California in the 1990s

1. California in the 1990s What major issues do Californians face during the 1990s?

2. Rodney King Beating • 1991: Motorist Rodney King was speeding through Lakeview Terrace (115mph and was high on PCP) • Four LAPD officers beat King claiming he was resisting arrest • George Holliday videotaped beating, sent it to KTLA Ch 5 • Four officers charged with excessive use of force. 1992: All four are acquitted by a jury in Simi Valley http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OauOPTwbqk&safe=active

3. 1992 Los Angeles Riots • Crowds start gathering at police HQ in Downtown LA and on the corner of Florence & Normandie • People start attacking cars, LAPD does nothing • Truck driver Reginald Denny pulled from his vehicle and beaten • Full scale rioting & looting ensues – takes National Guard & LAPD 4 days to end the violence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc_SgpyJWRY

4. OJ Simpson Case • June 1994: Nicole Brown Simpson & her friend Ron Goldman are brutally murdered in West LA • Police find a bloody glove and other evidence pointing toward former NFL star OJ Simpson as the murderer • Simpson attempts to flee with a friend in a white bronco • Trial begins, attorneys Johnnie Cochrane & F. Lee Bailey try to make it seems like racist police bungled investigation • Simpson is acquitted of the murders, later sued by Goldman’s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=infLrZjJpNc&feature=related

5. Ballot Box Attacks • California voters approve three controversial propositions in the 1990s all aimed at minority groups • Proposition 187 (1994) • Would bar illegal immigrants from receiving health care or public education • Backed strongly by Gov. Pete Wilson it wins with 59% of vote

6. Proposition 209 (1996) • Ends Affirmative Action in government hiring and admission to UCs & CSUs • Passes with 54% of the vote 3. Proposition 227 (1998) • Ends bilingual education in CA, teachers could be fired for teaching bilingual without a state approved waiver • Passes with 61% of the vote