Taped Beating of Rodney King

As a human being, my heart goes out to Rodney King. As an African-American male, I feel angry because I know very well that it could have been me.

As a street intellectual, I find it interesting that “responsible” people (i.e., white) are surprised at how cowardly and brutal their “police force” can be.

As a black nationalist, I wonder when African-Americans will wake up and see that: (1) we are still the unpopular color in a color-conscious society; (2) that no amount of integration, miscegenation or acculturation is ever going to change that, and (3) that ultimately we still only have what we had when we first came to this cruel land--each other.

ALVIN VINCENT GRIMES

Los Angeles