Topics: Rodney King, Boyz II Men / Jodeci, Boyz In the Hood, Roc - Sitcom (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

1991 General Snapshots

1.    President: George H. W. Bush

2.    January - Gulf War: The Congress of the United States passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. 5 days later, Operation Desert Storm begins with airstrikes against Iraq.

3.    January - Whitney Houstondelivers her now legendary rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner"

4.    February - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated".

5.    February - Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live.

6.    March - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles, California police officers.

7.    July - Boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with raping Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, Indiana.

8.    July - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of eleven men and boys are found in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin apartment. Police soon find out that he is involved in six more murders.

9.    August - Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show the first three to air.

10.    August - The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is first released in the United States.

11.    October - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleges that Thomas sexually harassed her while she worked for him.

12.    October - Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (she would leave the show after the next season). Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx.

13.    November - Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV, effectively ending his NBA career.

14.    November - Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies from AIDS at 45 years old, one day after making his diagnosis public.

15.    December - The Cold War ends as President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev resigns and the Soviet Union dissolves.

16.    Open Comments

17.    Top 3 Pop Songs

18.    #1 - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", Bryan Adams

19.    #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd

20.    #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory

21.    Record of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole

22.    Album of the Year: Unforgettable... with Love performed by Natalie Cole

23.    Song of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole

24.    Best New Artist: Marc Cohn

25.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Lisa Fischer for "How Can I Ease the Pain" & Patti LaBelle for "Burnin'"

26.    Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Luther Vandross for Power of Love

27.    Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "Cooleyhighharmony"

28.    Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Power of Love/Love Power" performed by Luther Vandross

29.    Best Rap Solo Performance: LL Cool J for "Mama Said Knock You Out"

30.    Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Summertime"

31.    Top 3 Movies

32.    #1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day    

33.    #2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

34.    #3. Beauty and the Beast

35.    Notables: The Silence of the Lambs, New Jack City, The Five Heartbeats, A Rage in Harlem, Thelma & Louise, Jungle Fever, Point Break, and House Party 2

36.    Top 3 TV Shows

37.    #1 60 Minutes

38.    #2 Roseanne

39.    #3 Murphy Brown

40.    Mea Culpa: Family Matters originated 9/22/1989 on ABC

41.    Notables: The Party Machine with Nia Peeples, The Jerry Springer Show, The Montel Williams Show, Hammerman, & Roc.

42.    Economic Snapshots

43.    Avg. Income: 29.9k (29K)

44.    New Home: 120k (previously 123K)

45.    Avg Rent: 495 (465)

46.    New Car: 16.8k (16K)

47.    Harvard: 14.5k (13.5k)

48.    Movie Ticket: 4.25 (3.50)

49.    Gas: 1.12 (1.34)

50.    Stamp: .25 (.25)

51.    Social Scene: Police Beating of Rodney King

52.    Early Life: Rodney King (@ 26 yrs. old), born in Sacramento, CA, was an American taxi driver who is best known for the 1991 police beatings and the 1992 riots as a result of the officers’ trial.

53.    Prior Record: In 1987, he pleaded no contest to a charge of battery. In 1989, King was imprisoned for robbery after robbing a store; he served one year of a two-year sentence.

54.    1991 Arrest: Rodney King attempted to outrun a police patrol car in March 1991. King had been drinking and feared he would be over the limit, driving under the influence charge would have seen King return to jail. King refused to pull over for the police and a high-speed chase ensued. Eventually, King was cornered, and he and the other occupants of the car were ordered to leave the vehicle and lie face down on the ground. King refused and was forcibly removed from the car. While on the ground the police beat and abused the three men. The Los Angeles Police Department then arrived on the scene; the original officers on the scene had been highway patrol. Rodney King resisted arrest and was tasered. King was then viciously beaten repeatedly while on the ground by police wielding batons. King continually attempted to stand up only to be met with a further hail of baton blows from the four police officers. King suffered from thirty-three baton blows and six kicks before having his arms and legs cuffed. Eight officers were involved in his arrest. George Halliday, a man who lived near the sight of the arrest, had filmed the arrest from the time that King was tasered. Halliday contacted the LAPD about his videotape, but the police department showed no interest in the footage. Halliday next presented the footage to a local TV station which aired the footage. It caused a sensation across the media. The footage made Rodney King’s arrest a lightning rod for a more comprehensive discussion about police brutality against minorities.

55.    Legal Proceedings: Rodney King had suffered facial fractures, lacerations and a broken ankle from his arrest. The city awarded King damages amounting to 3.8 million dollars as well as covering his legal costs which totaled to close to two million dollars. He was also not charged with drink driving or evading arrest due to the time between the incident and the start of legal proceedings. Four LAPD officers were charged with using excessive force. The legal case against the officers was mired in controversy from the start as the initial judge, Bernard Kamins was removed, and the trial received a change of venue. Warren Christopher also began a commission to investigate accusations of police discrimination. Three of the officers charged were acquitted, and the fourth faced a no verdict. The court’s decision shocked the nation. The mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, and the President of the United States of America, George Bush, both declared they could not understand the verdict and condemned the officers involved. Many African Americans considered the trial a whitewash and were incensed. Following the 1992 Riots, the officers were tried in a federal court, and two were found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison.

56.    Rodney King Riots: Following the court's verdict and the release of the officers, widespread civil unrest erupted in North America. The worst of the rioting was confined to LA, but Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta and even Toronto in Canada experienced violence. The 1992 LA Riots became known as the Rodney King Riots due to their link to the court case. King appeared on TV during the riots to appeal for calm. Before the verdict was announced the police, force had been expecting trouble, money for overtime and a delay in the reading of the verdict were granted to give police time to prepare. Rioting started at a liquor store in Normandie. LAPD officers attempted to make an arrest a hostile crowd surrounded them and forced them to retreat. TV coverage of the violence encouraged more people to take to the streets, and the police communications proved wholly inadequate to deal with the spread of the violence. The rioters began destroying property and attacking people going about their business. Over a thousand firearms were looted, and some fires were started as night set in. The riots spread throughout the city and emergency workers came under gunfire as they attempted to tackle the fires and help the wounded. A curfew was declared, and the National Guard began deploying. Despite this