# The Rodney King beating: what should have done instead? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 19, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637 "2012-06-19T13:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/161 "2012-06-21T20:23:36Z")
Well, if prison-based reality shows are any guide (and I find in 90% of my interpersonal encounters that they can be), the standard approach is a well-trained and well-armored SORT team to swarm the uncooperative individual, with a pre-swarm briefing along the lines of “Officer Jones will restrain the prisoner’s left arm. Officer Smith will restrain the prisoner’s left leg etc.” so that each participating officer has a specific goal and they don’t get in each other’s way. So… _if_ the LAPD officers on the scene had their riot gear handy, and Koon (I presume the ranking officer on scene) had approached this as an prison-cell takedown _and_ they had the benefit of the 20 years’ worth of hindsight that we so smugly enjoy… Well, who the hell knows? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/162 "2012-06-21T20:31:51Z")
I suppose they could have always shot him in the knee with an arrow, but then he’s have always been complaining about that (until recently of course)… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/163 "2012-06-21T20:41:44Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Well, if prison-based reality shows are any guide (and I find in 90% of my interpersonal encounters that they can be), the standard approach is a well-trained and well-armored SORT team to swarm the uncooperative individual, with a pre-swarm briefing along the lines of “Officer Jones will restrain the prisoner’s left arm. Officer Smith will restrain the prisoner’s left leg etc.” so that each participating officer has a specific goal and they don’t get in each other’s way. Not a lot of reality but that part’s true. You actually do assign people to grab specific limbs. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/164 "2012-06-21T21:15:37Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Not to mention that Shodan’s claim that the other passengers weren’t beaten isn’t supported by the facts but simply a myth put forward by supporters of the racist cops. Freddie Phelps and Bryant Allen both claim they were kicked and beaten, though not as severely as their friend King and they successfully sued for damages. > > [http://www.disinfo.com/2012/06/rodney-king-wasnt-the-only-one-beaten/](http://www.disinfo.com/2012/06/rodney-king-wasnt-the-only-one-beaten/) I sit corrected, then. Of course, we don’t have nearly the same amount of evidence as we do of the King beating, so maybe it is not as conclusive as you (and, to be fair, I) might otherwise think. > [@](#): > > I will concede that if Shodan doesn’t think police officers referring to King as a “gorilla” or accusing King of threatening “a Mandingo sexual encounter” is enough to suggest they were guilty of racism then I don’t see what the point of continuing the argument as to whether or not the beating was at least partly motivated by racism since if using racial slurs isn’t strong enough evidence for him I’m not sure what is. No, not exactly. My scenario is a violent thug who is beaten somewhat worse than necessary in course of arresting him. Are you saying they would have stopped beating him sooner if he were white, and violently resisting arrest, and mooning the officers, etc.? Go back to the question of the OP. Assume, for the sake of the discussion, that they were as racist as you claim. Are you agreeing that most of the baton strikes were justified, but the last few were not, or would they simply not have beaten a white criminal who was drunk, violently resisting arrest, etc.? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/165 "2012-06-21T21:45:12Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I sit corrected, then. Of course, we don’t have nearly the same amount of evidence as we do of the King beating, so maybe it is not as conclusive as you (and, to be fair, I) might otherwise think. The City of Los Angelos disagrees. They admitted guilt and settled out of court. BTW, you keep claiming that King was “mooning” the police officers? Where do you get that? He made a sexually suggestive motion at CHP officer Melanie Singer which didn’t bother her or her husband, the other CHP officer on the scene, who both testified against Koon and his pet goon squad, but that’s hardly the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/166 "2012-06-21T21:55:50Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > BTW, you keep claiming that King was “mooning” the police officers? > > Where do you get that? That’s not what Shodan is claiming. He’s describing a hypothetical white motorist who would have behaved in a sexually crude manner comparable to King. Since race wouldn’t be an issue, the white motorist would have to do something non-Mandingish, i.e. mooning - crude and immature behaviour that might provoke a comparable beat-down. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/167 "2012-06-21T22:11:00Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > That’s not what Shodan is claiming. He’s describing a hypothetical white motorist who would have behaved in a sexually crude manner comparable to King. Since race wouldn’t be an issue, the white motorist would have to do something non-Mandingish, i.e. mooning - crude and immature behaviour that might provoke a comparable beat-down. What do you mean “non-Mandingish”? For that matter what is “Mandingish” behavior? Are you trying to argue that Koon and Powell weren’t racists? If so, please explain, because to me people who babble on about being upset about “Mandingo sexual encounters” and claim that an encounter with blacks was “like gorillas in the mist” are pretty obviously racists. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/168 "2012-06-21T22:19:32Z")
I just felt like using “Mandingish” in a sentence. The opportunities are so rare. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/169 "2012-06-21T22:24:12Z")
Mandingoish. Not Mandingish. Racist. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/170 "2012-06-22T13:46:36Z")
It’s Mandingesque. Philistine. ---
**Author:** ![enomaj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/59ef9b/32.png) [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/171 "2012-06-22T15:24:16Z")
Black guy here. It’s Mandingonian. ---
**Author:** ![Docta\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Docta\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Docta_G)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/172 "2012-06-22T17:24:35Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > The recent death of Rodney King has revived discussion of the police-administered beating that made him famous 20+ years ago. > > I can’t seem to find it now, but around the time of the trial in which the involved officers were acquitted, I remember seeing a moment-by-moment narration of the entire beating video, highlighting King’s repeated attempts to get to his feet, instead of laying down and putting his hands behind his head, all of this happening after King had thrown off all of the cops during an initial attempt to cuff him; in fact, the beatdown finally ends when King stops trying to get up and actually does place his hands behind his head. The jury in the original trial apparently agreed with this interpretation of events, and acquitted the officers. > > So here’s the debate: > Given Rodney King’s substantial physical strength and his demonstrated intent to resist arrest, what, if anything, should the arresting officers have done differently that night? I’m especially curious to hear input from current or former police officers. I.e., that n\*\*\*\*\*\* deserved it. God Bless America. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/173 "2012-06-22T17:26:23Z")
> [@Docta\_G](#): > > I.e., that n\*\*\*\*\*\* deserved it. God Bless America. With attitudes like that, who needs the courts? Just let The Man fuck 'em over a little. ---
**Author:** ![Docta\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Docta\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Docta_G)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/174 "2012-06-22T17:28:47Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > With attitudes like that, who needs the courts? Just let The Man fuck 'em over a little. Irony, My Good White Man. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/175 "2012-06-22T17:31:35Z")
> [@enomaj](#): > > Black guy here. Run away! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/176 "2012-06-22T17:32:14Z")
> [@Docta\_G](#): > > I.e., that n\*\*\*\*\*\* deserved it. God Bless America. If for some reason you feel you just have to say this kind of thing without any supporting evidence in the post you’re responding to, do it in The BBQ Pit, not here. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/177 "2012-06-22T17:34:28Z")
People misunderstood what the cops were saying. They were actually trying to claim that man was beaten by a dingo. ---
**Author:** ![Docta\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Docta\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Docta_G)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/178 "2012-06-22T17:37:13Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > If for some reason you feel you just have to say this kind of thing without any supporting evidence in the post you’re responding to, do it in The BBQ Pit, not here. I was being ironic, and said so. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/179 "2012-06-22T17:43:27Z")
> [@Docta\_G](#): > > I.e., that n\*\*\*\*\*\* deserved it. God Bless America. I’m fairly certain that those aren’t “other words” for what Machine Elf was saying. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637/180 "2012-06-22T17:45:03Z")
> [@Docta\_G](#): > > I was being ironic, and said so. I understood your comment and I am telling you it’s inappropriate for this forum. Your paraphrase of the post was obnoxious and inflammatory. You can act that way in the Pit, but not in a thread that’s supposed to be a serious debate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rodney-king-beating-what-should-have-done-instead/625637.md?page=10)