Rodney King, the man who was at the center of the Los Angeles riots in 1992, was found dead in a swimming pool by his fiancée. King’s videotaped beating by Los Angeles Police in March of 1991, helped to sharpen the focus of tension between the police and the Black and Hispanic communities.
When all four officers involved in King’s beating were acquitted of charges, protests and riots erupted causing millions in property damage. The tensions in Los Angeles after the riots inspired King’s famous plea, “Can we all just get along.” King was 47.
