Rodney King has died. (Los Angeles, August: live, statistics, nightclub)

[SlowMotionApocalypse]

Originally Posted by ferretkona

A fact that was not allowed in his big trial was how he had beat a elderly woman with a tire iron days before his arrest. He was already well known by the police. The police was tired of him and disgusted by his beating of a elderly woman.

Probably not allowed because it didn't quite happen that way.

November 3, 1989: King, brandishing a tire iron, ordered a convenience store clerk to empty the cash register. The clerk grabbed the tire iron, causing King to fall backwards and knock over a pie rack. King swung the rack at the clerk and fled the store with $200. King was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, second-degree robbery, and intent to commit great bodily injury. In a plea agreement, King pleaded guilty to the robbery charge and the other charges were dropped. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was paroled on December 27, 1990.

The Arrest Record of Rodney King

[bradleyyo]

I was only like one year old when this whole thing happened back in the 90's but I have read up on it extensively. I have heard people say he deserved it and others say he was innocent and the cops were thugs. I saw the video on YouTube and it looked pretty bad. I'm thinking he was either drunk or had been doing drugs that ultimately made him drown.

[Frusciante]

Ol' Rodney wasn't an Angel and the Cops weren't the devil. There's a big gray area that didn't play into the media's story line. I wonder if those in the media who basically edited the tapes to show the most egregious bits ever felt remorseful for what happened to Reginald Denny and the others who died in the riots. Probably not as they sold lotsa advertising and were able to gave media favorites Jessie Jackson and the Reverend Al lotsa face time.

Be that as it may, the cops behavior in the King case was still inexcusable. That locker room bullying attitude some cops have has no place in society.

[Joke Insurance]

Is it wrong that I thought the headline of this thread said Don King?

[R-Tistic]

Can't be surprised with the comments here...some are ignorant as expected.

So if it's ok to beat Rodney like that after him running from them, I figure it's ok for cops to beat ANYBODY who's committed any crime, whether it's murder or running a red light. Wait...no, that's what the court is for. The cops are never the ones that are supposed to hand out the justice. But we know that...right?

And nobody EVER said Rodney was an angel. And the media was ALWAYS supportive of Reginald Denny. Even most Black folks felt bad for Reginald and wanted justice to be served.

[Oleg Bach]

Sad for the cops involved in the beating- sad for L.A.- sad for Mr King- The whole matter was unfortunate. King was typical of lost black males that could have amounted to something great and good- circumstance and environment are to blame.. King was not born bad...nor were the cops. all of them were babes in the arms of loving mothers at one time- just like all of us...There for the grace of God go I.. We the survivors are lucky and we had parental protection and guidance- some people don't get that.

[dmode]

"Can't we all just get along" - Rodney may not be an angel but those words were godsend. RIP

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by dmode

"Can't we all just get along" - Rodney may not be an angel but those words were godsend. RIP

Unfortunately, the country has grown much more divided in the decades since the incident. We have big issues with getting along.

[madrone2k]

I don't feel like I really know what Rodney was like as a person. I don't have enough information to go on. But, I was impressed by some things he said after the famous event. I guess it's natural that people would want to spin those statements one way or another. As for me, I am impressed that he could say things that sounded wise and statesmanlike, despite what he had gone thru. Despite the degree to which events that he or others were "to blame" for what happened later. In any case, I think we should remember a fellow human being and not vilify some object of our imaginations.

[Dunbar42]

His fiance said he was drinking and smoking pot in the hours before he died. He was on the show Celebrity Rehab so it sounds like he was another victim of addiction. His father, also an addict, died in his 40's as well.