By Sean Malloy
An explosion of violent anger by oppressed people in Los Angeles and across the US has shown the world the real face of a society in decay. Behind the triumphal propaganda about the "victory of capitalism" are exposed the same oppression and festering social problems that produced similar explosions 25 years ago.
Green Left Weekly spoke by telephone to Michael Zinzun, chairperson of the Coalition Against Police Abuse in Los Angeles, and Jonathan Nack, the US Guardian newspaper's bureau chief for the San Francisco Bay Area. Both stressed that the issues go beyond the acquittal of four cops who beat Rodney King.
"The outcome of the trial of the four officers in the Rodney King beating is just the salt on the wound", said Zinzun.
"We are talking about other shootings that have taken place, the fact that [LA police chief Daryl] Gates is still in office, the fact that there have been a number of incidents in which the police have been involved over the years. We are talking about acts of brutality by police officers. All this led up to an uprising in the Los Angeles area."
The LA Police Department has a long history of violent attacks against peoples of colour in the Los Angeles community.
In 1979 a black woman was killed by two police called to sort out an unpaid bill, in 1990 a young Black Muslim died in the custody of deputies, in the same year LAPD officers attacked striking Latino cleaners, and in 1991 two Samoan brothers were killed by officers, to cite a few examples.
"We don't consider it a riot", said Zinzun. "We don't consider it a race riot. We consider it a response by the community to the continued 'us against them' mentality, the lack of accountability by police."
Community control
Zinzun sees the events in Los Angeles as underlining the need for community control over the police force and a change in the way US society is organised.
"A number of cities throughout the country have been organising demonstrations to make it clear that this acquittal does not mean that black people have no rights.
"We are going to make it clear that we are not going to turn the other cheek, that we want to continue to organise in the communities and we want community control of the police — not only in LA, but throughout this country.
"The uprising is not just a black thing; there were Latinos involved, there were whites involved. Everybody was sending a very clear message to this country that we will not sit idly by and be beat in the head and be calm while they are beating us, be calm after they beat us and then be calm when they turn around and release those officers or find
"We have got to redesign social relationships in this country. We cannot allow a handful of white males to dominate the agendas of every community, every campus, every workplace in this country. That relationship is going to have to change.
"As long as we are left out of the decision-making process then there are going to be uprisings like this again, again and again. And it won't just be in LA. We are not for violence, what we want is community control of our community. What we want is police accountability, and what we want is jobs in our community — those are the things we are struggling for."
Jonathan Nack explained the pressure that has been building up.
"The situation in our inner cities is that youth face unemployment of 70% and higher, they face a tremendously inferior public education system with classes of more than 50 students in them. They face a situation in which there has been total neglect by the federal government, which has withdrawn funds from inner-city programs.
"Transportation, education, health, welfare programs and all kinds of other programs have been cut back. This has created a situation of extreme cynicism, particularly in communities of colour."
Justice US-style
Rodney King was beaten by LAPD officers on March 3, 1991. He has brain damage and suffered facial fractures, a broken leg and severe bruising.
A video of the beating was recorded by a person in an apartment across the road from the scene. The images of a group of white police officers beating a black reflected the experiences of many Los Angeles people of all races. The video, passed on to a local television station, became world news and the subject of international outrage.
On April 29, the four officers were acquitted of charges of assault.
Zinzun said, "It was a travesty of justice. It was a predominantly white jury in a community that is 95% Republican, and we think that it was by design.
"That's why, within an hour and a half of going into deliberation, they had found them not guilty on almost all of the counts and then spent the last few days on that last count."
Nack added, "They could have predicted that this kind of verdict would come back. It was certainly predictable that when this verdict did come back there would be incredible outrage; perhaps the scale of it in LA was not predictable."
President George Bush only fanned the anger by issuing a statement claiming that the "court system has worked" and that calm and respect for the law were needed.
"George Bush has done almost nothing", said Nack. "He has not at all addressed the underlying conditions which have led to the s and have led to people's outrage throughout the country.
"We are looking at a president who was elected largely on racist propaganda and by exploiting white voters' fears of people of colour. I would anticipate that he will do the same in the next election."
The Los Angeles community's angry response to the acquittals began immediately after the court session closed.
Demonstrators gathered at police headquarters as Daryl Gates held a press conference. The building was stormed, as was City Hall, the Federal Courthouse and the County Hall of Justice.
US flags were set alight as demonstrators shouted "No justice, no peace" and "Justice for Rodney King".
Rioting broke out in areas from Watts to downtown LA. In two days, 31 people died, 1200 were injured, 3000 were arrested, and 1500 fires had been li — and that was just in Los Angeles.
Nack said that protest against the outcome of the trial and the social conditions faced by the oppressed was taking place in many forms on community and city levels. Universities, high schools, community groups and church groups have all been organising protests.
"I think there are going to be some positive developments that will come out of this, and I certainly hope there will be a rejuvenated civil rights movement.
"There are also going to be tremendous negative effects with the kind of media coverage that is happening ... This is going to provoke tremendous fear, and play on racist fears in the white community. This may well be the saving grace for George Bush and lead to his re-election.
"The left could grow and there could be a growth in the civil rights movement, but we are facing a tremendous crisis of political leadership in this country. It is across all levels and across the political spectrum.
"The left is not a strong force in the US. I do believe that there are people who are becoming activised now and who will continue in the struggle."