L.A. Riots: 5 Most Disturbing Videos on YouTube

By Simone Wilson Fri., Apr. 27 2012 at 2:05 PM

YouTube

While we were talking to LA Weekly photographer Ted Soqui about his coverage of the L.A. Riots, he mentioned that he'd only recently realized how much riot footage was up on YouTube.

"I didn't get to see much live TV coverage because I was either shooting or processing; I was in a bubble with my photos," said Soqui. But on this 20th anniversary, in preparation for a speech/slideshow at the Los Angeles Central Library, he said, "I ended up watching hours of stuff on YouTube. And I'm like, 'Wow, I never saw that.'" So we did the same...

... and, sure enough, came across all this crazy footage that we had never even thought to search for. As if '92 was before the invention of moving pictures, or something.

In fact, the aftermath of the Rodney King beating was really the start of accountability via YouTube. "There had been number of cases of LAPD brutality earlier, but here you have a case finally on videotape," says Darnell Hunt, UCLA expert on the Riots. Like, "Finally, people will listen to us."

With that, here are the five most disturbing riot-related videos we found on YouTube.

Many of the shops targeted by looters were located within Koreatown and nearby neighborhoods like East Hollywood, owned by working-class businesspeople within the growing Korean-American community. Here, we see them patrolling their rooftops at the corner of Santa Monica and Western with guns -- part castle guard, part sniper.

LA Weekly's Dennis Romero recently interviewed a Korean-American reporter who was working for the Los Angeles Times when the riots broke out. It appeared to him that the LAPD was using the bad blood between blacks and Koreans to distract the public from the department's own racism. TV news footage like the clip above only furthered that cause.

And here's a guy who actually begins shooting his gun at random.

Tags:

L.A. Riots, Rodney King, Ted Soqui, videotaping, YouTube

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Guitarlex17

Crazy, one of the attackers of Reginald Denny(the truck driver) was a US Marine. Nice to know most the attckers are in prison, dead, or living life on the streets.

Guest

I've got to agree with the other commenters. Let's be honest about what this was. This was out-and-out racism, where Korean and white victims were targeted because of their race. Some of the most violent offenders (such as those beating Reginald Denny) were in their very character thugs, who went on to commit other horrendous crimes (for one of Denny's attackers, murder) after they got off easy for their riot behavior.

The Korean shop owners defending their property and lives with their weapons were stepping up to protect their rights against those determined to kill them for who they were. If the LAPD had been better led, and the National Guard better prepared, then they wouldn't have had to do it.

Pro_looter

The rioters acted in blissful joy at the lack of lawenforcement as they robbed and assaulted...ANGER - had little place on their faces! Smiles, laughter andexcitement were the primary emotions...Barbaric acts of racism was their behavior...Even Rodney King was sickened by it/

navy62801

Ha. Random shooting, my ass. They were shooting at looters because the police were not defending them. Very far from random. These guys had to take their self defense and defense of their businesses into their own hands due to the absence of the LAPD.

JohnnyReason

This compilation of riot footage to Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild is better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Betzee

"Here, we see them patrolling their rooftops at the corner of Santa Monica and Western with guns -- part castle guard, part sniper."It's actually Western and 5th, a little south.

helpfulheroine

and yet what's most shocking about the meager coverage of the 20th anniversary of the riots is the still completely biased nature of the coverage. now, i have no doubt where the la weekly stands. that guy shooting did not look like he was shooting at random. he seemed to be pointing with a purpose. good for him and good for all those storekeepers. who else was going to protect them and their livelihoods from a mob of outlaws? i would have done the same thing.