[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 72 (Thursday, April 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2628-S2629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 147--COMMEMORATING THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1992
LOS ANGELES CIVIL UNREST
Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Ms. Harris) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 147
Whereas Saturday, April 29, 2017, marks the 25th
anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest;
Whereas the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest is also referred
to as the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the South Central riots,
the Rodney King riots, the Los Angeles uprising, the 1992 Los
Angeles civil disturbance, and ``Sa-I-Gu'', which means April
29 in Korean;
Whereas the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest began in South
Central Los Angeles, California, following the acquittal of 4
Los Angeles Police Department officers who were charged with
using excessive force against an African-American taxi driver
named Rodney King;
Whereas the acquittal immediately resulted in the formation
of large crowds and a public outcry over concerns of racial
injustice and police brutality, which soon led to civil
unrest at the intersection of Florence Avenue and Normandie
Avenue in Los Angeles and continued throughout Los Angeles;
Whereas, during the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest, more
than 60 individuals lost their lives amid the looting and
fires, more than 2,000 individuals suffered injuries, and
more than 11,000 individuals were arrested;
Whereas more than $1,000,000,000 of property damage was
incurred during the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest, with
approximately 3,600 fires set and destruction to over 1,100
buildings throughout Los Angeles;
Whereas the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest continued for a
total of 6 days, during which the unrest spread through
multiple neighborhoods, including Koreatown, Inglewood,
Hawthorne, Lynwood, Compton, and Long Beach;
Whereas the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest ended following
the deployment of thousands of United States Armed Forces
personnel;
Whereas, on May 2, 1992, an estimated 30,000 individuals
gathered in a peace march in Koreatown during the 1992 Los
Angeles civil unrest, calling for healing and supporting
merchants in Koreatown whose businesses were decimated; and
Whereas, on April 29, 2017, local leaders, business owners,
and individuals in the African-American, Latino, and Korean-
American communities will join together to remember the lives
lost during the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest and to discuss
continued work to promote unity in Los Angeles: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes and offers condolences to all who lost their
lives, suffered injuries, and suffered losses to their
businesses and property during the 1992 Los Angeles civil
unrest;
(2) recognizes and commends the communities throughout Los
Angeles for the work done to bring different constituencies
together to recover and rebuild Los Angeles, improve police
oversight, and continue the momentum for change gained in the
ensuing months and years following the 1992 Los Angeles civil
unrest; and
(3) expresses hope that the memory of the 1992 Los Angeles
civil unrest will promote greater dialogue, civility, and
unity among all of the communities throughout Los Angeles.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I wish to introduce a Senate
resolution to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles
civil unrest.
On March 3, 1991, an African American named Rodney King was driving
on a Los Angeles interstate when officers attempted to pull him over
for allegedly speeding. By the time he pulled over and exited his car
following a high-speed chase spanning 8 miles, there were multiple LA
police department units on the scene.
King was tasered two times, and camcorder video footage recorded by a
civilian witness--George Holliday--from his nearby apartment balcony
depicted the brutal beating of King by four officers who surrounded
him. The officers struck King repeatedly until he was bloodied and
disfigured with a fractured cheekbone, 11 broken bones at the base of
the skull, and a broken ankle. The video footage shows King being
struck by batons over 50 times,
Holliday's video was sent to news outlets and aired around the world.
It shook the Nation and raised outcries about excessive force by police
officers. But even before the videotape had become public, community
leaders in Los Angeles had highlighted on numerous occasions the use of
excessive force by LAPD officers.
In fact, in the immediate aftermath of the Rodney King beating, then-
Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley formed
[[Page S2629]]
the Christopher Commission to thoroughly examine thousands of excessive
force complaints made against LAPD officers in the late 1980s. So
when--a year later on April 29, 1992--the four LAPD officers caught on
tape were acquitted after standing trial for using excessive force
against Rodney King, the entire Nation was in shock. The verdict
appeared completely incompatible with the brutal videotape footage that
flooded our TV screens at the time.
When the verdict became public, hundreds gathered at the Los Angeles
County Courthouse to protest, and a national debate immediately began
over racial injustice and excessive use of force by police against
racial minorities. Shortly thereafter, at the intersection of Florence
and Normandie in South Central Los Angeles, the public's frustration
boiled over and violence erupted, setting off a flash point that the
police simply could not quell. Looting, vandalism, and physical attacks
became rampant, and I will never forget the image of Reginald Denny
being dragged out of his semi-trailer truck to be severely beaten in
the middle of the street.
From then on, the unrest overtook the city, including neighborhoods
like Koreatown, Hawthorne, Compton and Long Beach. The city, quite
literally, was on fire. For 6 days, the city was in a state of
emergency.
All told, there were more than 60 individuals who lost their lives
amid the looting and fires, and thousands of individuals were injured
or arrested, while countless more lost their businesses and places of
employment. Over 3,600 fires were set and over 1,100 buildings in Los
Angeles were damaged or destroyed.
Images of the smoke clouds over the city evoked the devastation felt
by so many Angelenos. The 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest was felt so
deeply and so personally by so many communities throughout the city.
The African American community decried not only the verdict returned
against Rodney King but also mourned the death of high-schooler Latasha
Harlins and so many other victims of violence and excessive use of
force. The civil unrest was symptomatic of the deep frustrations felt
by the African-American community against a criminal justice system
that continually failed to protect them.
Similarly, the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest was sharply felt by the
Latino community in Los Angeles.
According to one report following the unrest, one-third of those
killed and half of those arrested were Latino, and countless Latino
businesses were looted or destroyed.
The Korean-American community in Los Angeles was also deeply
impacted, referring to the unrest as ``Sa-I-Gu,'' to commemorate the
date ``April 29'' in Korean to mark it as a significant date in Korean
history. Amidst the torched and decimated businesses, 35 to 40 percent
of the property damage was suffered by those businesses owned by
Korean-Americans--with estimates of up to 1,600 Korean-American-owned
stores completely destroyed.
There is no question that those fateful 6 days have impacted
generations of Angelenos. We must resolve to never forget the 1992 Los
Angeles civil unrest and what emerged from those fires.
We must offer our condolences for the families who lost their loved
ones or who bear the scars, both mental and physical, from that time
and commend those who have worked so hard to come together to heal
community rifts, rebuild a stronger Los Angeles, and continue to
promote ongoing dialogue, civility, and unity among all communities.
That is the purpose of this resolution we are introducing today.
I want to thank Senator Harris for working with me on the resolution
to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of this historic event in
California.
I yield the Floor.
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