Dec 10, 1999 · Grimes, Burris and a dozen other attorneys represented King in the 1994 federal lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles following King’s videotaped beating by police officers. The attorneys have...
Net Worth: | $250 Thousand |
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Date of Birth: | Apr 2, 1965 - Jun 17, 2012 (47 years old) |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Profession: | Construction worker |
He was found dead on June 17 that same year, at the age of 47. His death was the result of accidental drowning, although alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and PCP found in his system were contributing factors, authorities said. Photos: Rodney King and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images.
Photos: Rodney King and the 1992 Los Angeles riots. PHOTO: AFP/Getty Images. More than 9,800 National Guard troops were called in to end the violence, which left 55 people dead and more than 2,000 injured. Photos: Rodney King and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
After the beating of Rodney King. After the beating, the police called an ambulance, and King was taken to Pacifica Hospital with officers riding along. Doctors gave King several stitches, noting in his medical records that he suffered from a broken cheekbone and broken right ankle.
Through it all, Rodney King was just a man trying to find his way in the world. Some would see him as a hero and a martyr, while others would maintain that he was a criminal and a villain, but the police's infringement on King's rights and dignity would become a lasting symbol of the reality of police brutality.
Born in Sacramento, California, in 1965, Rodney King grew up mostly in Pasadena, where his family moved soon after his birth. In his memoir The Riot Within, King recounts growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father and the struggles that produced at a young age.
Rejecting that offer considering that he'd almost lost his life, King sued the city for $56 million, amounting to approximately $1 million for every strike by the officers.
The acquittals were considered a gross miscarriage of justice, with the mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, calling the verdict "senseless." Residents of Los Angeles erupted into a fury that had been mounting over the years, especially towards the police, who were seen as an oppressive rather than protective force. Residents of the city would riot for six days, during which time there was also widespread looting, a tactic that has been used often to protest the valuation of property over human life.
The LAPD report would later become an issue of controversy due to its misrepresentation of the events of King's arrest. While the reports that were filed mentioned the beating and the use of batons, various inconsistencies arose when compared with Holliday's video.
1. ^ "Rodney King to marry juror from LA police beating case". BBC News. September 9, 2010.
2. ^ Lester, Paul Martin (2018). Visual Ethics: A Guide for Photographers, Journalists, and Filmmakers. Routledge. p. 85. ASIN B07955S7GR.
3. ^ Stevenson, Brenda E. (2015). The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins: Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots. Oxford University Press. p. 284.
King was born in Sacramento, California, in 1965, the son of Ronald and Odessa King. He and his four siblings grew up in Altadena, California. King attended John Muir High School and often talked about being inspired by his social science teacher, Robert E. Jones. King's father died in 1984 at the age of 42.
On November 3, 1989, King robbed a store in Monterey Park, California. He threatened the Korea…
King had a daughter with his girlfriend, Carmen Simpson. He later married Denetta Lyles (cousin to rapper Mack 10) and had a daughter. King and Lyles were eventually divorced. He later married and had a daughter with Crystal Waters. This marriage also ended in divorce.
Early in the morning of Sunday, March 3, 1991, King, with his friends Bryant Allen and Freddie Helms, was driving a 1987 Hyundai Excel west on the Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210) in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. The three had spent the night watching basketball and drinking at a friend's house in Los Angeles. At 12:30 a.m., officers Tim and Melanie Singer, husband and wife members of the California Highway Patrol, noticed King's car speeding on the freeway. They purs…
King was taken to Pacifica Hospital after his arrest, where he was found to have suffered a fractured facial bone, a broken right ankle, and multiple bruises and lacerations. In a negligence claim filed with the city, King alleged he had suffered "11 skull fractures, permanent brain damage, broken [bones and teeth], kidney failure [and] emotional and physical trauma". Blood and urine samples were taken from King five hours after his arrest. The blood alcohol content(BAC) from K…
Though few people at first considered race an essential factor in the case, including Rodney King's attorney, Steven Lerman, the Holliday videotape was at the time stirring deep resentment among black people in Los Angeles, as well as other major cities in the United States, where they had often complained of police abuse against their communities. The officers' jury consisted of Ventura County residents: ten white, one Latino, one Asian. Lead prosecutor Terry White was bla…
After the acquittals and the riots, the United States Department of Justice(DOJ) sought indictments of the police officers for violations of King's civil rights. On May 7, federal prosecutors began presenting evidence to the federal grand jury in Los Angeles. On August 4, the grand jury returned indictments against the three officers for "willfully and intentionally using unreasonable force" and against Sergeant Koon for "willfully permitting and failing to take action to stop the un…