The Rodney King Trial

1331 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: racial disparities in the us judicial system

In the play Twelve Angry Men, a boy is on trial for supposedly murdering his father after a night of arguing. Rodney King, twenty-five, was beaten by four caucasian Los Angeles Police Department officers on March 3, 1991 (CNN Wire 1). On this day, King was pulled over for exceeding the speed limit while intoxicated (Kaplan 1). The jury of both of these cases played a major role in the verdict of each case. In the play Twelve Angry Men, the twelve men that make up the jury are faced with a difficult decision to make; deciding whether or not a nineteen year old boy was guilty of murder. Fast forwarding forty-three years later, twelve jurors were given the Rodney King case in which they had to decide the fate of the four Los Angeles officers that brutally beat Rodney King, an African-American citizen. Being a member of the jury on the Rodney King case must have been a difficult task given the evidence surrounding the trial. The day of March 3rd, Rodney King sped away from the police officers while intoxicated. The day of March 3rd, Rodney King was roughly taken from his vehicle.The day of March 3rd, Rodney King was brutally bashed and beaten close to sixty times by Los Angeles, California police officers (Boyd 1). The Rodney King Legacy Lives states, “The sickening tape, shot by a neighborhood resident, clearly shows the man on the ground offering no resistance as the cops pummeled him reportedly fifty-six times in the body and face,” (Carter 2). From the tape, the member’s of the jury had the opportunity to see, for themselves, the acts of brutality that took place. Some of the damages caused “skull fractures, nerve damage, a crushed cheekbone, a broken ankle and possible brain damage” (Brady 1).With this information, the members ... ... middle of paper ... ...ra - School Edition. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Kaplan, David A.Foote, Donna. "King II: What Made The Difference? (Cover Story)." Newsweek 121.17 (1993): 26. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Kaplan, David A.Meyer, Michael. "Roll The Tape Again." Newsweek 121.6 (1993): 68. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. "Los Angeles: A Tale Of Two Trials." Newsweek 120.7 (1992): 37. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. Medina, Jennifer. "Rodney King Dies at 47; Police Beating Victim Who Asked ‘Can We All Get Along?’." The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 June 2012. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. Rose, Reginald. Twelve Angry Men. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print. Staff, CNN Wire. "A Timeline of Events in Rodney King's Life." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. "Working Together Quotes." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 16 May 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Los Angeles Riots In Twilight

    1624 Words  | 4 Pages

    Consolidated with authentic research, Twilight provides an important examination of the hidden reasons for the Los Angeles riots. A more drawn out chronicled see additionally uncovers the bigger class strains and the gigantic change of ethnic structure of Los Angeles from 1970 to 1990 that added to the atmosphere that could deliver such a huge scale riot.

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In 12 Angry Men

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film 12 Angry Men depicts the challenge faced by a jury as they deliberate the charges brought against an 18-year-old boy for the first-degree murder of his father. Their task is to come to an impartial verdict, based on the testimony that was heard in court. The group went through the case over and over while personal prejudices, personality differences, and tension mounted as the process evolved. While the scorching hot weather conditions and personal affairs to tend to led the juror to make quick and rash decisions, one juror convinced them the fate of the 18 year old was more important than everyone’s problems an convinced them that they could not be sure he was guilty. Juror three took the most convincing. After fighting till he

    Read More

  • Prejudice in 12 Angry Men

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    12 Angry Men is about 12 men who are the jury for an 18 year old accused of murder. The judge states in the opening scene that it is a premeditated murder in the 1st degree, if found guilty will automatically receive the death penalty. The 18 year old male is accused of killing his father with a “one of a kind” switch blade, in their home. The prosecutors have several eye witness testimonies, and all of the evidence that they could need to convict the 18 year old male. In the movie it takes place on the hottest day of the year in New York City. There are 12 jurors whom are to decide if the evidence is enough to convict the teen of murder in the first degree. In the first initial vote it is 11-1. The only way that the jurors could turn in their votes was if there was unanimous vote either guilty or not guilty among the 12 jurors. As the movie progressed the jurors ended up changing their minds as new evidence was brought to their attention by simple facts that were overlooked by the police and prosecutors in the initial investigation. Tempers were raised, and words flew, there was prejudice and laziness of a few of the jurors that affected the amount of time it took to go over all of the eye witness testimonies and evidence. The eye witness testimonies ended up being proven wrong and some of the evidence was thrown out because it was put there under false pretense.

    Read More

  • Civic Responsibility In Twelve Angry Men, By Reginald Rose

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play, ‘Twelve Angry men’, written by Reginald Rose, explores the thrilling story of how twelve different orientated jurors express their perceptions towards a delinquent crime, allegedly committed by a black, sixteen-year-old. Throughout the duration of the play, we witness how the juror’s background ordeals and presumptuous assumptions influence the way they conceptualise the whole testimony itself.

    Read More

  • Frederick Douglass Ignorance

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Rise of Black Lives Matter: Trying to Break the Cycle of Violence and Silence*.” Scoopnest, 28 Dec. 2015, www.scoopnest.com/user/CNN/681462281293660160-the-rise-of-black-lives-matter-trying-to-break-the-cycle-of-violence-and-silence.

    Read More

  • How Did The Assassination Of Martin Luther King Assassination

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Martin Luther King, Jr.’s hometown of Atlanta, sixty percent of the Atlanta’s population received the news of King’s assassination by 8 p.m. on April 4. The following morning by 8 a.m. ninety-seven percent of the city’s population knew of Kings murder (Burns, Rebecca p. 23). Police Chief Herbert Jenkins learned of King’s death while in a meeting about defusing potential riots come summer. Jenkins first response was to send officers to the Kings home in Vine City and to King’s parents home in Collier Heights (Burns, Rebecca p. 31). Jenkins implemented the antiriot plan he created, to prevent the anticipated summer riots, into action when he received news of the Washington D.C. riots (Burns, Rebecca p. 33). Jenkins was under the assumption that because there were riots occurring in Washington D.C. that there would be riots in Atlanta as well and wanted to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. When Mayor Ivan Allen learned of the Washington D.C. riots, he promised President Johnson that riots would not occur in Atlanta (Burns, Rebecca p. 34). The Atlanta authorities had plans in place to prevent any violent retaliations that may arise form King’s

    Read More

  • Police Brutality Case Summary

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    There have been many significant cases that have death with the issue of police brutality. Among these cases was the case of Rodney King, 1991. The case of Rodney is one of the biggest police brutality cases in history as it was racial motivated. Rodney King was an African American who “became a symbol of racial tension in America, after his beating by Los Angeles police officers in 1991 was videotaped and broadcast to the nation.” On April 2, 1965, King was pulled over after a high-speed chase. The officers pulled him out of the car and brutality beat him. King beating was captured on tape and the video became a media sensation. The video was initially an introduction to police brutality as it showed the nation the severity of police brutality. After a three-month trial, a predominately white jury acquitted the three of the four L.A.P.D officers and the jury did not reach a verdict for the fourth. It sparked the violent Los Angeles riots of 1992, leading to 53 deaths, some in the hands of police. The Los Angeles riots led to a federal trial where two officers were found guilty and the other two were acquitted.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Assassination Research Paper

    1665 Words  | 4 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr.’s death was publicized at 8:19 p.m. on April 4th in Washington D.C. by radio broadcast. Merely an hour later riots broke out around the city. Rioters destroyed windows and set fire to buildings (Burns, Rebecca p. 23). By midnight there were no less than a hundred fires recorded by the fire department (Burns, Rebecca p. 23). One man was so furious about the killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. that he hurled a Molotov cocktail through a store front window without realizing his grandmother resided in the upstairs apartment (Burns, Rebecca p. 29). This is an illustration of how resentment can make a person proceed without thinking clearly. Had he stopped to think about the consequences first, his grandmother’s home would not have been destroyed. There were riots reported in more than 100 cities across the United States (Rosenthal, H). Riots were reported in Chicago, Baltimore, Newark, and Detroit just days after the announcement of King’s death (Davey, M. p.25). Several millions of dollars in damages ensued after the riots and left neighborhoods recovering for decades (Davey, M. p.25). The riots devastated the lives and properties of many in the United

    Read More

  • Nonviolent Protests And Social Change

    2103 Words  | 5 Pages

    Rodney King a black man who lived in Las Vegas was severely beaten 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 arrests 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 way black were being

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Assassination

    3817 Words  | 8 Pages

    It was a glorious April 4th evening as Martin Luther King and hundreds of followers were gathering for a civil rights march. Many cheered on as the civil rights leader graciously out step on the second floor balcony of the Motel Lorraine. Roaring cheers rose from the crowd rose up as Martin Luther King stand there waving his arm with his heart warming smile waiting for the uprising taper off so he can continue with his speech. When suddenly a piercing blast broke the noise and the crowd’s cheerful spirit died. A cold chill went through all who were present fore in the back of their minds there was no doubt that their King had just been shot.

    Read More

  • 1960s Watts Riots

    414 Words  | 1 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Effects Of The LA Riots In Los Angeles

    246 Words  | 1 Pages

    On April 29, 1992, four Los Angeles police officers found Rodney King, a 26 year old black man, walking the streets of LA and nearly beat him to death for being African American. Angered by the event, the citizens of Los Angeles started rioting, looting, and destroying property. The destruction, costing an estimated one billion dollars in property damage was an effort to stop police brutality and racism. The LA riots ultimately drew attention to the social injustices in Los Angeles, shocking the rest of the united states. The positive outcomes of these riots included bringing awareness to racial profiling of blacks in Los Angeles.

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Jurors in 12 Angry Men

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    Guilty or not guilty? This the key question during the murder trial of a young man accused of fatally stabbing his father. The play 12 Angry Men, by Reginald Rose, introduces to the audience twelve members of a jury made up of contrasting men from various backgrounds. One of the most critical elements of the play is how the personalities and experiences of these men influence their initial majority vote of guilty. Three of the most influential members include juror #3, juror #10, and juror #11. Their past experiences and personal bias determine their thoughts and opinions on the case. Therefore, how a person feels inside is reflected in his/her thoughts, opinions, and behavior.

    Read More

  • Rodney King Police Brutality

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    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?

    Read More

  • 12 Angry Men Essay

    573 Words  | 2 Pages

    This essay is my analysis of the various themes and ideas in the one of the well-known Hollywood classics in Hollywood, 12 Angry Men. The movie is the enthralling, powerful, and thought-provoking examination of a diverse group of twelve, all male, white-skinned, and generally of middle-class status jurors who are brought together to deliberate their verdict after hearing the 'facts' in what seemed like an open-and-shut murder trial case. They retire to a jury room to do their civic duty and serve up a fair verdict for the impecunious minority defendant (with a criminal record) whose life is in the hands of the jurors. The film is a powerful condemnation, smear and expose of the trial by jury system. It can be said that along with the frightened teenaged defendant, the jury and the American judicial system with its purported sense of infallibility, fairness and lack of bias, is on trial too.

    Read More

More about The Rodney King Trial

Open Document