Advertisement

Op-Ed: Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson on his mayoral run — 25 years after the Rodney King beating

#BlackLivesMatter activist Deray McKesson, right, in the blue vest, meets with President Barack Obama and prominent civil rights leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Feb. 18.

#BlackLivesMatter activist Deray McKesson, right, in the blue vest, meets with President Barack Obama and prominent civil rights leaders in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Feb. 18.

(Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)
Share via

On a March night 25 years ago, the helicopter and sirens woke up a Los Angeles plumber named George Holliday.  The footage he recorded on his Sony Handycam over the next nine minutes — of Rodney King being beaten by LAPD officers — is perhaps second only to the Zapruder film of the JFK assassination in its impact on public life. Today, a video camera rests in every hip-pocket smart phone, and myriad videos of cops versus black men and women have altered politics and culture. The Black Lives Matter activist and former teacher DeRay Mckesson is a child of that early viral video and the ripples it created.


Take Patt Morrison on the road with you by clicking the download button on the player above.

Find the full archive of ‘Patt Morrison Asks’ podcasts here or search for ‘Patt Morrison Asks’ on iTunes.

For a transcript of this interview, click here.

MORE PATT MORRISON ASKS

'Bordertown' writers Lalo Alcaraz and Gustavo Arellano are battling to diversify Hollywood—one joke at a time

'Concussion' doctor Bennet Omalu on O.J.'s brain and why he won't be watching the Super Bowl

'Patt Morrison Asks': A podcast interview with LAPD Chief Charlie Beck

Advertisement