The LA Riots was a reaction to police officers on trial for beating Rodney King in South Central Los Angeles. It was also a result of street gangs such as Bloods and Crips coming together in unity against cops. On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was pulled over by four white male police officers that pulled him out of his car after chasing him for speeding, and claimed that he was defiant and on drugs. They beat him vigorously for at least fifteen minutes. Police violence was already occurring in South Central but it had been the first time the treatment was recorded. The news played the clip over and over on television for everyone to see. A second event that occurred in South Central that helped spark these riots was when a Latisha Harlins, a fifteen-year old black girl went into a Korean store to buy a juice. She put the juice in her backpack and went to pay, when the cashier accused her of stealing and tried taking her backpack away. Latisha hit the cashier in the face and in result was shot in the back of the head by the cashier and died on March 16, 1991. This event caused a feud between Koreans and Blacks on the street. The Riots began on April 29, 1992 after the verdict for the officers on the King Beating Case came back as "not guilty". Minutes after the verdict was announced, riots broke out on South Central in the intersection of Normandie and Florence. Liquor stores, chain stores, fast-food places, and white people were the main targets of looting, fire, and violence. People were pulled out of their cars and were beaten or they were targets for rocks, cement, bottles, etc. On the second day, the riots were more organized and buildings on South LA began to be burnt down. Korean store owners armed themselves and began gun battles against any rioters trying to get to their stores. No police officers or National Guard were present. On the third day, Rodney King was put on T.V. and told everyone in LA, "can we all get along?" but people were too outraged to stop. Police officers and National Guard continued to let LA burn as a huge power outage hit South Central. On the fourth and fifth days, the government and protective services begin to restore order but there are still random acts of violence for days after that. In the end, 53 people were killed, 2,000 were injured, and over $1 billion in damages were done. The riots were not just a collection of random acts. People were speaking out against oppression; against being held down for so long. The only way they were finally heard was through the extreme acts that came to be called the LA Riots.
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