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L.A. Strongly Condemns
King Verdicts, Riots
'By FRANK CLIFFORD
and DAVID FERRELL
TIMES STAFf WRITERS
By wide majorities, white, black
and Latino residents of the city of
Los Angeles condemn last week's
verdicts in the Rodney G. King
beating case and the rioting that
followed. according to a Los Angeles
Times Poll.
The poll found that 71% of Los
Angeles residents disagreed
strongly with the verdicts rendered
by the Simi Valley jury in
the trial of four Los Angeles police
officers. And it found that 75%
believed that the violence sparked
by the verdicts was "totally unjus;­
tified."
The poll, supervised by Times
Poll director John Brennan, interviewed
888 city residents Sunday
and Monday. It has a margin of
error of plus or minus 4 percentage
points.
A majority of African-Americans-58%-joined
in the condemnation
of the rioting. About onethird-32%-considered
the violence
partially justified, and virtually
all blacks in the survey-
97%-said their neighborhoods
suffered some damage.
Almost half the blacks surveyed
did not think that the violence was
inevitable, a view shared by the
majority of city residents. And
·blacks were more optimistic than
other groups that something good
will come of the tumult of last
week.
"Everything that usually turns
real, real bad flip-flops over and
starts turning good," said Lonnie
Carter, a 66-year-old retired auto
mechanic who is black and was
among those surveyed. "I think
whole lots of good will come out of
it. I think everybody will start
living more closer together and
stop having disagreements."
Results of The Times Poll show
that members of the city's three
largest ethnic groups held similar
views on a number of issues relating
to the King verdicts and the
riots.
For instance, almost 80% said
they sympathized with the anger
of the black community over the
verdicts, and there was a widely
shared view that the local criminal
justice system is biased against
blacks and Latinos. But the poll
also revealed marked differences,
particularly in the attitudes of
•(Indicate page, fiMle of
newspaper, city and state.)
IDS ANGElES TIMES
IDS ANGElES, CA .
Date: WED., 5/6/92
Edition: FRONT SECTION, PAGE 1
T~:
L.A. STRONGLY CONDEMNS
KING VERDICTS, RIGrS
Ctwncter:
or
Claaslflcation:
Submitting Office:
LOS ANGELES
MAY 0-:' 1992
FBI - LOS ANGELES b6
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