During his arrest in March 1991 for DUI, following a high speed chase, Rodney King was severely beaten by LAPD officers. An uninvolved bystander recorded the beating and sent the footage to a TV station. Outrage at the brutality of the beating led to public uproar. When a jury acquitted all four officers of assault, six days of rioting in L.A. followed. King made a plea for peace during the riots: "I just want to say – you know – can we, can we all get along? Can we, can we get along? Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids?" King did receive a significant award from the city. He continued to struggle with alcohol and addiction. His daughter created a foundation to build bridges between the black community and the police--and his anxious words, asking for people to get along, have entered the culture. King was born on April 2, 1965.
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