6. The Story
As a newspaper reporter, our editor, Naomi
Bradley, found it hard to contain her own
emotions while recording what she saw and
heard of the 1992 rebellion in Los Angeles.
(p. 32)
7. Definitions
• Riot – a noisy, violent public disorder
• Revolt – to break away from or rise against
authority
• Rebellion – open, organized and armed
resistance to rulers
• Uprising – to rise in revolt, insurrection
(resistance against civil authority)
8. Definitions
• Civil Disorder – any public disturbance
involving acts of violence by a group of three or
more persons causing immediate danger,
damage, or injury to the property or person of
another individual
• Civil Disobedience – refusal to obey civil laws to
induce change; usually nonviolent or passive
protest
• Civil Unrest – a state of uneasiness and usually
resentment brewing to an eventual explosion
9. April 29, 1992
It was a bit of everything and all of nothing—
depending on when you were watching and
from what vantage point.
10. I wanted to protest.
• Protest – an expression or declaration of
objection, disapproval, or dissent, often in
opposition to something a person is
powerless to prevent or avoid
11. It made more sense.
It made more sense to me to protest at Parker
Center, LAPD headquarters, where I wanted
to go, but had to work. (p. 33)
12. I was angry too.
I understood what was going on. I was angry too, but
I was a reporter, only a spectator…It was my job
to interpret what was happening in reaction to the
verdicts. I didn’t have to ponder much.
“People are mad, baby,” one black woman on
Florence and Normandie had told me. (p. 33)
13. Their pain
I found it hard to look into people’s eyes. I
didn’t want to connect with their pain, to
add to my own burden. I wrapped up into
myself, disappeared into my own soul and
dug deep to determine what I would do.
(p. 33)
14. The signs
• Where’s the justice?
• For Latasha
• F--- Police
• LAPD/187
• No justice, no peace
• Guilty!
15. The signals
• South Central is on fire!
• Snipers are firing at firefighters!
• Police are in retreat!
• A state of emergency has been declared!
16. What ignited the “spark”?
“It wasn’t a racist thing,” the young man said.
“We’re gonna let them know how we feel.
We’re cool now, but if we’re not satisfied
we can start it up again. Ain’t nothing to it
but to do it.” (p. 35)
17. Spark or fuel?
“It looked like Rodney King all over again,”
said J. Kakawana, a local businessman who
is shown on the tape trying to calm the 71st
Street crowd. “They weren’t gonna let that
happen.” (p. 35)
18. The real spark?
The white and black images of two women
arguing face to face outside the Simi Valley
court building personified the division: One
for the cops. One for Rodney King. (p. 33)
19. Why did it happen?
It was the threat to our security, to our future
and to all we had worked for; the thought
that Rodney King could have been any one
of us, or even worse, one of our sons.
20. But violence begets violence.
It’s hard to imagine how anybody could enjoy
someone else’s misery. That’s shameful.
Evil. Thugs. Hoodlums. How could
anybody call what happened a rebellion,
comparing it to the Boston Tea Party of all
things? (p. 34)
21. But violence begets violence.
Few others could fathom the victory blacks
felt, mostly in the early hours of April 29, in
chasing the white man away. How every
blow to the white man was recompense for
every blow to the black man, every lashed
black, every lynched neck, every torched
home and church, every police beating.
(p. 34)
22. But violence begets violence.
It was strange to think that in this country,
being black, a descendant of slaves, having
dark skin and nappy hair, that all of this was
now an asset. Suddenly, being black kept
you from getting lynched. That’s why the
fists were raised. (p. 34)
25. My deepest hurts
The LAPD verdict revived some of my
deepest hurts, personal experiences I tried to
forgive and forget in the name of progress. I
didn’t take to the streets on April 29, but I
understood why it happened. (p. 35)
26. Why did it happen?
It was the threat to our security, to our future
and to all we had worked for; the thought
that Rodney King could have been any one
of us, or even worse, one of our sons.
(p. 35)
27. Why did it happen?
Even the most unlearned black person
understood the implication that the cops
could now have a field day with us. Even
blacks who only admitted it in black circles
felt a need for some kind of protest. (p. 35)
28. A changed heart
I wasn’t supposed to release my feelings...but
how could I avoid it? This was happening to
me, like a bomb dropping on my front
porch. This was my story. This was my
problem. This was happening to me. (p. 35)
29. The Scripture
“He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted.”
Luke 4:18
Discussion: Who was hurting?
31. A Theology of Mission:
Leading By Example
“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a
basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives
light to all who are in the house.”
Mt. 5:14-15 (NIV)
