Help!!!!!L.A RIOT (homework) (ppl who lived in los angeles at the time of the riots)?

Question

ok so we're watching this movie tomorrow(L.A RIOT) but b4 that we have to interview some1 who lived at the time of those events....but i have no 1 to interview ...would u be so kind to answer IFu know....

1)do u remember seeing the taped beating of rodney king? what were ur reactions when u saw it?(did u feel it was a case of police brutality or was the police justifiedin their actions)

2)what do u remember about how/why it ocurred?

3)why do u b-lieve the riots broke out?

4)where were u when the riots broke out?what do u remember seeing/feeling/doing/etc.

5) do u think the relations between the races in L.A r better or worse than then?

6)do u thiink its likely that such an incident could occur again? if so, what do u think can b done to prevent it?

Answer 1

I grew up in L.A. and was present during the original Watts Riots in (I think) 1964. I was in Seattle during the Rodney King riots, but of course I'm familiar with L.A. and I saw TV coverage. BTW we had riots in Seattle too, on a smaller scale. Rioting happened only at night, and it was multiracial. I took the bus downtown in the morning after the first riot, to look around. I wouldn't have dreamed of doing this in L.A.
1] I saw the taped beating of Rodney King, and it looked very bad to me. It looked like police brutality. I'm not sure whether I saw the whole tape or a partial tape. I thought they could have subdued him without hitting him so many times. I understood that they were trying to arrest him, which they have every right to do.
2] I remember later hearing that King was under the influence of some violence-inducing drug that would make him much harder to control than a sober person. This made me think there could have been more justification than I first thought.
3] To a great extent, the riots in L.A. seemed to me like Watts all over again. I never understood why the Watts riots happened, so how could I understand this? I know that black people were tired of being discriminated against, and that was part of why the Watts riots happened, but it certainly seemed a counter-productive approach to achieving equality. This time, I really doubted that discrimination against blacks had much to do with it. The reason was supposedly that they were angry about the acquittal of the Rodney King defendants, but why would rioting be thought of as a good response to this?
I know others will disagree, but this is what I thought. I thought there might have been gang involvement. A lot of guns were stolen from gun stores. Also, I think a lot of people just took advantage of the confusion to go on a rampage. In Seattle, when asked why they rioted, rioters would say things like, "We don't think there should be a police precinct office on XYZ Street," or "Everybody else was doing it." They didn't even mention Rodney King most of the time.
4] I was in Seattle. My mother lived in West L.A. I had insomnia that night, so I actually watched the riots on TV off and on the first night. I knew quite well that only certain neighborhoods in L.A. are subject to rioting, and my mother was not in any of them. I wasn't even worried about her. I had lived through L.A. riots before. In the morning I went to see the destruction in downtown Seattle. I'm not a daredevil. I felt sure that it was perfectly safe by then. And it was, perfectly calm; only there were a lot of broken windows, but the glass was already swept up.
6] I now live about an hour away from L.A., I visit often and have friends there, but I don't live there. My impression is that relations between the races are almost the same as ever. Normally everybody gets along fine in their daily activities, but there is some tension nevertheless.
7] I do think this could happen again, as it has happened before. I don't think anything has changed that would make a difference. However, I suspect that in the next 10-20 years, as the international conflict comes to a crisis, there may be less violence at home. No doubt the coming war will change race relations at home too. WWII did.

Answer 2

I lived near LA when the riots happened. I was in LA on the second day of the riots to see it with my owns eyes.
I remember seeing the tape and thinking Finally someone has the cops on tape beating someone. Finally justice will be done for the crroked cops. I remember that Mr. King led the police on a high speed chase through the freeways of LA. The cops said the speeds reached 115 MPH, however, Mr. Kings Hyndai Excel was incapable fo going that fast, which means that cops lied in their reports. I think the riots broke out becasue the black community felt that an injustice had been done when the white cops were acquitted. I was at home when the riots started and began watching on television. i was outraged when Reginald Denning was pulled from his semi truck and was beaten. I could not believe what I was seeing. It was beyong my comprehension at the time that the police were not doing anything to stop the violence that they had created. In my opinion, the relationship between races in LA remains the same as it did 16 years ago, however both sides keep their emotions held in until something else happens that spurs another race riot. Historically riots in LA happen about every 30 years, so I guess I will wait another 4 years to see what the next riot has to bring for LA and for the Country.

Good luck on your report. If you need more info, let me know. I was at Florence and Normandy on the second day of the riots and saw LA burnignwith my own eyes. It is something that I will never forget.

Answer 3

The Watts riots and the Rodney King roits were many years apart. The orginal riots were race generated and the fact that most people were not living very well in LA at the time. The jobs were not there and the police and mayor were totally jerks. People were so afraid, and mostly stayed indoors. All people were suspect, and many were arrested, for no reason at all. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, got you thrown in jail. And the Veitnam war was a very big issue. Mostly Blacks were being drafted for that war, and people were not going to take it any more. And yes it will happen again. People can and will not take that kind of abuse for ever. I would hope they happen again, we need to rise up again, and tell this government enough is enough. No more WAR, and no more oppression. Equality is never fair.

Answer 4

I did not see the video. But I worked in a daycare center over the hill in Glendale, and we could see the glow of the flames. Someone thought the kids should watch on TV, but some of them seemed to want to join in the fighting. Anyone who has no opportunity to improve their life and doesn't have positive activities to do, is going to be frustrated and try to find some outlet for their energy, and if not in a positive way, a negative one. And when many are discontented, this type of thing results. Look at France. Opportunities must be offered, but a change of belief, from "poor me" to "I can and will" is also necessary. This applies to anyone.

Answer 5

I think Africans should be contained to a certain walled-in section of the city so that they can't spill out and harm society.