What We Know...
The 1992 "L.A. Riots" are famously known as a series of violence, destruction, and looting in response to the acquittal of four police officers in the brutal beating of Rodney King. This verdict served as a boiling point for tensions regarding the discrimination against the black community by police authorities. However, this is the story we have come to know via biased news sources in the context of a white hegemonic society. Many voices -- black, Latino, Asian-American-- were largely unheard or underrepresented. If and when they were included, how did they serve to validate a narrative that serves the people in power while maintaining "objective" journalism? While words of the news speak volumes, there is also the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words.
By viewing and discussing the images used to enrich the reporting of the events, it is possible to uncover patterns and biases that informed our understanding of April 29, 1992. Whether or not they were intentional, the photographs have an important role in shaping and fortifying a specific story.
By viewing and discussing the images used to enrich the reporting of the events, it is possible to uncover patterns and biases that informed our understanding of April 29, 1992. Whether or not they were intentional, the photographs have an important role in shaping and fortifying a specific story.
Below are chronologically organized collections and discussions of images pulled from the Los Angeles Times.
Click any date to begin.
Click any date to begin.