Rodney King Dead at 47

[Faygo Kid]

Source: TMZ

Rodney King -- the man who was at the center of the infamous Los Angeles riots -- was found dead this morning in Rialito, CA. He was 47.

According to our sources, King's fiancée found him dead at the bottom of a pool.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they responded to a call at 5:25 AM PT. We're told they physically removed King from the pool and attempted CPR.

Our sources say he was pronounced dead at 6:11 AM.

Law enforcement sources say Rialto PD will open a drowning investigation.

King became famous in 1991 when he was the victim of police brutality at the hands of the LAPD. The officers involved in the incident were acquitted the following year and the announcement of the verdict led to the Los Angeles riots.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2012/06/17/rodney-king-dead/

---

[patrice]

1. VERY sad story.

[hlthe2b]

2. Sad end to an incredibly sad chapter in US history.... RIP

[freshwest]

7. +1.

[trumad]

3. Q the Racists.

[coalition_unwilling]

6. And members of the Fraternal Order of Police - n/t

[backscatter712]

46. What does the Venn diagram of these two groups look like?

Significant intersection?

[zbdent]

63. at least the one who was gleefully re-tazering King for "resisting arrest"

while writhing on the ground in pain from the previous tazerings ...

[JoeyT]

69. A circle. n/t

[Javaman]

73. KKK nt

[The Wizard]

4. LAPD

must be toasting each other for a job well done.

[coalition_unwilling]

8. Or toasting Daryl Gates - n/t

[bigworld]

5. I feel dirty just looking at that site. Here's a more legit source

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/17/us/obit-rodney-king/index.html

[BOG PERSON]

9. RIP

[choie]

10. jeesus, I just saw him

in an interview on CSPAN talking about his recent book. I thought he came off as a thoughtful guy. How terrible.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. How sad.

I had no idea he was so young.

[TheDebbieDee]

12. "Can't we all just.....get along." A very fitting epitaph, I think.

RIP, Mr. King.

[Myrina]

13. He was on Celebrity Rehab a few seasons back ...

.... trying mighty hard to beat the bottle. Toward the end of the show, even promised to turn his own house into a 'safe house' for recovering addicts. I think in a 'where are they now', he had fallen back off the wagon but was still doing (mostly) ok ...

My guess is that he fell even further off the wagon and accidentally into the pool.

Fuck addictive tendencies, they ruin so many people - directly or indirectly (speaking as a child of an alcoholic with strong addictive tendencies myself)!

[AngryOldDem]

16. They redid a house for him, as I recall

It seemed that of all the people on the show that season, he had the greatest attitude and hope for recovery. His daughters were extremely supportive, which is huge in fighting addition and in recovery.

Sometimes, the demons are just too much to conquer.

RIP, Mr. King.

[JI7]

58. i didn't watch this but from his other appearances and of course the famous

"can't we get along" line i thought he seemed like a really nice guy. a guy with personal troubles but he was still a good guy who wanted peace .

i am glad he was able to write the book that came out just this year to get his story out.

[alphafemale]

14. I always felt bad for him

People tried to make him a spokesman and he was not equipped for that.

And now roided up pigs beat people in a diabetic coma, pregnant women and autistic children. He was just the first.

[left coaster]

47. I agree that King was not equipped for it..

..beyond being the victim of racially motivated brutality, he himself had physically abused more than one woman in his life, including his own teen aged daughter..

[lunasun]

50. Unwilling symbol for racism & 5 hours of surgery after cop beating when

an arrest and conviction would have sufficed.
During his comments after the riot you could listen to him talk about the security cop shot and tell he did not want to be the symbol for all that destruction.

50+ deaths and so many injuries like the trucker Denny that was filmed too like King's beating.

The cops beat King so bad on filmand walked
then the people who beat Denny so bad on film got off and walked too, in an eye for eye justice that benefits no one but the very violent among us all. IMO

[alphafemale]

57. I remember the guy who laid himself down on Reginald Denny so people wouldn't beat him anymore.

If anyone deserves a badge of honor it's that guy.

[Blue_Tires]

76. King was nowhere near the first

The black community in L.A. had been complaining of these kinds of "extracurriculars" for decades, but there was never any proof, and it was always word-against-word...

King was just the first case to have honest-to-god, indisputable proof, and the jury still chose to ignore it...

[alphafemale]

80. The first case like that. That caught peoples attention.

I should have been more specific.

[Happydayz]

15. RIP Rodney King, gone too soon

I'm sure the racist are celebrating, especially those pigs who abused him.

[rateyes]

17. rip

And, shame on those who abused you and got away with it.

[Cooley Hurd]

18. Cross gently, Rodney...

[DesertFlower]

19. RIP. nt

[bluestateguy]

20. The 4 cops who brutalized him had 21 years to apologize

And they never did.

I hope today they are proud of themselves.

[Cooley Hurd]

21. You expect too much from pigs...

[Iggo]

22. Rodney!

[Dash87]

23. Why in the pool at 5:25 AM?

I wonder if he had a heart attack and fell in, or something like that. Or just tripped and fell.

[Cooley Hurd]

28. One thing this manner of death tells me...

...is that it's not correct to jump to conclusions. It could be a myriad of causes.

[ChazII]

37. That thought crossed my mind, too.

It is a great time, during the summer anyway, to go for a swim.

Rest in Peace, Mr. King.

[Meiko]

24. R.I.P.

Gods speed Mr. King. You are at peace now,

[bettydavis]

25. i had such a strong reaction to this when I read it...

I am actually shocked at how quickly the tears came. I was in college when the incident and subsequent riots took place. But it wasn't until the celeb rehab show that you got to see how genuinely sweet he seemed to be. But just with a bastard of a substance abuse problem. don't know how he died yet but at the bottom of a pool sounds tragic however it happened. There's an emptiness to the way this feels. Like a hopelessness. That if you treat people like dog shit their whole life, then their whole life turns into dog shit. We can wax on about hard work and opportunity and anyone can do anything and stop making excuses but most often if you're born into a shitty world, you stay there. And vice versa. No matter how nice or genuinely sweet you are. Whatever your failings. George Bush was a junkie and not nearly as nice and he became president. you can't fuck with destiny. All I can think is we HAVE TO FLOOD THE SCHOOLS with funding and teachers and chances. If a kid wants to be a doctor we should have them. From Kindergarten to Phd, paid for. I don't know why his death is making me think about all of this. Sorry to rant on....this suuuucks.

[Cooley Hurd]

30. What a great post! Welcome to DU, BD!

[shcrane71]

32. "That if you treat people like dog shit their whole life, then their whole life turns into dog shit.

Well said. Welcome to DU!

[bread_and_roses]

38. You said what I am thinking

and I too was surprised that reading the headline brought tears - it was as if the substance of your post blasted to the forefront of my brain from the depths where we usually push it just so we can get through the day and keep trying.

[hrmjustin]

43. Welcome to DU! May he rest in peace and rise in glory! n/t

[xiamiam]

44. nice post..welcome to du..nt

[nolabear]

49. It's a nice rant. And an excellent goal.

Welcome to DU.

[goclark]

56. I am reminded of my Post a few months ago~

Hope that CNN will run the Special again....

A must see ~ CNN SPECIAL on Rodney King, it may be on video now.....

A DAY FOREVER IN MY MEMORY by goclark

Our family moved to LA when I was a teen. At the time of the Riots I was living in the mid-west. My precious mother, she passed last year, was living in Los Angeles. I am African American.

Can you imagine the pain of seeing your city / your neighborhood burning to bits and you are miles away? Imagine the pain as your TV Screen flashed frustrated and out of control people burning homes/ businesses less than a mile from your house. I learned later that one business that was burned to a crisp was a Chinese Take Out Place that made you pay extra for the tiny package of soy sauce. One gas station that overcharged was burned to the ground. From what I heard after the Riots, the “considerate” business owners were spared.

I could hardly dial the phone to call my husband at work. He was working for a big White Owned company that had huge holdings in Los Angeles. They wanted him in LA immediately so they dashed us by limousine to the airport.

In flight they announced that we could not land in LA because of the situation - we had to land in San Diego. I called my mother from San Diego and she was crying ~ I called some neighbors to come and stay with her until we could get there ~ I was holding back the tears so she would not worry about me. I think we paid about $100 to get a Car Rental, there were only about 3 cars left.

The roads were blocked, no way out of San Diego, so we had to stay in a hotel ~ they were almost booked to capacity. I remember my husband slipping the guy at the desk $$$ to get the "last room." I didn't sleep at all that night. By then the power was off on my Mom's phone! At the break of dawn we were finally able to take the road. Traffic was moving like a snail, hundreds of cars, in both directions, were bumper to bumper.

I could not believe my eyes as we came to what may have been 15 miles closer to my "City of the Angels" --- nothing but smoke--- nothing but smoke---nothing but smoke. No cell phones, no cell phones those days.

It seemed like years but it was only hours when we pulled up in front of the house. There she was, sitting by the front window, waiting for me! I have no idea how long she must have been sitting in that chair. Tears are rushing down my face as I hit the letters on this keyboard. I don't ever remember hugging my Mom as tightly as I did that morning.

Can you imagine what it feels like to see POLICE with huge rifles pointing toward the bumper to bumper cars as they are stationed on the roof of the May Company on Crenshaw Blvd. less than a mile from your house?

Can you imagine what it feels like to see the Outstanding CNN presentation with Rodney King relieving his story ~ it is MUST SEE.

Just to view Rodney King say, "Can't We All Get Along?" is heart wrenching. His words then are just as meaningful in today’s Political Climate ~ "Can't We All Get Along?"

[UTUSN]

26. Gosh, he was only 47? n/t

[xxqqqzme]

31. He was only 21

when those cops beat the shit out him?

I guess I never knew he was that young.

[Cooley Hurd]

33. 26-27 yo

I'm the same age as him.

[tammywammy]

45. He was 25. n/t

[underseasurveyor]

27. A sad ending for dear Rodney

A tough and hard short life. I hope he is at peace.

[Gregorian]

29. That poor soul.

Even if some of it was self inflicted. I know.

[tawadi]

34. Just read this

'I saw all those apartments over there, so I said, 'I'm gonna stop right there,'" he said. "'If it goes down, somebody will see it.'

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/17/us/obit-rodney-king/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Hope they do a thorough investigation. Not trying to be a conspiracy theorist. King had a lot of enemies.

[MH1]

36. Wow, if someone ever says "racism is dead", show them the comments on that article.

What the HELL is wrong with people???

[tawadi]

40. Yep

The only difference between King's case an thousands of others is the video (and the aftermath, of course).

[marasinghe]

81. caught the news on Yahoo!. the racist venom feeding off Mr. King's death was disgusting.

Yahoo! scrubbed my post, calling the swine on their depraved ravings.



at least, Rodney gets some Peace, at last; poor guy.

[Odin2005]

35. :-(

Seeing the riots on the news was one of my earliest memories.

RIP, Mr. King.

[lunatica]

39. This is just so sad

[bigwillq]

41. RIP, Mr. King (nt)

[steve2470]

42. So very very sad ! RIP Rodney nt

[nolabear]

48. Cross easy, Mr. King. He seemed like a genuinely good man.

[Rhiannon12866]

51. Holy ****! How awful!

Just saw him when he made the round of interviews when they marked the anniversary of the L.A. riots and he looked good and sounded just fine. Godspeed, Mr. King. You left us much too soon.

[yardwork]

52. This is very sad.

[me b zola]

53. Be at peace, Rodney

[Ken Burch]

54. Rodney King was a great example of someone who grew through suffering

Who used his pain to become a better person.

In his memory, I'd like to dedicate these lines from the old traditional tune "The Hobo's Lullaby":

"Oh, the police caused you trouble,
They cause trouble everywhere.
But, when you get up to Heaven,
They'll be no policemen there.

[Ken Burch]

55. I hope they do an autopsy.

It's possible this could have been a cerebral hemorrhage caused by the what the cops did to him all those years ago. Perhaps they damaged some blood vessels that just now opened.

[harun]

74. They are. Heard it on the radio this morning.

[cstanleytech]

77. Could be that sure or it could be he had a heartattack or

any number of reasons from as simple as slipping and hitting his head to drowning due to being to intoxicated to swim.

[Kalidurga]

82. That was my first thought after the shock sort of wore off...

If an autopsy reveals it was a hemorrhage and it can be tied to his being beaten by cops, I hope they bring murder charges against them.

[myrna minx]

59. Rest in peace.

[ailsagirl]

60. Very sad.

Only 47 years old.

[Ruby the Liberal]

61. RIP, Rodney.

[underpants]

62. A remakable story and an end

RIP.

[tabasco]

64. Not an entirely sad story

It seems to me that King became a real believer in love and forgiveness and used the last part of his life to spread the word.

[hrmjustin]

65. You should see the vile stuff they said at freerepublic about him.

He always said he was no angel, but the man had an injustice done to him that he did not ask for. Rest his soul Lord!

[marble falls]

66. He seemed a gentle man who was truely interested all people......

Can't we all live together, can't we all just get along?

I am sad for his family.

[U4ikLefty]

67. Hal Fishman on Channel 5 in L.A.,, I remember crying & screaming while watching it

That poor dude trying to cover his face with a shit load of cops beating his ass.

I'm sorry he had to live through that trauma & I'm sorry that he's gone...47 is way too young.

RIP Rodney

[fortyfeetunder]

68. A tragic ending

I think the poor guy's life ended with that beating, for he was never the same. But now he will not suffer any more. RIP Mr. King.

[kdmorris]

71. That's really sad

He was so young! RIP Mr. King

[KurtNYC]

72. It has brought back a lot of sadness for me too

I lived in LA at the time. The riots changed a lot of people's lives, sure changed mine.

[Javaman]

75. RIP Mr. King...

An average guy with a history of problems thrust into the spotlight via racist pig cops. I have paid attention to Mr. Kings life since that fateful day. On top of his beating at the hands of those bastards, everything in his life compounded by the media, his struggle with substance abuse and trying to straighten out his life. Everyone is dealt a certain hand in life, but it seems as if someone took away some of his cards. So he seemed to always be playing catch up. I have such deep empathy for this man and his struggles. I certainly hope he's in a better place now.

I will remember that day for as long as I live.

I was working on a film crew in Antelope Valley North of L.A. when the verdict came in. Everyone on the set was completely shocked. No one could believe it. Later that day, we saw the smoke rising from Los Angeles.

By that evening a curfew was instituted.

They called the shoot early due to the rioting. By the time I got home, (North Hollywood), the air in the valley was thick with smoke coming over the hill.

I remember seeing humvees driving down Magnolia st. No one stopped me.

The next day, I had to drive down to Santa Monica and Western Ave. Just north of the worst of the rioting.

I recall driving past strip malls and people smashing glass and taking any and all things. I saw guys patrolling the tops of their stores with guns. I recall seeing bands of people drifting across Santa Monica Blvd eying me suspiciously. I saw national guard dismount at the intersection in front of a Sears that had been complete ransacked and form perimeter with their rifles drawn. I remember being waved into a parking lot, were I was heading, by a guy with a pistol.

All of that could have been avoided. If those bastard cops had chose common sense over racism.

[HughBeaumont]

78. RIP, Rodney.

Even in death, Rodney's life proves racism still reigns supreme in AmeriKKKa.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/rodney-king-dead-swimming-pool-160339712.html

[goclark]

79. "Can't We All Get Along?" ~ Will stick in my heart

Same stuff now
Same stuff now.