The Los Angeles Reflection

Riots
As a student living in Koreatown, I view the Los
Angeles riots as something that was bound to happen and
created a safer environment. Because of the racial tension
at the time, the Los Angeles Riots was inevitable. The
Raging 
The Los Angeles Riots started from racism.

Riots 
black community was viewed as lower by not just whites,
The racial tension in Los Angeles started in August but everyone. Even if it was stopped in 1992, the racism
of 1965. Two black people were arrested, which led wouldn’t have changed and the Los Angeles Riots would
to burning, looting, and shooting. Years later, two just have been at a later time. The Los Angeles Riots also
major events in March of 1991 decided the start of created a safer environment. It may not necessarily be safer
the riots. Rodney King, caught speeding, was brutally or less racist, but it is less prone to the city getting
beaten by the four cops that caught him. This was destroyed. Police are now trained to stop riots the second
recorded by a man who turned it in and brought they start. Now, when riots start, it won’t get to the point
awareness of the racism in Los Angeles. Although it where the whole city is burning in flames.
could be seen that the officers were all guilty, they Park, Kelly
were acquitted, which angered the black community. Works Cited
Latasha Harlins, a 15 year old girl, was shot a few LA92. Directed by Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin, National Geographic, 06/01/17
days later by Soon Ja Du, a store owner. Du accused 2017

Harlins of stealing orange juice and shot her. At first,

Du was convicted of manslaughter, but later was
John Hope Franklin, From Slavery to Freedom: A History of Negro
Americans, Sixth Edition, 1987,
APUSH
reduced to community service. This angered the
“Watts Riots.” ​Civil Rights Digital Library​,
black community even more, leading to more protests crdl.usg.edu/events/watts_riots/?Welcome Ms. Montes
and, as the name shows, riots. The riots did nothing
“1968-King Assassination Riots.” ​GlobalSecurity.org,​
but destroy Los Angeles. www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/king-riots.html

Nobody in Los Angeles recognized the Recognize Perspectives

perspective of blacks.Whites believed they were right
I recognized many perspectives of different
and the blacks were lesser beings. They did not think people during different riots. Looking at the riots, the black
that blacks wanted change in the way they were people seemed very wronged. All they wanted was to be
treated. If people did recognize perspectives, the Los treated the same way, but they were not able to get that.
Angeles Riots may not have even started. Because they bottled up their feelings, it came out in riots
and violence. It’s sad that they had to cause an uproar just
to get noticed.
 The Chicago Riots The Watts Riots King Assassination
Riots
Chicago began to become overcrowded with The black community living in Watts were
blacks around 1915. Because they lived in white not happy with the social and economic conditions in
neighborhoods, there was a lot of racial tension. their city. The Watts Riots began on August 11, 1965.
April 4, 1968, the day Martin Luther King
There were around twenty bombings of houses A white policeman, named Lee W. Minikus, arrested
Jr. was murdered. King was in Memphis, Tennessee,
occupied by blacks. Only two people were arrested, Marquette Frye, a black motorist. Minikus suspected
when he was murdered. King supported nonviolence,
and both were not convicted.The Chicago Riots that Frye for driving while he was intoxicated. Frye
but some people were against him. King was one of
started on July 27, 1919 when a black teenager was was arrested, and the black community became angry
the very few leaders who favored nonviolence. With
swimming at Lake Michigan Beach. It was a place with policemen. The crowd that overlooked Frye
King gone, there was no one to advocate for
where white people swam, so the white swimmers getting arrested broke out into a violent fight with the
nonviolence. At the White House, Johnson went on
threw stones, trying to make the ou black teen come policemen. Blacks overturned and burned cars and
live television to tell the country to come together as
out. The teenager drowned, and that caused an damaged buildings. This was all to change the way
one. The citizens of the United States did not listen
uproar. Mobs were all over the city. The next day, they were treated. The riots went on for six days.
and riots immediately started. Riots broke out in
white people started to attack the blacks living in the Each day brought more casualties and injuries.
around 125 cities in America, leaving about 46 dead.
city. The Southside of Chicago was even worse. Thirty-four people died, over one thousand people
In just Washington D.C., six people died and three
Because of all the mobs, the casualties added up to a were injured, and around four thousand people were
hundred fifty people were injured in a span of two
miniature war. Thirty-eight people were killed and arrested. Troops were deployed in South Los Angeles
days. National Guards had to be deployed in many
five hundred thirty seven people were injured. Many to bring order to the city. There was a city curfew that
places to try to stop these riots. James Earl Ray,
families ended up homeless, which was a result of the everyone had to follow. After the riots, there was
King’s murderer, was arrested in England on June 27,
burnings and destructions of property. more that forty million dollars worth of property
1968.
damage. This rebellion is known as the largest and
The black community took action during the most costly rebellion of the Civil Rights era.
King was a very famous figure during the
Chicago Riots. They knew that they wanted to be 1960s. Word of his death and the events that followed
treated differently so they took action by protesting. The ideas communicated at this time were
after most definitely reached other countries around
They succeeded because they brought awareness to almost all alike. They used newspapers, rumors, and
the world. The countries that heard of these events
the people around them that they were not being telephones to spread the news. The black community
knew that the blacks wanted change. The plan for
treated correctly. and those on their side all agreed on wanting change
spreading awareness of their unfair treatment was
while the people against them all agreed on trying to
successful.
stop them from changing anything.