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The Big Black Man Syndrome: The Rodney King

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Formed in 1986, NWA was one of the most influential leaders of gangsta rap in California. The group consisted of six members, Dr Dre (Andre Young), Ice Cube (O’Shea Jackson), Eazy-E (Eric Wright), Arabian Prince (Kim Nazel), DJ Yella (Antoine Carraby) and MC Ren (Lorenzo Patterson). However, this format for the group did not last long, as Ice Cube and Arabian Prince had both left the group before 1989 following the release of their debut album Straight Outta Compton (1988). NWA were still considered to be the most controversial, significant and popular hip-hop group in the genre’s history. Their lyrics sparked controversy over many years, questioning the way in which they depict their lives; the disrespect of women in their lyrics, the glorification …show more content…

Lawrence Vogelman wrote in The Big Black Man Syndrome: The Rodney King Trial and the Use of Racial Stereotypes in the Courtroom (1993) that “Rodney King was portrayed as the prototypical “Big Black Man….with superhuman strength” he goes on to describe how the jury had seen the videotape of the beating in the context of King as the aggressor who needed to be repressed. Similar to the investigation and battle against hip-hop track “Fuck Tha Police”, fear of rebellion surrounds the artificial representation and depiction of the black male. The black male is considered to be “superhuman” yet constantly repressed and incapable of receiving the justice and respect deserved as an American citizen and simply a human being. The L.A. riots sparked as the four officers were excused of all charges and police brutality was condoned by law and order again. During a time that was considered the era of Mass incarceration (which can now be considered the somewhat earlier stages of Mass Incarceration), black men were being arrested and paraded across television screens in handcuffs everyday; the stats increased drastically from the 1970s up until the present day. The lives of back males were being ruined, cut in half and there families were left waiting their entire lives for the men to be released from the states hold. Along with the brutal violence that the police placed upon the black male, the constant false accusations leading to arrest contributed to the rebellion of

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Images and video of Eric Garner’s murder by police generated outrage and protests across the nation. Many wept for the loss of this innocent, but for Black America, it was just another offense in a long series of transgressions against the black body. To them, the pain was familiar—they had known it by many names: slavery, Jim Crow, mass incarceration. Police brutality was nothing new. This situation was different, however.

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“’Can You Be BLACK and Look at This’: Reading the Rodney King Video(s)” by Elizabeth Alexander is a powerful analysis into the deep rooted sense of community felt by people who identify as Black, with specific regards to the videotaped police beating of Rodney King; and also examines the deep rooted White stereotypes surrounding people of color in America, more notably in the judicial system. This essay details the unity and solidarity seen in the times, not only surrounding the Rodney King videos, but also surrounding other notable stories about Black violence, such as the murder of Emmett Till, and the stories of Fredrick Douglass, to name a few. It describes in detail the horrible acts committed on Black bodies, and references numerous movements

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Dre used music as an escape from the tensions and problems of life. He went to house parties and clubs to work the turntables with The World Class Wreckin’ Cru around Los Angeles. In 1986, the young beat maker found Ice Cube and wrote many songs for Ruthless Records, a music label started by a drug dealer known as Eazy-E. This allowed Eazy-E to form the N.W.A. an acronym for N*ggaz With Attitude, with Dre and Cube, releasing their first album in 1987, Boyz N The Hood. A year later with new management under Jerry Heller and Priority Records, N.W.A. delivered Straight Outta Compton, which became a major hit due to its hardcore lyrics and reflection on street life, especially those of "F*ck tha Police," which resulted in the FBI sending a warning note to the NWA suggesting that the group should not promote violence. Dr. Dre’s role in this famous rap group was to produce the music and work as the DJ at the future N.W.A. concerts.

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In February 2012, a 28-year-old man followed a 17-year-old youth and killed him on a residential street. The youth hadn’t done anything; he did not commit a crime, and he hadn’t provoked the older man. He was shot simply because he seemed “suspicious.” This was the story of Trayvon Martin’s death in Sanford, Florida at the hands of George Zimmerman (Cooper). Zimmerman, the killer, is a white man while Trayvon was an innocent black youth.

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Liberator tells of how the Black men were to be denied citizenship and how the White men tracked down the escaped slave and returned into bondage. There are countless others who sought the freedom for these deprived slaves, whether it be to shout out against it or just avoid having any themselves. Another rebellion that happened during this time. The rebellion was triggered by Nat Turner against his masters. Nat actually liked Travis, his owners step dad, but Nat was crazy.

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Rodney King Riots Protest Movement Paper On April 29, 1992, A week of non stop urban violence and mayhem erupted in the streets and cities of Los Angeles, the riots were commenced by the unjust trial that let the four white police officers set free of any charges. All four officers were captured on videotape beating on a black motorist named, Rodney King after a traffic stop gone wild. The Rodney King riots impacted society greatly by presenting the nations people with an understanding of how racism was still present in america. A reminder that "justice for all" was still a long way off being set in stone and to followed by most people.

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Many black and Latino residents in Los Angeles faced significant discrimination by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during the 1950’s and 60’s. They received heavy criticism from members of the black community on the accounts of police brutality and unnecessary violence. Blacks did not feel safe in the vicinity of the police force, usually used to detain them, rather than protect them from violence. A quote from Malcolm X explains the situation well: "You’ve got some Gestapo tactics being practiced by the police department in this country against 20 million black people, second class citizens, day in and day out – not only down South but up North.

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The event was a clear example of the increasing racial tensions at the time. The revolt also demonstrated a lack of centralized

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Racial discrimination and police brutality had been a reality for African Americans, but those in suburban areas did not accept what was happening. At the time, the police chief, Daryl Gates employed the use of an aggressive

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African Americans complained about police brutality but there were not cell phone cameras to capture the officers’ actions. So, if the case went to court it was a “he say she say battle”, and the police officer will win that battle. Unless you have experienced police brutality or racial profiling (DWB), you wouldn’t understand their complaints. Majority of the population couldn’t relate to what these African Americans were enduring. Not until the video of the Rodney King beating surfaced in March, 1991, police brutality

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The safety of blacks was slowly lowering as the southerners, or democrats, were once again dehumanizing them. With this progress, came violence. Blacks finally had a platform that they could utilize to the best of their abilities and finally make a change not only for them, but for everyone else that opposed them. But the resistance of change only grew larger, resulting in

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On April 22, 1992, three guilty criminals walked away innocent after committing heinous acts of aggression and assault. They were not punished after brutally beating an African American citizen after a meer traffic stop. This brutal act of racial profiling was forgiven in the name of systemic bias and societal attitudes towards racism and similar issues. The date in question is the day that the verdict of the Rodney King trial was released by the jury. The trial involved Rodney G. King a taxi driver who was pulled over for a traffic violation.

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In a study done by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the authors found that, "Across a range of different stimuli and dependent variables, perceivers showed a consistent and strong bias to perceive young Black men as larger and more capable of harm than young White men (at least among non-Black participants).” This study shows that there is a tendency in American society to view black men as more threatening than white men of equal or slightly larger size. This misperceived threat can create unnecessary fear and panic in the general public that escalates over time as the idea that black men are dangerous is reinforced with every arrest, no matter any other evidence. The perceived danger makes it easier for police officers to justify the use of physical force against black men, often

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However, research demonstrates that often times men of color are treated harshly which leads to negative perceptions of police officers. Police brutality is a crime that is has been surfacing in the news recently. Some people are just starting to realize that these injustices against the black community really occur, while others are well aware. The recent shootings, different run-ins with officers being filmed while doing such harmful actions against African American men is an example of police brutality and, that reminds us that as a society work needs to be done to improve police and community relations. A black male cannot even walk down the street on a cold night because he might be a suspect from something or he may be of danger to the people around.

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This will show how police brutality has affected black communities and how African American communities’ have responded to it with movements and protest, and how they try to overcome

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