In Spring 1992, four Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers were acquitted of assaulting motorist Rodney King. The beating had been videotaped by a bystander and shown on television news broadcasts not just in Los Angeles, but throughout the nation. The verdict sparked riots in Los Angeles that rivaled those of the 60s, with hundreds of fires breaking out and widespread looting taking place. Emergency services personnel were put in danger as they responded to calls, and the long-term effects of the riots are still being felt in the workplace, in government regulations, and in the community. This research examines the riots themselves and the aftermath that they left in Los Angeles.
Following the acquittal of four police officers accused of using excessive force in arresting black motorist Rodney King, more than 1,100 fires were set and thousands of people of all races were arrested on looting charges. Commercial strips throughout the historically black South Central neighborhood were virtually decimated (although adjacent residential areas remained untouched). Elsewhere, too, there were pockets of devastation. The response from the fire service was immediate, but firefighters soon found themselves pelted with rocks and bottles, and threatened with guns, as they tried to control the conflagration. As the evening wore on during the first day of the riot, police officers were assigned to accompany firefighters, but the number of fires was simply too large for the fire service to handle. Before the riots were over, the national guard would be called in to help restore a sense of order to Los Angeles.
While there is no one reason for how the riot started, there are actions that were taken by the 77th precinct officers (the precinct in which the now-famous intersection of Florence and Normandie is located) which might have precipitated the loss of control. Senior officers in the division either directed officers to dis...