Could the LA Riots happen again?

/ by

Listener Johnny Moreno asked us this question via SoCal. So Curious.

It’s a complicated one to answer because there were many factors that led up to the unrest, and it was more than just the verdict in the Rodney King case.

Racial tension had been building up in the area, for example. Unemployment was rampant on the streets, too.

Plus, there was a feeling that lawmakers just did not care about the people in South L.A.

On Take Two, we gathered a roundtable to tackle Johnny’s question.

What were the signs that a riot was imminent in 1992, and are they around today in 2017?

GUESTS:

  • Darnell Hunt, director of UCLA’s Bunche Center for African American Studies
  • Tim Watkins, president and CEO of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee.
  • Frank Stoltze, KPCC’s public safety correspondent

To read or listen to the full interview, click here.