Rodney King dead

[namtaB 10]

Whoa. Where have you been?

 

Chris Rock said, "if the police have to chase you down, they're bringing an a55 whoopin' with 'em!"

 

There were two other people in the car that night with Rodney King. Both of them cooperated with police, which is why we didn't hear anything about them.

"He fought the law and the law won"

[mj.scuba 10]

The King incident must have certainly been a turning point in race relations in the US much like the Lawrence killing in the UK, but as for the guy himself, seems like his only achievement in life was to get on the wrong side of some cops. Did he ever do any charity work trying to turn young black kids away from crime etc? If not, his passing is bearly worth a footnote on page 5 of the papers.

[alchresearch 214]

I hope the police are checking the whereabouts of Michael Barrymore.

[Steptoad 12]

He was lily white. The name Koon is more than likely of Dutch origin or perhaps German.

 

I wouldnt call a black man a "coon" unless I could afford a damned good dentist and a new set of teeth

 

So a you would be racist if you could afford to be?

[Glennis 15]

indeed im sure a famous musician died in the pool? but i cant remember? thought it was keith moon but it wernt he died in harry nilssons house, the same room as mama cass died in

 

Brian Jones, died in a pool.

[AJ sheffield 11]

I hope the police are checking the whereabouts of Michael Barrymore.

 

:hihi:

[Harleyman 12]

So a you would be racist if you could afford to be?

 

Dont be silly. It's Monday morning. Leave the levity for Friday PM

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

Who cares except the Bloke's family. Will not make any difference to our lives here in Sheffield.

 

Angel.

[alteredgemed 10]

Who cares except the Bloke's family. Will not make any difference to our lives here in Sheffield.

 

Angel.

 

Your compassion knows no bounds.

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

Your compassion knows no bounds.

 

 

Which part of my post is untrue in any way.

 

Angel.

[melthebell 863]

Your compassion knows no bounds.

its quite funny seeing how people such as rodney king stir up a lack of compassion or even interest in certain people of a more right wing nature

[Harleyman 12]

The King incident must have certainly been a turning point in race relations in the US much like the Lawrence killing in the UK, but as for the guy himself, seems like his only achievement in life was to get on the wrong side of some cops. Did he ever do any charity work trying to turn young black kids away from crime etc? If not, his passing is bearly worth a footnote on page 5 of the papers.

 

Not so much a turning point in race relations in the US since by 1991 relations had improved very considerably.

 

It was a turning for for the Los Angeles Police Department however. It was a force that did not have a program for community policing, was regarded as an occupation force in the black area of South Central L.A, was running on a shoe string budget with outdated equipment from radios to patrol cars.. The city like the rest of the state took a big hit when the the defence industry, (which was California's big money earner) started to cut back when the Cold War ended.

The police department's budget along with other city departments was reduced considerably

 

Not long before the Rodney King incident a black girl high school student had been shot and killed by the middle aged wife of a Korean grocery store owner in South Central afer a scuffle with the girl who the woman claimed had robbed the store although several eye witnesses stated that they had seen the girl approach the counter with money in her hand.

The woman was only given probation which was a bad call by the judge and that increased tension to near boiling point.

 

Then there was LA Mayor Tom Bradley who had a private little war going with his chief of police Darryl Gates. The policy advocated by Bradley was " low profile" police work. Do nothing that could cause a situation to flair up and out of control in South Central.

 

Chief Gates was not there when the riots started to give the leadership and direction to his police commanders. He had gone to a diiner held by some organisation he was a member of.

 

In the end it wasnt just blacks rioting. People who had no connection with Rodney King, mostly Mexicans and other Hispanics were looting stores all over the city, wheeling away the loot in shopping carts quite openly and there wasnt a cop around to stop them.

The riots only ended when the Marines arrived, set up road blocks and the Mayor declared a curfew.

 

The whole thing was a disgrace. Something like the London riots but on a much larger scale.

 

As for King he was arrested on numerous occasions over the following years for drunk driving and other offences. He was a chronic abuser of drugs and alcohol

Edited June 18, 2012 by Harleyman