1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast that flips through the 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: book of history and tears out of page. Today is 5 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: the day was April. Riots erupted in Los Angeles in 6 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: response to the acquittal of police officers charged with excessive 7 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:39,680 Speaker 1: force in the beating of Rodney King. By this point, 8 00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:43,159 Speaker 1: instances of police brutality had been causing civil unrest in 9 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:49,159 Speaker 1: Los Angeles for decades. On March third, Rotney King was 10 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: speeding on a Los Angeles highway when California Highway Patrol 11 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: officers noticed him. King did not immediately pull over, leading 12 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: the officers on a high speed chase. He later admitted 13 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: that he had been drinking and did not want to 14 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,480 Speaker 1: be charged with driving under the influence since he was 15 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:10,000 Speaker 1: on probation from a robbery conviction. King eventually pulled over 16 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 1: and officers from the Los Angeles Police Department arrived on 17 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: the scene. Lawrence pal, Theodore Brasino, Stacy Coon, and Timothy 18 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: Win proceeded to restrain taser and then beat King. George Holliday, 19 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: who lived in a nearby apartment, videotaped the beating and 20 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: captured the officers hitting King with batons and kicking him 21 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: while he was on the ground. Holiday released the video 22 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 1: to the press, which incited outrage and people around the 23 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: US over police brutality. King was released without charges. Coon, 24 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:46,240 Speaker 1: Pal Went, and Brasino were charged with felony assault and 25 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: excessive use of force. Pal and Coon were also charged 26 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 1: with filing false reports. The sergeant and officers put not guilty. 27 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: Because the case got a lot of publicity and there 28 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: were concerns around the charged at sphere in Los Angeles County, 29 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: the trial was moved to Semi Valley Inventura County. Out 30 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: of the twelve jurors, nine were white. On a after 31 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 1: seven days of deliberations, the jury found the officers not 32 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: guilty on all accounts, except for an assault charge against 33 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: Powell that ended in a hung jury. Protesters gathered outside 34 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: the courthouse. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley called the verdict senseless. 35 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: As more people across Los Angeles found out about the verdict, 36 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: riots began. According to news reports at the time, the 37 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: riots began at the intersection of Florence and Normandy Avenues 38 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: in South Los Angeles. People burned and looted stores. They 39 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: pulled some non black motorists out of their cars and 40 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 1: beat them. Tensions caused by racism, economic inequality, unemployment, a 41 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: drug epidemic, and frustrations with the criminal justice system turned 42 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: into politically charged violence in the aftermath of the trial 43 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:02,200 Speaker 1: Los Angeles, as police weren't prepared for rioting on such 44 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: a large scale, the mayor called a state of emergency. 45 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: Into citywide curfew was declared. The California governor ordered two 46 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: thousand National Guard troops to the city. May one, King 47 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,679 Speaker 1: made a public appeal for peace, asking can we all 48 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: get along? But the riots continued, and U S President 49 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: George Bush ordered military troops and riot trained federal officers 50 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: to Los Angeles. The curfew was lifted on May three, 51 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: though occasional violence continued, but by the time the riots 52 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: were over, more than fifty people had died, more than 53 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: two thousand were injured, and around six thousand people were arrested. 54 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: Many buildings and businesses were destroyed. After a civil trial, 55 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: King was awarded a settlement. Coon and Powell were found 56 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: guilty of violating King's civil rights and served time in prison. 57 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: When and Brasino were fired from the police force. L 58 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: A's police chief, Darryl Gates, was forced to resign. Police 59 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 1: brutality and racial injustice remained topics in the national conversation 60 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: long after the riots were over. I'm Eve Jeff Code, 61 00:04:10,880 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: and hopefully you know a little more about history today 62 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: than you did yesterday. And if you want to send 63 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,159 Speaker 1: us any notes, you can do so via social media 64 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: where at t d i h C podcast. You can 65 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:24,840 Speaker 1: also send us an email at this day at iHeart 66 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:28,559 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks again for listening to the show 67 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from I 68 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 69 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.