Summary
Traditionally, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 lacks a conventional plot or storyline. Instead, it is composed of a collection of monologues, where real individuals' words are portrayed by Smith, who takes on the dual role of playwright and performer. These monologues are carefully edited excerpts from interviews Smith conducted following the events that deeply fractured the Los Angeles community after the Rodney G. King beating on March 3, 1991.
To emphasize the issues for both audiences and readers, the playwright includes a "Time Line" in the playbills and the published work. This Time Line offers a chronological summary of significant events mentioned by the various voices in the play, effectively providing the "story." The primary events from that Time Line are outlined below.
1991: March 3-15
On March 3, after King is stopped for speeding, LAPD officers severely beat and arrest him. George Holiday, a nearby resident, captures the incident on videotape and shares it with television networks, which repeatedly broadcast the footage. Three days later, LAPD Chief Daryl F. Gates refers to the beating as an "aberration" amid community calls for his resignation. King is released, and on March 15, four LA police officers—Sergeant Stacey Koon and officers Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, and Theodore Briseno—are charged with a felony and arraigned for their involvement in the incident.
1991: March 15-26
On the night of March 15, fifteen-year-old Latasha Harlins, an African-American girl, is shot and killed by Korean-American Soon Ja Du in a South LA liquor store. On March 26, the same day the four officers charged in the King beating plead not guilty, Soon Ja Du is arraigned for murder.
1991: April 1-July 22
On April 1, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley establishes a special commission led by Warren Christopher to investigate the LAPD. Three days later, the LA Police Commission places Gates on leave, but the City Council promptly reinstates him. On April 7, Gates takes disciplinary action against the four indicted officers, firing Wind and suspending the other three. The Christopher Commission issues its report on July 9, advising that Gates and the entire Police Commission resign. On July 16, the Police Commission instructs Gates to reinstate his assistant chief, David D. Dotson, whom Gates had forced out after Dotson criticized the chief's lack of discipline for officers. A week later, Gates announces his plan to retire in 1992.
1991: July 23-November 15
On July 23, the Second District Court of Appeal orders a change of trial venue for the four LAPD officers charged in the King case. About two months later, the prosecution begins presenting its case against Soon Ja Du. On October 11, the court finds Soon guilty of involuntary manslaughter. A month later, on November 15, she receives a sentence of five years' probation, four hundred hours of community service, and a $500 fine.
1991: November 26-29
Judge Stanley Weisberg selects Simi Valley in Ventura County as the location for the Rodney King trial. Just three days later, on November 29, LAPD officers fatally shoot a black man, sparking a confrontation with roughly a hundred residents from a housing project in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles.
1992: February 3-April 29
Pretrial motions take place before the trial of the four LAPD officers involved in the Rodney King incident begins. Opening statements are made on March 4 to a jury without any African-American members. Two weeks later, the prosecution concludes its case. On April 13, Officer Briseno concedes that King never posed a threat to the arresting officers. Meanwhile, on April 16, Willie L. Williams is announced as the successor to Gates as police...
(This entire section contains 1216 words.)
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commissioner. The jury starts deliberations on April 23 and reaches a verdict on April 29. The officers are acquitted, except for one count against Officer Powell for excessive force. The verdict, resulting in a mistrial, is heavily covered on television.
The anticipated reaction occurs that same day. A peaceful protest of over two thousand people at a South-Central LA church escalates into violence, spreading through a wave of shootings, beatings, and looting. Vandalism eventually leads to arson, setting a large part of central LA ablaze. Reginald Denny, a white truck driver, is dragged from his vehicle and brutally beaten in an incident captured on video and broadcast on television. LA Mayor Bradley declares a local emergency, and Governor Pete Wilson deploys the National Guard.
1992: April 30-May 11
On April 30, Bradley enforces a citywide curfew, but looting and the burning of stores persist in different parts of the city as the violent protests continue. Meanwhile, the Justice Department announces plans to further investigate potential violations of Rodney King's civil rights.
Starting on May 1, the LA community attempts to restore order. A peace rally attracts over a thousand participants, primarily Korean-Americans. On May 2, city workers begin cleanup efforts, while volunteers deliver food and clothing to the affected areas. Thirty thousand residents march in Koreatown, advocating for an end to racial tensions.
On May 3, the Los Angeles Times reports the community's losses: 58 fatalities, nearly 2,400 injuries, over 12,000 arrests, and 3,100 businesses damaged. By May 4, with National Guard troops patrolling the streets, LA residents start returning to work and school, though some are unable to because looted and vandalized businesses remain closed. LAPD officers begin apprehending illegal immigrants suspected of looting or other riot-related offenses. LA officials hand over suspects to the Immigration and Naturalization Service for deportation.
On May 8, the troops begin to withdraw from LA, while the Crips and Bloods, two major LA gangs, reach a truce. Three days later, the LA Board of Police Commissioners appoints William H. Webster to lead a commission tasked with reviewing the LAPD's response during the riots.
1992: May 12-December 14
On May 12, three members of the "L A Four"—Damian Williams, Antoine Miller, and Henry Watson—are apprehended for their involvement in the April 29 assault on Reginald Denny. Later that same day, Gary Williams turns himself in to the LAPD. The L A Four are formally charged on May 21 with thirty-three offenses related to their attacks on thirteen motorists, including Denny. Meanwhile, demonstrations persist. On May 25, Korean store owners convene with leaders of the Bloods and Crips to form an alliance. On May 30, Gates resigns as Chief of the LAPD, with Willie Williams stepping in as his successor.
Throughout the summer and into December, protests continue, but incidents of violence are minimal. In October, the Webster Commission reports that internal issues within the LAPD hindered their swift response to the civil unrest. That same month, the alliance between Black and Korean communities dissolves. On December 14, tensions flare again when the Free the L A Four Defense Committee protests at the location of the Denny assault.
1993: January 22-August 4
On January 23, ten charges against the L A Four are dropped, but the charge of attempted murder remains. Shortly after, on February 3, the civil rights trial of the four LAPD officers involved in the King case begins, concluding two months later on April 17. Briseno and Wind are acquitted, while Powell and Koon are found guilty and sentenced on August 4 to thirty months in federal prison.
1993: August 19-December 7
The trial of the L A Four commences on August 19 and lasts approximately three months, with final arguments beginning in late September. Jury issues cause a delay in the verdict, as Judge Ouderkirk dismisses two jurors in early October. Convictions are handed down on October 18. Although acquitted of the most severe charges, Damian Williams is sentenced to a maximum of ten years in prison for his attack on Denny on December 7.
