Episode 4 - Rodney King
On the evening of March 3, 1991, Rodney King’s life changed forever. After being pulled over for speeding, Rodney was brutally assaulted by four members of the Los Angeles Police Department. This assault was caught on film, and after being shared, sparked international outrage. Listen to learn more about the life of Rodney King.
Transcript
Hey, family! Welcome to the Hands Up, Don't Shoot podcast where I, your host, Ashley France-Howell, tell the stories of Black victims of police brutality. Thanks for listening. Welcome to episode four. Today, I'll be telling the story of Rodney King. This case is a pretty big deal for me, and it's one of the main reasons that I wanted to start this podcast in the first place. This episode is being released on March, 3 2021, and can you believe that it's been 30 years to the day since the infamous incident? Rodney King's case is one of the most prominent in the history of police brutality, especially since it was one of the first to be caught on film, and actually go viral.
Rodney Glen King was born on April 2, 1965 in Sacramento, California, to Ronald King and Odessa King. Ironically, 1965 was the year of a California riot. It was the Watts Rebellion, but more commonly known as the Watts Riots. And it happened in the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles. It was a series of riots that had began on August 11th, and it lasted for six days. There were two brothers who were driving their mom's car one night, and they were pulled over, and the brother who was driving had actually failed a sobriety test. And he didn't want to go to jail so he resisted arrest and got into a bit of a tussle with the police officer. So his brother's still in the car and seeing what was happening, he got out and joined in to protect his brother.
And all of a sudden, a crowd began to gather around them, and more police officers showed up. A fight broke out between a crowd member and a backup officer. And then the brothers’ mom showed up, trying to pull the cops away from their sons, and yet another fight broke out between them. The crowd became bigger and angrier and even more police showed up, and about 45 minutes after the brothers were initially pulled over, it was considered an official riot. Objects were being thrown at stalled buses and cars, and by the third day the riots had covered 50 square miles of LA. And by the sixth and final day, 34 people died, over 1000 people were injured, about 4000 people were arrested, about 1000 buildings were destroyed, and there was approximately $40 million in damages. That was one of the many riots that occurred throughout different parts of the United States, and because of that year, the year Rodney King was born, it kind of seems to me as if it was sort of foreshadowing what was to come in his future.
But let's get back to Rodney. He had four siblings: three brothers and a sister, and I wouldn't consider Rodney’s childhood best, but it was okay. And it definitely had its not so good moments. In his book, Rodney said that he loved fishing with his dad and brothers, and his dad was really good at it and he was even given the nickname: Kingfish. That was one of the few fond memories that Rodney had with his dad. He also said that his dad was an alcoholic, and would beat him and his brothers with extension cords and shove their mother around, but got worse the more he drank, and as he got older, they just became used to the beatings and eventually very pain tolerance became pretty high, and they were just not as affected as much by the pain.
Rodney's parents had cleaned houses together during the day, and at night, their dad was a custodian at a medical center. Rodney said that his dad would take him and his older brother to his night job to help him with cleaning and waxing the floors. And at this time Rodney was about eight years old, and it was an overnight job, so when they got home they would barely get any sleep because they had to get right back up a few hours later for school in the morning. After a while, the late nights began to have a negative effect on the school performance. He started doing pretty poorly in school, and so he was sent to a special education class. He said that it was embarrassing to be riding on the “short bus.” So on the first day that Rodney was supposed to go to his new class, he asked the bus driver if he could be dropped off around the corner, so his friends wouldn't see him getting off the bus with the “slow kids.”
Because he was in a special education class, he wasn't allowed to play school sports, but with the help of a teacher, he was able to join the baseball team. By the time Rodney was 11 years old. he had had his first taste of beer. So I think that beer can be an acquired taste for some people, but I can only imagine what it would taste like as a preteen. But he said that he loved it immediately. And this was the beginning of his battle with alcoholism.
By 13 years old, Rodney got his first car, which was a 1964 Chevy station wagon. And over the next few years he worked odd jobs to keep money in his pocket and a car in the driveway. He was enjoying his life, even as a young teenager, but at the same time, his love for alcohol grew. It even got to the point where he even preferred a beer over food, and by his senior year, Rodney dropped out of school six months before graduation and married a childhood friend named Anetta. And they had a daughter together.
In 1984, Rodney's dad passed away from pneumonia, and Rodney spent much of his time in the years after high school trying to take care of his family and make ends meet while still trying to battle his alcohol addiction. On November 3, 1989 Rodney decided to go fishing. His family was low on food, and he just wanted to make sure that he could bring something to the table for dinner that night. And he actually managed to catch something but when he turned his back, all of the fish he caught was taken by a rat. And of course, after that, he just wasn't able to catch anything anymore.
And so on his way home that night, Rodney was trying to figure out how he was going to feed his family. And so he decided to stop at a convenience store that was in route. It was one that he had never been to before. He wasn't too familiar with the area, but he still decided to go in. And when he went inside, he realized that he was actually the only customer, and there was only one employee behind the register. So there was one thing that came across his mind and that was just to grab some ingredients for sandwiches and run out. But he thought about it and just knew it wasn't a good idea, and so he decided against it. He walked up to the register, and in Rodney's own words, this is how it went.
“I grabbed some gum, and then asked the guy at the counter if I could use food stamps to buy more stuff. I probably had at least $5 worth on it. The way I remember it, he did not want to accept my food stamps, and man we got into it. I was taller than him, and I think he immediately felt very threatened. Who could blame him? I wasn't a familiar face. And when he saw my anger over his rejecting food stamps, he came at me with a tire iron. I looked around quickly for something to fend him off. The only damn thing within reach was a stack of miniature pies on a rack, which I grabbed one by one, and threw at him. I was trying to slow him down before he could whack me. And I ducked forward to avoid one of his swings, but that got me leaning over the counter. He reached and grabbed a handful of my T-shirt, where it was tucked into the back of my jeans. So when I straightened out, it came up over my head. Now I can't see shit, and I'm real scared that I'm going to catch that tire iron in the face. So I spin a 180 and hightail it out of that store on a full sprint. When I got to my white Hyundai I peeled the hell out of there. I thought it was a clean getaway too, because I didn't see nothing in my rearview. I didn't see any bystanders that would be able to get my license plate number.”
Rodney ended up being charged with robbery and assault because of that incident, and at his trial, the store employee claimed that he was attacked by Rodney, and Rodney was the one with the tire iron. He said that Rodney told him to open the cash register so that Rodney could take cash and checks. Rodney ended up pleading guilty because he didn't think he had a chance of acquittal with his own story. And because of that, he was sentenced to two years in prison.
Rodney said in his book that while there were some things in prison that were absolutely terrible, it wasn't all bad. While in prison, he was able to join the fire camp, where he experienced things like being able to ride in helicopters and fight forest fires. He said that not only did he enjoy the fire camp but it also allowed him to get into shape. So the following June, Rodney wrote to the judge that presided over his case. And he asked if he could have his sentence reduced because his family had relied on him. His request was granted, and he was released on parole after serving a year.
On the evening of March 3, 1991 Rodney and his two friends, Brian Allen Freddie Helms, decided to take a ride in Rodney’s Hyundai. They were cruising on the highway, where the roads were pretty clear. And Rodney said that he got comfortable and just didn't realize how fast he was actually going. Now I get it. I've been known to be heavy footed on the highway, and admittedly it does get to the point where you can lose track of speed, especially on a nice night, just cruising along. But with Rodney, he drove past the California Highway Patrol officer, and her name was Melanie Singer. She reported that he was going 115 miles per hour. She started chasing him and was soon joined by more officers from the California Highway Patrol and the Los Angeles Police Department.
Rodney was chased for 7.8 miles through LA. Now there was actually some question behind whether they were really chasing him for speeding. It was reported that the recordings of the officers talking over the radio, actually never mentioned his speed. And there was also some speculation on whether officer Singer had exaggerated the speed that Rodney was going. His model car was apparently incapable of going over 100 miles per hour. And this is what Hyundai says. So remember she said she clocked him gong 115. So there's that discrepancy there.
After 15 minutes, Rodney pulled in front of Lakeview Terrace Apartments in San Fernando Valley. He was surrounded by over 20 officers by this time. And Rodney did admit that he was drinking, but he was definitely not on drugs. And this was something that the police like really pushed and put out there, but he just said he was only drinking. He and his friends got out of the car. They were searched, and Rodney’s friends were handcuffed and roughed up a bit. And then, Officer Singer commanded Rodney to lie on the ground as she approached him with her gun drawn. She was getting ready to place him under arrest, but a sergeant named Stacy Koon, told her to stop and just back up.
Then all of a sudden, one of the officers had kicked Rodney in the face. And this was followed by a hit from another one with a baton, and then the hits just started coming and coming. They were hitting Rodney on virtually every part of his body. And at some point one of them actually broke his ankles, so even if he wanted to try to run away from the beating, he wouldn't have been able to. He said he felt like a human pinata. He was dripping with blood, and when he didn't think it could get any worse, he was tased, with 50,000 volts of electricity. And then he felt it again: 50,000 more volts. And remember he's covered in blood, so there's that liquid paired with the electricity from the Taser, so I can only imagine how painful that could’ve been. And it was then that Rodney said that he believed he was going to die. He was then hit a few more times with the batons, and one of them fractured his eye socket. Then he passed out after realizing that he was being hogtied.
Rodney was put in jail for three days before being released, and no charges were filed against him. And one thing that kind of stood out to me in Rodney’s book that he mentioned was that when he was getting beaten, the hits didn't affect him like they should have because his body had become accustomed to the beatings from his dad. But he said that he didn't even realize his ankle was broken. He just thought it was “messed up.”
He got taken to the hospital for medical treatment, and to begin the healing process, which he said was beyond painful. And there were some points where he just wanted to give up. But it was also at the hospital where he learned that most of the beating was actually caught on film. So when Rodney had pulled into the apartment complex, there was a huge commotion. There were sirens, cops, helicopters, the works. And all this noise woke up at least one of the residents. And his name was George Holliday. So after seeing all the commotion going on outside, he went to pull out his brand new video camera and just begin recording. He then turned that tape over to a TV station, where it was broadcast, and eventually shared internationally. And that caused outrage, all over the world.
Less than two weeks later, four officers: Lawrence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, and Stacey Koon were arrested. Their charges included excessive force, assault with a deadly weapon, police brutality, and filing a false police report. They all pled not guilty. In November of that same year, the trial moved from Los Angeles to Simi Valley, California because it was believed that with all this media coverage, the officers wouldn't get a fair trial. So the trial went on for about five more months, and both sides rested. There were 10 white jury members, one Latino jury member, and one Asian American jury member. They deliberated for about seven days, and on April 29, 1992, the officers were acquitted of all charges, except one. And that one ended in a deadlock. That same day, word of the acquittal spread across LA. The Black residents were angry. And that's when the first day of what was dubbed the 1992 LA rRots began. There was burning and looting and attacks on people throughout the city. By day three of the riots, Rodney King publicly pleaded for peace with his now famous speech given on the steps of City Hall.
(News Clip) “Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all for coming. Rodney King has this to say to all the people of Los Angeles, and all the people in the cities of the United States so caught up in this horror and hate. The killing, the burning, the looting, the chaos, must stop now. The time for healing is upon us. Rodney King has prepared a very brief statement. Mr. Rodney?”
“People, I just want to say, you know, can we, can we all get along? Can we, can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible for the older people and the kids. And, I mean we've got enough smog in Los Angeles, let alone to deal with setting these fires and things. It’s just not right. It's not right. And it's not going to change anything. We've got to, we've got to quit, we've got to quit, you know. After all, I mean, I can understand the first upset for the first two hours after the verdict. But to go on, to keep going on like, like this, and to see that security guard shot on the ground. It is just not right. It's just not right because those people will never go home to their families again. And I mean, please we can, we can get along here. We all can get along, you know. I mean we're all stuck here for a while. Let's try to work it out.”
“Thank you very much.”
The National Guard, military troops, and riot trained federal officers were brought in to try to control the riots. And that took about a day and a half. And by the end of the fifth and final day, there were over 60 deaths, almost 2000 injuries, 7000 arrests, over 3000 buildings burned, and nearly $1 billion in damages. Three months later, on August 5th, the officers were indicted on federal charges of violating Rodney King civil rights. And by the end of the federal trial. Sergeant Stacey Koon, and Officer Lawrence Powell were convicted, and a year later sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Timothy Wind and Theodore Briseno were acquitted. Rodney King, the city of LA, sort of, sue each other back and forth, but by August 3, 1993, a settlement was reached, and the city of LA paid Rodney $3.8 million to cover medical bills and pain and suffering. Rodney had many internal struggles in the years after the beating and the trials, but he did fall in love again in that time. In 2010, it was announced that Rodney was engaged to Cynthia Kelly, who's actually one of the jurors, in his civil trial against the city of LA.
In April of 2012 Rodney released his memoir, The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption. I suggest you guys read it if you can. It was definitely a good read. I got it as a Kindle book, so you can find it on Amazon. But I would definitely check it out if you can. Two months later in 2012, during the early morning hours of June 17th, Rodney was found at the bottom of his home swimming pool by his fiancee, Cynthia. She called 911, and when the police arrived, they attempted life saving measures while waiting for the paramedics, but unfortunately Rodney was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Rodney was 47 years old.
And that family was the case of Rodney King. Thank you all so much for listening, and remember you can find me on Facebook by searching for the Hands Up Don’t Shoot podcast group, on Instagram at HUDSpod. You can send me an email at hudspod@gmail.com, and you can check out my website at www.hudspod.com. Remember, HUDSpod is spelled H U D S P O D. Don't forget to subscribe to make sure you get the latest episodes, and if you don't mind, leave me a five star review. Stay safe, and I'll see you next week.
