after Du was sentenced on November 15, 1991 to only 5 years probation, community service, and fines after being convicted of voluntary manslaughter.
The Riots
The unrest, starting at the intersection of Florence and Normandie, lasted about four days and shocked viewers across the world as parts of the city went up in flames. Open gun battles were televised as Korean shopkeepers took to using firearms to protect their businesses from crowds of looters. A white truck driver, Reginald Oliver Denny, was dragged from his vehicle and severely beaten by an angry mob as the news helicopters hovered above, with the police nowhere to be seen (several assailants were later arrested and sent to prison). Estimates of the number of lives lost during the unrest vary between 50 and 60, and estimates of the material damage done vary between about $800 million and $1 billion. Approximately 600 fires were set, and about 10,000 people were arrested.
In addition to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), about 10,000 soldiers from the California National Guard and thousands of soldiers from the United States Army and Marines were deployed to suppress the crowds. Smaller, concomitant unrest occurred in other United States cities, especially Las Vegas, Atlanta, and San Francisco, but also including Oakland, New York, Seattle, Chicago, Phoenix, Madison, and even Berlin.
Of those arrested, about 42% were African-American, 44% Latino, 9% White, and 2% other. These numbers are proportionate to the number of residents in the areas of Los Angeles where the events occurred, although they are not proportional to the racial make-up of Los Angeles as a whole. Stores owned by Korean and other Asian immigrants were widely targeted, although stores owned by whites and blacks were also targeted.
Outcomes
Around the one year anniversary the riots almost returned, although no news outlets reported it. LAPD Police Officers acted quickly and a media blackout was imposed to prevent the hysteria from spreading.
Peter Ueberroth, notable organizer of the 1984 Olympics in L.A., attempted to spurn development for damaged areas as head of Rebuild L.A., which fell short of its monetary goals by more than half and the substansive goal of attracting corporate investment in poor areas. The effort lasted until 1997 before folding.
Popular Media
Sublime's song "April 29th 1992" is based on accounts of the LA riots of the same date.
Porno for Pyros debut album of the same name was wholly inspired by the L.A. Riots.
Ice Cube's album "Death Certificate" is generally supposed to have provided the "soundtrack" to the riots.
Notes
- Pollard, Gail (May 1, 1992). "Latinos Bring Racial Mix to Boil". The Guardian, p. 7.
- Mydans, Seth (October 6, 1991). "Shooting Puts Focus on Korean-Black Frictions in Los Angeles". New York Times, Section 1; Part 1; Page 20; Column 1.
