The Los Angeles Police Department ceased to be an active force for justice on March 4, 1991, when George Holliday turned over his amateur video of Rodney King’s arrest to the Los Angeles TV station KTLA.
With tape in hand, the media began what the late Christopher Dorner might call a surge of “unconventional and asymmetrical warfare” against the LAPD and police departments everywhere.
As in the Trayvon Martin case, the media edited and presented the tape to reinforce its favorite template: evil white racists oppress innocent minority. I say “asymmetrical” because in the King case, unlike the Martin case, citizen journalists lacked the means to fight back.
In 1991, there was no viable Internet, no social media, no Fox News. The mainstream media effectively controlled all visual imagery. The television viewer never got to see or hear the evidence that persuaded a Ventura jury to acquit three of the cops on trial and fail to convict a fourth.
“Viewed from outside the trial,” said the first President Bush in arguably his lowest moment as president, “it was hard to understand how the verdict could possibly square with the video.” The Bush view prevailed.
Prompted by horrific post-verdict riots, the officers were tried again in a federal court, double jeopardy in everything but name only. Among the scores of baton blows administered to subdue King, the sentencing judge decided that the final six crossed the line to illegality and thus sent two of the cops to federal prison for “only” 30 months.
The incident created two basic narratives, both of them harmful to the black community. The one that the cops received was “why bother?” Why be pro-active, why be aggressive, why try hard to protect the community if six extra baton strikes can cost you your job...
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
