This wasn’t the episode I had originally planned. That will happen in two weeks. This is a throwback episode from an earlier incarnation of The Gen-Xer Pod. “The Los Angeles Riots” was originally done back in 2022 for the 30th anniversary of the event. As we are approaching that date, April 29, 1992, I felt this was a good episode to launch this on.
As to the reason there is a throwback episode, during the last week, some things happened that were positive. I know, that’s kind of crazy. A listener donated to help get my internet back up and running, as well as covering the month of May. This got me to do a page one rewrite of the upcoming episode. So, for the next two weeks, there will be throwback episodes rather than silence.
I was 18 when the riots happened. Just completing my first year of college when the verdicts in the Rodney King trial came out. I was sitting in a local barber shop, where they had their television on a local news station. Once they went to announce, everyone grew quiet. Barbers stopped cutting. Customers, in the chairs and waiting, turned their attention to the television.
Shownotes for “The Los Angeles Riots”:
1992 Los Angeles Riots – Wikipedia
LA Riots – Rodney King Incident – Wikipedia
LA Riots – Ethnic Tensions – Wikipedia
Watts Riots – Wikipedia
Once the final “not guilty” verdict was read, everyone sat in silence for a moment. This was a Mexican barber shop. To be honest, tension between the Mexican and black community was tense. Even after this moment, many shook their heads and went back to work. After I got my haircut, my barber leaned over and told me to go straight home.
Shit got real that night. Businesses closed before dusk. A curfew was put in place and the South-Central area of Los Angeles was lit up. This isn’t a deep dive into the event, but this inspired me to do so. Maybe I’ll have it ready for next year. For now, enjoy The Gen-Xer Pod: The Los Angeles Riots.