Presumed Guilty: The Tragedy of the Rodney King Affair

by Stacey Koon

For the first time, the entire story of the Rodney King affair is told in full detail - what happened and why, and the reasons the Simi Valley, California jury found the officers innocent on charges of using excessive force against a felony evader with a lengthening record of violent conduct. Sgt. Stacey C. Koon was the officer in charge on the night of March 3, 1991 when Rodney King led police on a 7.8 mile chase at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. After stopping, King refused commands to submit to arrest and made threatening gestures toward the officers whose duty was to keep King from hurting himself, his two passengers, and other motorists. When LAPD officers physically tried to subdue him, he tossed four of them off his back. Then he absorbed two 50,000 volt stun-gun charges. All this happened before the now-infamous George Holliday videotape began. The first two seconds of the videotape - a part that most people have never seen - show King trying to assault another police officer. Yet for most Americans, that 82-second videotape - which was repeatedly edited to delete the portions showing Rodney King's violent behavior - is all they know about the events of March 3, 1991. It is a tragedy that resulted in the Los Angeles riots that left more than 50 people dead and some $800 million in property destroyed. Presumed Guilty is the truth. Not what was shown from an edited 82-second videotape and not what was reported each day by a media that consciously ignored certain facts and reported other facts to mold the public mind toward a verdict of guilt. Sgt. Koon's account of the night of March 3, 1991 and the days leading up to and including the trial tells about how four dedicatedpolice officers were betrayed by the superiors they served. It also tells how the leaders of the Los Angeles Police Department and the city establishment have scurried to cover their own culpability in creating the policies that made the Rodney King affair an inevitable tragedy.

Genres: Nonfiction

263 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 1992

Reviews

[Kevin Kirkhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the Rodney King fiasco well. It's always interesting to see how activists and the media glom onto a snippet of a story and frame that as the whole story. A "Black motorist" is dragged out of his car by 4 White officers and beaten. Oh there is so much more to that story.
Sgt Koon points out the timeline of night's events and the rationale behind the actions his officers took. He describes why batons were used as the next line of enforcement, and why there needs to be additional steps in the enforcement of violations.
It's sad that the media chose to only show the partial video and never reported on facts brought up during the trial. This clearly sparked the riots that followed the acquittals.
I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a clear understanding of the Rodney King arrest.

[Lisa Kilbride · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the one book, above all that I've read, that I think everyone should read and that should be assigned in high schools and colleges. Sargant Koon offers a clear account of what happened that night and the way the events were twisted by the press into something completely other than what it was, eventually ruining lives and making a hero out of a lowlife punk.

[Damon Green · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’d have gave it zero stars if possible!
Stacey C. Koon is a disgrace to police.
Furthermore, he’s not even a human being.
He’s a disgusting racist that almost murdered a man out of sadistic pure enjoyment and got away with it. A shining example of white privilege and how police are never held accountable in Amerikkka! May his entire existence be of the worst karma!
This book is trash 🗑!

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good to have facts of both sides of the story. I think everyone should read this book!