Ten years ago, America experienced what has been called the worst civil disturbance in its history. On April 29, 1992, violence erupted on the streets of Los Angeles after four white police officers were found not guilty in the beating of African American motorist Rodney King. For three days, outbreaks of lootings, vandalism, and beatings swept through the city, starting in South Central but spilling over to many other neighborhoods. By the time the police and National Guard took control of the situation, fifty-four people had died, 500 fires had been set, and 4,500 stores had been destroyed. More than 3,000 people were arrested, half of them Latino and 40 percent African American. Total damages reached upward of $1 billion, nearly half of the losses suffered by Korean American storekeepers.

Beginning today and into the coming month, Inthefray.com will observe the ten-year anniversary of this event that has been called--depending on who is doing the speaking--a riot, rebellion, uprising, civil unrest, Sa-I-Gu, bread riot, trauma, and even a "Toys 'R' Us" riot. Our special series, "Days of rage, days of reckoning: A decade after the Los Angeles riots," will look at how Americans remember the civil unrest of 1992--as individuals and as communities, as artists and citizens, as a city and as a country. What shadow have the riots cast on American's ethnic mix, and what have various groups done to build bridges across the divide? What does race look like in the monuments and remedies to the riots? What painful, rousing, or surreal memories do we continue to hold of what happened ten years ago?

Inthefray wants you to be involved. Throughout the month of May, we will publish reflections from our readers on the riots. We encourage you to write to us at editors@inthefray.com or post directly to the Forum with any thoughts you wish to share. (Responses sent to one will be cross-posted in the other.) Your response could be just a snippet from your memories--for instance, where you were and what you were doing when you heard about the riots. Or, it could be a full-fledged essay. The length and content are up to you. We have included several questions below to help inspire your thinking.

Consider the questions we pose. Speak your mind. Join the conversation. In our pre-September 11 world, this was the most vividly remembered act of violence on U.S. ground. Now is the time to revisit it, and consider how far we have come--and how far we have yet to go.

Today, we begin with a look at the visual record--maps of the area most devastated by the riots.

Ben Helphand
Projects Editor, Inthefray.com
Chicago

Questions to consider

What is your personal memory of the riots? What do you remember about the rebuilding of Los Angeles after the riots?

What do you think is the legacy of the riots? How have they changed (or not changed) Los Angeles and the country?

Why are we bothering to remember these riots? Why do you think they are significant?

In what ways have different communities remember the riots? A decade later, do you think the riots still have meaning for most Americans? Have Angelinos and other Americans forgotten them--or chosen to forget them?

What have we learned as a result of the riots? What were the possibilities for change after the riots, and how have they (or how have they not) been fulfilled?

Will the riots happen again?

You don't have to respond to these particular questions. We encourage you to write about whatever you like. Please send your responses to editors@inthefray.com or post them to the Forum at any time during the month of May, when the series will be in progress. Remember to tell us your full name and city/town, and whether you would like your e-mail address included with your published remarks. We reserve the right to edit responses.

GO TO THE L.A.@10 PAGE

React >
Ready to enter the fray? Step into the Forum, or write a Letter to the Editor.
Like what you just read? Give Inthefray.com a buck.

Remembering the rage

Story Index