Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992: War Zone Summary & Analysis

After Rodney King, Reginald Denny was the most well-known figure associated with the riots. His racially motivated attack by four Black men (later nicknamed the LA 4) made headlines in an effort to discredit the riots and vilify the rioters. Judith’s resentment of the rioters seems more personal than other accounts Smith has presented thus far. She adopts an incensed tone and is quick to resort to name-calling, deeming Denny’s attackers “clowns,” for instance.

Tur displays visceral hatred for the rioters. Referring to (Black) rioters as “animal[s]” who  “don’t deserve / to live” is dehumanizing. Tur’s assertion that “this is not [her] United States anymore” reflects her position of privilege. Tur's outrage disregards the violence and injustice that had impacted marginalized communities long before she deemed the U.S. to no longer reflect her personal values. This implies that Tur was fine with “her” America allowing certain races and classes of people to suffer injustices. It’s not the violence and collapse of social order that angers Tur—it’s that the violence and social order is starting to impact people who are white, like she is. Tur claims not to be racist, insisting that “people are people,” regardless of skin color. Yet she’s incredibly quick to make derogatory, stereotypical comments about the predominantly Black rioters who are “taking advantage” of the verdict and ought to “go out and work for a living.” Tur evokes the idea that every person has an equal chance in life, and that just because she made it through a divorce in one piece, every other person in the world should be capable of overcoming adversity, too. Tur’s logic blatantly ignores the underlying structural forces that make it more difficult for Black people to receive equal treatment in LA, and in America more broadly.