Editorial: Riots caused harm, not social progress

Monday, April 29, 2002 | 8:53 a.m.

Ten years ago today rioting broke out in Los Angeles following the acquittals of four white police officers who had been recorded beating Rodney King. Rioting in West Las Vegas broke out the following night. In the local riot, two people were killed, dozens were injured, Nucleus Plaza was burned and police and firefighters spent all night trying to quell the violence and limit the damage. This night of rioting was followed by a month of extraordinary police presence in the area. And then the healing began.

Or so it is tempting to believe. But it would be a mistake to credit the riots with instigating positive social change. The riots caused death and injury and millions in property damage. That's all they caused. Because the violence is seared into peoples' memories, April 30, 1992, may be a date associated with the beginning of change in West Las Vegas. But issues affecting West Las Vegas were being discussed -- although not being fully addressed -- in the months and years before the riots. West Las Vegas had indeed been neglected for decades, as had inner cities throughout the country. But in the 1990s there emerged a commitment to end it. The riots in Los Angeles and West Las Vegas were a flash point, but they were not the focal point of change. Nothing positive emerges from death and destruction.

The progress that has been made in West Las Vegas over the past decade -- and more must be made -- should not be credited to a few people who embraced violence. The progress is better attributed to the West Las Vegas citizens who have worked lawfully and peacefully to build a better community.