Travon Felton April 9, 2017 Professor Calebotta English 1A Essay 4 Prompt 11 The Rodney King Riots was one of the biggest talked about event in U.S history. This riot started when a man named Rodney King was pull over and was severely beaten by several police officers. Someone recorded a video of that incident and it was broadcasted worldwide. This video became a wide spread around Los Angeles and it caused a massive riot in the city that it became very violent. Eventually, the rioting stopped when the army was called in to control the situation. Many years later, there are still several cases of police misconduct happening in America. On March 2, 1991, Rodney King, an African-American man, was pulled over because he was speeding. King …show more content…
In a viewpoint by Nicole Flatow titled “History Indicates Varied Results in Improving Police Brutality in America,” She believes that there has been little reforms regarding police brutality. Nicole argues for years, America has barely made any effort on improving the use of force by police officers. For example, victims such as Rodney King and Amadou Diallo, led to some reforms, but did not solve the violence of police brutality. With the beating of Rodney King that was captured on camera, it sparked massive outrage that led to a riot when the police officers received no charges. Because of the riots, it created a momentum for a reform of the police. “One of the most significant reforms that did come out of the commission was ending the policy of lifetime terms for police chiefs.” (Rodney King, 1991, Los Angeles) This led to a police chief named Daryl Gates to resign and made serving for a lifetime over. In another case of police misconduct, Amadou Diallo was shot by police because they thought that his wallet was a gun. Just like the Rodney King case, the officers that were involved were also not charged. After a lot of protest, the only changes that were instituted were “adding more minority officers to the special Street Crimes unit whose officer had shot Diallo and requiring all officers in the unit to wear uniforms.” (Amadou Diallo, 1999, New York City) However, these reforms didn’t solve the problem at all. According to data statistics, this tragedy happened because of the law called Stop-and-frisk. The police were overusing this tactic to aggressively made police stops. Data shows that stop-and-frisk was getting extremely worse and the number of police stops that was being conducted is due to racial profiling. After a successful campaign, new legislations were introduce that will have an inspector to oversee NYPD and would allow citizens to sue 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.
“Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992” introduces us to a select few members of society in a way more uncommon to modern day literature. They happen to be accounts of people. For some, the story is a way to evoke emotion and tell a story. Anna Deavere Smith had another idea – bring to light the socio-racial situations behind what was really going on in Los Angeles in 1992. This includes, but is not limited to, the rocky inter-racial foundations and the intra-racial social-based foundations.
Los Angeles is a melting pot of different cultures and customs. Diversity is seen all across LA and while diversity is good, it can also cause conflict. LA has experienced conflict dividing people based on race before, and one major example of this happening was the Rodney King trial. The Rodney King trial started as a drunk driving incident but ended in the obliteration of Los Angeles. When King was eventually caught by the four LAPD officers after being in a high speed chase he was viciously beaten resulting in several severe injuries.
The Rodney King trial started as a drunk driving incident but ended in the destruction of Los Angeles. King was in a high speed chase with the Las Angeles Police department and when they caught him King was then viciously beat up and attacked. This was one of the first police brutality incidents filmed and released to the general public and eventually ended the era of not showing what happens behind closed doors. Along with being one of the first police brutality incidents filmed, it was also one of the first police brutality incidents taken to court. A lot of attention and controversy surrounded this trial just because of how it hit America.
This is a great example on why police brutality is an ongoing topic and why so many people see police officers as bad and untrustworthy people. But the media tends to hide the details, are we getting the whole story or are there things
The last few years have been filled with many major news stories, ranging from terrorist attacks to mass shootings across the country. However, one of the most concerning and reoccurring themes of the past few years has been police misconduct. All across the country there have been incidents of police brutality, and sadly a lot of these incidents have led to the death of those involved. One of the most infamous cases of police brutality is the incident involving Eric Garner. Eric Garner, a forty-three-year-old African American male, was choked to death by the police in Staten Island, New York on July 17, 2014.
Many can recall videos of policemen repeatedly bludgeoning the skull of a defenseless man or angrily strangling a neighborhood peacemaker gasping for air. Another many, though a lesser one, remember, if the beating was not too severe, the cracks of police batons on their heads and backs. In today’s United States, reports of police brutality flood police departments by the thousands each month. A mistrust so great in officers has never before been recorded, but this phenomenon is no stranger to American citizens.
After years of ungrounded criticism from the press and activists, after highly publicized litigation and the passage of ill-considered laws—such as the one making officers financially liable for alleged “racial profiling”—NYPD officers have radically scaled back their discretionary activity. Pedestrian stops have dropped 80 percent citywide and almost 100 percent in some areas. The department is grappling with how to induce officers to use their lawful authority again to stop crime before it happens. Garner’s death was a heartbreaking tragedy, but the unjustified backlash against misdemeanor enforcement is likely to result in more tragedy for New Yorkers” (36, Heather Mac Donald).” Here, Mac Donald makes me feel threatened by the criminal justice system.
The biopic, Straight Outta Compton, explores the rise to fame of hip hop group N.W.A. from Compton, California. The film contains many themes such as, overcoming adversity, friendship, and following one’s passion. Growing up in Compton, the young members of N.W.A. were required to overcome many challenging circumstances in their rise to prominence. One example of the challenges faced by the group can be seen in the various forms of police harassment they experienced during their career. The movie depicts several scenes involving police brutality against N.W.A., however, the scene that stood out the most for me was when the group members are standing outside of the recording studio and are approached by several officers.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested for protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. The court had issued an order that King wasn’t allowed to hold protest in Birmingham. Everything was separated between the blacks and whites. The blacks were only allowed to sit in certain areas from businesses, churches, libraries; they weren’t even allowed to use public restrooms. Everywhere that the blacks went they were at a constant discrimination and a threat of violence.
The riots in Los Angeles (LA) happened in the year of 1992. However, the cause of the riots did not occur, until the year of 1991. On March 31, 1991, three policies officers brutally beat Rodney King an African American Man. Before the police officers had brutally beaten King, they had a high-speed chase with King and he resented arrest. The three police officers who beat Rodney King were, Laurence Powell, Theodore Briceno, and Timothy Wind.
Despite King’s heavy involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, among other things, another leader that participated in the American civil rights movement, seen to implement meaningful change is Rosa Parks. Parks can be seen as the spark that ignited such a move that has had a heavy impact on the American Civil rights movement. During the 1950’s African Americans were still required to sit in the back half of the Montgomery, Alabama city buses, while also giving up their seats to caucasian riders if seats were full. However, on December 1st of 1955 was when Parks, commuting from home, decided to sit in the front row of the “colored section”, being the only one to refuse to vacate her seat for a Caucasian passenger when asked to do so by the
Collective behavior is relatively spontaneous, a social behavior occurring when people try to develop a common solution to an unclear situation. It’s brief, sometimes it can be emotional, and involves many people who may not know each other. In 1992, The Rodney King Riot is just one of the many examples that follow the six preconditions that group behavior follows. The 4 day riots An opposing viewpoint is that not all group behaviors follow theses conditions. Group behaviors , Rioting and the Rodney King incident follows the Six preconditions in relationship with collective behavior by structural conduciveness, structural strain, the growth and spread of the generalized beliefs, precipitating factors, mobilization, and social control.
Police brutality is a complex phenomenon, which has widespread effects on today 's society. In recent years, the police have come under serious scrutiny for police brutality, and this has been underscored by the presence of video camcorders. Accompanying this issue, I will provide several examples and recent cases, as well as the related decision making process. Similar emphasis shall be placed upon the understanding, role, and participation of the individual in public policy making. To begin with, I should like to first offer my understanding of police brutality, and as well, as it is expressed in the literature.
Police brutality remains a common yet controversial topic around the world. Police brutality is “the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians” (thelawdictionary.org). It’s a topic that segregates communities and makes each other their enemy. Specifically, a white officer has been the enemy of the black community. Unfortunately, the tension between police and blacks grew over the past few decades.