The Rodney King Riots In American History

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The Rodney King riots are a true watershed moment for race relations in American history. There were a series of events that caused that led to the build up of the 1992 riots. The Rodney king beating was just a spark that lit the flame in South Central. This part of Los Angeles had been ridden of gang violence, economic disparity and a lack of education. These conditions all helped bring about one of the most violent riots in American history. The riots that started on April 29th lasted for six days and caused billions in damage and many deaths and thousands of injuries. Despite the violence, it created change in the LAPD and problems of the community were taken more seriously.
The buildup of racial tensions and consequently the riots in 1992 can be traced back to the 1984 Olympics. The Olympics was supposed to be moment of national pride for America and it was quite a success. There games brought thousands of jobs to LA and it a promise for economic prosperity. However not everyone shared the same success and prosperity that came with the Olympics. Neighborhoods in South Central were full of gang violence. So in order to crack down on this violence, Operation Hammer was …show more content…
All the events of police abuse and brutality started to channel the anger of the African- American communities in South Central. Their voice was being ignored and their rights were violated in several instances. Mike Davis wrote in 1990 that “Southcentral LA has been betrayed by virtually every level of government. In particular, the deafening public silence about youth unemployment and the juvenation of poverty has left many thousands of young street people with little alternative but to enlist in the crypto-Keynesian youth employment program operated by the cocaine cartels ” (Zirin). The justice system had marginalized these young people and gave them no other option but to join these

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