Rodney King
/ˌrɒdni ˈkɪŋ/
/ˌrɑːdni ˈkɪŋ/
- (1966-2012) an African American who was severely beaten in 1991 by Los Angeles police officers, an incident which led to America's worst race riots. The police stopped King for driving too fast and then hit and kicked him repeatedly. A person on the street made a video of the attack, and four of the police officers were put on trial. When they were judged innocent, African Americans reacted with violence in Los Angeles for four days, during which 52 people were killed and more than 600 buildings were burned. The police officers were later sent to prison. Many Americans are still angry about the way King was treated. “Can we get along here? Can we all get along?”