LA Riots: From Rodney King Assault, To Zoot Suits, Now Immigration Crackdown By Trump

According to reports, the Federal agents have arrested over 100 immigrants in the past week, including those from the LA Fashion District and Home Depot parking lots that began the protests. The recent demonstrations started from the Department of Homeland Security office near Paramount in fear of more raids and arrests, eventually leading to the arrest of a well-known union leader.

But the reports suggest that the protests did not reach the size of past demonstrations that brought the National Guard to Los Angeles, including the Watts Rebellion of 1965, the Rodney King riots in 1992 and the 2020 protests against police violence, in which the then-Governor Newsom requested the assistance of federal troops.

The last time the National Guard was activated without a governor's permission was reportedly in 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops to protect a civil rights march in Alabama, according to the Brennan Centre for Justice.

Looking At Riots Rocked the US In The Past

Zoot Suit Uprising Of 1943

The Zoot-Suit was referred to the clothing that Mexican-American youth wore at the time, during World War II, regarded as 'flamboyant' by the Americans. It was the conviction of young Mexican-American men in the controversial Sleepy Lagoon case in 1942 that sparked protests, and later in 1943, when a few sailors blamed the people from the minority community for attacking them, that led to 'anti-Mexican' activities, including 'rampant' police assaults.

According to , 'the worst of the rioting' occurred on the night of June 7, 1943, when thousands of servicemen and citizens spread out on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, attacking zoot-suiters as well as members of minority groups who were not wearing zoot suits.

No deaths were reported at that time, but LAPD received criticism for how it handled the situation.

Watts Rebellion of 1965

The arrest of a 21-year-old black man, Marquette Frye, due to drunk driving in 1965 led to racial tensions and violent riots in Los Angeles' Watts neighbourhood. The police later also arrested Frye's mother, which intensified the protests. According to a  on this incident at the Stanford University website, there were reports of widespread violence and looting resulting in the death of 34 people and damages worth $40 million. Reportedly, 14,000 National Guard troops were deployed back then.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had visited the community in Watts after the violence subsided and urged the then-President Lyndon B. Johnson to launch federal anti-poverty programs as he highlighted that this incident was not just about racism but poverty and lack of opportunities that the community was facing at the time.

The paper quoted King saying, "environmental and not racial. The economic deprivation, social isolation, inadequate housing, and general despair of thousands of Negroes teeming in Northern and Western ghettos are the ready seeds which give birth to tragic expressions of violence."

1992 Rodney King Riots

A black motorist Rodney King was assaulted in 1992 and it was captured on video and broadcasted across the world but later four white LAPD officers involved in the case were acquitted, leading to widespread riots in the state.

There were reports of burning vehicles, looting, helicopters hovering over a war-like cityscape, and emergency services being operated under gunfire.

According to , the riots left more than 60 people dead, over 2,000 injured, and led to the arrest of nearly 12,000 people while the damages went over $1 billion. 

The-then President George H. W. Bush deployed federal troops to help restore order.

The issues including institutional racism, police brutality and economic marginalisation were highlighted by the protesters.

Police Chief Daryl Gates had resigned following the riots and Mayor Tom Bradley did not seek re-election. 

The city ended up paying King $3.8 million in a civil settlement. And King바카라�s televised plea -바카라�Can we all get along?바카라� became a symbol of the movement.

2020 Black Lives Matter Protests

The video of a black man, named George Floyd being assaulted by the police in Minneapolis went viral after he passed away in police custody in 2020. The image of the police officer's knee on Floyd's neck became a symbol of protests and rekindled the 'Black Lives Matter' movement not only across USA but also spread around the world. Anger poured through communities across the United States after video of George Floyd's last moments began circulating last May.

Police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd pleaded for help, saying he couldn't breathe. 

According to CNN, the coronavirus-ridden nation saw demonstrations from Philadelphia to San Diego, where crowds wearing masks filled up the streets and stopped traffic. Even though it started as peaceful protests sometimes turned violent. Reportedly, stores were looted and burned, and police were pelted with rocks and bottles.

There were 240 arrests in Chicago, and at least six people were shot at, while 10 others were arrested in Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon for looting.

As per reports, Mayors from at least 25 cities had issued curfews, and 13 states and the District of Columbia activated the National Guard to respond to the unrest.

 read, "In Minnesota, the National Guard announced it was sending a total of 10,800 members to respond to the protests. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp authorised at least 3,000 National Guard troops ahead of further protests".

In New York City, 33 officers were injured overnight, including some who were seriously injured, a senior NYPD official told CNN.

In Dallas, police arrested at least 74 people, while 51 were arrested in Atlanta. In total, more than 20 states and about 40 cities-imposed curfews

President Donald Trump was briefly taken to the White House underground bunker for a period of time, according to a White House official and a law enforcement source.

Eleven months after Floyd's death, Chauvin was found guilty of all the charges he faced which includes second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.