# The King is dead. (Rodney King dead at 47) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 17, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434 "2012-06-17T16:27:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434/101 "2012-06-18T17:34:50Z")
Trivia item: Steve Lerman, King’s attorney, was the son of actor [B.S. Pully](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0700425/), best known as Big Jule from 1955’s “Guys and Dolls.” ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434/102 "2012-06-18T17:40:26Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > But still, something else would have triggered the riots anyway. What does that mean? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434/103 "2012-06-18T17:43:52Z")
Just guessing, but maybe Slithy is suggesting that conditions were so bad that even without the King incident, something would sooner or later have sparked a riot. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434/104 "2012-06-18T17:45:38Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > What does that mean? Riots in LA are like the Cicadias. They just happen every 17 years or so. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434/105 "2012-06-18T18:32:20Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Riots in LA are like the Cicadias. They just happen every 17 years or so. Whatever you do, don’t wear a zootsuit! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434/106 "2012-06-18T18:48:21Z")
Bismark’s “some damn thing in the Balkans” remark was equally applicable to South Central. Years and years earlier, LAPD Chief Parker had decided that the way to keep NYC and Chicago style police corruption out of L A was to have as small as possible police force. Cars, motorcycles and radios would make up the difference, and a large intelligence division (that rivaled the FBI’s). Parker inculated an aggressive response mentality among his cops, similar to the Marines’ vs the army. Also part of LA culture was hostility to Blacks. They were largely redlined out until the war industries required their manpower. Even after, no accommodation was made: the nearest hospital to Watts was over an hour’s drive when the 1965 riot happened. By the 1990, the resentment over aggressive policing was again at it’s height. And the new technology was personal VCR cameras. Rodney King wasn’t the first beating caught on tape. Everybody hated the cops, a lot of people hated LA in general. A big angry city went off. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434/107 "2012-06-18T20:43:35Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > So should they add a “Four fouls and you’re out” law? I don’t know much about sports, so it’s hard for me to say which catchy sports term our laws should be based on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-king-is-dead-rodney-king-dead-at-47/625434.md?page=5)