How Did The Rodney King Trial Cause Conflict In America

Los Angeles is a melting pot of different cultures and customs. Diversity is seen all across LA and while diversity is good, it can also cause conflict. LA has experienced conflict dividing people based on race before, and one major example of this happening was the Rodney King trial. The Rodney King trial started as a drunk driving incident but ended in the obliteration of Los Angeles. When King was eventually caught by the four LAPD officers after being in a high speed chase he was viciously beaten resulting in several severe injuries. Since the beating of King was taped and shown to the general public many people began to take sides and express their views on how they felt. This caused major conflict in LA and around America, specifically

This was the first time police brutality was truly recorded and the first time police brutality was shown the the general public on tv. The Rodney King trial was also the first police brutality trial held in America. Years before this trial police brutality happened but since people never had proof of it actually happening, it never went to the courts. Not only did this trial show police brutality in the act but it also resulted in one of the biggest riots in American history. These riots were known has the “LA” riots and lasted for days. The LA riots were so extreme it resulted in hundreds of injured lifes and even lives lost. the Rodney King trial shows the evolution of an era that shuns what happens behind closed doors to an era which shows the harsh reality of police brutality with new means of communication and the growth of technology with the smartphone and

Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, and Stacey Koon were the four officers who beat up Rodney King on March 3(Biography). Although not all of the officers were being accused of the same crime they all still faced many difficulties. The officers received many death threats because of how they treated King. Many people believed the officers did not deserve freedom and threatened their lives. Most of the officers were being accused of assault with a deadly weapon which would result in years of prison if convicted (Biography).The jury for the Rodney King trial threatened democracy and the fairness of the trial. The jury itself consisted of majority white citizens and many people believed that was not right(biography). This brought up many problems considering Rodney King is an African American and the jury could be biased towards the police. The jury did consist of one biracial man named Henry King(Melia Patria and Enjoli Francis). Henry King did go with the side to acquit the police officers which could possibly show how the jury was fair and not biased towards the officers. Other jury members from the Rodney King trial have also come forward and said that hey did not look at race but believed the officers did not break the law (Melia Patria and Enjoli Francis). Rodney King and his lawyers experienced many issues and did not agree on a lot of