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.
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?
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?
Top Opinion
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Agitator
+33King 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.
Overall, though, I think we should stop trying to glean some sort of greater message from his death. It's not karmic justice and he's was not a saint or a great American.
Still mad? If it makes you feel any better (Shhh...it's a surprise...) I just got THIS for my boyfriend for his upcoming birthday...
Those are not opposites. Who asks this stupidly worded questions? Fess up Sodapop head?
Martin L King was an icon!
Oh, that's just fine. I'm upset with a verdict so I kill people, beat people, loot stores, burn buildings and cause general mayhem. That says a lot.
When did you ever find Caucasians rioting because they didn't like a verdict? O.J Simpson, for example. He was "Much more a criminal. Much less a man."