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opinion
L.A.
Riots should have taught us
I still remember the feeling like it was yesterday. I came
home from the movies and saw Los Angeles on fire.
In a city full of embarrassing moments, the 1992 L.A. Riots
could in fact be the most shameful moment in the history of
a city famous for its sunny days and Hollywood dreams.
The riots were spawned by the decision in the Rodney King
trial, which acquitted four police officers that were videotaped
beating King after a traffic incident.
The riots for the first time showed the polarization of races
in the city. Until this moment, people were living in complete
disillusionment that racism and classism existed in Los Angeles.
What the riots did was open everybody's eyes to the fact that
these problems were alive; that blacks were receiving poor
treatment by the police (especially in the inner city), that
in these same areas there was a problem between blacks and
the Koreans who owned stores in their neighborhoods.
But, most important, the riots showed the differences between
blacks and whites, especially when it came to choosing if
the police officers were guilty or innocent.
Another way of seeing how racist people were was seeing their
interpretation of King's character. Many saw him, the way
the police characterized him, as a drug addled psycho who
was combative and violent towards the police officers.
Many of these same people went as far as to begin characterizing
all blacks as troublesome and combative towards the police.
There was so much bubbling below the surface in Los Angeles,
that when the city finally erupted many citizens were confronted
with their own hatreds and fears that had laid somewhat dormant
inside of them.
Unfortunately, nothing positive came out of the riots. In
fact, most of it was simply people running wild in the streets
and stealing whatever they could get their hands on. Not because
they were fed up, but because they could get some free stuff.
Those that were fed up were people like the men who attacked
truck driver Reginald Denny in the street; people that were
angered at this final slap in the face that the racism that
was very real to them became even more real.
Ten years later, you realize that these same problems exist
today in Los Angeles. In my opinion we are just one awful
incident like the Rodney King trial away from another riot,
much the same way there were incidents in Cincinnati and Philadelphia.
Channels need to finally be opened to solve these problems
before they fester and explode into something like the riots
again. Never again should we have to live through a hideous
moment such as this. The L.A. Riots left a black eye not only
on the city, but on the whole nation. Ten years later, I truly
hope that we have learned something from these past mistakes.
Alex Roman is a journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.
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Alex
Roman
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