March 3rd is a day that has carried significance in history. Some will point out that today was the day that Gandhi began his fast for peace while others will remember it for being the day in World War II where the Americans were able to turn the tide against the Japanese at the Battle of Bismarck in the Pacific.
But there’s one big event in recent history that happened on this day.
On this day in history in 1991, black motorist Rodney King led police on a high- speed chase in Simi Valley, California, just outside of Los Angeles. The two men with him surrendered to police when they stopped but King did not.
As soon as he came out of the car, he was beaten severely by four Los Angeles police officers, thinking that he had a weapon on him. The beating was carried out with police batons and Tasers. King was hit more than 50 times with the batons.
Unbeknownst to anyone, the whole event was recorded on tape by a man who lived in a nearby apartment complex. The officers in the beating were eventually sent to trial later that year. With the tape spreading around like wildfire, many suspected that the officers would be convicted without question. However, the officers were acquitted of any wrongdoing, which sparked the L.A riots in April 1992.
In 1993, two of the officers were found guilty of violating his civil rights and spent some time in prison but the damage was already done.
With all that is going on today with race-related issues, it is important to look back on this event that changed the course of today’s society forever.
