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Revise document title and introduction for clarity
Updated the title, introduction, and various metadata fields in the document to reflect changes in focus and accuracy regarding the LA Riots.
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# Los Angeles Erupts after the Rodney King Trial Verdict (1992)
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# Unrest Spreads Throughout Los Angeles (1992)
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![Screenshot media asset](https://s3.amazonaws.com/americanarchive.org/primary_source_sets/la-riots-4.png "Screenshot media asset")
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![Screenshot media asset](https://s3.amazonaws.com/americanarchive.org/primary_source_sets/la-riots-5.png "Screenshot media asset")
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## Guid
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## Introduction
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The four officers shown beating Rodney King in the famous videotape were put on trial for assault and use of excessive force. The men were tried in the mostly white suburb of Simi Valley rather than in Los Angeles, where the beating occurred, as the officers’ lawyers convinced an appeals judge that it would not be possible to have an impartial jury in the community where the alleged crime took place. [Many commentators thought it was significant that there were no Black members of the jury](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-03-mn-2987-story.html); of the twelve-person panel, there was one Latina and one Asian American, the remaining ten were identified as white. (Twenty years later, [Juror #8 rejected this narrative, sharing that his father was Black.)](https://web.archive.org/web/20120503060751/http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/apr/28/rodney-king-juror-my-father-was-black/?partner=RSS) Even still, most people assumed the seemingly damning video evidence would lead to convictions. But on April 29, 1992, the jury returned a not guilty verdict on nearly all the charges (they failed to reach a verdict on one charge for one officer). The verdicts inspired anger and protest from thousands of Angelenos, most of whom protested peacefully. However, angry crowds took over the streets of South Central Los Angeles, a predominantly Black community with a long history of distrust of the police. Overwhelmed by infuriated community members, police withdrew from the area. A small but significant number of residents started burning buildings, looting businesses, and attacking bystanders. This report from the April 30, 1992, episode of The MacNeil /Lehrer NewsHour shows footage of both peaceful protest and the violent, destructive unrest. It also features interviews with community members sharing their perspectives.
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April 30, 1992, proved to be the most chaotic, destructive, and deadly day of the LA Riots. This segment of The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour documents various scenes of disorder. Unrest was largely concentrated in South Central Los Angeles on April 29, but on April 30, rioting broke out across the city in dozens of different neighborhoods, primarily low-income Black and Latino areas. With police spread thin and fire departments struggling to keep up with hundreds of fires, an atmosphere of lawlessness prevailed. News cameras captured scenes of widespread looting, as Angelenos exited stores with arms full of merchandise. Americans in Los Angeles and across the country watched these scenes of urban chaos on live television; the level of unrest hadn’t been seen in the U.S. since the upheaval of the 1960s.
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<b>The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour</b>
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<b>| NewsHour Productions : Washington D.C. | April 30, 1992 </b>
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<i>This video clip and associated transcript appear from 28:23 - 34:29 in the full record.</i>
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<b>| NewsHour Productions : Washington D.C. | May 05, 1992 </b>
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<i>This video clip and associated transcript appear from 14:09 - 21:42 in the full record.</i>
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## Teachingtips
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## References
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## Author
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