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Moments in Black History – The LA Riots
Los Angeles, 1992:
It was frightening. It was tragic. It was a horrifying. It was justice. Can we all just get along?
On April 29, 1992, rioting broke out in Los Angeles. Across the city, raging fires burned out of control; innocent bystanders were pulled from vehicles and beaten; and stores were vandalized, looted, and destroyed.
"I was scared for my life," said Evon Sheppard of Los Angeles. "We knew it was coming after the announcement. We all knew, but no one expected this outcome."
Indeed.
The announcement came from NBC months prior when the nation was told the 1992 season would be the last for "The Cosby Show".
"We had only one show," screamed Randolph Mitchell, while carrying a television and VCR from a looted Korean department store, "and now those bastards are pulling the plug! Now what?! We can't even find reruns of 'Good Times'…….anywhere!"
Since 1984, "The Cosby Show" was a major television success story. The sitcom, airing on NBC, was the brain child of Bill Cosby, the creator of Fat Albert and countless comedy routines and books. Many critics say "The Cosby Show" saved the NBC network by solidifying Nielsen ratings and establishing the network's Thursday night "Must See TV'" lineup for years.
"It was just good television," explains Carol Knight, of Simi Valley, California. "We all watched it, every Thursday night. It was fabulous!"
The show was centered on the Huxtable family, an upper-middle-class family living in Brooklyn, New York. Cosby played patriarch Heathcliff Huxtable, who, with his wife Clair played brilliantly by Phylicia Rashad, presided over a raucous yet loving house hold of four+ children. In every way, they were an utterly typical American sitcom family, with the notable exception that they were African American and upscale professionals: Cliff being a doctor, and Clair a lawyer. The comedy celebrated the foibles of American family life first and foremost; that the family happened to be African American was secondary. Both African Americans and whites adored "The Cosby Show".
"I can't believe this is the last season," says an emotional fan. "I never missed it. Every Thursday night, I'd laugh so hard at Rudy or Theo or Cockroach. I've never laughed so hard. Especially that episode when they went to the studio and chilled with Stevie Wonder! Baby…baby…baby…..jammin’ on the one!! That was hilarious!"
Initially, the sitcom as not quickly accepted in some African-American circles, who argued the characters were "too white".
"Mutha f*ckas didn't ever cuss or talk like black people," said John Hartfield, "but I came around. Especially when they showed Denise. Damn, she was fiz-zine, fool! If I went to that college, I’d be trying to get up in them pants, yo! And those episodes when they lip synched Ray Charles music....sh*t was funny. But, come on, man, are there really black doctors and lawyers? Get real."
Some criticized the show for presenting an unrealistic portrayal of an African-American family as wealthy and not addressing black-white relations. Others felt that the show was simply a portrayal of what African-Americans could potentially become. They also felt that portraying an African-American family as a normal family with normal family issues was generally a positive contribution to issues of race in the United States.
Despite the criticism, "The Cosby Show" had a successful and award winning eight year run. The show earned three Emmys as well as three NAACP Image Awards and a Peabody Award. The show has been praised for its portrayal of positive child rearing methods.
"Man, I can't believe is going off the air. F*ck NBC and all this bullsh*t! First, 'D'ffrent Strokes' now this."
The riots lasted about four days and shocked viewers across the world as parts of the Los Angeles went up in flames. Open gun battles were televised as Korean shopkeepers took to using firearms to protect their businesses from crowds of looters. A white truck driver was dragged from his vehicle and severely beaten by an angry mob as the news helicopters hovered above, with the police nowhere to be seen (several assailants were later arrested and sent to prison). Estimates of the material damage varied between about $800 million and $1 billion. Approximately 600 fires were set, and about 10,000 people were arrested. The season finale of "The Cosby Show" aired April 30.
"Sh*t, I didn't even get to see the damn show," admits Reginald Holmes, "due to the fact of my unforeseen and unscheduled incarceration. But my brother and his family said they watched it. On a brand new Zenith TV. Thirty-six inches too baby."
As fires raged and stores destroyed, one man came forth that day to calm the storm. On television he begged a torn nation to stop the violence and begin healing. His name was Rodney King. Ironically, on that same day, an all-white jury acquitted four LAPD officers---Stacy Koon, Laurence Powell, Theodore Briseno, and Timothy Wind---who had been videotaped delivering a brutal beating to King, an African American motorist. (Note: In this writer’s opinion, anyone with the last name 'Koon', watch with caution, especially if you are black.)
Today, reruns of "The Cosby Show" can be seen on Nick At Night. "Good Times" was recently added following the Michael Jackson unrest.
This is a Moment in Black History.
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou
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