Rodney King Beating: 20 Years Later, Here Are 5 More Violent California Cops Caught on Video

By Simone Wilson Thu., Mar. 3 2011 at 9:30 AM

Before there were cell phones

Today's the 20th anniversary of L.A.'s infamous brush with rock bottom: The 1991 brutal police beating of Rodney King, an act of unabashed racism by four white LAPD officers whose 1992 "not guilty" verdicts gave way to the L.A. riots.

As the smoke cleared, 55 people had been killed, 2,000 injured and about $1 billion in damage had devastated the South Central area and beyond.

But some good did come of the tragedy: King won a $3.8 million lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles. On a larger scale, his case set a new standard for police behavior in America. And none of it would have been possible without the following bystander video, a miracle at the time:

The video serves as cold, hard, indisputable proof of the flagrant injustice King was dealt in response to a simple traffic infraction that night. No jury could turn a blind eye with this grainy black-and-white proof of all proofs staring them in the face.

In honor of King's ordeal and the new age of police accountability it inspired, here are 5 more violent California cops caught on video, in order of occurrence.

5. Los Angeles gangster William Cardenas took a barrage of fists to the face in this 2006 tape. Though a Superior Court judge later found the cops' actions to be justified, as Cardenas was resisting arrest, the footage sparked an FBI probe and truly marked the beginning of the police brutality on YouTube era.

4. Perhaps the most outrageous next to Rodney King, the San Francisco police shooting of Oscar Grant -- a young black man who did not appear to be fighting back -- occurred in the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2009. Grant famously exclaimed "You shot me!" as the crowd scattered in the subway station around him. In the end, BART officer Johannes Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and only given two years in prison.

Tags:

Anastasio Hernandez, beating, Jeremy Marks, L.A. riots, LAPD, Manuel Gallegos, Oscar Grant, racial profiling, Rodney King, William Cardenas

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thomasjcoleman

. . . and a summary of the racist, homophobic reign of terror by the LAPD under it's disgraced, late Chief, Daryl Gates, as well as the failure of the so-called-liberal LA Times to really cover it:

http://www.laobserved.com/visi...

Robert

How pathetic for the LA Weekly to stoop so low. I would expect this crap from the LA Slimes. Let's have some credible journalism and balance it out with the fact that Police Officers killed in the of duty are up 40%. In January 11 Police Officers were killed throughout the nation in 24 Hours. LAPD Officers are assaulted on an average of over 600 times per year, that means shot at, beaten up, violently attacked. Never shown in the media or reported. Most of the videos the Media airs or the morons post on Youtube don't tell the whole story. When the Hollywood Officer 2 yrs ago was shown beating up a gang banger, the video didn't show 22 seconds before when the gangster was fighting with the Officer trying to take his gun. I'm glad people aren't as naive as you think they are and know every day 24/7 LAPD Officers all over this City perform acts of heroism and rarely is that reported or shown. Sad, state of journalism has come to Los Angeles. I remember when it was the International parazzi mentality but now its here and this article is proof. Unfortunately, it takes an LAPD Officer dying in the line of duty saving someone for the media to report that story. LAPD has come a hell of a long way since Rodney King. He's been arrested too many times to count after he got that money.

Joe

>LAPD has come a hell of a long way since Rodney King. He's been arrested too many times to count after he got that money.

Oh, okay. He's a bad person so it was okay the cops beat him.

john

No, it wasn't okay, but it definitely wasn't as bad or racial as people made it seem. Most people don't care that he was black, just that he was a repeating criminal and didn't go to jail for any of his crimes. That beating should've taught him a lesson, it didn't. Why do blacks love to defend criminals? Don't they understand that that's why black people are seen with a "prejudicial" eye? Don't they see how black criminals destroy their public image? WHy defend one then? And the L.A. riots were pathetic. Anyone involved just kept feeding the stereotype of the violent, animalistic negroe. If I was black I would be embarrassed.

Ctwist670

fuck all you white ass nigguh killing cops, and all their pussy ass supporters who seem ..., no always explain away all the pussy ass shit they do to minorities. It never fails to amaze that with all the proof in the world, its still not enough to make dick lickers like yourself change that tired old tune you love to play about cops basically being good old misundersood guys who are doing the world a favor by taking on the criminal element.hey cum drinker, what happens when the police are that very criminal element. i know what happens. some extra warm sperm drinking coward ass faggot like yourself gets to post racially insensitive comments online posing as a good guy. i'll tell you something queef,if you were black you wouldn't be embarassed about violent animalistic stereotypes, you'd be to busy trying to keep those good ole boys from kicking your black house nigguh ass. BITCH!!!!