Rodney King Court Case

In the spring of 1991,” In Los Angeles, California, four Los Angeles police officers that had been caught beating an unarmed African-American motorist in an amateur video an acquitted of any wrongdoing in the arrest.” [“1992 Riot in Los Angeles”]

The Rodney King Riot happened in Los Angeles in the year of 1992. Rodney King was an African American male who was arrested on charges because of speeding, drunk driving, and refusing to stop his vehicle. Four police officers who have claimed to have witnessed King’s actions such as being high on drugs and was trying to attack them explains why they did what they did. A resident nearby by the name of George Holliday captured about 12 minutes of the attack on film. King was tasered, brutally beaten with side-handled batons, then forced to the ground to lie still which was where he was handcuffed. The four officers were brought to court and tried on charges of assault.

“Yall haters corny with that illuminati mess, paparazzi catch my fly and my cocky dress. I’m so reckless when I rock my Givenchy dress. I’m so possessive so I rock his Roc necklaces. My daddy alabama, momma louisiana. You mix that negro with that creole make a texas bama. I like my baby heir with baby hair and afros. I like my negro nose with jackson five nostrils. Made all this money but they never take the country out me. I got hot sauce in my bag swag.” (Heal 1).

Have race relations in the United States today improved since the 1930’s? Is it better, worse, or the same?

There are numerous issues that deal with the American criminal justice system, but the two I found most prominant that occur on a daily basis is the abuse from police officers and clear racism shown by the American criminal justice system. To begin, racism as we know is a prejudice directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior. In the criminal justice system African Americans are directly targeted and punished in a higher more aggressive way, than say someone who is caucasian and committed the same exact crime. Racism is more often than not, the motive for official misconduct. There are examples of racism from every known region in the United States, spanning across centuries from slavery to

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. After said violation, four nameless officers proceeded to beat the mostly compliant King. The savage act of police brutality was captured on camera. After such a crime, the four officers in question were

Orenthal James Simpson is a NFL Hall of Famer and extremely popular celebrity in the Hollywood scene. Rodney Glen King is an average citizen, a taxi driver even, born and raised in California. What could these two complete opposites possibly have in common? Trials that would cause an uproar in the nation based on the color of their skin. In the 1990s, racial tensions were at a consistent peak, and the trials of Rodney King and OJ Simpson fueled the fire that ravished through California and across the United States. By comparing the Rodney King and OJ Simpson trials, circumstance and the victims are most essential to the cases.

“In Rialto, California, a police department has been using body mounted cameras and recording what happens between officers and the public. The use of force by officers declined 60% during the first year the cameras were introduced and citizen complaints against officers dropped by 88% (Safety vision). This statistic proves the debate of police body cameras or not. Though these cameras have a big price tag, they are a piece of equipment all officers need to wear in order to maintain a more clear picture of what happens in an incident.

On July 10, 2015 the Confederate Flag, a symbol of Confederate racism, was lowered. The racist associations with the Confederate Flag still remain today, even after its removal. Directly, the removal of this flag is caused by the nation’s disgust at the actions of one man: Dylann Roof, who entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church on June 17, 2015 and murdered nine African Americans. Although Roof’s actions led to the removal of the flag, the continuous police brutality and the way mainstream culture views African Americans led to Roof’s brutal massacre, which in turn led to the removal of the Confederate Flag.

Courageous. Genius. Savior. These are just a few traits that Martin Luther King Jr. greatly portrayed. He believed that all people should have equal rights, regardless of their color or race. Martin Luther King Jr. incredibly impacted the world’s view on segregation and racial injustice.

Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed on August 9, 2014 by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting prompted protests. When it was announced that Officer Wilson would not be indicted, the announcement set off another wave of protests. Not all police officers are dishonest and abuse their power but It 's obvious that today 's community of people has a suspicion of officers true intentions. The idea of cops and cameras has been around for a while but ever since the fatal shooting of Michael Brown the debate on whether police officers should be required to wear body cameras has been the center of attention. I believe that police officers should have to wear body cameras while on duty.

‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.’ On the 28th of August, in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial declaring to over 250.000 citizens that he had a dream. A dream that one day, all men and women, whether black or white, Jewish or Christian, would be treated as equals. More than fifty years later, King’s dream seems to be nothing more than that: a dream. Just last year, Eric Garner, a black man, is choked to death by the police force in Staten Island, New York. A month later, a young black man is shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. In March

Police brutality is not a new problem in the United States. It has occurred throughout history and has affected all genders, ethnicities, and races. Recently, however, police brutality towards African Americans has become a controversial topic in the news media, and has prompted heated discussions and angry public outcry about race relations and civil rights throughout all sections of the country. Ever since the Michael Brown shooting in 2014, which was caught on camera and viewed widely on national television and on social media, the police have been under scrutiny by both the news media and the general population to stop their use of physical force and unnecessary violence when apprehending and confronting criminals.

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. When the justice for Mr King was not given rightfully, the people from the streets who went through alike problems hear about it, they immediately want change. From gang members who initiated the truce that helped decrease street violence, to the average high school student being active in protest around the city, the riots were portrayed heavily by the people affected by the beating. At these times, around the clock news and live television coverage followed but also in Ice Cube’s “The Predator” and Rodney King 's speech to the city of Los Angeles.

Police brutality will be an issue until a solution is created. Many individuals are victims of this form of assault on daily basis. The liberties held by law enforcement are challenged each time they perform their duties. Police officers should abide by the same laws that each citizen is expected to abide by. Although police officers are granted with the right to determine laws as constitutional, civilians are sometimes treated in ways that are beyond unlawful.