The L.A. Riots | 7. Into Ashes
On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles had erupted into chaos. Over the following days, thousands of people took to the streets. Some were unleashing their anger at the police and the justice system. Some wer...
22 Dec 202137min
The L.A. Riots | 6. No Peace
In March 1991, Black people in Los Angeles had seen the videotape of Rodney King being beaten. In November, they’d seen Soon Ja Du sentenced to probation for killing 15-year-old Latasha Harlins. On Ap...
15 Dec 202139min
The L.A. Riots | 5. The System
A year after they were caught on tape beating Rodney King, four LAPD officers went on trial. None were convicted. How did the prosecution make its case against the cops? How did the officers hold up u...
8 Dec 202139min
The L.A. Riots | Extra: Leading Up to the Riots
This week, we're highlighting a few excerpts from this season's Slate Plus episodes—interviews with George Holliday, professor Edward Chang, L.A. Times journalist Jim Newton, and Rodney King’s best fr...
1 Dec 202116min
The L.A. Riots | 4. Glen
Rodney King never asked to be famous. The video that captured his beating at the hands of four LAPD officers plunged an ordinary man into an extraordinary situation. So how did he navigate his new lif...
24 Nov 202132min
The L.A. Riots | 3. The Chief
In 1991, Daryl Gates was the face of the LAPD. Over the course of his 13-year tenure as chief, he had built his police department into a paramilitary-style force that enforced the racial boundaries of...
17 Nov 202143min
The L.A. Riots | 2. No Justice
In March 1991, the video of the Rodney King beating was national news. The LAPD was under intense scrutiny and many white Americans were seeing a side of policing they’d never seen before.Just a few d...
10 Nov 202144min
The L.A. Riots | 1. The Tape
On the night of March 2nd, 1991, at a remote intersection just outside of L.A., four police officers surrounded an unarmed Black man. They struck him 56 times with their batons before arresting him. A...
3 Nov 202138min
