On April 29, 1992, the city of Los Angeles exploded in unrest following the acquittal of four white LAPD officers charged in the brutal videotaped beating of Rodney King, an unarmed Black man. The not-guilty verdict stunned the nation and ignited a six-day uprising fueled by decades of systemic police abuse, racial injustice, and economic inequality. Fires raged, businesses were looted, and the National Guard was deployed. The uprising left more than 50 people dead, thousands injured, and caused nearly $1 billion in property damage. The L.A. Riots became a defining moment in the modern civil rights struggle, sparking national conversations on race, policing, and justice in America.
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