Trojan Tales

The LA Riots through the eyes of a USC professor

In April of 1992, Los Angeles erupted in violence following the acquittal of four police officers accused of beating motorist Rodney King. Over the course of six days Los Angeles was a hotbed of looting, fires, and assaults that resulted in 63 deaths. The worst violence was centered in South Los Angeles, but surprisingly, USC remained largely untouched. Yasmin Bagherzadeh has the story of one USC professor who was so affected by the unrest, that it changed how he teaches forever.