The Rodney King case was so influential in American society because it was supposed to be simple. It was the first time there was video evidence of police brutality and it was incredibly difficult to watch. It should have been enough to convict any of the four officers caught on camera, but instead the public was told that their eyes were playing tricks on them and no one was punished. It was yet another reminder to black people that their lives had no value, and many people took great offense to it. More than a dozen police officers witnessed King's skull fracture, bones broken and teeth knocked in for fifteen minutes. As a result of the incident, with the help of modern technology, people have started recording police officers when they use excessive force. There is a public outcry when someone is killed by the police, and there has been increased pressure on the criminal justice system to do the right thing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Rodney King was a black male who led a high-speed chase with police along the 210 Freeway in Los Angeles in March of 1991. Once caught, the police pulled King out of his car and began to brutally beat and torture him, without knowing the gravity of what they had just gotten themselves into. King's beating was captured on tape by George Holliday, one of the residents of the Los Angeles neighborhood. Millions of people watched and begged for justice while others kept their mouths shut. The four police officers, Sgt. Stacey Koon, Officer Laurence Powell, Officer Timothy Wind and Officer Theodore Briseno were arrested days later for excessive force and assault with a deadly weapon. The trial was originally supposed to take place, and community reaction made it nearly impossible for a Los Angeles County jury to enter a white, very affluent area on the outskirts of Los Angeles, in Simi Valley. The four officers occurred in Los Angeles, but because a California state court ruled that political fallout unfairly decided the case. The trial moved from Los Angeles to plead mostly not guilty to the beating of Rodney King after being arraigned on all charges just days after the incident. The officers were later acquitted by a nearly all-white jury. This trial sparked controversy that cost the city of Los Angeles millions of taxpayer dollars. That controversy would be what is known as the LA Riots. Once word spread that the officers had been acquitted, protesters immediately took to the streets and continued to grow by the thousands. In less than two hours, protesters covered more than three blocks, demanding justice. Ultimately, dozens of neighborhoods in South and Central Los Angeles went up in flames as rioters set buildings on fire, broke windows, looted stores, killed people, and more. By the end of the day, California Governor Pete Wilson had declared a state of emergency and ordered the activation of National Guard reserve soldiers. A state of emergency is a situation of national danger or disaster in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures to regain control (Oxford Dictionary). These riots continued for almost a week resulting in over hundreds of buildings burned, thousands injured and over 60 dead. Although many people believe that the riots were caused solely by the king's verdict, in reality.