Rodney King's Daughter Stands With LAPD 25 Years After Dad's Beating

Lori King honors her dad by working towards a solution to police brutality.

It’s been 25 years since Lori King witnessed her unarmed father, Rodney King, get brutally beaten by cops from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The beating led to the 1992 L.A. riots, which lasted three days and left 55 dead. Her father’s public call for peace ― “Can we all just get along?” ― became the foundation for what King stands for today. Now, she told the Associated Press, four years after her father’s death, she’s working with the LAPD to help unite them with the communities they serve.

“That’s actually what my dad stood for, so I’m following in his footsteps. He had no hatred in his heart for police,” King told AP at an event with young community members and the LAPD on Thursday.

King, who said she’s had a few negative encounters with law enforcement herself, said she realizes that it’s hard for communities to trust police,”but it’s not going to get anything resolved by hating.”

King said she’s been able to overcome the 1991 tragedy because of her father’s solution-oriented spirit.

Capt. Ruby Flores Malachi said that King’s courage to forgive speaks volumes.

“The importance of her being here today is huge, is monumental,” Malachi said to the attendees. “That’s a huge step in the right direction. We need to be able to come together and look at each other as people and not by the skin color or the uniform that you wear.”

Watch footage from the event above.

Before You Go

March 31, 1991

Rodney King: A Look Back

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