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Man who inspired Los Angeles riots in 1992 says he's happy now
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
April 26th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
April 26th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
He first entered the public's consciousness when his videotaped beating
by four Los Angeles Police Department officers hit international
airwaves. When those very same police officers were later acquitted,
massive race riots rocked Los Angeles, spreading across most of the
United States. Today, 47-year-old victim Rodney King says he's a happy
man, and can only marvel at what a wild ride it's been since that
violent night 20 years ago.
It's been an up-and-down ride for King since he went on television at the height of the riots and pleaded in a quavering voice, "Can we all get along?"
He's been arrested numerous times since then, mostly for alcohol-related crimes. "I still sip, I don't get drunk," King tells journalists.
King has been to a number of rehab programs, he said, including the 2008 appearance on "Dr. Drew" Pinsky's "Celebrity Rehab" program.
IN spite of this, King was arrested again just last year for driving under the influence.
Afraid of being stopped for drunken driving on March 3, 1991, King said he originally tried to evade police who attempted to pull him over for speeding.
After he stopped, four L.A. police officers hit him more than 50 times with their batons, kicked him and shot him with stun guns. A man who had quietly stepped outside his home to observe the commotion videotaped most of it and turned a copy over to a local TV station.
Following a jury with no black members acquitted the officers on April 29, 1992, the city's black community exploded in rage. Fifty-five people died and more than 2,000 were injured over the next three days.
King received a $3.8 million settlement from the city. He lost most it to bad investments, among them a hip-hop record label he founded that quickly went under.
He makes money these days taking part in events like celebrity boxing matches. He's also promoting his just-published memoir, "The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption."
"America's been good to me after I paid the price and stayed alive through it all," he says. "This part of my life is the easy part now."
King's long arrest record stemmed from his alcoholism. In 1993, King entered an alcohol rehabilitation program and was placed on probation after crashing his vehicle into a block wall in downtown Los Angeles.
In July 1995, King was arrested by Alhambra police, who alleged that he hit his wife with his car, knocking her to the ground. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted of hit and run.
On August 27, 2003, King was arrested again for speeding and running a red light while under the influence of alcohol. He failed to yield to police officers and slammed his vehicle into a house, breaking his pelvis.
© 2012, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.