Thirty years ago today, Rodney King was brutally beaten by officers of the LAPD. The beating – caught on tape by a bystander – shocked much of the nation at a time when videos of police brutality were rare. The case became a grim historical milestone and a symbol of the tortured relationship between police and Black and Brown Americans. 30 years later, that relationship remains fraught. | NPR

On this day in 1991, Rodney King was violently beaten by LAPD officers following a police pursuit. The incident was captured on video by bystander George Holliday. The footage brought unprecedented national attention to police brutality and racial injustice, a conversation that continues today. The beating, trial, and unrest reshaped public understanding of systemic policing issues marked a turning point in modern civil rights history. | The Legal Defense Fund