Rodney King

Twenty Years to Get It Right

Crisis Intervention CJ440

Professor Clifford Marsh

March 29, 2011

Abstract

Twenty years ago, technology was not what it is today. There was no high-speed internet for your computers; only dial up, no flat screen TVs, no iPods, no DVDs and definitely no Blue Tooth technology. Cell phones were very basic, very expensive, and a true luxury for someone to own. When you saw someone talking on one, it looked like they were holding a square quart of milk in their ear, and it was heavy. A laptop required heavy lifting, and was as big as a briefcase. Camcorders were barely hitting the stores, and very few people could afford to buy one. George Holliday, a citizen of Los Angeles, happened to be at the right place at the right time with the right equipment. George had just purchased his own camcorder on March 3, 1991. What he did not realize was how much impact his future video tape would have on the city of Los Angeles. He had no idea how much this video would help change the Los Angeles Police Department, LAPD, and police departments all over the country. George Holliday soon found out when he was in his home sleeping and woke to find himself at the right place at the right time with the right equipment his brand new camcorder. Within 24 hours, the news channels all over the world were reporting the brutal events of Rodney King. All the hidden secrets of he said/she said was about to change, and history was in the making for future procedures for years to come. Rodney King was a victim of police brutality, which shocked the nation and parts of the world. George Holliday captured this on video, the very night it happened. Gratefully all the people who had no voice before are able to broadcast their story live now. With all this technology we now have, their voices will be heard loud and clear.

Twenty Years to Get It Right

Twenty years ago, on March 3, 1991, a crisis happened to a man that under no circumstances...