Los Angeles Race Riots of 1992

Kristin Lavin

The connection between race and crime is clear in the Los Angeles Riots of 1992. The message sent by the acquittal of four White officers accused of assaulting and using excessive force on a Black man struck a chord across the country. In the years following the civil rights movement and the Watts Riots in the 1960s, Los Angeles had remained highly segregated, with poverty and economic inequalities concentrated within the African American population. The acquittal of the White officers was the proverbial last straw for many Los Angelenos, igniting riots across the city in protest to the inequalities and prejudice felt by many African Americans. Lasting 5 days, the riots resulted in death and injuries among rioters and innocent bystanders, as well as property damage. The riots live on in infamy for those who survived in Los Angeles and those who watched the gruesome scenes unfold on television. Many ...

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