Memories of the 1995 OJ Verdict Unrest (Los Angeles, Brentwood: crime, live, law)

[Exitus Acta Probat]

Seeing these recent images of rioting on television reminded me of the 1995 unrest that followed the OJ verdicts. Quite a number of us were very angry that OJ had gotten away with murder, and being just a young man at the time, I joined in the chaos that ensued on the streets of Brentwood. At one point, my outraged friends and I decided to walk into one of those upscale decor stores on San Vicente Blvd. during our march to demonstrate our outrage, and blinded by our anger, I picked up a designer pillow and threw it across the room as I proclaimed that without justice, there would be no peace. The management asked us to leave, so we did, and feeling a bit hungry, we decided we'd visit CPK for some take-out pizza. We crossed Barrington Ave. on our way, and just to make our anger known, we made a few cars slow down as we were crossing against the crossing light. Feeling emboldened by our defiance of society's pedestrian laws, after taking delivery of our pizza in CPK, my friend knocked over a salt as well as a pepper shaker on top of the take-out counter by the font door, and we ran like the wind before anybody could catch us. Our hearts were afire, and society was being informed of the fact. But alas, after sitting on the San Vicente median and eating our pizza, we called it a day before things got too far out of control. And besides, one of my partners in civil disobedience thought he saw his dad drive by and he was worried he'd get grounded if we engaged in any further mayhem.

I'm not proud of our actions on that day of civil unrest, but I can sympathize with the kids making their voices known over these past few days, as I too was a wilder in the streets, making my outrage known.

Power to the people, but stay off the freeway and don't throw stuff at cars, especially if one of the cars is mine. Thank you.

[bpeeps]

This was pretty funny, along with being insightful and accurate.

[UB50]

A reporter on CNN asked someone if blocking the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles was "effective protest." The guy said no because people on the freeway aren't going to know why they are being stopped and "that freeway is always stopped anyway." Unless the protesters were going to hold people up for a few hours, no one was going to care.

[Patrolman]

You should be grateful that the statute of limitations has run its course after admitting to such flagrant violations of civil disobedience. Had I witnessed your actions, I would have probably given you a strong lecture and bought you a Coke to wash down your pizza.

[Nema98]

I was only 8 and while I watched it on TV non stop because of my mother, I did not really pay attention to protests frankly because I could not understand it.

That said people should make their voices heard, just don't get in a situation where you would be arrested or worse.

[CALGUY]

All this stupid protesting isn't going to change one thing.
Nothing changed because of the King riots and protest, and like the king protest, it will all be forgotten in a short while, except by those that became victims of these stupid fools.
You want change, then get it by electing those that share your views.
Parading, burning property, and looting are not the answer, and never will be.
A few well aimed tear gas canisters thrown by the police last night would have cleared that crowd of fools in a second.
I am a staunch law and order guy, and if you do something to cause a disturbance, no matter how trivial, you are going to jail, no if's and's, or buts.

Bob.

[bpeeps]

Originally Posted by CALGUY

All this stupid protesting isn't going to change one thing.
Nothing changed because of the King riots and protest, and like the king protest, it will all be forgotten in a short while, except by those that became victims of these stupid fools.
You want change, then get it by electing those that share your views.
Parading, burning property, and looting are not the answer, and never will be.
A few well aimed tear gas canisters thrown by the police last night would have cleared that crowd of fools in a second.
I am a staunch law and order guy, and if you do something to cause a disturbance, no matter how trivial, you are going to jail, no if's and's, or buts.

Bob.

It must be great seeing the world in black and white, yes and no, right and wrong, with no moral conviction or empathy in between. Maybe that's why you don't understand it's not as simple as electing a politician or two to represent your viewpoint when there's 533 other members of Congress who don't agree.

Not-naive.

[BeatAngMoh]

Originally Posted by Exitus Acta Probat

Seeing these recent images of rioting on television reminded me of the 1995 unrest that followed the OJ verdicts. Quite a number of us were very angry that OJ had gotten away with murder, and being just a young man at the time, I joined in the chaos that ensued on the streets of Brentwood. At one point, my outraged friends and I decided to walk into one of those upscale decor stores on San Vicente Blvd. during our march to demonstrate our outrage, and blinded by our anger, I picked up a designer pillow and threw it across the room as I proclaimed that without justice, there would be no peace. The management asked us to leave, so we did, and feeling a bit hungry, we decided we'd visit CPK for some take-out pizza. We crossed Barrington Ave. on our way, and just to make our anger known, we made a few cars slow down as we were crossing against the crossing light. Feeling emboldened by our defiance of society's pedestrian laws, after taking delivery of our pizza in CPK, my friend knocked over a salt as well as a pepper shaker on top of the take-out counter by the font door, and we ran like the wind before anybody could catch us. Our hearts were afire, and society was being informed of the fact. But alas, after sitting on the San Vicente median and eating our pizza, we called it a day before things got too far out of control. And besides, one of my partners in civil disobedience thought he saw his dad drive by and he was worried he'd get grounded if we engaged in any further mayhem.

I'm not proud of our actions on that day of civil unrest, but I can sympathize with the kids making their voices known over these past few days, as I too was a wilder in the streets, making my outrage known.

Power to the people, but stay off the freeway and don't throw stuff at cars, especially if one of the cars is mine. Thank you.

And where you angry when VanAtter, Furhaman et al. were exonerated despite beating Rodney King to a pulp? Regardless of King's background or crime that beating was unjust, inhuman and racist IMO. The root cause of the problems is slavery and later Jim Crow segregation as this country has not been able to overcome the derivative effects of it. And El A is not without a shameful disgusting past, including protective covenants on housing sales. Certainly, it was not the minority population placing these onerous injustices on themselves.

[Calvert Hall '62]

Originally Posted by BeatAngMoh

And where you angry when VanAtter, Furhaman et al. were exonerated despite beating Rodney King to a pulp? Regardless of King's background or crime that beating was unjust, inhuman and racist IMO. The root cause of the problems is slavery and later Jim Crow segregation as this country has not been able to overcome the derivative effects of it. And El A is not without a shameful disgusting past, including protective covenants on housing sales. Certainly, it was not the minority population placing these onerous injustices on themselves.

How come after 50 years of preferential treatment, set asides, quotas, lower standards in scholastic achievement and behavior for preferred minorities, their crime, STD, and out of wedlocks are worse today than during Jim Crow? Furthermore, the overwhelming bulk of this anti-social behavior is committed by people under 40 who never felt the sting of Jim Crow; in fact they are the affirmative action generation.

[City Guy997S]