officers - The Black Vault

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~ffii:ffie ChaoS Plays
·,Big on Srnall Screen ·
. .
.;t • • •
J;ly RICk DU BROW, TIMES TELEVISION WRITER •
t 'Not guilty .... Not guilt~ .... Not. guilty. ; •. "
:~·. · Nearly14monthsaftertheRodneyG.King.
1- · · beating by police became perhaps the most
:'famo~s videotape in the world, the verdicts in the Simi Valley
courtroom unfolded in stunning repetition on TV Wednesday.
L ·Thus began a wrenching day of soul:-searching and fear on
:TV -pleas for calm amid shots of anger and growing,
i frightening nighttime violence and fires; memories of the
; Watts riots; an emotional black church service near
~'dowptown Los· Angeles; TV reporters and anchors treading
dangerously near sensationalisnrwhile forced to cover the
•.story, and sometimes stepping over the line ..
As the destruction and flames in South Los Angeles and
downtown filled the screen, the picture became a nightmare .
. Protesters also moved onto the freeways downtown.
The quiet unfolding of the verdicts, without a single
'conviction-and only one count undecided-sent shock
: waves through Los Angeles. And TV picked them up in a
mixed display of competence and outrageousness that will be
r~membered for years by viewers.
There were the highly charged TV statements from public
· officials and principals in the case, even amid the calls from all
sides to refrain from violence:
: Councilman Michael Woo: "This is one of the saddest days
in the history of the city."
· councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas: "A crushing blow to
the dignity of every citizen of Los Angeles."
Mayor Tom Bradley: "This senseless jury verdict." ·
! King's attorney, Steve Lerman: ~'It's got to stop.lt's got to
stop. . . . Get a plane ticket and get the heck out of Dodge
~!City]!' . · .. ·
L The overwhelming reaction reported by the stations 1 ·
condemned the jury decision, with few voices heard in support
of the verdicts. .. . : · ~ "'
"The only thing missing from the '60s was {Police] dogs,'' an.
angry'black man told KCBS Channel2. ~'Not guilty on all
1
:.counts: Get real." . . ~ ;--· ·
r •.
In a searing, dramatic moment, a black minister said the
r tragedy of the verdicts was not that it was unbelievable, but
tthat it was believable to those who have. lived the bJack ·
l.experience. Like oth~rs, he noted th~t whitethere were no
kplacks on the_jury. . . . ·
l A black police officer, meanwhile, told KABC Channel 7:
~"fhe whole reaction [on the force] was one of relief."
i But KNBC Channel4 political reporter Linda Douglass said
tthat there was "disappointment and anger ~nq shock" at City
•H(\11, adding that officials there expected at least some ·
!convictions. · ·
;·· ·Time and again, the fascinating question arose as to
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newspaper, city and state.)
LOS ANGELES TIMES
LOS ANGELES, CA
Date: THURS., 4/30/92
Edition: FRONT SEGriON, PAGE 20
Title:
REAL-LIFE CHAOS PLAYS
BIG ON SMALL SCREEN
Character: 44Aor
Classification: 80-33B
SUbmitting Office:
lOS ANGELES I ...
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