Anna Deavere Smith Reflects on Rodney King and LA Riots, 20 Years Later

The Takeaway

On April 29, 1992, nearly 20 years ago, an all-white jury acquitted four white Los Angeles police officers in the case of Rodney King, a black motorist who suffered severe injuries after a brutal beating from the LAPD. South Los Angeles promptly exploded into riots that lasted six days, leaving more than 50 people dead, thousands injured, and $1 billion in damage.  Anna Deavere Smith is a playwright, actress and author of “Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992,” a one-woman show that Smith developed from interviews with 300 subjects involved in the Rodney King case and its aftermath. The characters developed from those interviews include a juror who voted to acquit the police officers;  Mrs. Soon Young Han, a Korean store owner in South Los Angeles; Reginald Denny, a white truck driver beaten by four African-American men during the riots; Kiki Watson, one of Reginald Denny’s assailants; and many more.  She reflects on the riots that tore the city apart, 20 years ago, and discusses the state of police-community relations since 1992.

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!