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Rodney King: Details emerge about his death in swimming pool

by Donal 6/17/2012 - 7:41 pm

 

King became a symbol for police brutality and the troubled relations between the LAPD and minority residents. He was eventually awarded a $3.8-million settlement, but the money and fame brought him little solace. He had repeated run-ins with the law and as of April said he was broke.

"I sometimes feel like I'm caught in a vise. Some people feel like I'm some kind of hero," he told The Times earlier this year. "Others hate me. They say I deserved it. Other people, I can hear them mocking me for when I called for an end to the destruction, like I'm a fool for believing in peace."

Read the full article at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/06/rodney-king-details-emerge-about-his-death-in-swimming-pool.html

Sigh, such a decent heart, so tortured, so tragic:

"I said to myself, 'That is not who I am, all this hate. I am not that guy. This does not represent me or my family, killing people over this. No, sir, that is not the way I was raised by my mother.' I began to realize that I had to say something to the people, had to try to get them to stop."

In an interview with The Times this year, King confided that he was at peace with what happened to him.

"I would change a few things, but not that much," he said. "Yes, I would go through that night, yes I would. I said once that I wouldn't, but that's not true. It changed things. It made the world a better place."

"For a long time, sure, I was letting the pressure of being Rodney King get to me. It ain't easy. Even now, I walk into a place wondering what people are thinking. Do they know who I am? What do they think about what happened? Do they blame me for all those people who died?"

by artappraiser 6/17/2012 - 8:12 pm

Yes, amazing sense of forgiveness, even or especially at the worst of times.  Must have had an amazing mother as well. A shame he could never shake his alcoholism.

I think he's right, that the beating & subsequent riots did make the world a better place - I'd guess it had a strong effect on lowering crime & violence through the 90's, helped lead to some better attempts at understanding & fixing what was going on - though not nearly enough as a lot of the roots & primitive police response is still with us.

But for him to say he'd go through it again, what character. Sadly, it seems to be the best he could have given the world, and at least he'll be missed by a great many.

by PeraclesPlease 6/17/2012 - 10:03 pm (re: artappraiser)

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