The Verdict and the Violence

On April 29, 1992, the neighborhood surrounding USC erupted into three days of fiery outrage as not-guilty verdicts came down for LAPD officers accused of beating motorist Rodney King. Ten years later, the university was again the epicenter for the uprising - this time in a moment of remembrance and reflection. The USC Law hosted "The Verdict and the Violence: Los Angeles 10 Years Later" at the Davidson Conference Center to look back at those events and examine how the city's racial and social conditions have developed since.

The program began with a showing of "Twilight: Los Angeles," a filmed version of a one-woman play by performer and playwright Anna Deavere Smith. On stage, she portrayed myriad characters connected to the uprising, including trucker Reginald Denny, African American community leaders, Korean merchants and police officers such as former LAPD chief Daryl Gates. "These are poets attesting to a tragedy," Smith told the audience.

Later, a panel with Professors Erwin Chemerinsky and Jody Armour, former mayoral candidate Antonio Villaraigosa and other community leaders engaged in a spirited debate over how much - or little - had changed in Los Angeles since the events of April 29, 1992. Offering a dismal view, Professor Chemerinsky said the city still suffers from a "benign neglect" manifested in inadequate education, poor social services, a lack of affordable housing and an unaccountable police department.

"I don't think the things that gave rise to the riots have changed very much at all," he said, adding later, "If we pretend the problem is better than it is, we don't have the inspiration for change."

Echoing his comments, Ramona Ripston, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California, said, "Some progress has been made, but it's alarming to me how little we have learned from the past."

Professor Armour added his belief that racial discrimination, especially against young African American and Latino men, continues to corrupt the criminal justice system and could prompt a similar uprising in the future. "We are still living in a tinder box," he said.

Several panelists did suggest that race relations had improved. "South Los Angeles is no longer a black community," said Joe Hicks, former executive director of the Los Angeles Human Rights Commission. "Neighbor to neighbor, people are getting along. We see the influence of identity politics only in the leadership."

- Phat X. Chiem