Voices

They were about 12 years old when it happened.

Now 17 and 18, Robert Collins’ social studies students still bristle over the way the Rodney King verdict gave Simi Valley a bad rap.

As the fifth anniversary of the trial approaches, Collins asked his class of Simi Valley High School seniors to record their thoughts on the trial that--for better or worse--put their city on the map:

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“Simi Valley is still being punished for holding the Rodney King trial in our city. Whenever I am out of town, I say, ‘Simi Valley, ever heard of it?’ From the look on their face, I realized they have. They don’t even have to speak, I know why. Two words: Rodney King.” --Jennifer Kinard

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“I don’t believe that the nation is being very fair to the people of Simi Valley. We are being generalized as racists because there was one trial here deemed by the world to be unfair. My purse was once stolen by a black man, but I don’t believe that all black men want to steal my purse.” --Ellen Moskowitz

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“I don’t think people should judge Simi Valley because of the way the court decided on [the] Rodney King trial because I don’t think we are racist and other people don’t know the whole truth about how they came to their decision.” --Leslie Morrell

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“I feel that it was wrong of what happened, but I haven’t heard about it a lot anymore and I think that most people have gone on with the rest of our lives.” --Cindy Savas

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“It was easier to blame Simi Valley. People used Simi Valley as an excuse to riot, and burn down buildings, rather than listen to the facts. There was too much ignorance on their part.” --Jason Pekrul

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“I feel Simi Valley has gotten a bad rap for this trial that influenced riots to occur in Los Angeles because the officers which violently beat Rodney King were set free. Since the trial was located in Simi, people around the nation have deemed Simi Valley as a racist community populated with white supremacists. This is obviously untrue and people who have been here can see that, just as those who say we are racist and judgmental are equally as judgmental towards the Simi community. --Elias Abugnazaleh

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Some of Collins’ social studies students weighed in on the beating itself:

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“Unfortunately, the public never viewed the entire tape. If the public had seen the whole tape, then maybe we wouldn’t have had the riot.” --Blair S. Lonergan

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“The guy [King] had a record a mile long, was driving at unsafe speeds, on drugs, and a whole other list of things that I’m not going to mention. He didn’t listen to the officers involved, and when they instructed him to get on the ground, he tried to bull-rush the cops. If some guy is all coked out and running at me, I’d throw a good beating on him also. He paid the consequences for his crime, but then sued L.A. and is now a millionaire because he is a victim of police brutality. What a joke. In my opinion, justice was not served and the officers were not wrong for what they did.” --Neil Adams

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“I feel that the police didn’t have to beat up Rodney over and over again. It was wrong.”

--Kay DeGuzman

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“I believe it was a severe injustice to the black and other minority communities. It just proves that the police are immune to the laws that they are supposed to enforce.” --Kyle Savage

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“I hope that we can all learn tolerance and unity from the aftereffects of the verdict.”

--Joe Talcum