This page is currently protected from editing until November 22, 2007 (UTC) or until disputes have been resolved. Protection is not an endorsement of the current version (protection log). Please discuss changes on the talk page or request unprotection. You may use {{editprotected}} on the talk page to ask for an administrator to make an edit for you.

Reginald Oliver Denny (born April 21, 1953 in San Pedro, California) was a white construction truck driver who, after being dragged from his truck, was nearly beaten to death by black rioters during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, some of whom where later determined to be gang members. The attack was captured by a Los Angeles News Service helicopter piloted by Bob Tur and shot by Marika Tur. The video was broadcast live on US national television as the attack occurred. Image File history File links Padlock. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 - President Harry S. Truman announces the United States has developed a hydrogen bomb. ... San Pedro is connected to Los Angeles by a thin strip of land called the Harbor Gateway which roughly follows the 110 freeway. ...

Background

On March 3, 1991, Rodney King, an African-American, was videotaped being repeatedly beaten by a group of LAPD officers. Over a year later, on April 29, 1992, all four officers were acquitted (three white and one Hispanic) when the jury could not reach a verdict. The result sparked outrage about racism across the country, especially in South Central Los Angeles (now "South Los Angeles" as of 2003) and South East Los Angeles where a largely African-American mob took to the streets shouting "black justice"[1] and "No justice, no peace!" is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Rodney King Rodney Glen King (born April 9, 1965 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an African-American taxicab driver who was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers (Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Sargent Stacey Koon) after being chased for allegedly speeding. ... LAPD and L.A.P.D. redirect here. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Manifestations Slavery Racial profiling Lynching Hate speech Hate crime Genocide (examples) Ethnocide Ethnic cleansing Pogrom Race war Religious persecution Gay bashing Blood libel Paternalism Police brutality Movements Policies Discriminatory Race / Religion / Sex segregation Apartheid Redlining Internment Anti-discriminatory Emancipation Civil rights Desegregation Integration Equal opportunity Counter-discriminatory Affirmative action Racial... South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ochlocracy (Greek: οχλοκρατια; Latin: ochlocratia) is government by mob or a disorganized mass of people. ...

Events of April 29, 1992

On April 29, 1992, at 5:39 PM, Denny loaded his red, 18-wheel truck with 27 tons of sand and began driving to a plant in Inglewood where the sand was due. He left the Santa Monica Freeway and took a familiar shortcut across Florence Avenue to get to his destination. His truck had no radio, so he was unaware he was driving into a riot. At 6:46 p.m., after entering the intersection at Normandie, rioters threw rocks at his windows and he heard people shouting for him to stop. Overhead, a news helicopter with reporter Bob Tur aboard captured the events that followed. is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Nickname: Location of Inglewood in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Established 1888 Incorporated February 14, 1908 Government  - Mayor Roosevelt F. Dorn Area  - Total 9. ... Interstate 10; the Santa Monica Freeway segment is highlighted in red and the San Bernardino Freeway is highlighted in blue. ... Robert Tur is a television journalist in Los Angeles, California, and the co-founder of the Los Angeles News Service. ...

A man named Antoine Miller opened the truck door, giving others the chance to pull Denny out. Another man, Henry Keith Watson, then held Denny's head down with his foot. Denny, who had done nothing to provoke the violence, was kicked in the stomach. A man who had led a liquor store break-in earlier that day hurled a five-pound piece of medical equipment at Denny's head and hit him three times with a claw hammer. A man named Damian Monroe Williams (also known as "Football") then threw a slab of concrete at Denny's head and knocked him unconscious. Williams then did a victory dance over Denny. He then flashed gang signs at news helicopters, which were televising the events live, and pointed and laughed at Denny. A man named Anthony Brown then spat on Denny and left with Williams. Several bystanders took pictures of Denny but did not attempt to help him. Damian Monroe Williams, a. ...

After the beating, various men threw beer bottles at the unconscious Denny. Gary Williams, a drug addict who frequented the area, approached Denny and rifled through his pockets. Lance Parker, a process server for a law firm, stopped near the body and attempted to shoot the gas tank of Denny's truck but missed.

Bobby Green (a truck driver), Titus Murphy, Terri Barnett (boyfriend and girlfriend), and Lei Yuille (a dietitian), who had been watching the events on TV, came to Denny's aid. All four are black. Bobby Green was a trucker with a license and this allowed him to drive Denny's truck. They loaded Denny into the truck and escorted Denny to the hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, Denny suffered a seizure. This article is about epileptic seizures. ...

Paramedics who attended to Denny said he came very close to death. His skull was fractured in 91 places and pushed into the brain. His left eye was so badly dislocated that it would have fallen into his sinus cavity had the surgeons not replaced the crushed bone with a piece of plastic. A permanent crater remains in his head despite efforts to correct it.

The trials of the L.A. Four

• See also: L.A. Four

On May 12, outgoing Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates started a search for three of Denny's attackers who were identified from the video of the beating. Gates himself arrested Damian Williams while Henry Watson and Antoine Miller were arrested by other officers. Soon afterwards Gary Williams gave himself up to the police, having stolen Denny's wallet. The arrested three were suspected to be part of the gang 8-Tray Gangster Crips. The L.A. Four was a nickname given to the first four African American men charged with the racially-motivated attack on Caucasian truck driver Reginald Oliver Denny during the 1992 Los Angeles riots: Damian Williams, Henry Watson, Antoine Miller and Gary Williams. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... Daryl F. Gates was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1978 until 1992. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Gary Williams pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and assault in the spring of 1993 and was sentenced to three years in jail. Judge John W. Ouderkirk granted Miller a separate trial on the grounds that the strong evidence against Watson and Damian Williams could harm his case. The two, in addition to assault charges, were charged with attempted murder. Damian Williams was also charged with aggravated mayhem. Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

Edi M.O. Faal was the defense attorney for Damian Williams and Earl C. Broadly was the defense attorney for Henry Watson. On Wednesday, July 28, 1993, Watson's and Williams' trial began. The two were charged with the assault of Denny as well as five other motorists and two firefighters who were driving past the intersection of Florence and Normandie shortly after the start of the Los Angeles riots on April 29, 1992. At the trial, Denny faced his attackers for the first time since they had assaulted him. On August 12, 1993, a jury of five whites, three blacks, three Latinos, and one Asian was chosen. is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

As in the Rodney King police trial, the prosecution relied heavily on video shot by a third party, this time in a helicopter. They also planned to build up portraits of Watson and Williams as criminals, antisocial, and beyond likelihood of rehabilitation and redemption. Rodney King Rodney Glen King (born April 9, 1965 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an African-American taxicab driver who was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers (Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Sargent Stacey Koon) after being chased for allegedly speeding. ...

On Thursday, August 19, Lawrence Morrison, deputy district attorney, delivered the opening statement. A week later, the videotape of the beating was shown. The doctors who treated Denny testified, describing his wounds and their efforts to repair them and were followed by witnesses of the beating. The defense was denied direct contact with the witnesses to protect their identities. In late August, Denny's rescuers testified for the prosecution. The prosecution rested on September 17, 1993. is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A district attorney is, in some U.S. jurisdictions, the title of the local public official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminals. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ...

The defense began pleading on September 20, making a case for unpremeditated assault. Faal began by challenging the video evidence and portrayed Williams as a victim of poverty and racism. She and Broadly tried to humanize their clients. is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the closing arguments the defense attorneys claimed Williams and Watson were being used as scapegoats for the L.A. riots. The prosecution counter argued that the two had knowingly tried to kill Denny and were not victims.

After a few jury changes, the jury arrived at a verdict of not guilty for all charges except a felony count of mayhem for Williams, and one misdemeanor assault charge for both Williams and Watson on October 18. Watson was then given credit for time served and was released. As the families of the defendants celebrated the lesser sentences, Denny surprisingly approached Damian Williams' mother Georgina and hugged her. Other family members then exchanged warm embraces and words of reconciliation with him. is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The outcome of the trial was said to be "payback" for the acquittal of the four police officers charged with beating Rodney King. For weeks afterwards, public debate about racism and whether the verdict was just or unjust raged on. As the debate continued, Williams was denied bail and sentenced to a maximum of ten years in prison on December 7, 1993 by Judge Ouderkirk. Damian was released early for good behavior in 1997. On December 5, 2003, he received a life sentence for murdering a drug dealer in July, 2000. He will not be eligible for parole until he serves 47 years. Rodney King Rodney Glen King (born April 9, 1965 in Fort Worth, Texas) is an African-American taxicab driver who was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department officers (Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno and Sargent Stacey Koon) after being chased for allegedly speeding. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ...

Miller was shot in a nightclub on February 1, 2004 and died from his wounds soon after. is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Denny currently lives in Lake Havasu City, Arizona where he is a self-employed boat motor mechanic. Lake Havasu City is a city in Mohave County, Arizona, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 41,938. ...

Other related litigation

The best available footage of Denny's beating on April 29, 1992 was filmed by Marika Tur from a helicopter piloted by her then-husband, reporter Bob Tur. Together, they operated a company called Los Angeles News Service. In the rush to cover the riots as they developed, dozens of television networks and stations around the world simply copied and aired the LANS footage without permission. is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Bob Tur is an American broadcast reporter often credited with revolutionizing the way breaking news is covered. ... Robert Tur is a television journalist in Los Angeles, California, and the co-founder of the Los Angeles News Service. ... Bob Tur is an American broadcast reporter credited with revolutionizing the way breaking news is covered with the introduction of the modern news helicopter. ...

LANS sued nearly all of them in federal court for copyright infringement;^[1] the last case was finally settled in 2004. Only a small handful of stations, mostly in California, already had preexisting agreements with LANS or waited to negotiate agreements before airing the footage, and thus were not sued. The Cathach of St. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In July 2006, the site YouTube was also sued in federal court for copyright infringement. Robert Tur said, in the lawsuit, that in one week's time, a version of the video uploaded by a YouTube user was viewed over 1,000 times via the site, thereby hurting his ability to license the video. Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... YouTube is a popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. ...

References

1. ^ One example, successful for the plaintiffs, was Los Angeles News Service v. KCAL-TV Channel 9, 108 F.3d 1119 (9th Cir. 1997). Summaries of Fair Use Cases. Copyright & Fair Use. Stanford University. URL accessed August 19, 2006.

[2] (Article from the New York Times, May 13, 1992) Stanford redirects here. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...