Research Project: Rodney King
Police brutality has been a major problem for many years, especially for those of the minority community. Minorities have been endangered to forcefulness by police for too long. Police brutality has been more relevant in recent years due to certain cases that have proved to be of life-threatening violence, such as the beating of Rodney King. The episode that had happened to Rodney King is a terrible one, but one that perfectly reflects what law enforcement is capable of doing. In order to fully understand police brutality and its probable causes, we have to bring up the case of Rodney King.
On the night of March 2, 1991, King and his two friends had just spent the night hanging out. While driving under the influence,
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They both complied and were taken into custody without problems. However, King did not, but when he finally complied to step out of his car, he was behaving strangely. Supposedly, King put his hands on the roof of the vehicle, looked up at the helicopter, waved, and surprisingly did a dance. He persistently acted out the dance in a more inappropriate and offensive manner toward one particular female officer, Melanie Singer. According to officer reports to a grand jury: King placed his hands on his backside, momentarily causing Melanie Singer and other officers to ponder if he were reaching for a weapon. He then shook his backside at Singer, an action later described by Sergeant Stacey Koon in this way: “He grabbed his buttocks with both hands and began to shake and gyrate his fanny in a sexually suggestive fashion. As King sexually gyrated, a mixture of fear and offense overcame Melanie.” (Cannon 27) Stacey Koon's overreaction to King's gripped butt and shaken hips was driven by the raced and gendered fear that Koon tried to project onto Melanie …show more content…
The recording showed King frequently trying to rise to his feet, but Koon ordered the officers not to stop. Enhancing the sounds on the tape presented audible racial slurs Koon happened to make. Following this, “the watch commander summarized the incident...‘basic stuff really…’ Just another night on the LAPD, that’s what it had been.” (K. Williams 4) Having Koon speak of this incident this way makes it hard to put up with the fact that this is not a more commonly broadcasted topic in the
Causes - Rodney Glen King III was an American taxi driver, he was beaten by 4 Los Angeles Police Department officers following a high-speed car chase on march 3, 1991. A local witness, George holliday, he was taken video from his balcony, and sent the footage to local news station KTLA, that why Rodney king III became nationally known. The footage shows four officers surrounding Rodney King III, several of them striking him repeated. The footage inflaming outrage in cities where racial tensions were high, and raising public concern about police treatment of minorities. What happened - 1.
In the movie Selma, there were several historical fallacies which created controversial debates over how candid the movie industry must be to the the public. The film suggested that there was great skirmish about the bill of rights (which was officially signed and conceded into law on July 1964) between King and Johnson, it showed King continuously press an ostensibly resilient Johnson to proceed with the voting of the bill. But in fact, there was never any uncertainty that there would be a voting on the rights bill; the struggle was merely fictional and made no historical sense. King and Johnson had a remarkable relationship; two men from different backgrounds, responsibilities and constituencies, formed an alliance to pass the bill of rights. “This faux tension was clearly added to make the movie more dramatic” (‘Selma’ vs History, 2013).
Bush for all of his hard work and commitment. King also would hold meet and greets to meet fans and teach them how to play the guitar on his free time. He knew he was not the same as he was before but still wanted to be active in his fans lives and help them out as much as possible. King was stubborn though and if he was supposed to perform somewhere, he would be there to perform, whether he was physical and mentally able to or
The “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is set in a time of disturbing unrest, caused by racial issues between the blacks and whites of America. The year of 1963 went down as a rough year in the terms of violence, segregation, and living life everyday in an unpeaceful manner. Other than Martin Luther’s letter, many events also happened that shaped history as we have it today. During the months of April through August, Birmingham, AL and other towns had riots, speeches, and civil abruptness. The historical context represented in this time is shown greatly in not only the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” but in the news daily.
Rodney King Riots Protest Movement Paper On April 29, 1992, A week of non stop urban violence and mayhem erupted in the streets and cities of Los Angeles, the riots were commenced by the unjust trial that let the four white police officers set free of any charges. All four officers were captured on videotape beating on a black motorist named, Rodney King after a traffic stop gone wild. The Rodney King riots impacted society greatly by presenting the nations people with an understanding of how racism was still present in america. A reminder that "justice for all" was still a long way off being set in stone and to followed by most people.
But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!” the next day at 7:04 pm, Martin Luther King Jr. was pronounced dead at St. Joseph 's Hospital. As the leader of the civil rights movement and one of the most influential men of his time, Martin Luther King Jr. lived a dangerous life. There were many people who could have wanted King dead, conspiracies point to the government, facts point to James Earl Ray. Conspiracies began taking shape as soon as the trials started, most were presented with a lack of definite proof.
In King’s letter, he states, “We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” Funny thing is he had lots of time to think about and write this letter. He wanted this letter to encourage and bring up a people that will start a revolution. He needed something, that special something, that would ignite the fire that had somehow died out. His Letter from Birmingham Jail was the match.
At that time, King Jr. was talking over a meeting with his guards and then a second later he was shot dead in the
This report is showing light to the communities’ response to police brutality particularly in the black communities and also their encounters with police officers. Police brutality is physical violence and great cruelty demonstrated by a police officer. Police brutality and misconduct have existed for many decades and it even has been broadcasted in news stories over America, but nothing has changed. It has happened predominantly to African Americans in lower-income states. Police officers are given slaps on the wrist for taking a life or injuring an innocent person.
On April 22, 1992, three guilty criminals walked away innocent after committing heinous acts of aggression and assault. They were not punished after brutally beating an African American citizen after a meer traffic stop. This brutal act of racial profiling was forgiven in the name of systemic bias and societal attitudes towards racism and similar issues. The date in question is the day that the verdict of the Rodney King trial was released by the jury. The trial involved Rodney G. King a taxi driver who was pulled over for a traffic violation.
Media influenced King and SCLC’s decision to go to Selma. Following the media success of the “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King Jr. and the SCLC started looking for a new place to launch their campaign for voting rights. They wanted a place that garnished the most media attention and accessible to news reporters, and Selma could not provided the movement with either. Andrew Young, SCLC's executive director recalls how they were “leery of organizing in small towns far from media and airports.” Young’s statement illustrates how important media was to Dr. King’s nonviolent campaigns.
In Martin Luther King’s Jr, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” the letter was a persuasive attempt to get Americans to finally see the inequality in the United States of America. Throughout King’s letter, he used various ways of persuasive strategies: pathos, logos, and ethos. But the strongest influential device King used was pathos. Now the word “strongest” has various meanings, but in this instance, it means the most successful.
In Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. King addresses his fellow peers for calling his protest ending segregation “unwise & untimely”. King hopes to clarify their actions in this letter. Dr. King couldn’t remain mutual while in other places across the United States horrendous segregation acts were taking place. He said, “Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly”. Like many before him, he too felt the need to help his fellow brothers and sisters’ fight for their cause.
While the other book used is useful for providing an account of what happened at the beginning of the decade, this book is able to look at police brutality throughout the 1990s and how the earlier events impacted the later ones. Journal Articles Matheson, Victor A., and Robert A. Baade. “Race and Riots: A Note on the Economic Impact of the Rodney King Riots.” Urban Studies, vol. 41, no. 13, 2004, pp. 2691–2696, Academic Search Premier, doi:10.1080/0042098042000294628.
Police Brutality is an ongoing problem and existent concern in the United States and should be resolved immediately. Law enforcement must function as an element that consists of organized and civilized officers. The presence of police brutality is becoming more of an issue as society grows. The problem posed by the illegal exercise of police power is an ongoing reality for individuals of a disfavored race, class, or sexual orientation. Police brutality must be stopped so that police do not forget who they are serving – not themselves, but the public.