Twilight: Los Angeles 1992

Twilight:

Los Angeles 1992

The Los Angeles riots in 1992 were a very controversial time in Society, after the brutal beating of Rodney King. An African American male, who was chased down by the police and was brutally beaten, which sparked the Los Angeles riots against police brutality. After a jury of predominately white jurors found the police officers not guilty. Anna Deavere Smith wrote a documentary of interviews she held with people who experienced these riots. Anna Deavere Smith transforms herself into scores of individuals using only their words and duplicating their speech patterns, mannerisms, dress, and attitudes in a mosaic set in the violent aftermath of the 1992 Rodney King trial and verdict. These verbatim portrayals bring together adversaries, victims, eyewitnesses, and observers who have never stood within the same four walls, let alone spoken to each other. In her signature performance style, Smith embodies and gives voice to scores of real-life "characters" from LAPD Police Chief Daryl Gates to a gang member, from Korean store owners to a white juror, from Reginald Denny to Congresswoman Maxine Waters black, white, Asian, Latino. Because she is able to speak the words and convey the deeply held sentiments of so many different people, Smith enables her audience members to hear what they might otherwise discount. After reading Twilight I was in awe reading first count experiences that people went through during that time with these riots. I truly appreciate, your idea Professor Tanenbaum about emphasizing my paper on Twilight.