COMMUNITY’S REFLECTIONS : Teen Comments

Rioting erupted in Los Angeles hours after a jury in Simi Valley found four police officers not guilty of using excessive force against Rodney King. Nuestro Tiempo informally polled teen-agers about their opinions on the situation.

Q: What did you think of the verdicts in the Rodney King case? What are your feelings about the rioting? What steps should be taken now?

* Javier Delgado, 15, Garfield High: I was upset with the decision because it was not fair. I don’t think they should have been robbing. It was not about Rodney King anymore. It was about greedy people. The cops should be friendly with people like students. They should go to the schools and talk with us.

* Gary Jones, 18, Wilson High: My friends and I think the cops were prejudiced because of what they did to (King). They kept on beating him. My black friend does not talk to me because of the whole incident. Someone wrote, “You (expletive) white boy” on my locker. I feel upset because it is not my fault. I have been mad since the beating first happened. I’m worried about people not having jobs because of the riots. Now, if I pass by a black guy, I try to think about what he is thinking. If I would have been (on the jury), I would have said the cops were guilty.

* Danielle Huerta, 16, Garfield High: It was not fair for King. They should fire all those officers who beat him. The violence was nonsense. The looters are going to cry when they need their markets. People should have been stopped by the police when the riots first started.

* Prisco Serrano, 18, Manual Arts High: The black community and minorities in general were slapped in the face with this verdict. I followed the case and I listened to the final arguments and I said to myself, they have to find them guilty on all counts. I came home from school, (heard the verdict) and I couldn’t believe it.

* Jason Barraza, 15, Garfield High: The decision is really unfair because the policemen were charged with a lot of counts. To be found not guilty? Justice was not served. (The rioting) was really sad for the people who (live in those areas). Most people are left helpless. We should act more civilized and enforce the law.

* Frank Young, 17, Jefferson High: This is a result not only of Rodney King, but also of Latasha Harlins and Kennedy (William Kennedy Smith) going free while (Mike) Tyson is found guilty. This has been building up. I don’t think too much can be done to change this (type of violence). It’s because of racism--I don’t think the wrong of racism is being stressed enough in schools. I think all that should be taken care of in the schools, but these kids aren’t being reached.

* Sally Aguilar, 16, Garfield High: (The verdicts were) not right. If it was a gang who beat him, they would have gone to jail. (The rioters) should have protested in another way, because we were hurting each other. We will probably pay more taxes because of all this. Police should be more understanding. Police should only (get tough on) people with guns who are out to kill. There should be another trial for (the policemen).

* Sal Celis, 16, Garfield High: With this trial, you begin to wonder whether the court system really works. At first I thought the riots were a good thing, then they got out of hand. People are paying for other people’s acts. More programs should be started to help teen-agers stay out of gangs.

* Heather Bryant, 15, Bassett High: It was not fair. The jurors live in Simi Valley. They do not know what it is like to be black, Hispanic, or, what it is like to live in an area such as Watts. The riots were stupid. What little the protesters had, they destroyed. To help ease tension, sports programs would be a very good idea. Police could compete in basketball games with the students for fun. We would be less afraid of police.

* Mary Almeida, 16, Garfield High: I think the decision was dumb. It made no sense when you look at all the evidence. It is obvious that the policemen were guilty . . . . A lot of people overreacted. It made black and Hispanic people look bad. Now, people are getting together to fix what they have done.

* Anthony Corrales, 15, Nogales High: The beating should have never taken place. Rodney King should just have been arrested, not beaten. The people who looted destroyed so much and they have so little. There is not much we can do. We can’t change the beliefs of people.

* Marbella Villa, 15, Bassett High: I think the jurors were racist because he is black. If a white person was in Rodney King’s place, it would have been another story. The police should not judge us on what we look like on the outside, but on what our actions are.

* Lupe Rodriguez, 17, Garfield High: The King video was self-explanatory. The jurors are just lying to themselves. The riots went overboard. Hispanics got involved and it was embarrassing for me. What can be done to improve things? I am not sure. If future verdicts continue like this, blacks will continue to be upset. Police should be more involved with people. The police seem prejudiced.