Stephanie Slade: Police and the Public Still Haven't Learned to Get Along
On April 29, 1992, a California jury acquitted four white Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers of the brutal beating of black motorist Rodney King, causing dismay among minority residents of the city. As the dismay turned to anger and the anger turned to violence, five days of rioting ensued; more than 55 people died, and CNN reported economic damage of over $1 billion. Twenty-two years on, many of the same themes have driven residents of Ferguson, Missouri; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and other cities around the country back into the streets.