Huffington Magazine Issue 89 | Page 74

WE WERE HERE TED SOQUI/CORBIS L.A. Riots On April 29, 1992, four L.A. police officers were found not guilty of assault and using excessive force after a video surfaced of them brutally beating Rodney King. The trial verdict set off emotions in the black community that had endured police brutality and abuse for years prior. The bubbling anger boiled over into what is now known as the 1992 L.A. Riots. The riots lasted for five days, starting in the southern part of the city and eventually spreading. More than 60 people lost their lives and hundreds of businesses were burned to the ground, including the Trak Auto store on Washington Boulevard near Norton Avenue, where a teriyaki restaurant and fish restaurant stand today. HUFFINGTON 02.23.14