Spark

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SPARK

2013 by Hilary Braun

Spark: The 1992 L.A. RiotsAll Rights Reserved.

Printed at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

This book was typeset in Minion Pro, designed by Robert Slimbach in 1990, and Knockout, designed by Tobias Frere-Jones in 1994. It was printed on French Paper Company’s Parchtone text weight paper.

SPARKThe 1992 L.A. Riots

6 | SPARK

SPARK | 7

IT WASN’T ABOUT BURNING BUILDINGS, IT WAS ABOUT JUSTICE. YOU KNOW, NOT JUST FOR RODNEY KING, HE’S JUST THE SPARK. JUSTICE FOR ALL THE RODNEY KINGS THAT’S OUT THERE THAT DIDN’T GET ON CAMERA, DIDN’T GET ON FILM. AT A CERTAIN POINT, PEOPLE JUST GET SO FED UP THEY GET VIOLENT.

“

Ice Cube

CONTENTSTHE L.A.

RIOTS

/08THE WARNING

CALL

CONTENTS/14RODNEY

KING TRIALS

/22THE L.A.

RIOTS

You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge Straight

outta Compton, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube from the gang called

Niggaz With AttitudesWhen I’m called off, I got a sawed off Squeeze the

trigger, and bodies are hauled offYou too, boy, if ya fuck with me The po-

lice are gonna hafta come and get me Off yo ass, that’s how I’m goin out

For the punk motherfuckers that’s showin out Niggaz start to mumble,

they wanna rumble Mix em and cook em in a pot like gumbo Goin off on

a motherfucker like that with a gat that’s pointed at yo ass So give it up

smooth Ain’t no tellin when I’m down for a jack move Here’s a murder rap

to keep yo dancin with a crime record like Charles Manson AK-47 is the

tool Don’t make me act the motherfuckin fool Me you can go toe to toe, no

maybe I’m knockin niggaz out tha box, daily yo weekly, monthly and yearly

until them dumb motherfuckers see clearly that I’m down with the capital

C-P-T Boy you can’t fuck with me So when I’m in your neighborhood, you

better duck Coz Ice Cube is crazy as fuck As I leave, believe I’m stompin but

when I come back, boy, I’m comin straight outta Compton


THE WARNING CALL

You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge Straight

outta Compton, crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube from the gang called

Niggaz With AttitudesWhen I’m called off, I got a sawed off Squeeze the

trigger, and bodies are hauled offYou too, boy, if ya fuck with me The po-

lice are gonna hafta come and get me Off yo ass, that’s how I’m goin out

For the punk motherfuckers that’s showin out Niggaz start to mumble,

they wanna rumble Mix em and cook em in a pot like gumbo Goin off on

a motherfucker like that with a gat that’s pointed at yo ass So give it up

smooth Ain’t no tellin when I’m down for a jack move Here’s a murder rap

to keep yo dancin with a crime record like Charles Manson AK-47 is the

tool Don’t make me act the motherfuckin fool Me you can go toe to toe, no

maybe I’m knockin niggaz out tha box, daily yo weekly, monthly and yearly

until them dumb motherfuckers see clearly that I’m down with the capital

C-P-T Boy you can’t fuck with me So when I’m in your neighborhood, you

better duck Coz Ice Cube is crazy as fuck As I leave, believe I’m stompin but



THE WARNING CALL | 11

For years South Central L.A. had been plagued by eco-nomic struggle, drug epidemics and violent crime. The LAPD had been accused of using excessive force and oppressive tactics towards African Americans, which created feelings bitterness and hatred for the police. Minority communities in South Central L.A. felt ignored, mistreated and misunderstood by America. There seemed to be no opportunity to improve their condition. With the Rodney King beatings caught on tape, many African Americans felt that justice would finally be served to those who had tried to oppress them. And when the trial jury announced that the four police officers were not guilty, years of pent up frustra-

tions exploded into rage and disorder in South Central L.A. By the end of the six days of rioting, 52 people had died, 2,000 were injured, 3,600 fires were set, 1,100 buildings were destroyed and there were $1 billion dol-lars in property damages. It was the biggest riot of the century. South Central L.A.’s job market had been hard hit by what the California Economic Devel-opment Department called the “most severe depres-sions of the post-war era”. Between 1991–1992 108,000 local jobs had vanished; the Black and Latino commu-nity were severely impacted. The crack epidemic of the 1980’s had destroyed families and communities. 1991 and 1992 were the worst years for crime with 1,025

Ice Cube

12 | SPARK

Jerry Heller

NO ONE SURVIVED ON THE STREETS WITHOUT A PROTECTIVE

MASK. NO ONE SURVIVED NAKED. YOU HAD TO HAVE A ROLE. YOU

HAD TO BE “THUG,” “PLAYA,” “ATH-LETE,” “GANGSTA,” OR “DOPE MAN.”

OTHERWISE, THERE WAS ONLY ONE ROLE LEFT TO YOU. “VICTIM.”

“

THE WARNING CALL | 13

murders in 1991 and 1,092 in 1992. Gang violence was destroying the community from within itself. Children who witnessed this violence took in the message of worthlessness and a two-tier society in which they could never rise above. Police treatment towards Af-rican Americans was excessive and cruel. These racist tactics of oppression and the lack of job or educational opportunities kept the community in a cycle of vio-lence. There was a 45% unemployment rate of African American males. It was difficult to make change or be heard. Chief Daryl Gates Operation Hammer became infamous for its racial-profiling and destruction in the 1980’s. Between 1984 and 1989, citizen reports of police brutality had risen 33%. Rap music became an outlet for many of the youth living in South Central L.A. All of the frustrations are well documented long before the L.A. Riots broke out. People were bringing attention to it, but no one was listening. South Central L.A. was infused with racial con-flicts, bitterness and hatred of all kinds. It wasn’t just between white on black or black on black violence.

There was a great deal of tension between Korean Americans and African Americans, especially as the Korean community started being seen as taking the jobs African Americans once had. Cultural differences fueled misunderstandings that lead to a great deal of racism within South Central L.A. Just months prior to the Rodney King beatings, Latasha Harlins, a 15 year-old black girl was shot and killed by a Korean gro-cer Soon Ja Du in an altercation over a bottle of orange juice. After Harlins attempted to pay for the drink she had put in her backpack, Du accused her of stealing and grabbed Harlins by the sweater. Harlins knocked Du down and began to walk away but was shot. When brought to court, the judge let Du off with a $500 fine and some community service. This outraged many— essentially the sentence left the message the “taking of a black child’s life was scarcely more serious than drunk driving”. After this sentencing there were early warning signs of the riots that were going to occur. It fueled the hatred towards the white America and Koreans.

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COMIN STRAIGHT FROM THE UNDERGROUND YOUNG NIGGA GOT IT BAD CUZ I’M BROWN AND NOT THE OTHER COLOR SO POLICE THINK THEY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KILL A MINOR-ITY FUCK THAT SHIT, CUZ I AIN’T THA ONE FOR A PUNK MUTHAFUCKA WITH A BADGE AND A

SPARK | 15

COMIN STRAIGHT FROM THE UNDERGROUND YOUNG NIGGA GOT IT BAD CUZ I’M BROWN AND NOT THE OTHER COLOR SO POLICE THINK THEY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO KILL A MINOR-ITY FUCK THAT SHIT, CUZ I AIN’T THA ONE FOR A PUNK MUTHAFUCKA WITH A BADGE AND A

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I was raised, the little young nigga doin’ bad shit Talk much shit, ‘cause

I never had shit I could remember being whupped in class And if I didn’t

pass, mama whupped my ass Was it my fault, papa didn’t plan it out Broke

out left me to be the man of the house I couldn’t take it, had to make a

profit Down the block, got a glock and I clock grip Makin G’s was my mis-

sion Movin’ enough of this shit to get my mama out the kitchen And why

must I sock a fella, Just to live large like Rockefeller First you didn’t give

a fuck but you’re learnin’ now If you don’t respect the town then we’ll

burn you down God damn it’s a motherfuckin’ riot Black people only hate

police so don’t try it If you’re not from the town then don’t pass through

‘Cause some O.G. fools might blast you It ain’t right but it’s long overdue

We can’t have peace till the niggaz get a piece too I want G’s so you la-

bel me a criminal And if I die, I wonder if Heaven got a ghettoI wonder if

Heaven got a ghetto I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto I wonder if Heaven

got a ghetto I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto Here on Earth, tell me what’s

a black life worth A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts And even

when you take the shit

RODNEYKING TRIALS

I was raised, the little young nigga doin’ bad shit Talk much shit, ‘cause

I never had shit I could remember being whupped in class And if I didn’t

pass, mama whupped my ass Was it my fault, papa didn’t plan it out Broke

out left me to be the man of the house I couldn’t take it, had to make a

profit Down the block, got a glock and I clock grip Makin G’s was my mis-

sion Movin’ enough of this shit to get my mama out the kitchen And why

must I sock a fella, Just to live large like Rockefeller First you didn’t give

a fuck but you’re learnin’ now If you don’t respect the town then we’ll

burn you down God damn it’s a motherfuckin’ riot Black people only hate

police so don’t try it If you’re not from the town then don’t pass through

‘Cause some O.G. fools might blast you It ain’t right but it’s long overdue

We can’t have peace till the niggaz get a piece too I want G’s so you la-

bel me a criminal And if I die, I wonder if Heaven got a ghettoI wonder if

Heaven got a ghetto I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto I wonder if Heaven

got a ghetto I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto Here on Earth, tell me what’s

a black life worth A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts And even

when you take the shit

O

RODNEY KING TRIALS | 17

n March 3, 1991 Rodney King became involved in a high speed car chase when he passed a traffic stop initiated by the California Highway Patrol. When King finally was caught and came out of his car, five white LAPD officers, Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Rolando Solano began beating him and unbeknownst to them, were being filmed. King was hit 56 times with a baton, kicked six times, had nine skull fractures, a broken eye socket and cheek bone, a broken leg and nerve dam-age. Many of these caused permanent damage. The tape was picked up by local and eventually national news sources and many felt that it would bring the

injustices of the LAPD to light. While it shocked many Americans, the South Central L.A. community was not surprised at all. Many hoped this exposure would bring reform to the LAPD and South Central commu-nity. Others saw it as a chance to get revenge on those who had repeatedly gotten away with oppression and violence against minorities. The jury that heard the case consisted of 10 whites, one Asian and one Latino in Simi Valley, a white conservative L.A. suburb. At 3:15 PM it was announced that they had found all four police officers innocent.

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IS THIS GONNA BE ENOUGH TO FINALLY BLOW LAPD OPEN? WILL IT FINALLY BE ENOUGH FOR THEM TO SEE WHAT EVERYDAY AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT FOR YEARS AND BEEN IGNORED?

Connie Rice

“

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CROSS EXAMINATION OF OFFICER KOON BY LOS ANGELES

COUNTY DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY ALAN S. YOCHELSON

AUGUST 6, 1992


Yochelson: Would it surprise you to know that there were a total of 56 blows struck with the baton?Koon: I’ve heard that figure before, yes, sir.Yochelson: Assuming that that fig-ure is correct, that is what you refer to as a torrent of blows?Koon: At that time I did not realize 56 blows had been delivered.Yochelson: You appreciate that this was a big time use of force?Koon: That’s how I characterized it, yes, sir, it was a big time use of force. Yochelson: Now, you testified yes-terday that as Mr. King reached the end of this event you felt that lethal force might be necessary?Koon: Did I feel that lethal force was going to possibly be used in this situ-ation? Is that what you mean, sir?Yochelson: Yes.

Koon: Yes, I did.Yochelson: And by “Lethal Force” you mean deadly force; is that correct?Koon: That’s correct, sir; chokehold or a weapon.Yochelson: And when is deadly force authorized by Los Angeles Police Department?Koon: I’m not sure by what you mean by “when it is authorized.”Yochelson: When can you shoot somebody under LAPD policy?Koon: When they are an imminent threat to you.Yochelson: What kind of threat?Koon: Deadly threat to you. They have to pose a deadly threat to you.Yochelson: In other words, they have to be in a position to kill you?Koon: That’s correct, sir.Yochelson: And what was Mr. King doing here that led you to believe

that he was going to kill you or kill somebody?Koon: It was my belief and my per-ception he was under the influence of PCP. If he had grabbed my officer, it would have been a death grip. If he had grabbed the weapon, he would have had numerous targets, sir.Yochelson: He didn’t grab anybody during theses events, did he?Koon: No sir, he did not.Yochelson: He didn’t kick anybody during these events, did he?Koon: No, sir, he did not.

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SPARK | 23

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I’ma say this and I’ma gettin mine. If you ain’t down for the Africans here

in the United States, period point blank. If you ain’t down for the ones that

suffer in South Africa from apartheid and shit. Devil you need to step your

punk ass to the side and let us brothers and us Africans step in and start

puttin some funk in that ass Break em off sometin I got my finger on the

trigger so niggaz wonder why But livin in the city it’s do-or-die They won-

der where me bailin and don’t really understand The reason why they take

me life and hand Me not out for peace and me not Rodney King Me gun

goes click, me gun goes bang Them riot in Compton and them riot in Long

Beach Them rion in they Lakers and don’t really wanna see niggaz start

to loot and police start to shoot Lock it down at seven o’clock, then again

it’s like Beirut Me don’t show no love cuz it’s us against them Them never

ever love me cuz it’s sport to break de, and kill at my own risk if I may De-

lay to spray rioting but there’s been looting downtown, but right now Bree,

what I want to show you is, they have started fires down at the end of the

streetHow many niggaz are ready to lose? Yeah, so what you wanna do?

[Dre] What you wanna do? [All] I said how many niggas are ready to lose

[RBX] Got myself an Uzi and my brother a 9

THE L.A.RIOTS

I’ma say this and I’ma gettin mine. If you ain’t down for the Africans here

in the United States, period point blank. If you ain’t down for the ones that

suffer in South Africa from apartheid and shit. Devil you need to step your

punk ass to the side and let us brothers and us Africans step in and start

puttin some funk in that ass Break em off sometin I got my finger on the

trigger so niggaz wonder why But livin in the city it’s do-or-die They won-

der where me bailin and don’t really understand The reason why they take

me life and hand Me not out for peace and me not Rodney King Me gun

goes click, me gun goes bang Them riot in Compton and them riot in Long

Beach Them rion in they Lakers and don’t really wanna see niggaz start

to loot and police start to shoot Lock it down at seven o’clock, then again

it’s like Beirut Me don’t show no love cuz it’s us against them Them never

ever love me cuz it’s sport to break de, and kill at my own risk if I may De-

lay to spray rioting but there’s been looting downtown, but right now Bree,

what I want to show you is, they have started fires down at the end of the

streetHow many niggaz are ready to lose? Yeah, so what you wanna do?

[Dre] What you wanna do? [All] I said how many niggas are ready to lose

[RBX] Got myself an Uzi and my brother a 9

W

THE L.A. RIOTS | 25

ithin a half hour of the verdict being announced, a crowd of over 300 formed at the court house to pro-test. Soon after, riots began all over South Central L.A. Tensions that had been built up for years burst at the seams. Thousands of stores were looted or destroyed, many of them Korean-owned stores. The attacks were usually anonymous; as long as it was operated by Ko-reans it was a target. At 6:45 PM, Reginald Denny was driving his truck through the intersection of Florence and Normandie when he was dragged out of his car by a mob of black residents and brutally beaten. Denny did nothing to instigate the attack, he was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was attacked

because he was white; he was a symbol of revenge. The root of oppression that African Americans felt had come from sources outside of their own community; yet they were destroying their own neighborhood from within and attacking people for the same reasons that made them feel victimized. The violence was a source of terror not just for the targets of the attacks, but for the families living in South Central L.A. Mothers wor-ried if their children would make it home from school. Parents worried about the safety of their children in such an unstable situation where attacks often came out of left-field. Many sat at home wondering if their own family were involved in the rioting and if they

“YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAY-ING ATTENTION TO ICE CUBE. YOU WEREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO ICE CUBE. AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED.”

“YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAY-ING ATTENTION TO ICE CUBE. YOU WEREN’T PAYING ATTENTION TO ICE CUBE. AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED.”

Dr. Todd Boyd

28 | SPARK

would come home safe. Many media sources showed the senseless looting of electronics and frivolities, but what didn’t get as much coverage was how many peo-ple stole just so that they could have diapers. For most Americans watching this unfold at home, it was hard to believe the senseless violence and crime. The images they saw were horrific. Their actions were unquestion-able cruel. Racist acts were unleashed on innocent victims solely based on their appearance. Koreans got the brunt of the brutality because they were the perfect scapegoat. But for the most part, the underlying causes of African American suppression were beyond the South Central L.A. borders.

To see the events unfold without any knowledge of the environment that provoked it was to see days of warrantless attacks by an angry mob. But it was the small and steady doses of injustice that infiltrated African American life in South Central L.A. over many decades that gave rise to the 1992 L.A. Riots. It was growing up in a world without self worth; being told directly or indirectly that you were nothing. This was not a surprise attack, and it is bound to be repeated if there is no attempt to understand it. The Riots were the voice of the unheard, it was the only opportunity they saw to get their message across.

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I HAVE WILD MEMORIES OF MY MOTHER AND I LOOKING OUT OUR WINDOW AT NEWS HELI-COPTERS IN THE SKY THEN TURNED AROUND AND SEEING THE IMAGES THEY WERE SHOOTING OF OUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE TELEVI-SION SCREEN. I REMEMBER THE ANXIETY ON MY MOTHERS FACE BECAUSE MY OLDER BROTHER WASN’T HOME FROM FOOTBALL PRACTICE YET.

Jorge Rivas

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52 DEAD. 2,000 INJURED. 3,600 FIRES.

THE L.A. RIOTS | 33

By the end of the L.A. Riots, 52 people had died, over 2,000 were injured and 3,600 fires destroyed over 1,100 businesses. Overall, there was $1 billion in property damages. It was the biggest riot of the cen-tury The L.A. Riots did not happen out of the blue; it arose because people felt ignored by their country for years as if they were being swept under the rug. When voices were not heard by the mainstream media, South Central L.A.’s residents went to the recording studios and told the truth about what it was like to live there. Some of the most famous recordings in rap history predicted the L.A. Riots or were in response to the L.A. Riots. And they were still written off. But, as extreme

as the Riots were, many claim that little has changed locally and nationally. Many black residents left South Central L.A. and underlying racism between various communities were never truly addressed. Others argue that there is change, but it is slow. This is not a discus-sion necessary only for the L.A. residents, it must be a national discussion because it is a national issue. If the underlying causes of the riots are not contemplated and addressed, they are bound to repeat.

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