Yesterday, I was blogging about Rodney King, an unlikely civil rights figure who died yesterday at the age of 47. In 1991, King was pulled over by LAPD and savagely beaten by four police officers. They were charged, but three were acquitted and one’s trial ended in a deadlock.
With a community upset by the trial results, riots exploded in Los Angeles. There was looting, burning, and attacks. After a plea from King himself (“People, I just want to say, can we all get along?”) and the Army National Guard and Marines were sent in, the violence finally ended. At the end of six days, 50 people were dead and $1 billion in property damage had been done. And, the community was still sore about the video and what they felt was lack of justice.
Almost a year later, all four officers were once again in court, this time on civil rights charges. This time, there were two African-Americans on the jury. The outcome was different as well – two officers were acquitted, but the other two were found guilty and each was sentenced to 30 months in prison. King said, “I hope we just get one on that. If we one, we’re good. So to get the two, I was really happy.”
What will history remember about King? After the second trial, King saw more trouble with the LAPD, including a hit-and-run. An admitted alcoholic, he appeared on “Celebrity Rehab” and wrote the book “The Riot Within.”
Rev. Al Sharpton said, “Rodney King was a symbol of civil rights and he represented the anti-police brutality and anti-racial profiling movement of our time.” But, actor Don Cheadle believes King’s legacy will be “mixed bag” … and says the infamous beating incident is “something we can hopefully reflect on and try to move past.” Cheadle said that race relations is the “biggest thing we have to deal with as a society in the United States and probably the world.”
Some may view King with little regard, since his fame was accidental and his life was tarnished by problems, but MC Hammer said on MySpace, “I found no humor in the death of the man who symbolized the cries of the community against rogue law enforcement.”