1992 Los Angeles riots

A six-day outbreak of civil unrest in Los Angeles in April and May 1992, following the acquittal of four officers charged in the beating of Rodney King.

Rodney King: A Black motorist whose videotaped beating by Los Angeles police officers became a national controversy. The officers’ beating of King and their acquittal immediately preceded the unrest.
Simi Valley trial: The state criminal trial of four Los Angeles police officers charged in Rodney King’s beating. Its jury acquitted the officers on April 29, 1992, triggering the unrest.
Christopher Commission: A commission that investigated the LAPD after the 1991 beating of Rodney King. Its findings on excessive force and accountability gained urgency after the unrest.
Race riots: Episodes of collective violence in which racial conflict is a central feature. The unrest is often discussed within the contested history of race-related urban violence.
King v. Powell: The federal civil-rights case arising from the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers. The federal trial followed state acquittals and resulted in convictions of two officers.
Reginald Denny: A white truck driver attacked by several people during the 1992 Los Angeles unrest. His assault, broadcast live, became one of the most widely seen episodes.
Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department: The official name of the commission chaired by Warren Christopher that examined the LAPD. Its recommendations became a reference point for proposed department reforms.
Police brutality: Excessive or unlawful force used by police against people in their custody or under their control. The King beating and the acquittals made police violence a central public concern.
LAPD: The municipal police department responsible for law enforcement in Los Angeles. The department’s use of force against King and its response to the unrest shaped public scrutiny.
Marion Barry: A Black construction worker killed during the unrest in Los Angeles in 1992. His killing illustrates how violence also struck residents beyond the televised attacks.

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