Rallies and peaceful protests were held in Westchester in 1992 after a Los Angeles jury found four police officers not guilty of criminal charges in the beating of Rodney King. But the county was not spared from the violence that shook the country following the acquittal.
In Mount Vernon, police were attacked and rocks and bricks thrown at motorists. In White Plains, windows were broken on downtown buildings including the county courthouse. Windows were smashed at 13 businesses in New Rochelle, mostly on North Avenue, and police used tear gas to break up a protest at Winthrop Avenue and Brook Street.
The Rev. Vernon Shannon of St. Catherine AME Zion Church on Lincoln Avenue in New Rochelle, spent much of that day trying to settle down the crowd and bemoaned that vandalism was marring what was an important protest.
“ My hope is that some good will come out of the demonstrations, and that America will take this opportunity to reexamine its soul, ” the reverend told The Journal News at the time.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Look back to 1992 Rodney King protests in Westchester County
Reporting by Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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