Thirty Years Ago Today: the LA Riots

[garrow]

How LA Is Marking 30 Years Since the LA Riots – NBC Los Angeles

 

[MileHigh]

Was still living in SoCal at the time when it happened. It was a Wednesday and the not guilty verdicts were just so astonishing, even to this day, and in an instant, everything blew up. I was a month from graduating college, two months into dating who would be my future (and now ex-) wife.

And there was some rioting/looting where I was at (60 miles east of L.A.). A week from hell.

 

[TigerVols]

Day two was one of the most memorable days of my life...I worked at the corner of Bundy and Wilshire and lived off Blue Jay Way in the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Plaza...driving home right at 5, the curfew was in full effect and no one was on the road (I had an LAPD Press Pass, so I didn't care!) and I hit 120 miles per hour in my brand new Alfa Romeo 164LS down the center turn lane through Westwood on Wilshire...because there was zero traffic and I figured there was no chance in hell a cop would be giving out speeding tickets while the city was burning.

Made it home and spent the evening in the hot tub with a lady friend, while we watched the fires sparking in K-town, Hollywood, and down towards Compton. It was absolutely surreal and something completely out of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie.

 

[heyabbott]

Riots? free alcohol and TVs was more like it

 

[MileHigh]

Riots? free alcohol and TVs was more like it

Oh? You were there?

 

[Regan MacNeil]

MileHigh's response made absolutely no sense.

Until it did.

 

[Songbird]

I was covering an early season prep baseball game when I heard some parents talking about it.

It was spring break and some of the baseball players went off to party. The coach was pretty pissed.

 

[User 4332]

Obligatory listen. Also, it's always amused me they got the date wrong.

 

[goalmouth]

Day two was one of the most memorable days of my life...I worked at the corner of Bundy and Wilshire and lived off Blue Jay Way in the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Plaza...driving home right at 5, the curfew was in full effect and no one was on the road (I had an LAPD Press Pass, so I didn't care!) and I hit 120 miles per hour in my brand new Alfa Romeo 164LS down the center turn lane through Westwood on Wilshire...because there was zero traffic and I figured there was no chance in hell a cop would be giving out speeding tickets while the city was burning.

Made it home and spent the evening in the hot tub with a lady friend, while we watched the fires sparking in K-town, Hollywood, and down towards Compton. It was absolutely surreal and something completely out of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie.

"But why oh why are they burning their own city?" he wondered stupidly (but for a fleeting moment), his heel driven into the Alfa's accelerator by an urgent tumescence and a looming date with Destiny in the hot tub.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Day two was one of the most memorable days of my life...I worked at the corner of Bundy and Wilshire and lived off Blue Jay Way in the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Plaza...driving home right at 5, the curfew was in full effect and no one was on the road (I had an LAPD Press Pass, so I didn't care!) and I hit 120 miles per hour in my brand new Alfa Romeo 164LS down the center turn lane through Westwood on Wilshire...because there was zero traffic and I figured there was no chance in hell a cop would be giving out speeding tickets while the city was burning.

Made it home and spent the evening in the hot tub with a lady friend, while we watched the fires sparking in K-town, Hollywood, and down towards Compton. It was absolutely surreal and something completely out of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie.

Satisfaction oozed from your pores.

 

[BTExpress]

Day two was one of the most memorable days of my life...I worked at the corner of Bundy and Wilshire and lived off Blue Jay Way in the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Plaza...driving home right at 5, the curfew was in full effect and no one was on the road (I had an LAPD Press Pass, so I didn't care!) and I hit 120 miles per hour in my brand new Alfa Romeo 164LS down the center turn lane through Westwood on Wilshire...because there was zero traffic and I figured there was no chance in hell a cop would be giving out speeding tickets while the city was burning.

Made it home and spent the evening in the hot tub with a lady friend, while we watched the fires sparking in K-town, Hollywood, and down towards Compton. It was absolutely surreal and something completely out of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie.

Was this your house?

1525 Blue Jay Way, Los Angeles, CA 90069 - 4 beds/5.5 baths

 

[ChrisLong]

I was covering the Clippers-Jazz playoff series. Flying back from Utah after Game 2, looked out the window at L.A. and wondered what I was coming back to. IIRC, the Sports Arena was in the danger zone. They moved Game 3 to the Forum, which was close to the danger zone. Then they moved Game 4 to the Anaheim Convention Center, definitely not in the danger zone (it's across the street from Disneyland). Clippers won both and they went back to Salt Lake City for the deciding Game 5.

 

[TigerVols]

Was this your house?

1525 Blue Jay Way, Los Angeles, CA 90069 - 4 beds/5.5 baths

Hey no outing! LOL.

 

[Driftwood]

I've mentioned this before, but I'll do it again. I've never been to California. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around all these places I've heard about all my life being tucked away into such a small area, not only that, but they are completely different entities.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Day two was one of the most memorable days of my life...I worked at the corner of Bundy and Wilshire and lived off Blue Jay Way in the Hollywood Hills above Sunset Plaza...driving home right at 5, the curfew was in full effect and no one was on the road (I had an LAPD Press Pass, so I didn't care!) and I hit 120 miles per hour in my brand new Alfa Romeo 164LS down the center turn lane through Westwood on Wilshire...because there was zero traffic and I figured there was no chance in hell a cop would be giving out speeding tickets while the city was burning.

Made it home and spent the evening in the hot tub with a lady friend, while we watched the fires sparking in K-town, Hollywood, and down towards Compton. It was absolutely surreal and something completely out of a Paul Thomas Anderson movie.

That the Alfa didn't blow up is the buried lede ...

 

[TigerVols]

That the Alfa didn't blow up is the buried lede ...

Hey now! I sold it w/ 135,000 miles on the odometer. The only things that ever went wrong were the German electronics like window buttons and radio controls!

 

[TigerVols]

I've mentioned this before, but I'll do it again. I've never been to California. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around all these places I've heard about all my life being tucked away into such a small area, not only that, but they are completely different entities.

Beverly Hills > West LA > Compton ain't much different than Belle Meade > Green Hills > Antioch.

 

[Driftwood]

Beverly Hills > West LA > Compton ain't much different than Belle Meade > Green Hills > Antioch.

Heck, I rarely get west of Rosa Parks Blvd.

 

[MileHigh]

I was covering the Clippers-Jazz playoff series. Flying back from Utah after Game 2, looked out the window at L.A. and wondered what I was coming back to. IIRC, the Sports Arena was in the danger zone. They moved Game 3 to the Forum, which was close to the danger zone. Then they moved Game 4 to the Anaheim Convention Center, definitely not in the danger zone (it's across the street from Disneyland). Clippers won both and they went back to Salt Lake City for the deciding Game 5.

Hmmmm, I can't imagine them moving a playoff game from the Sports Arena to the Forum. Inglewood saw lots of action in those six days.

I seem to remember the Lakers had a playoff game moved from the Forum to like Vegas.

 

[Batman]

Hmmmm, I can't imagine them moving a playoff game from the Sports Arena to the Forum. Inglewood saw lots of action in those six days.

I seem to remember the Lakers had a playoff game moved from the Forum to like Vegas.

I've always heard that Inglewood was up to no good.