When LA Erupted In Anger: A Look Back At The Rodney King Riots

Twenty-five years ago this week, four Los Angeles policemen — three of them white — were acquitted of the savage beating of Rodney King, an African-American man. Caught on camera by a bystander, graphic video of the attack was broadcast into homes across the nation and worldwide.

Fury over the acquittal — stoked by years of racial and economic inequality in the city — spilled over into the streets, resulting in five days of rioting in Los Angeles. It ignited a national conversation about racial and economic disparity and police use of force that continues today.

"When the verdict came out, it was a stunner for people coast to coast. My jaw dropped," says Jody David Armour, a criminal justice and law professor at the University of Southern California.

"There was ocular proof of what happened. It seemed compelling," he says of the videotape. "And yet, we saw a verdict that told us we couldn't trust our lying