A National Guardsman stands alert in front of a burnt building after riots broke out in reaction to the Rodney King verdict in Los Angeles, California. April 1992. (Wikimedia)
The impact of the Los Angeles riots still resonates twenty years on. Here’s an audio take on the experience of the chaos–all the pain, the fear, the search for healing amid relentless destruction, and the hope for redemption rising from the ashes.
The community has changed since then–socially, culturally and economically. But the divides across race and nationality, and between the people and the state, still stratify the landscape. A generation later, popular uprisings and unrest are again exploding around the world, again raising questions of conflict, justice and peace. Maybe listening to echoes of the past can clarify our vision for tomorrow’s struggles.
DJ Sloe Poke and Chicharron bring you “Uprising LA: 20 Years Later Mix,” a musical mash-up of artists and activists then and now:
On April 29, 1992 Los Angeles went up in flames. After 4 White Police Officers were found not guilty after brutality beating Black motorist Rodney King. The beating was, for once, caught on video.
At the time, LA hip hop was not only banging, it was also speaking about police abuse in the inner city.
This mix is a reflection of the music of the time, commentary by activists and artists now and then. Enjoy and please comment and share.
Learn more at thesoundstrike.info or listen to the Soundstrike Podcast.
To learn more about the Los Angeles riots and the artistic response, see Javier Gonzalez’s essay, “Roots of LA’s 1992 Uprising” at The Sound Strike. Also check out the Los Angeles Times’ special coverage and a retrospective story on Anna Deveare Smith’s show, “Twilight: Los Angeles 1992.”