The 1992 Los Angeles riots began after four white police officers were acquitted of assault charges in the beating of Rodney King, a black motorist. Over the course of six days, 53 people died and over 2,000 were injured as riots, arson, and looting broke out. Tensions between police and the black community as well as economic tensions between black and Korean communities contributed to the escalation of violence.

1. The 1992 Los Angeles Riots

2. Otherwise known as the Rodney King riots 53 people died Over 2000 injured Damages in excess of $800m Lasted 6 days

3. How did it start?

4. Rodney King resisted arrested Led the police on a high speed pursuit When he pulled over and was apprehended, police alleged he was violently resisting arrest A nearby eyewitness started recording the arrest

5. The Arrest

6. When the video started, the police were already beating and kicking Rodney King He was also tasered and clubbed with batons for over a minute Public viewed it as police brutality

8. Became an international media sensation Was broadcasted and published hundreds of times The media saw it as a tragedy

9. Assault charges were brought against the four officers in question Jury consisted of 10 Whites, 1 Asian and 1 Hispanic

10. Jury could not agree on a verdict Officers were acquitted of all charges Jury based their decision on officer’s testimony that King had acted violent and dangerous before the camera began rolling

11. Unrest started immediately after the verdicts were announced Reginald Denny, a white truck driver, was beaten repeatedly by a group of local black residents Stole $2000 from him Was hit with a concrete block to the head Police were called off for their own safety

12. Denny was rescued by an unarmed black civilian, Bobby Green Drove him to the hospital Denny never fully recovered from the attack Has speech and mobility problems

13. More beatings continued through the night Arsonists targeted buildings and shops Firefights between the public and police started breaking out By the second day, situation escalated Korean shopkeepers were targeted and had to protect their stores with guns

14. Police were helpless National guard were called in Were only able to enter the city on the third day Riots only ended 6 days later and after 4000 soliders were poured into the city to maintain order Over 3,600 fires were started

15. Why did it happen?

16. The Rodney King incident was only the spark for the riots For many years, Blacks felt that they were targeted by the police and were constantly subjected to racism They felt they did not have equal opportunity as everyone else and had difficult time finding jobs Poverty inside the city and lack of jobs caused unrest within the community

17. Korean-American and African-American relations were strained because of economic competition As the money moved out of the city to the larger corporations, smaller shops had less market share and had to compete with each other Blacks felt that Korean-American shop owners were taken money out of their community and would not give them jobs in their shops

18. A Korean-American shop owner had shot and killed Latasha Harlins, an African American girl Was killed a few months before the King verdict Korean shop owner was given five years probation for killing Latasha Black community felt it was not enough time for a murder