Abstract
The riot the broke out in the Watts Neighborhood of Los Angeles, California in the summer of 1965 was one of the worst uprisings to take place in the United States during the height of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Marquette Frye was pulled over by police for suspected drunk driving; a confrontation ensued leading to not only his arrest but also the arrest of the passenger in his vehicle. At the same time Marquette Frye’s mother came to the scene and also began arguing with police leading to her arrest as well. People in the neighborhood also witnessed what was going and were outraged by the treatment of the police toward the man, his passenger and his mother. It was not long before a riot broke out throughout the area. As a result, over thirty were killed, hundreds were injured, thousands were arrested, and property damage totaled in the hundreds of millions. Unfortunately, nearly twenty-five years later history repeated itself in April 1992 when another motorist Rodney King was stopped and beaten by police. An amateur video camera captured the incident and despite its use during the trial against the four officers that beat him, a verdict of not guilty was decided. The moment that court was dismissed violence took place. Over fifty people were killed, thousands were injured and arrested, and there was a significant loss to property. This essay will explore the events leading up and the aftermath of both of these occurrences. Evident similarities developed: there was a lack of job growth and economic betterment to promote community improvement and advancement for African Americans in South Los Angeles.
Description
History panel
