1992 LA Riots- Rough notes
The 1992 LA Riots were a series of riots, lootings, arsons and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles on April 29th 1992, lasting 6 days through to May 5th. They were triggered by the acquittal of police officers in a trial regarding a videotaped police brutality incident.
4 police officers were caught on amateur video beating an unarmed African-American motorist-Rodney King. The case was taken to trial and the four (white police officers) were acquitted of any wrong doing (by a 12 person jury: 10 whites and no African Americans).
The Rodney King incident didn’t only trigger the most destructive US civil disturbance of the 20th century it created outrage in the press and it triggered a national debate on police brutality.
In one way the riots did what hip hop had been trying to do for years, particularly since 1988 with the birth of gangsta rap - make the America which existed outside of the Ghetto’s see what was really going on.
According to the California Economic Development Department between April 1992 and April 1992 108,00 local jobs vanished- Black and Latino communities were hard hit with a combined 29.7 % in poverty and more than 13% unemployed.
In depressed South Central only 45% of African-American males were employed
African-Americans have by far the lowest rate of two-parent families in Southern California
“Gangs are never goin' to die out. You all goin' to get us jobs?” 16-year-old Grape Street Crip
-quoted in Mike Davis (historian) book City of Quartz
Bloods and Crips are the two main gangs in LA at the time
Black gangs
Bloods (Red) Crips (Blue) very territorial, street violence, drive by shootings, violent nature, influenced youth local youth were bored with nothing to do drugs, guns, cars etc
the local demographic leading up to and during the riots was ripe for civil unrest
*Juvenile and adult arrest rates- analysing this source: reliable, police released these statistics. they show quite a
4 police officers were caught on amateur video beating an unarmed African-American motorist-Rodney King. The case was taken to trial and the four (white police officers) were acquitted of any wrong doing (by a 12 person jury: 10 whites and no African Americans).
The Rodney King incident didn’t only trigger the most destructive US civil disturbance of the 20th century it created outrage in the press and it triggered a national debate on police brutality.
In one way the riots did what hip hop had been trying to do for years, particularly since 1988 with the birth of gangsta rap - make the America which existed outside of the Ghetto’s see what was really going on.
According to the California Economic Development Department between April 1992 and April 1992 108,00 local jobs vanished- Black and Latino communities were hard hit with a combined 29.7 % in poverty and more than 13% unemployed.
In depressed South Central only 45% of African-American males were employed
African-Americans have by far the lowest rate of two-parent families in Southern California
“Gangs are never goin' to die out. You all goin' to get us jobs?” 16-year-old Grape Street Crip
-quoted in Mike Davis (historian) book City of Quartz
Bloods and Crips are the two main gangs in LA at the time
Black gangs
Bloods (Red) Crips (Blue) very territorial, street violence, drive by shootings, violent nature, influenced youth local youth were bored with nothing to do drugs, guns, cars etc
the local demographic leading up to and during the riots was ripe for civil unrest
*Juvenile and adult arrest rates- analysing this source: reliable, police released these statistics. they show quite a