Famous Figures With Unique Distinctions Codexery

Rodney King

Victim of police brutality whose beating sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

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He became a victim of police brutality on March 3, 1991 when LAPD officers severely beat him during an arrest.[1] The beating was filmed by resident George Holliday and broadcast worldwide.[1] Rodney Glen King, an African-American man, came into the world on April 2, 1965, in Sacramento, California.[1][2]

Key facts and history

He dropped out of high school during his senior year to work in construction.[3] Officers cornered King and beat him with batons, striking him 33 times plus seven kicks.[4][5] Four officers were charged with assault and excessive force, but a jury acquitted them on April 29, 1992.[6][7] The acquittals sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which lasted six days and resulted in 63 deaths and nearly $1 billion in losses.[8]

King, along with his four siblings, was raised in Altadena, California, and on occasion helped his father clean commercial office buildings.[9] A court found him guilty and imposed a two-year prison term; he was let out on December 27, 1990.[10] On March 3, 1991, King tried to get away from police on Interstate 210 after a high-speed chase, motivated by a wish to evade a charge for driving under the influence and a parole violation.[11][12] Medical examination at Pacifica Hospital revealed that King had a broken facial bone, a fractured right ankle, along with many bruises and cuts.[13][14]

What the cited sources add

The same report notes that nurses reported officers joked and bragged about how many times they hit King.[15][16] Phil Reeves' profile describes King as having become a celebrity sought by reporters and film-makers.[17] Reeves also reports that King's lawyer called a psychiatrist after the acquittal verdict.[17] The profile states that King's words "Can we all get along?" were plastered on billboards in south-central Los Angeles.[17]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lester, "Visual Ethics: A Guide for Photographers, Journalists, and Filmmakers", Routledge, 2018, p. 85 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Rodney King", BuddyTV.com. facts only, no text reused. buddytv.com
  3. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Times, "Dead at 47, Rodney King became face of L.A. riots", UnionLeader.com, 2012-06-17; Langer, "Who was Rodney King? His 1991 beating by L.A. police roiled America.", The Washington Post, 2023-01-27; King, "The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption", Harper One, 2012, p. 12–15 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Whitman, David, "The Untold Story of the LA Riot", U.S. News & World Report, May 23, 1993 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Video: March 7, 1991: Video of Rodney King Beaten by Police Released", ABC News (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mydans, "Police Beating Trial Opens With Replay of Videotape", The New York Times, March 6, 1992; Abcarian, "An aggravating anniversary for Simi Valley, where a not-guilty verdict sparked the '92 L.A. riots", Los Angeles Times, May 7, 2017; "Rodney King Juror Talks About His Black Father and Family For the First Time", laist, April 28, 2012; "After the riots; A Juror Describes the Ordeal of Deliberations", The New York Times, May 6, 1992; "Jurist – The Rodney King Beating Trials", Jurist.law.pitt.edu; Law.umkc.edu (original not read by en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "After the riots; A Juror Describes the Ordeal of Deliberations", The New York Times, May 6, 1992; "Online NewsHour Forum: Authors' Corner with Lou Cannon – April 7, 1998", Pbs.org; Serrano, "All 4 Acquitted in King Beating : Verdict Stirs Outrage; Bradley Calls It Senseless: Trial: Ventura County jury rejects charges of excessive force in episode captured on videotape. A mistrial is declared on one (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Parris, "History called it a riot, but this doc argues it was actually an uprising – one that continues today", CBC, May 12, 2017; Vyhnak, "Once Upon A City: The 1992 riot that served as a wake-up call for police", Toronto Star, May 4, 2017 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Post, "Rodney King, L.A. police beating victim, dies", San Francisco Chronicle, June 18, 2012; Phil Reeves, "Profile: An icon, anxious and shy: Rodney King – As he awaits a new trial of the police who beat him, Rodney King has become a hero, a demon, and a gold mine.", The Independent, February 21, 1993 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Phil Reeves, "Profile: An icon, anxious and shy: Rodney King – As he awaits a new trial of the police who beat him, Rodney King has become a hero, a demon, and a gold mine.", The Independent, February 21, 1993 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Linder, D., "The Rodney King Beating Trials", Jurist, December 2001 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Linder, D., "The Trials of Los Angeles Police Officers' in Connection with the Beating of Rodney King", University of Missouri–Kansas City, 2001; "Stacey C. Koon, Petitioner 94-1664 v. United States", University of Missouri–Kansas City, June 13, 1996; Cannon 1999, p. 43 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  13. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stevenson, "The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins: Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots", Oxford University Press, 2015, p. 284 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  14. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cannon 1999, p. 43; The Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, "Report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (Christopher Commission Report)", 1991 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  15. The Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, "Report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (Christopher Commission Report)", 1991. facts only, no text reused. archive.org
  16. Wikipedia, "Rodney King" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: The Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, "Report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (Christopher Commission Report)", 1991; The Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, "Report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (Christopher Commission Report)", 1991; The Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, "Report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (Christopher Commission Report)", 1991 (we als en.wikipedia.org
  17. Phil Reeves, "Profile: An icon, anxious and shy: Rodney King – As he awaits a new trial of the police who beat him, Rodney King has become a hero, a demon, and a gold mine.", The Independent, February 21, 1993. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Rodney King (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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