Los Angeles Erupts After the Rodney King Trial Verdict (1992)

The four officers shown beating Rodney King in the famous videotape were put on trial for assault and use of excessive force. The men were tried in the mostly white suburb of Simi Valley rather than in Los Angeles, where the beating occurred, as the officers’ lawyers convinced an appeals judge that it would not be possible to have an impartial jury in the community where the alleged crime took place. Many commentators thought it was significant that there were no Black members of the jury; of the twelve-person panel, there was one Latina and one Asian American, the remaining ten were identified as white. (Twenty years later, Juror #8 rejected this narrative, sharing that his father was Black.) Even still, most people assumed the seemingly damning video evidence would lead to convictions. But on April 29, 1992, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on nearly all the charges (they failed to reach a verdict on one charge for one officer). The verdicts inspired anger and protest from thousands of Angelenos, most of whom protested peacefully. However, angry crowds took over the streets of South Central Los Angeles, a predominantly Black community with a long history of distrust of the police. Overwhelmed by infuriated community members, police withdrew from the area. A small but significant number of residents started burning buildings, looting businesses, and attacking bystanders. This report from the April 30, 1992, episode of The MacNeil /Lehrer NewsHour shows footage of both peaceful protest and the violent, destructive unrest. It also features interviews with community members sharing their perspectives.

The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour | NewsHour Productions : Washington D.C. | April 30, 1992 This video clip and associated transcript appear from 28:23 - 34:29 in the full record.