Commemorating the 31st anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Whereas, Saturday, April 29, 2023, marks the 31st anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots; Whereas the 1992 Los Angeles riots are also referred to as the Los Angeles riots, Sa-I-Gu, which means April 29 in Korean, the Los Angeles civil unrest, the Los Angeles race riots, the South Central riots, the Rodney King riots, the Los Angeles uprising, and the 1992 Los Angeles civil disturbance; Whereas, on March 3, 1991, Rodney King, a 25-year-old Black man, was nearly beaten to death by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Sergeant Stacey Koon and Officers Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, and Ted Briseno during a traffic stop; Whereas Rodney King was tased, kicked in the head and body, and beaten with a baton resulting in facial fractures, a broken leg, and multiple bruises; Whereas a bystander recorded the encounter that was subsequently picked up by media outlets; Whereas the footage of the horrific act of police brutality sparked public outrage; Whereas, on March 15, 1991, Officers Koon, Powell, Wind, and Briseno were charged with felony assault; Whereas the trial was moved to Simi Valley, a predominantly White neighborhood 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles; Whereas, on April 29, 1992, the officers were acquitted of all charges; Whereas the 1992 Los Angeles riots began in South Central Los Angeles, California, following the acquittal of the 4 LAPD officers; Whereas the acquittal immediately resulted in the formation of large crowds and a public outcry over concerns of racial injustice and police brutality, which soon led to civil unrest at the intersection of Florence Avenue and Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles and spread throughout Los Angeles; Whereas, during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, more than 60 individuals lost their lives amid the unrest, including 9 shot by police and 1 by the National Guard; Whereas, of those killed during the riots, 2 were Asian, 28 were Black, 19 were Latino, and 15 were White; Whereas more than 2,300 individuals suffered injuries during the riots, and more than 12,000 individuals were arrested; Whereas more than $1,000,000,000 of property damage was incurred throughout Los Angeles during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, centered in South Los Angeles and Koreatown, with approximately 3,600 fires set and destruction to over 1,100 buildings and businesses throughout Los Angeles, many of which were Korean-American owned; Whereas the 1992 Los Angeles riots continued for a total of 6 days, from April 29, 1992, through May 4, 1992; Whereas the unrest spread through multiple neighborhoods, including Koreatown, Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lynwood, Compton, and Long Beach; Whereas the 1992 Los Angeles riots ended following the deployment of thousands of United States Armed Forces personnel; Whereas, on May 2, 1992, an estimated 30,000 individuals gathered in a peace march in Koreatown during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, calling for healing and support in Los Angeles; and Whereas communities from across Los Angeles, including the Black and Korean-American communities, marked the 30th anniversary of the uprising with a city-wide meeting of community leaders, peace gatherings, musical performances, and sober reflection: Now therefore be it That the House of Representatives— (1) recognizes and offers condolences to all who lost their lives, suffered injuries, and suffered losses during the 1992 Los Angeles riots; (2) recognizes the continued need for police oversight, accountability, and reform since the beating of Rodney King, as there have been hundreds of accounts of violent police brutality among Black Americans, including Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Tyre Nichols; and (3) expresses hope that the memory of the 1992 Los Angeles riots will promote greater dialogue, civility, and unity among all of the communities throughout Los Angeles and the Nation.

Summary: This resolution recognizes and offers condolences to all who lost their lives, suffered injuries, and suffered losses during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. It also recognizes the continued need for police oversight, accountability, and reform since the beating of Rodney King.