ABSTRACT
It seemed utterly spontaneous. On April 29, 1992, the Simi Valley jury announced its verdicts, and minutes later Los Angeles was “out of control.” But of course it didn't all begin at that moment. It didn't even begin in March of 1991, when Rodney King was savagely clubbed by the LAPD, as George Holliday videotaped the beating from his apartment. The body being beaten like a drum had a long history, and the rhythm of the blows was all too familiar, even if the soundtrack was silent on the repeated national broadcasts.
