UCLA Prof. of Sociology Darnell Hunt Looks Back on the LA Riots

Part two of a three part series on the 20th anniversary of the LA Riots.

Twenty years ago, UCLA Professor of Sociology Darnell Hunt was pursuing his graduate studies at UCLA when one of the worst riots in American history occurred.

This month marks the 20th anniversary of the "Los Angeles Riots" which were sparked after four white Los Angeles Police Department officers were acquitted in the brutal beating of Rodney King.

Fires, looting, crime and attacks occurred with one standing out more than any other; the brutal beating of white truck driver Reginald Denny.

The issues of race brought on by King and Denny's beatings and the news media's lack of understanding about the riots fell right in line with Hunt's dissertation on the topics. His deep interest of the LA Riots and all its underlying causes sans Rodney King resulted in the 1996 book, “Screening the Los Angeles 'Riots': Race, Seeing, and Resistance."

In the video above, Hunt talks about Los Angeles then and now and what if any effects are still seen from the riots today.

Click Here to Watch Part III