1992.
An L.A. resident is videotaped as he is beaten by L.A. police officers mercilessly, as he lay on the ground. He is bleeding, seriously injured and almost dead.
The man is RODNEY KING. The scene is the start of the L.A. riots of '92.
Rodney king died last week, at the age of 47.
Read about it here.
For many people, like me, who were not in L.A. at that time, nor in America, it was just news .
But L.A. was literally on fire. Why?
"WE FIND THE DEFENDANTS NOT GUILTY".
These words caused an uproar inside the court and outside in the black community. The depth and magnitude of those words would be measured in an unprecedented manner, and L.A. was going to pay for it. Blood for blood.
The domino effect was set in motion. The cops went home, the black community went into the streets.Seething with fury and seeking justice, it was the start of a tsunami of violence.
L.A. bore the brunt.
Fires, looting and killing. Police were at first reduced to onlookers and later forced to retreat, due to overwhelming crowd numbers. L.A. was a free-for-all.
Rodney King, however miraculously survived the vicious beating and even pleaded for calm on T.V. His words would become legendary " Can't we all get along?"
He lived a not so placid life after that. He won close to $ 4 million for his beating.
But he was no poster boy for the law. He had many run-ins with the law.
He was into construction , reality TV and other jobs.
Read about him on Wikipedia.
You can wake up to a beautiful day but at the end of it, you may have lived a nightmare. But you come out of it stronger.
Life is strange.Life is beautiful. Life is precious. Life is short.
An L.A. resident is videotaped as he is beaten by L.A. police officers mercilessly, as he lay on the ground. He is bleeding, seriously injured and almost dead.
The man is RODNEY KING. The scene is the start of the L.A. riots of '92.
Rodney king died last week, at the age of 47.
 |
| Then... |
 |
| Now.. |
For many people, like me, who were not in L.A. at that time, nor in America, it was just news .
But L.A. was literally on fire. Why?
"WE FIND THE DEFENDANTS NOT GUILTY".
 |
| NOT GUILTY ..for this. |
These words caused an uproar inside the court and outside in the black community. The depth and magnitude of those words would be measured in an unprecedented manner, and L.A. was going to pay for it. Blood for blood.
The domino effect was set in motion. The cops went home, the black community went into the streets.Seething with fury and seeking justice, it was the start of a tsunami of violence.
L.A. bore the brunt.
Fires, looting and killing. Police were at first reduced to onlookers and later forced to retreat, due to overwhelming crowd numbers. L.A. was a free-for-all.
Rodney King, however miraculously survived the vicious beating and even pleaded for calm on T.V. His words would become legendary " Can't we all get along?"
He lived a not so placid life after that. He won close to $ 4 million for his beating.
But he was no poster boy for the law. He had many run-ins with the law.
He was into construction , reality TV and other jobs.
Read about him on Wikipedia.
You can wake up to a beautiful day but at the end of it, you may have lived a nightmare. But you come out of it stronger.
Life is strange.Life is beautiful. Life is precious. Life is short.
 |
| Life is a road and we are just travelers.
Picture courtesy http://www.theroseman.net/
|
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