Rodney King Sociology

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Introduction

March 3, 1991 was a day that transformed history incessantly after Los Angeles police was on a high-speed chase in pursuit to capture an African American male taxi driver who is best known as Rodney Glen King III. After being pulled out of his vehicle, King was brutally beaten by L.A.P.D which was all captured through video by a standbyer. This event was not just an average traffic stop, but this affair was the beginning of the exposure of an issue that has occurred for a lengthy period of time that has finally been presented before the public’s eye as a whole. Rodney King became the platform of the injustice of police brutality in America after his case resulted in the four officers who were involved being indicted on charges …show more content…
Several important times in history such as the Great Railroad Strick of 1877, to the Pullman Strike of 1894, the Lawrence textile strike of 1912, the Ludlow massacre of 1914, the Steel strike of 1919, and the Hanapepe massacre of 1924, the police would brutally beat striking laborers (Taylor, 2013). Even after one the memorable war well known as the Civil War police violence expressed itself through lynchings, beatings, and many other forms of harassment (Taylor 2013).From the Civil War until the 1950s, lynching was accepted as a method of imposing law and order in the South and maintaining a social caste system (Taylor 2013). The most well-known time period in the U.S for police brutality is during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. Many people living under Jim Crow could not envision a legal system in which equal protection under the law would extend to all Americans. Police brutality was not only associated with racism but as well as discrimination. An example, is the Tompkins Square riot when NYPD riot at Tompkins Square Park against immigrant protestors (Taylor 2013). Over 7,000 people gathered, which was the largest demonstration that New York City had ever seen at the time (Taylor 2013). It was described by a protester as police "...attacking men, women, and children without discrimination and it was an orgy of brutality" (Taylor 2013). Police Brutality has surfaced through even the periods of the Vietnam War and the Nixon administration which all had large scale acts of brutality that was spanning from the 20s all the way through the 60s. Nevertheless, it did not stop there. Police misconduct and brutality is still very much a problem in our country. Similar to the occurrences in the past up to the moment we stand today the repetition of acts has seize to end, in hopes of change in regulations and laws. With the fight for
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