The Rodney King Verdict: Did Our Justice System Fail? And Now What?
- Share via
I just had to explain my tears to my innocent 7-year-old son. The Rodney King verdict blared across the airwaves, sending cold chills down my spine. I had to explain to him that skin color doesn’t make a difference in who a person is. I had to explain to him that the job of a policeman was to protect people, while living within the same laws. I had to explain to him the concept of a trial and to define the word travesty . I had to explain to him why anger at the verdict was violently spilling into the streets of Los Angeles. I had to explain to him why the world wasn’t fair. And I had to explain to him things for which I had no rational explanation: a jury’s shortsightedness and the inexcusable brutality apparently condoned within the police department and the public at large.
SUSAN KNIGHT, Orange
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
