Rodney King Settlement

The argument between the City Council and Rodney King’s lawyer (Sept. 16-17) over how much King should be compensated for what happened to him ignores a crucial distinction.

King’s personal injuries and the violation of his civil rights at the hands of certain officers of the Los Angeles Police Department deserve ample compensation. But this all happened to Rodney King the individual. The staggering amount of money demanded by his lawyer is not for Rodney King the individual but for Rodney King the symbol--of all those who similarly suffered without the benefit of a nearby video camera, of all those who found in King’s grievances an echo of their own.

Compensate King the individual as fairly and even as handsomely as possible. But the money owed to King the symbol is not owed to King the individual. It is owed to the community, and the community, not King or his lawyer, should get it. Why can’t a compensation for the community be negotiated as well, and the community brought in on its administration? It could be a Rodney King job training center, or a Rodney King recreation center, or whatever.

By fate or accident, the case of King has become a crucial test for justice in Los Angeles. If all the settlement money is paid to King and his lawyer, and the community gets no part of it, justice will again have been denied.

LEO BRAUDY, Los Angeles