The subject of racial issues and inequality has been something that has affected human history and has impacted the world around us. For hundreds of years, racial equality has been an immense problem. Today, racial equality and injustice is being fought in many different aspects. One crucial event in the fight for equality came during the O.J. Simpson murder case. The beating of African-American Rodney King due to the actions of a police officer added to racial turmoil leading up to the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman. The murder case went on to portray many examples of racial tension going on around the world, some of those examples were used against the prosecution throughout the trial. This worldwide story became the focal point …show more content…
murder case showcased racial issues and imbalance, the beating of Rodney King shaped up what was yet to come. Rodney King was an African-American man who was beaten by police officers on March 3, 1991. The white officers who were the cause of King’s beating were eventually found not guilty of any crime against King. “After hearing seven weeks of detailed testimony and studying the 81-second amateur videotape of the beating, the jury concluded that the policeman, all of whom are white, had not broken any laws when they clubbed and kicked the mostly prone motorist, Rodney G. King,” (New York Times). Later that afternoon, the monsters of society were brought out due to anger and a feel of judicial imbalance in regard to the acquittal of the four LAPD officers. Later, the mayor of California declared a state of emergency, which was followed by the Gov. Pete Wilson ordering the National Guard to activate 2,000 reserve soldiers. These riots, of which lasted five days, left more than 50 dead, and more than 2,000 …show more content…
v.s. The People was a nationally televised trial that last 133 days, which contained it’s good share of drama and excuratiating facts. One of the key turning points in society relating to this trial, would be the prosecution’s witness Mark Fuhrman who discovered the bloody glove at the scene. The defense team seized their opportunity in making Fuhrman's history of racial conflicts come to light. Although caught on camera in an interview, in cross-examination, Fuhrman was asked by a detective if he ever used the “n” word and he replied that he had never done so, which obviously was a lie. This caused turmoil throughout society, specifically to African-Americans. Fuhrman was apart of the LAPD, the same department involved in the King beating. This caused the perception that he was a racist and was obviously setting up a successful black man. This one piece of evidence affected the rest of the trial and the outlook of the LAPD and turned the situation into a race trail and it showed in society as well. Because of this, the defense was focused on making sure to get as many African-American jurors voted on as possible, in which they did successfully. 9 of the 12 jurors were African-American and set up the trial for an interesting and historic
The beating of Rodney King from the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991 and the Los Angeles riots resulting from the verdict of the police officers on April 29 through May 5, 1992 are events that will never be forgotten. They both evolve around one incident, but there are two sides of ethical deviance: the LAPD and the citizens involved in the L.A. riots. The incident on March 3, 1991 is an event, which the public across the nation has never witnessed. If it weren’t for the random videotaping of the beating that night, society would never know what truly happened to Rodney King. What was even more disturbing is the mentality the LAPD displayed to the public and the details of how this mentality of policing led up to this particular incident. This type of ethical deviance is something the public has not seen since the civil rights era. Little did Chief Gates, the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, and the LAPD know what the consequences of their actions would lead to. Moving forward in time to the verdict of those police officers being acquitted of the charges, the public sentiment spiraled into an outrage. The disbelief and shock of the citizens of Los Angeles sparked a mammoth rioting that lasted for six days. The riots led to 53 deaths and the destruction of many building. This is a true but disturbing story uncovering the ethical deviance from the LAPD and the L.A. riots. The two perspectives are from the Rodney King incident are the LAPD and the L.A. riots.
After his clients were found guilty of rape and sentenced to the death penalty for a third time, Sam Leibovitz noticed a disturbing trend in the courtroom. Out of the multitude of jurors used in each hearing, none of them were black. Every single one was a white southerner, and Leibovitz felt as though the jury was rigged in favor of the prosecution. This was exceedingly common in the South at this time, as many states excluded people of color from sitting on a jury. In Norris versus Alabama, Leibovitz voiced his concerns to the United States Supreme Court. This landmark case was unorthodox, as Leibovitz had the jury rolls from the cases brought up all the way from Alabama to be read by the justices. The preponderance of the names on the lists were those of whites, but there were a few names belonging to blacks at the bottom of some of the pages. These were all hastily scrawled, as if they were added recently. Leibovitz argued that they were written there merely to show that Alabama did not intentionally influence the jury against the boys, when they actually did. The Supreme Court voted for Leibovitz, and ruled that all people, no matter their skin color, should be able to vote on a jury. This verdict would be instrumental for later race-based proceedings in the future. During the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, many crucial cases were won because of empathetic, equal
O.J. Simpson an actor and Hall of Fame running back was on trial from November 2nd 1994, until January 24th 1995. Simpson was being tried on two counts of 1st degree murder. The victims of the case were Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ronald Lyle Goldman. The one victim was O.J.’s ex-wife and her friend was the other victim. The crime was carried out, outside Nicole’s home in Los Angeles. The victims were stabbed to death. The trial also took place in Los Angeles. The general public found much controversy and much racial tension whole following the trial
This paper was written to discuss the hot button topic, “Black Lives Matter.” Specifically, in regard to law enforcement. This has been an ongoing and controversial issue ever since the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. This is when the movement “Black Lives Matter,” was born, with the belief that blacks are treated unfairly by law enforcement. I, however, do not believe that blacks are treated any more unfairly by law enforcement than any other race.
Two dead bodies and one very guilty man, but no jail time. The OJ Simpson murder trial in 94’ may have been the biggest happening in that year. The bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death in Nicole’s home in LA. OJ was boarding a flight when the murders went public; he quickly became the first suspect in the case. The trial went on and the jury found him not guilty of the murders, despite overwhelming evidence showing his connection to the murder. In the controversial case of the killings of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman, the innocent ruling incorrectly acquitted O.J. Simpson; OJ killed both of them because he possessed a motive, attempted to escape and cover up the crime,
Rodney King a black man who lived in Las Vegas was severely beating by four white police officers. The officers were brought into court and tried on charges of assault. The officers were acquitted of the assault charges. Immediately protestors took to the streets, to express their angry over the judge’s decision. Protestors found the ruling to be unfair and was fed up with the ill-treatment. The violent protest turned into a riot. A lot of damage occurred; over 50 people were killed, over 2,300 people injured, 8,000 arrest and estimated over $1 billion in property damage. The riots exposed the police abuse, poverty, and lack of economic opportunity. If it was not for the violent protestors no light would have been shed on the the way black were being
If they truly committed a crime, they must do the time, but death should not be the penalty for rape; furthermore, if the rule stands, it should be impartial and required to be color blind. Clearly, the negative and hateful practices against blacks as they were being murdered, due to racial discrimination and prejudicial injustice, further highlights institutional practices. With the rejections of the U.S. Supreme Court and Martinsville Circuit Court judge’s refusal to have mercy and deliver a fair trial; ultimately, demonstrates a systematic process set forth to crush blacks. Selecting prospective black jurors as a sign of balance diversity in an effort to appease blacks, was a sure sign that tokenism was on display; however, their decision to use 72 all-white male jurors throughout the six trials, prove otherwise. Hostility against the black society in Martinsville, VA exposes a Jim Crow South in full effect, and although it has reduced compared to the 1940s, it still exists; however, today it is more convert and subtle. While no one will deny Floyd’s rape; on the other hand, none should feel good about the hateful discrimination against these young black men, who had no opportunity of a fair trial and all request for one was ignored or rejected. Local and international support for these men, were immensely immeasurable; nevertheless, they fail to convince the evil minds of a whites only institution. It took
April 29th, 1992 at the intersection of Florence and Normandie, Reginald Denny a white truck driver was pulled from his truck cab and beaten senseless as a news helicopter above captured the attack on videotape. Governor Pete Wilson immediately called a state of emergency and ordered the National Guard to take the streets of Los Angeles, in an attempt to salvage what they could of the city. Prior to the beginning of the Rodney King Riots, also known as the 1992 South Central Riots, was decades of racial tension paired with the notorious maltreatment of the Los Angeles Police Department. The actual beating of Rodney King by four Los Angeles Policemen is considered the main catalyst of the riots, but truly the riots have a
In the 1990s a series of riots and racial tension among the African American community was evident. In 1991, many people were stunned to see footage of a CHP police officer brutality beating a young African American named Rodney King, who was being chased by police for driving under the influence. The trial of Rodney King was held in Simi Valley, a white community. In 1992 the officer involved in the beating was found not guilty. The response from the African American community was terrifying and revealed the ways in which race divided Los Angeles, similarly like the 1960s Watts Riots. A serious a looting and mass violence swept Southern California. That same year, a Korean grocery woman named Soon Ja Du argued with an African American teenager
This incident would have produced nothing more than another report for resisting arrest had a bystander, George Holliday, not videotaped the altercation. Holliday then released the footage to the media. LAPD Officers Lawrence Powell, Stacey Koon, Timothy Wind and Theodore Brisino were indicted and charged with assaulting King. Superior Court Judge Stanley Weisberg ordered a change of venue to suburban Simi Valley, which is a predominantly white suburb of Los Angeles. All officers were subsequently acquitted by a jury comprised of 10 whites, one Hispanic and one Asian, and the African American community responded in a manner far worse than the Watts Riots of 1965. ?While the King beating was tragic, it was just the trigger that released the rage of a community in economic strife and a police department in serious dec...
The Los Angeles riots kicked off on the twenty-ninth day of April 1992 following the acquitting of four officers who had beaten and injured a motorist in the previous year. In the year 1991, California Highway Patrol officers detected Rodney King speeding as he drove in Los Angeles. King then led the officers on a high speed chase for the fear that the court would revoke his probation for a robbery offense he had committed (Gray, 2014). He was caught and ordered out of his car surrounded by several L.A.P.D cars and this led to a struggle between him and the police officers with some of them thinking that he was resisting arrest. One sergeant, Stacey Koon, used a Taser gun to fire at him before they beat him with their buttons mercilessly. He was struck with police batons more than fifty times and suffered eleven fractures besides other injuries. George Holiday, who was a nearby resident, videotaped the ordeal and delivered it to a local television station the following day (CNN Library, 2014). The tape sparked tension between the black Americans and the whites. The blacks saw the beating as racial discrimination against their community. However, no violence was recorded from the blacks du...
On the morning of March 3rd, 1991 an African-American man led police on a high-speed chase through the city of Los Angeles. Approximately eight miles later police swarmed around the car and confronted the driver, who went by the name Rodney King. During the confrontation, officers tortured King until the point he was forced to seek medical care. A case was opened and the police officers were acquitted. This angered many people, specifically Blacks and led to the historical “L.A. Riots’’ , where they felt race had something to do with the case.
This year there's been a lot of brutalities. In fact, there have been at least 500 people killed by the police officers this year. In this article, we are going to be talking about police brutality against African Americans. We are also going to talk about the differences and similarities of different cases that have been in the news this year. For example, the Sandra bland, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, and the Walter Scott cases. Also, we're going to talk about how these cases have affected the African American community.
Violence spread throughout California and in the end “killed more than 60 people, injured almost 2,000, led to 1,000 arrests, and caused nearly $1 billion in property damages including the burnings of more than 3,000 buildings” (“Riots Erupt in Los”). Among the innocent people injured was a white truck driver named Reginald Denny. He was approached by “a group of rioters enraged over the Rodney King verdict rushed toward him, pulled him out of the cab and beat him to within an inch of his life” (“The L.A Riots”). Although this occurred over two decades ago, police brutality among African Americans continues to be an issue
Rodney King. A story many people know. King was a victim of the L.A. Police brutality. A video showed Mr. King being beaten during his arrest. The video clearly shows a defenseless King being viciously attacked. King suffered a fractured facial bone, a broken right ankle, and multiple bruises and lacerations. As the officers took King to the hospital they bragged to the nurses and doctors about how many times they hit king. Four police officers were charged with excessive use of force. Three of the police officers were full acquitted and the jury failed to reach a verdict on the others. This was the first big case of police brutality that caused an uproar. What is police brutality?