The Watts Riots' Impact on the LA Riots

Although the LA riots seemed like an isolated event, it was in fact tied to others, such as the Watts Riots in 1965. The Watts Riots occurred on August 11, 1965 after Marquette Frye, a young African American motorist, was pulled over and arrested by Lee W. Minikus, a white California Highway Patrolman, under the suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Here we can see a connection with what happened in the case of Rodney King, who was similarly pulled over in a violent fashion. Thus, we can see how even after many years, in 1992, police brutality, especially against blacks had not changed in the slightest, as Frye was pulled over and immediately arrested based on suspicions, indicating that there was no clear evidence whether he was intoxicated or not. As people gathered, a riot broke out due to the tensions between the police and the crowd which led to a large-scale riot in Watts in which rioters burned automobiles and looted and damaged stores. In addition, we can see similarly how important the roles of the onlookers were, as if the people did not see what had occurred, then such police brutality would have been hidden once again, much like in Rodney King's case as the violence was caught on tape and released to the news. After the riots, officials investigated what could have instigated them, and it was discovered that the main reason for the Watts Riots was long-term grievances and discontent with high unemployment rates and inadequate housing and schools. However, the city leaders and officials never bothered to address these issues, even after the verdict came about. Similarly, such treatment and prejudice was prevalent in 1992, as many African Americans were made to relocate and were promised better housing, yet were made to live in poor neighborhoods and many neighborhoods did not allow for African Americans to live in them in a form of legal segregation. Furthermore, the behavior of the riots in 1992 heavily echo what occurred in the Watts riots, as people took to the streets while starting fires and ruining stores, much like in LA in which many stores, such as those of Korean store-owners, were smashed and raided in a similar fashion. Overall, it is clear to see how the prejudice against African Americans due to the system were still heavily prevalent even 17 years later after the Watts Riots and how police brutality continued to be an issue against African Americans.

- Jessica Zhao