(1 / 2)

The New York Times and CBS News conducted a poll after the riots:

"Most Americans view the riots in Los Angeles as a "warning" about the state of race relations, and say it is time for a new emphasis on the problems of minorities and the cities, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.

"The new survey, conducted Wednesday through Friday [May 6-8, 1992], found the public in a shaken, worried mood, more likely to see the unrest as a symptom of festering social needs than as a simple issue of law and order. Majorities of both whites and blacks said investing in jobs and job training programs was a better way of preventing future turmoil than strengthening the police forces.

"A strong majority of the respondents, 61 percent, said the nation was spending "too little" on improving the conditions of black Americans, up from 35 percent who expressed that view in 1988. And 63 percent said the Federal Government was not paying enough attention to the needs and problems of minorities, a striking increase from the 34 percent who felt that way four years ago."

I just wrote this response to another question in this sub about other protests around the country that coincided with the L.A. Riots. Many of those protests were led by white college students, including some at UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Harvard, and elsewhere. There were also demonstrations in many cities, by protestors of multiple races.

At the University of California in San Francisco, a moderated forum was held, which was made up of an audience of students estimated to be 70% white, 25% black, and 5% Asian. When asked "How many people are mad" at the verdict, "virtually the entire audience...raised their hands".

Some of the students who spoke during the forum are quoted as saying:

"I don't condone the violence, but I think those people felt it was the only way to be heard."

And:

"I thought I was going to explode yesterday. It goes a lot deeper than Rodney King. When you're backed up against the wall and feel you have no stake in the world, your actions aren't very rational."

And:

"This reminds me of Iran. I hate to see this happen to this great country."

And:

"People don't listen to you when you speak nicely...Out of this violence, maybe there will be some consolidation for change."

And:

"Four cops caused all this."

And:

"People in Central L.A., all they've seen all their lives is violence. So that's what they give back."

Several other students gave statements more generally condemning the verdict, such as:

"The myth is destroyed—amd the myth is there's democracy here and there's justice here."

And:

"I'm mad at people on the jury who can see the brutality and say racism had nothing to do with it."

And:

"I'm scared. I consider Rodney King my brother. That could have been me out there."

In Ohio, the student newspaper of Kent State University, the Kent Stater, ran an editorial which read in part:

"By all means, we cannot condone what went on last week. Gratuitous violence, murder, and property damage, on any scale, especially one so grand, is reprehensible.

"But while we may condemn such violence, we should not close our minds to it. American society must strive to understand where the rage is coming from and seek to quell it...[The riots] were based on a powderkeg that had been building up for years.

"Since Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it's been easy for 'Mainstream America' to assume that the problems of racial unrest have been taken care of. It's been easy to ignore the problems associated with minorities in this country.

"But the assumption that legislation has ended racial discrimination and other kinds of discrimination in this country is wrong. The war for civil rights is not over. Some battles, maybe. Not the war.

"It's been said that the looters in LA didn’t care about Rodney King. It's been said they were only interested in the 100 percent discount they could receive on the merchandise. But this statement certainly does not speak for all the looters and all the rock throwers and all the killers. Some of them may have seen this as one of the battles in this long, long war. Some of them may have seen it as a revolution. Some of them may have just been angry and outraged.

"This does not mean they were right. Anyone who lifted a rock or a dress was wrong. Period.

"But we have to see that this was more than a reaction to the Rodney King verdict. This was a reaction to the repression and prejudice our society dishes out on a daily basis. And, until American society acts to end its racial strife, we may see more of the same in the future."

The Concordiensis, the student newspaper of Union College in Schenectady, New York, printed a letter-to-the-editor from a non-black reader which read in part:

"The riots that have taken place in the last few days are in response not only to the verdict in the trial concerning the beating of Rodney King, but more importantly to the deep seeded inequities in our country...

"I would like Union students to ask themselves; what did I do to deserve the upbringing I received? What did the children living in South Central Los Angeles do to deserve the upbringing they received? As far as I am concerned the answer is nothing. These inequities are a product of our nation's history of racism. We may have made some changes on the books, however the real problem still exists. Take some time to think about what it would be like to be an African-American in this country, or even this school...

"The pangs of racism and discrimination may not seem so real or pertinent to the average white person, but from the terrifying violence taking place right now I would be that they are quite real for the average black person. The leaders, the future leaders, and the ordinary citizens of this country need to take a long hard look at these problems, and then make some concrete changes to rectify them.

A white Australian columnist said the riots should come "as no surprise" because "obvious lessons...were ignored" after the Watts Riots of 1965, with economic disparity only increasing since then:

"There is no denying that criminal elements in the black community took the opportunity to kill, burn and loot, but other blacks were expressing their frustration at life in decaying inner-city areas where unemployment is extremely high, public services are grossly inadequate and crime is rampant. On top of this they cannot trust the people charged with protecting them—the police."

The white conservative columnists Robert Novak and Rowland Evans co-wrote an opinion piece where they claimed the verdict was "greeted by shocked disapprobation even from conservative Republicans". They then blamed the riots on L.A. gangs, and criticized Jesse Jackson and his political allies for downplaying this:

"Systematic burning was engineered by the city's pernicious gangs, who suspended their vicious civil war to unite en masse in arson. Football great Jim Brown, who has close relations with the gangs, correctly says they are a mystery to black politicians. But to believe that the riots were politically inspired, it is necessary to accept Brown's dubious prmise that the gangs have a programmatic agenda. Targeting Korean shop owners smacks more of racism than program.

"The looters who followed were even less political. Families of all colors who streamed into stores confirmed Professor Edward Banfield's judgment in the '60s that rioters were after 'fun and profit.'...

"The descent into anarchy seemed to puzzle Rep. Maxine Waters, a [Jesse] Jackson ally whose congressional district was ravaged...Waters promptly took exception to Mayor Bradley's verdict that the rioters were 'criminals' and 'gangsters.' Waters insisted on calling their handiwork 'an insurrection.'...

"The city's sick economy faces thousands more jobs lost and investment discouraged in the inner city. The gangs are stronger than ever, race relations more poisonous. In response, black leaders call the riots a 'wake-up call' and push more money for government programs that don't work. This is the wrong lesson of the Los Angeles tragedy."