In 1992, an all white jury acquitted 4 white police officers after they brutally beat Rodney King, a black man, as he lay prone on the ground. The United States was sitting on a racial tinderbox. Fueled by enormous inequality between whites and people of color, it erupted. L.A. burned. 55 people died, 2300 were injured, and 13,000 were arrested, mostly Black and Latino. Smaller riots ensued around the country. Since the uprisings, we have approximately doubled our prison population. 70% of those in prison are people of color, the majority of whom are in for non-violent drug offenses. Have we addressed racial inequality in this country, or have we simply hidden the reality of racism behind bars?
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Run Time: 57min 57sec