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Rodney King Dead at 47: Icon or Agitator?

SodaHead News 2012/06/18 18:26:37
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Rodney King, the victim of an infamous incident of police brutality in 1991, was found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool Sunday morning. According to police, there are no signs of foul play, and the death is being ruled as accidental. It will take six to eight weeks for toxicology reports to come through. He was 47 years old at the time of his death.

The 1991 brutality incident made national headlines when a bystander sent in video footage, and the aquittal of three of the officers contributed to the beginning of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Earlier this year, King told The Times, "I sometimes feel like I'm caught in a vise. Some people feel like I'm some kind of hero. 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." Do you think King was an civil rights icon?

rodney king
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Top Opinion

  • MkB 2012/06/18 21:26:11 (edited)
    Agitator
    MkB
    +33
    King started a dangerous high speed car chase because he was intoxicated and didn't want to violate his parole for a 1989 store robbery. I'm not making excuses for the police brutality. That was uncalled for.

    I feel empathy for Reginald Denny, an innocent truck driver who happened to be driving in the wrong place at the wrong time and got hit on his head by a brick by a black man who didn't give a damn if he killed Denny or not.

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Opinions

  • Reichstolz Guru_T_... 2012/06/19 14:13:42
    Reichstolz
    +3
    A victim of his own stupidity.
    reply
  • Marshal... Reichstolz 2012/06/19 17:07:22
    Marshal Artz
    +1
    I agree, but he also was the victum of police brutality. Policemen are suppose to be peace makers, not executioners.
    reply
  • Guru_T_... Marshal... 2012/06/19 20:27:40
    Guru_T_Firefly
    +1
    I fully agree.
    reply
  • Reichstolz Marshal... 2012/06/19 21:28:37
    Reichstolz
    +1
    When dealing with a person high on PCP or LCD many actions that police may take will appear brutal on video.
    reply
  • Marshal... Reichstolz 2012/06/20 00:41:00
    Marshal Artz
    come on, be reasonable. Really all they had to do was load him into a squad car and transport him to jail.
    reply
  • Reichstolz Marshal... 2012/06/20 03:25:36
    Reichstolz
    You do realize there was seven minutes of fighting prior to the beating that the media showed to incite the public. The cops were having a hell of a time controlling this drugged out POS.
    reply
  • Marshal... Reichstolz 2012/06/20 19:04:59
    Marshal Artz
    Well I guess I wasted my time asking you to be reasonable. So you are saying, that all of the cops on that scene were not able to force one man into a squad car, without beating him to a pulp? I am saying they could accomplish that even if the guy was a trained UHF fighter.
    reply
  • Reichstolz Marshal... 2012/06/20 23:26:36
    Reichstolz
    I take it you have never dealt with anyone on PCP. As an ER physician, standing 6 ft tall, at the time weighing 200lbs. I was almost choked out by a 98lb woman high on PCP. It took 7 of us just to get her strapped to a gurney. When the person you are dealing with has no fear, no pain, no conscious thought, one little woman could take on five cops. If you say I am being unreasonable, it is because you are ignorant to the situation and ignorant to dealing with people out of their mind on drugs.
    reply
  • Marshal... Reichstolz 2012/06/21 00:25:14
    Marshal Artz
    I may be ignorant, but not some much as to think there were not enough cops on that scene to handle anyone, any size and on any drug. Your argument is weak. None of your examples justify the beating that man got. I don't try to defend his life style, but I will take his side on the argument, that he was or was not abused, and big time.
    reply
  • Guru_T_... Reichstolz 2012/06/19 20:27:24
    Guru_T_Firefly
    He was a victim of the lawless LAPD.
    reply
  • Reichstolz Guru_T_... 2012/06/20 23:24:21
    Reichstolz
    It was his stupidity that caused him to deal with the LAPD.
    reply
  • Guru_T_... Reichstolz 2012/06/21 12:20:09
    Guru_T_Firefly
    And it was the LAPD's stupidity that caused them to violate his human rights.
    reply
  • Reichstolz Guru_T_... 2012/06/21 13:42:03
    Reichstolz
    You remember the LAPD were found innocent by a jury of their peers.
    reply
  • Guru_T_... Reichstolz 2012/06/25 11:52:26
    Guru_T_Firefly
    They were found innocent by OTHER cops? Gee. I wonder how that happened?
    reply
  • Reichstolz Guru_T_... 2012/06/25 13:21:17
    Reichstolz
    You might want to look into the criminal trial.
    reply
  • Gwen 2012/06/19 13:48:59
    Icon
    Gwen
    +2
    an Icon of:
    victims are never always innocent....
    victims are not always the paragon of being in the complete right...
    victims are capable of being drunk driving drug using woman beating law breaking low lifes even after receiving millions of dollars in a settlement....
    victims can tell us to act one way...yet act in violence themselves...
    these kinds of victims can alter the way people people view future victims....

    yeah...well done Rodney...well done....
    reply
  • Reichstolz Gwen 2012/06/19 14:14:09
    Reichstolz
    +1
    Tell that to his wife as he was beating the crapout of her.
    reply
  • Gwen Reichstolz 2012/06/19 17:31:58
    Gwen
    +1
    I thought I just did....
    reply
  • JoeBob ... Gwen 2012/06/19 14:58:55
    JoeBob Scruggs
    Well said, sir!! ...for a clearly illiterate dumbass. In the land of he blind the one-eyed man is king, your majesty. You dumphuck!
    reply
  • Marshal Artz 2012/06/19 13:35:50
    Icon
    Marshal Artz
    +1
    I doubt if either icon or agitator is proper, but he is known for having been brutally beaten by the police, and became better know after the police were judged, not guilty. But thanks to the the Federal gov. they were charged with crimes that they were convicted of. So justice was done. He got well paid for what happened to him. Now I wonder if his injuries are related to his early death.
    reply
  • Reichstolz Marshal... 2012/06/19 14:14:40
    Reichstolz
    His drug abuse is why he died young.
    reply
  • Marshal... Reichstolz 2012/06/19 16:45:10
    Marshal Artz
    I haven't heard the official cause, so that is why i wondered. Do you know for sure if that was the cause of death or are you just assuming?
    reply
  • Reichstolz Marshal... 2012/06/19 21:29:38
    Reichstolz
    Considering his history it is a pattern based assumption.
    reply
  • Rdtourist Marshal... 2012/06/19 14:27:42
    Rdtourist
    +1
    Rodney King was one of the first applications of throwing the constitutional freedom from double jeopardy under the bus, being charged more than once for events arising from one incident had been sacrosanct from the beginning until the federal nonsense of waiting until state courts did not return a "correct" verdict and then charging FOR THE SAME EVENT under trumped up civil rights violations ARISING FROM THE SAME INCIDENT became so popular.
    reply
  • Marshal... Rdtourist 2012/06/19 16:53:00 (edited)
    Marshal Artz
    I have seen the whole film of him being badly beaten by a bunch of out of control cops. And had the Federal officials not pressed charges, they would have done the same thing again, if they had the chance. The verdict in the first trial was just as wrong as the O.J Simpson verdict was. When you are wrong, I see it. You can't seem to do the same. Those cops were wrong and you know it. Why was the L.A. police dept. shaken up after this incident?
    reply
  • baboula 2012/06/19 13:33:51
    Agitator
    baboula
    +1
    actually neither - he was just wanted to live his life which in no way excuses what those 4 LAPD officers did nor does it excuse dragging a man out of his truck and slamming a cinder block on his head just because he was white.
    reply
  • BurrisTravis 2012/06/19 13:21:34
  • LarryFine 2012/06/19 12:48:51
    Agitator
    LarryFine
    +4
    He caused more harm than good by his own actions. He is no hero; that's for sure.
    reply
  • bettyboop 2012/06/19 12:30:02
    Icon
    bettyboop
    Yes he made many bad choices in his life, hell who knows how the man was brought up and who knows what he suffered through. I see a whole lot of folks on here willing to judge and name call when in reality they do not know what kinda life he had. Regardless of his addiction problems, he did NOT deserve to be beat down in the street by those cops. Police brutality is epidemic. Those who wish to condemn and criticize, have no ideal what the police are capable of. I am not saying all cops are bad, but there are plenty who are.
    reply
  • wamcalif 2012/06/19 12:23:11
    Icon
    wamcalif
    +1
    Iconic victim.
    reply
  • Che Guevara - Hero 2012/06/19 12:16:33
    Icon
    Che Guevara - Hero
    +2
    Rodney King called for peace and understanding in the midst of the turmoil surrounding the men that beat him being found innocent. He took the high road and should be remembered for that.
    rodney king beating
    reply
  • FatherL... Che Gue... 2012/06/19 15:57:04
    FatherLiberty
    +2
    Called for peace? At what point? When he committed armed robbery with a tire iron? When he beat his first wife in 1987 or his second wife in 1992? When he smoked PCP and sped down the road at 100+ mph in a high speed chase refusing to pull over? When he picked up a transvestite prostitute in Hollywood in 1991 and almost ran over a police office while trying to flee the scene? After the 1999 assault of his 16 year old daughter and daughters mother? When it comes to police use of force, I am probably one of the most outspoken and critical people out here. The police acted in a irresponsible manner, no doubt. But getting beat by police doesnt make a PCP smoking felon an Icon. People unfortunately are beat by police on a daily basis, many who have committed no crime whatsoever. They would be a much better example for addressing police brutality then a PCP smoking armed robber, women beater, who drives recklessly while running from police.
    reply
  • Che Gue... FatherL... 2012/06/19 16:03:49 (edited)
    Che Guevara - Hero
    +1
    FatherNoNuts said:
    "The police acted in a irresponsible manner"

    rodney king beating
    Being clubbed, kicked, and beaten over 50 times for allegedly speeding is what you call irresponsible ? Most decent people would consider it reprehensible and criminal. I guess that would exclude you.

    In the face of what was done to him, he took the high road and called for peace.
    reply
  • ☥☽✪☾DAW... Che Gue... 2012/06/19 16:16:39
    ☥☽✪☾DAW ☽✪☾
    +1
    he was also high on cocaine
    reply
  • PaulBot415 2012/06/19 12:14:44
    Icon
    PaulBot415
    +2
    The Police Brutality Poster Boy.
    reply
  • Chris - The Rowdy One! #187 2012/06/19 11:09:56
    Agitator
    Chris - The Rowdy One! #187
    +6
    Some better answer options are in order here.

    As far as Rodney King goes, he is a sad case of a wasted life. Nothing more.
    reply
  • Zombiecat~Metalhead4Life 2012/06/19 11:04:23
    Agitator
    Zombiecat~Metalhead4Life
    +6
    Neither. He was a criminal that got caught up in hype. A lot of innocent people got caught up in this also but losing their lives. Watching the videos of both Mr. King and Mr. Denny is sickening.
    reply
  • CAPISCE 2012/06/19 10:04:58
    Agitator
    CAPISCE
    +5
    reg
    reply
  • Mark5610 2012/06/19 09:26:22 (edited)
    Agitator
    Mark5610
    +4
    Need one more choice for a person who needed the help he never got. It does not excuse the action of the officers who beat him. He was quickly put on the “I’m black and a victim of whitey “pedestal of the usual race pimps who hide behind a white collar. RIP .
    reply
  • strawberry 2012/06/19 08:48:50
    Agitator
    strawberry
    +4
    Rodney King was a drunk and drug addict, nothing but a trouble maker. Rodney King was getting into trouble in many different states for years.
    reply
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