The Rodney Kind riots resulted in 50 deaths, 4000 injuries, 12,000 arrests, and $1 billion in property damage ("The Los Angeles Riots, 1992").
While riots give a voice to the oppressed, it remains questionable whether they create meaningful structural change. Ten years after the Rodney King riots, "South Central remains one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. Unemployment remains well above 20% even after the boom of the 1990s," ("The Los Angeles Riots, 1992"). Riots reflect poorly on their communities, frightening away potential investors, social service institutions, and other means of community enrichment.
However, cities and their governments can learn from these four significant events in American urban history. Law enforcement officials must be trained to anticipate riots. Police departments should eliminate racial profiling and more vigorously prosecute officers using excessive force. Minorities should become well-represented at all levels of city government including law enforcement and criminal justice but also in education, commerce, and other meaningful departments. When local firms cut jobs or when unemployment becomes endemic, city governments should...
Funding can and should be diverted toward community development such as ensuring affordable housing, improving local schools, and building community centers and parks. Finally, communities and their residents need to organize themselves politically so that rioting is no longer necessary. Government-sponsored and private agencies can help communities mobilize their resources, stimulate local small businesses, and eliminate the real root causes of civil strife.
References
The 1965 Watts Riots." Retrieved Mar 12, 2007 at http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/watts.html
Herman, M. (nd). "Newark Riots-1967." The Newark and Detroit Riots. Retrieved Mar 12, 2007 at http://www.67riots.rutgers.edu/n_index.htm
Los Angeles Riot Still Echoes a Decade Later." (2002). CNN.com.
The Los Angeles Riots, 1992." Retrieved Mar 12, 2007 at http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/la_riot.html.
Riot Erupts in Liberty City!" African-American Registry. Retrieved Mar 12, 2007 at http://www.aaregistry.com/african_american_history/895/Riot_erupts_in_Liberty_City
