Presumed Guilty : The Tragedy of the Rodney King Affair
By Stacey KoonFor the first time, the entire story of the Rodney King affair is told in full detail - what happened and why, and the reasons the Simi Valley, California jury found the officers innocent on charges of using excessive force against a felony evader with a lengthening record of violent conduct.Sgt. Stacey C. Koon was the officer in charge on the night of March 3, 1991 when Rodney King led police on a 7.8 mile chase at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour.After stopping, King refused commands to submit to arrest and made threatening gestures toward the officers whose duty was to keep King from hurting himself, his two passengers, and other motorists. When LAPD officers physically tried to subdue him, he tossed four of them off his back. Then he absorbed two 50,000 volt stun-gun charges. All this happened before the now-infamous George Holliday videotape began. The first two seconds of the videotape - a part that most people have never seen - show King trying to assault another police officer.Yet for most Americans, that 82-second videotape - which was repeatedly edited to delete the portions showing Rodney King's violent behavior - is all they know about the events of March 3, 1991. It is a tragedy that resulted in the Los Angeles riots that left more than 50 people dead and some $800 million in property destroyed.Presumed Guilty is the truth. Not what was shown from an edited 82-second videotape and not what was reported each day by a media that consciously ignored certain facts and reported other facts to mold the public mind toward a verdict of guilt.Sgt. Koon's account of the night of March 3, 1991 and the days leading up to and including the trial tells about how four dedicated police officers were betrayed by the superiors they served. It also tells how the leaders of the Los Angeles Police Department and the city establishment have scurried to cover their own culpability in creating the policies that made the Rodney King affair an inevitable tragedyWorst of all, Presumed Guilty proves that no lessons have been learned, nothing has changed. The Rodney King affair could happen again and almost certainly will happen again. That's the ultimate tragedy of the events of March 3, 1991.
Book details
- 269 pages
- English
- 0895265079
- 9780895265074
About Stacey Koon
More Books By Stacey Koon
People who bought this also bought
Women Of Divorce: Mothers, Daughters, Stepmothers by Susan Shapiro Barash
Used Book
How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be: The 25 Principles of Success book by Jack Canfield
New Book
Get Smart!: How to Think and Act Like the Most Successful and Highest-Paid People in Every Field book by Brian Tracy
New Book
The Power of Being a Woman : Embracing the Triumph of the Feminine Spirit
New Book
Do Less, Achieve More : Discover the Hidden Power of Giving in book by Chin-Ning Chu
New Book
The Blooding: The Dramatic True Story of the First Murder Case Solved by Genetic
Used Book
The Maxwell Leadership Bible: New King James Version book by John C. Maxwell
New Book
Lean in 15 - The Sustain Plan: 15 minute meals with workouts to get lean and strong for life book by Joe Wicks
Used Book
The Mind of a Patriot: Patrick Henry and the World of Ideas book by Kevin J. Hayes
Used Book
How to Be the Love You Seek: Break Cycles, Find Peace, and Heal Your Relationships book by Nicole LePera
New Book
O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) Book by Eugene Current-Garcia
Used Book
A Passionate Sisterhood: The Sisters, Wives and Daughters of the Lake Poets
Used Book
At Mother's Request: A True Story of Money, Murder and Betrayal book by Jonathan Coleman
Used Book
The no-drug approach to conquering asthma and controlling emphysema
Used Book
Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies book by Michael E. Gerber
New Book
Having Our Say: Delany Sisters First 100 Years book by Sarah Delany
Used Book
My Just Desire: The Life of Bess Raleigh, Wife to Sir Walter book by Anna Beer
Used Book
Sharing the Light of Faith: National Catechetical Directory for Catholics of the United States
Used Book
Jewish Wisdom for Business Success : Lessons from the Torah and Other Ancient Texts by Levi Brackman
New Book
Peig: The Autobiography of Peig Sayers of the Great Blasket Island
Used Book