U.S.A.
Everyone Else
Health
Science
Business
Technology
Sports
Video Games
Entertainment
Future
Humour
NEWS > U.S.A. > RODNEY KING CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH DUI CHARGE
RODNEY KING CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH DUI CHARGE
July 13 2011
Los Angeles, CA – There are always moments when things turn. They are usually small things, almost too subtle to mean anything at the start, but for one reason or another they expand outwards, balloon and become something much, much bigger. 
Usually those moments can’t be anticipated, usually no one could ever imagine that such small things could create world changing events, but every such incident always begins with a small event, a seemingly unimportant gesture.
The assassination of Franz Ferdinand was one of those events, as was the sacking of Constantinople. True, they were big events but no one could have imagined that the murder of a low-level royal could have led to the two biggest wars in human history or that the annexation of a medieval city could result in the discovery of the Americas. The micro became the macro, a story which has played out over and over again. It is likely that no one involved in the small incident on March 2, 1991 could have imagined how their actions would alter the world, but that is exactly what happened. That was the night that Rodney King was stopped after a high speed chase through Los Angeles, the night he was beaten by police, the night that beating was caught on video. That was the night which set in motion a series of events which would forever change race relations in the United States, possible leading to the election of Barack Obama. It is a night that one person, King himself, attempted to replicate last night, twenty years later, but instead just got thrown into jail.
“Officers detained and ultimately arrested a 46-year old male after a series of traffic violations. We have determined that the individual involved is Rodney King of Los Angeles,” said a police spokesperson. “It appeared to officers that Mr. King was under the influence of some type of substance. He has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.”
King was released on bail later in the day. He was not beaten during the arrest.
“The L.A. riots were really a momentous event in the history of the city and of the country as a whole. It, for the first time for many people, really illustrated the racial divide that still existed in the country. True, there had been riots before, but this one was broadcast live on TV, 24 hours a day. It was shock to the system,” said Scrape TV American analyst Dave Davidson. “The young people who watched those events were the same people who were listening to rap music and watching basketball. That was the culture of the time and it made it clear to them that things were not right. Now as adults the riots are a cultural touchstone and something which drove wider understanding of racial differences, both good and bad. It’s possible that without those riots Barack Obama would not even have run for President.”
The riots lasted six days.
“Rodney King was the flashpoint of that event. The riots weren’t for him, but he inspired them. For a man who did little before that day having this kind of event swell up around you has to be a bit of an ego boost. True, it was a bad thing, but it was a big thing for him and so it makes sense that he would want to replicate it,” continued Davidson. “The world has changed though, and King is getting older. He can’t fight back against young police the way he once did and the cops themselves grew up in post-riot America. They just aren’t going to act in the same way. Frankly, if he wants to regain some of that old mojo he’s going to have to go a lot further than a little drunken driving.”
King was seen at a local bar after leaving jail.
Mike Michaels, American Correspondent
NEWS > U.S.A. > RODNEY KING CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH DUI CHARGE
LINK IT! http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/usa/pages-6/Rodney-King-celebrates-20th-anniversary-with-DUI-charge-Scrape-TV-The-World-on-your-side.html |
TWEET IT! http://goo.gl/Bf8dm |
BOOKMARK IT!  
|
|---|
Scrape Store
