The Rodney King Case
On March 3, 1991, in Los Angeles, California, several police cars chased Rodney G. King, who was allegedly speeding. Two friends were with him in the car. After a seven-mile police chase, during which he allegedly drove through several intersections against red lights, King was finally force to stop. The two passengers in the car complied with police requests to exit the car and were subdued with little or no force; King apparently refused to exit the car and was physically assisted in doing so. The events that unfolded next between the police officers and King were seen over and over again by millions of people around the world. If not for the video recording of this incident by a ...
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the three days of rioting and violence that followed the trial shows how much differently people think when it comes to justice. In her article Karen Garner states that Rodney King and two friends were stopped and detained by the California Highway Patrol for allegedly speeding and evading law officers. Within minutes backup was there to assist the other officers with the suspects. Mr. King friends were “quickly subdued and handcuffed,” but “their encounter with Rodney King, however, caused a controversy with far- reaching legal and social consequences” (447). Jennifer Eastman claims, “television viewers” were not aware that Mr. King was drunk, and “on parole at the time and ran the risk landing back in jail if he were caught speeding.” Eastman believes that what is seen by most “television viewers” is a black man being beating by white cops (1259). The four Los Angeles policemen seen in the videotape beating Rodney King, were Sgt. Stacy Koon, who was in charge, Officer Laurence ...
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out the multitude of injuries Mr. King suffered at the hands of the police that night “King sustained eleven fractures to his skull, a crushed cheekbone, a broken ankle, internal injuries, a burn on his chest, and brain damage.” (1259) Seth Mydans writes, “with its kicks and its 56 baton swings, this immediately becomes one of the most visible uses of force by police in this country’s history” (A1). Karen Garner believes that if not for the videotaping of this “incident” it might never have been made public. Garner also points out that this tape, which was seen by millions of people all over the world, “became the crucial piece of evidence that the state of California used to charge the ...
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CITE THIS PAGE:
The Rodney King Case. (2007, May 19). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Rodney-King-Case/65100
"The Rodney King Case." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 19 May. 2007. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Rodney-King-Case/65100>
"The Rodney King Case." Essayworld.com. May 19, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Rodney-King-Case/65100.
"The Rodney King Case." Essayworld.com. May 19, 2007. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Rodney-King-Case/65100.
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