King

Rodney King was an African American born in LA in 1965. In 1991 he was arrested for drunken driving and for fleeing and evading. He was caught and severely beaten by four police officers. He was awarded $3.8 million. His father had been a violent alcoholic and King himself suffered from the disease. In 1989 he robbed a store threatening the store owner with a wooden bat. He was caught and served one year in prison. He was married three times and had a child with each wife. He died in 2011 from alcohol poisoning with his estate valued at $250,000. When the officers that beat him were acquitted there were riots. "the riots had resulted in 63 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, damage to 3,100 businesses, and nearly $1 billion in financial losses". He later appeared on a TV show where he posed the question, why can't we all just get along. That is a question that has live through the ages and is alive today.