Analyzing Written and Visual Texts - Essay Example

On a Wednesday evening, 11th August 1965, 21 year old Marquette Frye, an African American was pulled over by a white California Highway Patrol Motorcycle officer Lee Minikus on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. A situation occurred and quickly escalated when Ronald, Marquette’s brother ran and called Rena Price their mother to the scene, attracting the attention of people. The incident turned violent when someone pushed Price Frye got struck Price jumped an officer and another officer pulled a shotgun.

All these made the situation intense as growing crowds of local residents watching the argument began yelling and throwing objects at the police officers; leading to the six day riot in Watts. The rioters started fighting physically with the police, blocked fire fighters and beat white motorists. Arson and looting was done but was majorly confined to white-owned stores and enterprises that were said to have caused resentment in the neighborhood due to perceived unfairness, (Oberschall, 322-341).

In his response to the Watts riot, Martin Luther King wrote an essay by the name “where do we go from here” where he took a firm stand of commitment to nonviolence. However, he expressed his understanding of the riots that happened not just in Watts but in other areas as well when he says “one sees screaming children and angry adults fighting hopelessly and meaninglessly against impossible odds”. By this King means that he knows the desperate frustration of the Black people who riot from the unchanging unfairness of living conditions in their own country.

He acknowledges the need for action against the unfairness against the Black community as he goes on to say, “what is needed are a plan for change, a tactical program that will bring the Black people into the mainstream of American life as quickly as possible” (King, 17). This would allow for the Black community to be recognized as an equal citizen of the United States of America with equal rights. King also acknowledges the fault of the white people; who have gone to great heights to ensure that the Black man is classified as less important to the white man.

He says that he sees the hatred on the faces of sheriffs, Klansmen and white citizens in the South who have allowed the hate to change their personality as they are burdened by the hatred they feel for the Black man. King interprets the riot as such because he sees fault on both the black man and the white man’s actions. He does not advocate for a sympathetic truce but an affirmative action that will bring the black man from his misery of oppression from under the feet of the white man. So that there can be respect and equality among the two.

A newsreel report by the name “Troops patrol L.A” gave a report of the incident after it happened. The report said that six days of rioting in a Black section of L.A left the city looking like a scene from war torn cities, with most buildings on fire leaving few intact. It also said that the firemen were harassed by brick throwing looters and snipers; to a point of having to wear flack suits with mesh to protect themselves from the snipers who continued to shoot from roof tops. The estimated damage by fire alone was 200 million; while estimates were yet to be done for losses acquired from looters who stole everything