Los Angeles, 1992 — The Lessons Revisited

The next two essays, which form the basis of a series on urban and historical crises that remains unfinished, chronicle the aftermath of two critical moments in recent American history. Using the events following the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles in 1992, and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Dr. Ehrlich offers a succinct analysis of the lessons to be learned from each. From the de-politicization of the Los Angeles riots to the initial assumption of Arab involvement in Oklahoma City, Ehrlich demonstrates how much, and sometimes how little, our situation has changed.

Originally published in issue 21.