Nearly 20 years after his beating by Los Angles policemen was caught on camera, Rodney King is speaking out about the Trayvon Martin case.
King spoke with CNN Thursday and shared his thoughts on the investigation that’s landed George Zimmerman behind bars and charged with second-degree murder.
According to the man who was beaten by police in 1991, he still has faith in the justice system, the same system that awarded him a $3.1 million settlement after a civil suit against the city of Los Angeles.
“The justice system takes so long but it works and I am waiting like the rest of us to get to the facts and carefully, thoroughly, get to the truth without drawing conclusions,” he said.
He also urged people to not react violently like several people did in response to his trial sparking the L.A. riots.
“I am grieving, like the rest of us, for this young man and his family, but let’s allow the justice system to take its course and come together as a country before and after the outcome of the case,” he said.
“The horrifying sound of a young black male screaming for his life on a 911 call reminded me of my horrifying scream on a videotape 20 years ago. At that time, I thought I was going to die. Very, very gratefully, I survived. Unfortunately, Trayvon Martin did not.
“Twenty years after the riots, I still consider myself lucky to have survived that beating,” he said.
