Fraser.B-Riots+in+L.A

The Daily Times Thursday, 30th April 1992 $2.50 Local Bashing Brings War TO L.A Last night at around 8pm local time Riots started in Los Angeles. Thousands of supporters of Rodney King took to the streets setting alight cars, smashing shop windows and looting goods mainly targeting Asian American owned stores. These riots have already caused US$250 million and have resulted in 15 deaths so far. Riot police have not been enough to stop the violence, the U.S army and Marines have been called in and effective tonight is a curfew to help curb the violence. Many of the disturbances so far have been located in the South Central Los Angeles which is mainly composed of African Americans.

This violence was sparked after the Rodney King police brutality case was over-turned by a jury earlier in the day. The jury acquitted the case even after video evidence showing the officers beating Rodney King. Rodney King registered 0.19 blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit in the state of California after being apprehended from a high speed pursuit reaching up to 120mp/h. The jury was composed of mainly White and Asian Americans.

During this time King was apprehended he was continuously beaten by the officers. This was recorded by a by-stander showing one minute and 19 seconds of King being beaten. The officers testified that they were trying to restrain King who was able to throw himself off the officers from pervious un-shown footage of the video tape.

Another cause was the Latasha Harlins case where a Korean American shop owner shot dead an African American girl. Soon Ja Du, the Korean shop owner was handed down a five year probation sentence over the killing. Many South Central Residents believed this was because of the cultural differences of the Blacks and the Whites, the Blacks being seen as outsiders and scum towards the dominant whites in the area.