Maxine Waters: 92 L.A. Rebellion Was A Defining Moment For Black Resistance

[sheshe2]

The congresswoman had a pivotal role in restoring order in her community.



“I sat straight up and all I could say, ‘Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Look at this,’” Waters said. She and black Americans across the country shared the same outrage.


King, who was pulled over after a high-speed chase with the LAPD, was released from jail without being charged. But black people’s anger increased as they witnessed the 17 cops who did nothing but watch as their colleagues beat King walk free. The residents of Los Angeles reached their boiling point on April 29, 1992, however, when a mostly white jury acquitted the four white cops who assaulted King. That is when the city rebelled.





America has seen iterations of this play out in Baltimore, Ferguson, Missouri, and Charlotte, North Carolina, in recent years, with a similar narrative. Though Los Angeles of 1992 saw much more blood and destruction ― more than 50 killed, 2,000 injured, 9,500 arrests and $1 billion in property damages ― the reality of black Americans being denied justice when brutalized by the state strings these events together. But Waters said the L.A. uprisings were a milestone in the history of black people demanding justice.


“These were people who had been basically forgotten,” Waters told HuffPost in March. “And because of Rodney King’s beating and the current emotion that was stirring in that, it was like people were saying, ‘We’re here. You can’t do this to us. Look what you’re doing, look how you’ve been. Not only have you been with this consistent police abuse but the same people don’t have access to opportunities and jobs and health care and on and on.’ So it was a defining moment in this country and I think a defining moment in the way that black people resisted.”


The acquittal of King’s abusers, along with the 1991 killing of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins, set the stage for the L.A. rebellion. It started at the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues and spread throughout Los Angeles like a wildfire. People were killed and injured, stores were robbed and destroyed, and the city was literally burning and seemingly abandoned by police.






Read More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/maxine-waters-la-rebellion-was-a-defining-moment-for-black-resistance_us_58fe2861e4b00fa7de165e18?section=us_black-voices

........................................................

She has been a strong leader, never faltered. She did not just Talk the Talk...She walked the Walk. She has PERSISTED and always RESISTED.

You, Maxine are a much loved inspiration.

[Kaye_NY]

1. Maxine Waters has always been a fierce proponent

for doing what is right and just.

Very inspiring, and very much loved. What the Democratic party needs is more candidates of Maxine Waters character.

Excellent post. Thank you.

[brer cat]

2. She is indeed, sheshe.

Thanks for the OP.