Posted on 04/28/2002 6:06:40 PM PDT by doug from upland
(Commentary) As we "celebrate" the 10th anniversary of the worst riots in this nation's history, there are many horrific memories to recall.
Maxine Waters lit a fuse by screaming "No justice, no peace." On the night the riots began, she was at a housing project dancing with gang members.
Trucker Reginald Denny was beaten and had a brick thrown into the side of his head at point blank range by Damien "Football" Williams. I recall vividly his mother proclaiming her dear son's innocence. I never believed her for a moment. She knew. She just didn't want her son to have to pay for what he'd done.
And so that brings us to the story below. Had Williams been in prison for 20 years as he should have been, George Tinney, Jr. would likely still be alive. Wouldn't it be interesting justice if the family of Tinney sued the defense attorney who represented Williams and got him off on lesser charges? (who was that attorney -- he must be proud of his good work)
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Figure in riot beating pleads innocent to murder
LOS ANGELES (AP) A man convicted of beating trucker Reginald Denny during the 1992 riots pleaded innocent to a murder that took place last year.
Damien "Football" Williams entered the plea Monday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Trial is scheduled for June 1.
Williams is charged with one count of murder and two counts of robbery in the July 18 shooting death of Grover Tinner Jr. of Los Angeles.
Authorities say Tinner was shot in the back as he ran through an alley in southwest Los Angeles.
The murder charges against Williams, 28, and the alleged gunman, Tyrone Killingsworth, 35, include special circumstance allegations that would make them eligible for the death penalty if convicted.
California law says that anyone involved in a crime resulting in a killing can be charged with murder. Prosecutors on Monday filed new special circumstance allegations that the killing was committed during a burglary and that Williams and Killingsworth lay in wait for the victim. That is in addition to a previous allegation that the crime occurred during a robbery.
Williams, 28, spent four years in prison after he was convicted of mayhem for beating Denny with a brick at a South-Central Los Angeles intersection during the 1992 riots. The attack was captured live by television news helicopters.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/2001/20010404/wwww.html
I think you're right--I specifically recall that Bush I's job approval, dropping from the 91% pinnacle of the Gulf War the year before, nosed under 50% for the first time that week, and never rebounded.
I vividly recall the tv pictures of Chief Gates, wearing a bulletproof vest, personally arresting "Football," and and placing him in the back of a LAPD squad car. Great drama, but Williams was let off easy by the racially biased LA court system on what should have been a first degree murder charge for what he did to Reggie Denny. That Williams was eventually going to kill somebody if he ever got out of the pen again after the Denny incident was a foregone, and evenutually accurate, conclusion.
You're right Doug, I should have wrote "attempted murder." Over the weekend, the AP wires carried stories about where the principle actors in the King affair are now, ten years later. Stacy Koon now a limo driver, Briseno fired from the LAPD and working as a security guard, Powell having a hard time holding customer service jobs, Wind working as a security guard and enrolled in law school and, of course, Rodney King almost broke, having blown most of his $3 millio9n settlement with the City of Los Angeles, and doing twelve months of drug rehab out in Pomona. Denny has moved out to the Colorado River near Lake Havasu and refuses to respond to press inquiries.
Was he hit too many times? Yes. Should they have been disciplined? Yes. Lost their jobs? Probably. But that one incident does not negate my statement that they risked their lives and served the community. It was a shame for them that they lost their careers after having done so, some for many years.
No THAT is B.S. You forget that King was the only one of the 4 people in the car that was non compliant with the cops when they were finally apprehended (after a several mile running away/top speed pursuit on the 210). He was belligerant, threatened the female CHP officer (in addition to making lewd gestures to her), and would not "stay down" (after two taser attempts) when they finally had to take his PCP infested body down.
There were many things not shown on the videotape, so naturaly you would feel that they "enjoyed beating the piss" out of him.
I hope he hangs. And I hope he is prepared to talk to God, because He will be the only one to give him mercy.
Mr. King was known to do PCP and appeared to be on it, or a similar drug, the evening of his arrest.
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