We Must Put an End to Police Brutality

4546 Words10 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Police brutality through the years

Rodney King, one of America’s most powerful civil rights activists for people abused by police, has taught the world a lesson in his plea: “People, I just want to say, can’t we all get along?” On March 3, 1991, after a high-speed chase, King was pulled out of his car, thrown on to the ground, and beaten up by the Los Angeles police, which George Holliday videotaped. The four L.A.P.D. officers involved were charged with assault with a deadly weapon and one officer was charged with using of excessive force. However, after a three-month trial, which was held in Simi Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles, a predominantly white jury acquitted the officers. This inflamed the citizens, which resulted in the violent 1992 Los Angeles riots.

In this pie graph, the statistics are given for the amount of killed, injured, and arrested citizens that were involved in the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, California (Rodney King Biography 1). Overall, more than 50 people died, over 2000 were hurt, and about 9500 were arrested for damaging property, which cost the city one billion dollars. Two of the four L.A.P.D. officers were found guilty in August of 1992 after the United States Department of Justice filed federal civil rights charges against them. King was eventually awarded $3.8 million in a civil trial for the injuries he sustained. King explained his beating to The Guardian in May of 2012, stating, “I’m comfortable with my position in American history. It was like being raped, stripped of everything, being beaten near to death there on the concrete, on the asphalt. I just knew how it felt to be a slave. I felt like I was in another world.” He also stated about his healing process, “I had to learn to forgive. I couldn’t sleep at night. …...

... middle of paper ...

...olice Facing Inquiry over Foul Abuse Left on Victim's Voicemail." EbscoHost. N.p., 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

"Kyrgyzstan: Police Abuse, Extortion of Gay Men." Human Rights Watch | Defending Human Rights Worldwide. Human Rights Watch, 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

Lynch, Tim. "National Police Misconduct Newsfeed Daily Recap (03-19-14)." PoliceMisconductnet. CATO Institute, 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

"Quick Facts: US Police Brutality." PressTV - Quick Facts: US Police Brutality. Press TV, 17 Dec. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

"Rodney King Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

Ryan, Tom. Following Atticus: Forty-eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship. New York: William Morrow, 2011. Print.

Shuey, Paul. "Mishandling of Home Invasion Incident." Cop Block. CopBlock.org, 21 Mar. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • Ethical Deviance: The LAPD and Los Angeles Riots

    2523 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Rodney King Beating

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird: A Timeless Classic

    1248 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kipen, David. “David Kipen.” Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of To Kill A Mockingbird. Ed. Mary McDonagh Murphy. New York: Harper Perennial, 2010. 104-09. Print.

    Read More

  • The Los Angeles Riots of 1992

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    It all begun one year before (March 3, 1991) when Rodney King and two friends were detected to be speeding in the 210 freeway in Los Angeles. He was driving under the influence of alcohol. King, scared because he was already in probation, went on a high speed chase. Eventually King was surrounded by police cars and had no ch...

    Read More

  • Police Brutality and Profiling

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shepherd, Gail. "Police Brutality Rarely Ends With Punishment for the Cops." - Page 2. N.p., 08 Apr. 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Watts And LA Riots

    1743 Words  | 4 Pages

    On the night of August 11, 1965 the Watts community of Los Angeles County went up in flames. A riot broke out and lasted until the seventeenth of August. After residents witnessed a Los Angeles police officer using excessive force while arresting an African American male. Along with this male, the police officers also arrested his brother and mother. Twenty-seven years later in 1992 a riot known as both the Rodney King riots and the LA riots broke out. Both share the similar circumstances as to why the riots started. Before each riot there was some kind of tension between police officers and the African American people of Los Angeles. In both cases African Americans were still dealing with high unemployment rates, substandard housing, and inadequate schools. Add these three problems with policemen having a heavy hand and a riot will happen. Many of the primary sources I will you in this analysis for the Watts and the LA riots can be found in newspaper articles written at the time of these events. First-hand accounts from people living during the riots are also used.

    Read More

  • Preventing Police Brutality And The Police

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    Freddie Grey, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, John Crawford, Eric Gardner, Jordan Baker.These are just some of the many, many African American people that were killed by the police, all unarmed, all mistreated by the police, all shot and killed, without a crime.. Every twenty-eight hours a life is lost. There are hundreds of innocent lives that are being taken away from their families. Police officers, who are meant to protect and serve, are instead killing and abusing civilians. These outrageous crimes would be avoided through accountability of the police, use of body cameras at all times, and the use of social media.

    Read More

  • Police Brutality: Black Lives Matter

    2041 Words  | 5 Pages

    Rodney King Beating and Riots. CNN documentary (Full length). (2011, March 6). YouTube. Available at:

    Read More

  • Solutions To Police Brutality

    1764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Even though, police brutality is a big problem, it is only proving the police wrong when it is

    Read More

  • The 1992 Los Angeles Riots

    2038 Words  | 5 Pages

    On the night of March 2, 1991, Rodney King and two of his friends decided to go "cruising around looking for some girls." After a few drinks, the three men began cruising around the streets of Los Angeles. At about midnight, King was driving at speeds of up to 115 miles an hour on the freeway. Two California Highway Patrol officers clocked King's car, and began to pursue him. This, however, was not going to stop King. After a 7.8-mile pursuit on freeways and city streets, King was forced to pull over because another vehicle was blocking the street.

    Read More

  • Police Brutality Persuasive Essay

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    Background and Audience Relevance: According to the Human Rights Watch 2012 report on Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States; police brutality has become one the most serious human rights violation. As citizens of the United States it is our duty to make sure that those with authority don 't take advantage of their power.

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography On Police Brutality

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rutkin, Aviva. "Policing The Police." New Scientist 226.3023 (2015): 20-21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.

    Read More

  • Mob Mentality in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...te police officers of charges stemming from the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King. As a result of this verdict, thousands of citizens rioted for six days. Mass amounts of looting, murder, arson and assault took place.” Riots are one of the most common forms of mob mentality and are shown in this book several times.

    Read More

  • We Must Stop Police Brutality

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chaney, Cassandra, and Ray Robertson. "Racism and Police Brutality In America." Journal of African American Studies 17.4 (2013): 480-505. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • How To Reduce Police Corruption

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rich, Martin. “An Analytical Look into Police Ethics.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Vol.80. Issue 5. May 2011. 11-17. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013

    Read More

More about We Must Put an End to Police Brutality

Open Document