Rodney King Found Dead.

[Blanca BusaLess]

Lots of folks have been killed and had their deaths made to look like an accidents or something other than the truth. That's all I'm saying. Nothing to do with color. It is a wound the should be well healed so I don't want to prick that scab but it's difficult for me to believe anyone could justify the beating the cops gave him?
I just didn't understand the destruction of their own neighborhoods and own stores? Wtf? Go destroy something owned by the people who pissed you off?
Strange? I'm so mad at the govt I'm gonna go outside and burn my neighbors house? Smack some trucker in the head with a brick? Attack Korean store owners? Stupid Images still vivid.

 

[skydivr]

I think the police got overzealous in the original case. Probably should have shot him alot quicker. Today they would tazer him a long way before it got where it got. The man was RESISTING ARREST after LEADING THE POLICE on a chase. They got pissed and lost their self control. But, once again, none of it would have happened if he had DONE AS INSTRUCTED. I'm not losing much sleep over it either, because this man made a lot of his own trouble for himself, and eventually, his nine lives ran out.

 

[SLO MO]

Lots of folks have been killed and had their deaths made to look like an accidents or something other than the truth. That's all I'm saying. Nothing to do with color. It is a wound the should be well healed so I don't want to prick that scab but it's difficult for me to believe anyone could justify the beating the cops gave him?
I just didn't understand the destruction of their own neighborhoods and own stores? Wtf? Go destroy something owned by the people who pissed you off?
Strange? I'm so mad at the govt I'm gonna go outside and burn my neighbors house? Smack some trucker in the head with a brick? Attack Korean store owners? Stupid Images still vivid.

Well you kind of have to understand certain things about the community at that time, it is or was the same in many urban areas, I will try to make it short. The community that you speak of was ready to explode from frustration of many things, Police brutality, harassment, poverty, drugs, and the daily fear that people feel when living in certain conditions. The majority of the businesses in the community are owned by others mostly Asian, or other than AA so it's not really viewed as their own stores, that's why they wrote Black owned on the store fronts during the riots. For years these business owners treated people like crap but knew most are forced to buy there goods and services because that's all they have access to, so with some of the businesses the people hated them anyway.

In this same community you also had a police force that thinks like some of the people on this forum, their beliefs and bias to anything not like them is obvious, the only difference is they carried a badge and a gun and had a license to terrorize many in these communities. For decades, people have complained, brought it to community meetings and shouted it out that this abuse of power goes on, everything from, intimidation, false arrest, robbery, assaults, murder etc.. any time they beat someone up, it was always "he resisted arrest", so when it's finally caught on tape exactly what people said for decades was going on in the dark. The targets of this abuse figured now the world has proof, well not so fast, (not guilty) they did no wrong according to there peers, so what's next, fuse is lit and an explosion of anger, frustration and payback to all those that the community felt wronged them.

 

[Blanca BusaLess]

Slo mo I agree with you. But Asians overcharging folks was no way related to the king fiasco and those people you refer to only used it as a reason to destroy stuff that had nothing to do with it.
Why not march in numbers and burn down courthouse that set the cops free? Go to neighborhood where the cops attys lived? No we are gonna just burn and loot grocery stores cuz we can.

 

[moloko]

in this same community you also had a police force that thinks like some of the people on this forum, their beliefs and bias to anything not like them is obvious, the only difference is they carried a badge and a gun and had a license to terrorize many in these communities. For decades, people have complained, brought it to community meetings and shouted it out that this abuse of power goes on, everything from, intimidation, false arrest, robbery, assaults, murder etc.. Any time they beat someone up, it was always "he resisted arrest", so when it's finally caught on tape exactly what people said for decades was going on in the dark. The targets of this abuse figured now the world has proof, well not so fast, (not guilty) they did no wrong according to there peers, so what's next, fuse is lit and an explosion of anger, frustration and payback to all those that the community felt wronged them.

qft..

 

[300Busa]

Just goes to show that you can't snort cocaine from the bottom of the pool and you shouldn't be playing hide and seek at the bottom of the pool after drinking.

 

[BUSA CRUSEN]

Well you kind of have to understand certain things about the community at that time, it is or was the same in many urban areas, I will try to make it short. The community that you speak of was ready to explode from frustration of many things, Police brutality, harassment, poverty, drugs, and the daily fear that people feel when living in certain conditions. The majority of the businesses in the community are owned by others mostly Asian, or other than AA so it's not really viewed as their own stores, that's why they wrote Black owned on the store fronts during the riots. For years these business owners treated people like crap but knew most are forced to buy there goods and services because that's all they have access to, so with some of the businesses the people hated them anyway.

In this same community you also had a police force that thinks like some of the people on this forum, their beliefs and bias to anything not like them is obvious, the only difference is they carried a badge and a gun and had a license to terrorize many in these communities. For decades, people have complained, brought it to community meetings and shouted it out that this abuse of power goes on, everything from, intimidation, false arrest, robbery, assaults, murder etc.. any time they beat someone up, it was always "he resisted arrest", so when it's finally caught on tape exactly what people said for decades was going on in the dark. The targets of this abuse figured now the world has proof, well not so fast, (not guilty) they did no wrong according to there peers, so what's next, fuse is lit and an explosion of anger, frustration and payback to all those that the community felt wronged them.

There were a lot of other circumstances that helped start the riots, but still they should've known that rioting isn't the way to fix things. Dr. King sure got some good results in the civil rights movements. How many riots did he promote?

As far as peoples beliefs or bias on the .org, they will always be people that disagree with each other. Bias works both ways. Most people that don't seem to care about Rodney King being dead see him as a criminal and a danger to society. Would he be viewed the same if he had run over some people while driving drunk? Still this view about Rodney King doesn't mean that people don't think police should show citizens even more respect than they get from the citizens. I think that police should do everything they can to protect and serve everybody equally, but as long as police have free will, this will never happen. There will always be abuses of power and they won't always consequences for these abuses, but violence should be avoided at all costs. Riots in particular because anyone can get hurt or killed. There is no justification for a riot.

Life is tough, if you feel oppressed in your city, or wherever you live, MOVE! That being said, I agree with you that they had multiple problems that led up to the riot, but they still had no right to have a riot. Were they better off after the riot? I don't think so.

 

[SLO MO]

Slo mo I agree with you. But Asians overcharging folks was no way related to the king fiasco and those people you refer to only used it as a reason to destroy stuff that had nothing to do with it.
Why not march in numbers and burn down courthouse that set the cops free? Go to neighborhood where the cops attys lived? No we are gonna just burn and loot grocery stores cuz we can.

Well it's a little more to it than just that, it was overall the way they treated people for years and the main reason anger was directed at them was an incident with a little girl 14 yrs old I think she was but I can't remember her name, but shortly after the King thing she got into a fight with an Asian store owner and as she turned her back and was walking out the lady shot her in the back of the head, the lady was charged with murder but was sentenced to probation no jail time.

 

[SLO MO]

Here it is:

Latasha Harlins (July 14, 1975 – March 16, 1991) was a 15-year-old African-American girl who was shot and killed on March 16, 1991 by Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean store owner. Harlins was a student at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California. Because Harlins' death came thirteen days after the videotaped beating of Rodney King and Du was imposed with a probation, a fine and community service for her action, some sources cited the shooting as one of the causes of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

The following paragraphs summarize the transcript of court case, People v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County.[1] The South Los Angeles store, Empire Liquor was normally staffed by Du's husband and son. However, on the morning of the shooting, Du was working behind the counter, and her husband was outside resting in the family's van.

Du saw Harlins putting a bottle of orange juice in her backpack. Police say that Du erroneously concluded Harlins was attempting to steal, evidently not seeing the money Harlins was holding. (The police reached this conclusion after speaking with the two eyewitnesses present and viewing the videotape of the incident, recorded by a store security camera.)[2][3] Du attempted to grab Harlins by the sweater and snatched her backpack.

Harlins then struck Du with her fist three times, knocking Du to the ground. After Harlins backed away Du then threw a stool at her. Harlins then picked up the orange juice that dropped during the scuffle, threw[4] it on the counter and turned to leave. Du reached under the counter to retrieve a handgun. Du then fired at Harlins from behind at a distance of about three feet and shot her in the back of her head, killing her instantly. Du's husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, heard the shot and rushed into the store. After speaking to his wife, who asked for whereabouts of Harlins before fainting, he dialed 9-1-1 to report an alleged holdup. Harlins died with two dollars in her left hand.[5]

Du testified on her own behalf, stating that it was self-defense and that her life was in danger, but her words were contradicted by the statements of the two witnesses present at the time and the security camera footage, which showed her shooting Harlins in the back of the head as Harlins was attempting to leave the store. However, the Los Angeles police department ballistics expert report also found that the handgun Du used was altered in such a way that, compared to an ordinary handgun, much less pressure on the trigger was necessary to result in firing.[5]

On November 15, 1991, the jury found Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter with a 16-year prison sentence recommendation, believing that Du's shooting was fully within her control and she fired the gun voluntarily. The presiding judge, Joyce Karlin, reduced the sentence to probation of five years, four hundred hours of community service, and a $500.00 fine.[6][7]

 

[skydivr]

STILL no grounds to riot. Of course, destroying your own backyard is always a great way to show your displeasure....

Stop making EXCUSES for rioters, cause there's not one and you know it.

 

[skydivr]

qft..

Ain't that an example of the copper calling the kettle black.....

 

[300Busa]

Man everyone is beating this Rodney story to death...

 

[SLO MO]

There were a lot of other circumstances that helped start the riots, but still they should've known that rioting isn't the way to fix things. Dr. King sure got some good results in the civil rights movements. How many riots did he promote?

As far as peoples beliefs or bias on the .org, they will always be people that disagree with each other. Bias works both ways. Most people that don't seem to care about Rodney King being dead see him as a criminal and a danger to society. Would he be viewed the same if he had run over some people while driving drunk? Still this view about Rodney King doesn't mean that people don't think police should show citizens even more respect than they get from the citizens. I think that police should do everything they can to protect and serve everybody equally, but as long as police have free will, this will never happen. There will always be abuses of power and they won't always consequences for these abuses, but violence should be avoided at all costs. Riots in particular because anyone can get hurt or killed. There is no justification for a riot.

Life is tough, if you feel oppressed in your city, or wherever you live, MOVE! That being said, I agree with you that they had multiple problems that led up to the riot, but they still had no right to have a riot. Were they better off after the riot? I don't think so.

I agree riots should not happen but look across the world at incidents where a group of people feel they have been tormented or wronged and their words have fell on deaf ears, then the anger explodes after a major incident. I often wonder why in the world they riot after a simple hockey game or a soccer game but it happens....

Dr. King had one method of dealing with it which was non violent basically when they spit in your face do nothing but turn the other cheek, yes that worked to some extent but as they say everything is not for every body thus you have the people that take the approach you spit in my face I'm going to punch you in yours, people are different, especially when the people doing the spitting were the original American terrorist blowing up churches, killing men, women and children and all of these things together advanced the movement. You saw this difference during the Riots, some where trying to tear everything up and some where trying to stop them, take Deny for instance there were those that beat him but also those in the community that saw this broadcast live on TV left the safety of their homes and went to the scene to come to his rescue, getting him to the hospital before he was attacked again and or bleed to death.

I agree with you about people disagreeing but people have bias or beliefs and because of the position they hold when that surfaces it can mean that person A is treated differently from person B, people on this forum express their beliefs in that certain bias comes out and that was the context it was being used in.

In reference to people moving if they feel oppressed.... well first of all we were discussing things and feelings as they were during the time of the LA Riots some 20 years ago, a lot has changed, some as remained the same, with that said moving is just not an option for many people if they could they would, every body does not have the resources to up and move nor should they have too, especially if it's because of the people that are supposed to work for them.

When DC crime was at it's highest my parents were able moved to the suburbs after I graduated from HS and was headed to College but It's mute point now because in the area I grew up in and in others like it that I have traveled to over the past 10 years these area are going threw gentrification (which is another topic) the basic services and request that long time residents of the community have been asking for magically have started to appear and property values are crazy, like average home is 400K crazy, a nice one bed room apt can cost you 2K crazy.

Actually some things did get better after the riot, if I remember correctly Asian and Black community bridged some gaps and a better understanding was formed, LAPD recognized it was out of control and the prior chief I think his name was Gates was removed and out of that came an effort for officers to respect the community they were sworn to protect.

 

[Rainbow7]

STILL no grounds to riot. Of course, destroying your own backyard is always a great way to show your displeasure....

Stop making EXCUSES for rioters, cause there's not one and you know it.

Well said!

Lest it be forgotten, most of the rioters/looters were on welfare, so it wasn't like they were destroying their own property. No, in their minds, they were destroying things owned and paid for by "Whitey". They knew that there would be no consequences for acting like savages.

As for the idiots who complained about Asians charging higher prices, all I have to say is that if I owned a store in an area where I was constantly at risk of being robbed/murdered by my customers, I'd charge them more too.

 

[SLO MO]

STILL no grounds to riot. Of course, destroying your own backyard is always a great way to show your displeasure....

Stop making EXCUSES for rioters, cause there's not one and you know it.

My apologies you misinterpreted me trying to help him understand the mindset and other events at that time, as saying "it was an excuse" but again sometimes people hear what they want or read and focus on what they want.

I don't think you understood exactly what we were talking about or even read his post and my reply. The question was not "if it was grounds to riot or not", because if that was the question I would have said IMO no. His question or thought was he did not understand why they would do this to their stores and neighborhood, I simply tried to paint a picture of the time period and explain to him at the time the people that lived there were frustrated with decades of this and along with other events it lead to an explosion of anger towards, police and Asian store owners when what should have been an conviction was not.

He then replied with what I said about the way people were treated in Asian stores, and I explained further what the main problem was with them and why they were targeted and it was not because they over charge people, but because a child was shot in the back of the head and the lady got off with probation and no jail time. I could not remember the details so I posted the story for him.

 

[skydivr]

My apologies you misinterpreted me trying to help him understand the mindset and other events at that time, as saying "it was an excuse" but again sometimes people hear what they want or read and focus on what they want.

I don't think you understood exactly what we were talking about or even read his post and my reply. The question was not "if it was grounds to riot or not", because if that was the question I would have said IMO no. His question or thought was he did not understand why they would do this to their stores and neighborhood, I simply tried to paint a picture of the time period and explain to him at the time the people that lived there were frustrated with decades of this and along with other events it lead to an explosion of anger towards, police and Asian store owners when what should have been an conviction was not.

He then replied with what I said about the way people were treated in Asian stores, and I explained further what the main problem was with them and why they were targeted and it was not because they over charge people, but because a child was shot in the back of the head and the lady got off with probation and no jail time. I could not remember the details so I posted the story for him.

That's fair enough, and thank you for the measured and deliberate response.

Comeon Rainbow, tone it back some please.

 

[RussellJ]

In this same community you also had a police force that thinks like some of the people on this forum, their beliefs and bias to anything not like them is obvious, the only difference is they carried a badge and a gun and had a license to terrorize many in these communities. For decades, people have complained, brought it to community meetings and shouted it out that this abuse of power goes on, everything from, intimidation, false arrest, robbery, assaults, murder etc.. any time they beat someone up, it was always "he resisted arrest", so when it's finally caught on tape exactly what people said for decades was going on in the dark. The targets of this abuse figured now the world has proof, well not so fast, (not guilty) they did no wrong according to there peers, so what's next, fuse is lit and an explosion of anger, frustration and payback to all those that the community felt wronged them.

qft..

The same can be said of you two. You are in effect talking about yourselves. If it isn't your seemingly liberal opinion, you are against it completely and therefore try to tell us we are the ones who have beliefs in bold that you implied. Just sayin' . Maybe you both should try to get rid of the tunnel vision. It's very sad.

Oh there I go again showing those true colors that are so hurtful.... tisk tisk. I'll head back to the basement now.

The guy is gone. God rest his soul. The neighborhood/city/state/nation is better for it. Sorry about that tricky thing called the truth, it unfortunately seems to hurt. Too bad more people do not speak it too often.

 

[skydivr]

The thing for me is, in my mind (maybe mine only), contrary to what Al Sharpton and other racists like him, this had NOTHING TO DO WITH THE COLOR OF HIS SKIN, until it was made that way. If Rodney King had been redneck trailer trash Rodney from Georgia, and he'd run high from the police like that, putting other innocent lives in danger, I'd hope he get his azz kicked too, and if the police went too far (as I also think they did with this Rodney) then there should be equal repercussions. No rioting either way.

I've got equally the same amount of contempt for black Rodney as I would for lilly white/red/green/yellow/pink/insert color here trailer-trash Rodney.

 

[Busa1166]

Just from reading the article it says he drowned and apparently he was drinking and smoking. Easy to blame on accidental drowning and walk away from it.
In the movie if you haven't seen it the first scene Statham sneaks into a drug lords house and then slips into pool unseen, then drowns the guy and leaves making it look like an accident.

So I was just saying, maybe

Only a drug lord would paint his pool black That was a nice movie better ending than the original version to

 

[chrisjp]

too bad they didnt get a video tape of the EMT's beating on his chest....his family could have got an award in a civil suit for that im sure....