On April 29, 1992 – 28 years ago today – a jury acquitted four LAPD officers of charges relating to the arrest of construction worker Rodney King. King had been tasered and beaten with batons by LAPD officers during an arrest. Many Los Angeles residents of the time have claimed that such treatment was not uncommon but this time there was a difference. At a time before smartphones had put video cameras into millions of pockets, the arrest was recorded by a local man using a camcorder on his balcony. The recording made worldwide news and the behaviour of the police drew widespread condemnation. When all four officers were acquitted of assault and three of using excessive force (the jury failed to agree a verdict on a fourth charge of excessive force, which amounted to the same thing), L...
