The hallmark of the infamous Los Angeles riots has died today. Rodney King was recently promoting his book reflecting on the tragedy.
According to news sources, King was found dead in his pool by a female friend.
Twenty years ago, King a motorist under traffic suspension was pulled over by four Los Angeles County deputies and then was beaten after disobeying orders. The incident was caught on camera, sparked national outrage and put King at the center of heated debate about the state of race relations in America.
In his memoir, "The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption," published earlier this year, King detailed the high-speed chase that led up to his beating on March 3, 1991 and how he went on to receive a $3.8 million settlement from the city of Los Angeles. Most of the money was lost, however, to bad investments, including a hip-hop record label he founded.
The 1992 riots, which were set off by the acquittals of the officers who beat King, lasted three days and left 55 people dead, more than 2,000 injured and swaths of Los Angeles on fire. At the height of the violence, King pleaded on television the famous question: "Can we all get along?"
In the two decades after he became the central figure in the riots, King was arrested several times, mostly for alcohol-related crimes. He later became a record company executive and a reality TV star, appearing on shows such as "Celebrity Rehab."
In an interview earlier this year with The Associated Press, King said he was a happy man.
His last appearance was on The Alan Colmes Radio Show. Alan Colmes appears under Westwood One and Fox News Radio Network, video courtesy of Fox News.
No comments:
Post a Comment