On Sunday, June 17, 2012 a tragic discovery was made. Rodney Glen King, the man who planted racial profiling in the forefront of our minds and in the headlines, and who was beaten by Los Angeles police, fueling the 1992 L.A. riots, passed away. King, 47, was found dead in a backyard swimming pool at his home in Rialto, Calif., by his fiancée Cynthia Kelley, who according to King was one of the jurors in the civil rights case that granted his $3.8 million settlement.
On Saturday, June 30, 2012, just two decades and a depleted fortune later, his three daughters and fiancée will lay him to rest. Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network will deliver the eulogy.
“Rodney King was a symbol of civil rights and he represented the anti-police brutality and anti-racial profiling movement of our time. It was his beating that made America focus on the presence of profiling and police misconduct. I recently spent time with him on the release of his new book just a couple of months ago and he did my radio and TV show. Through all that he had gone through with his beating and his personal demons he was never one to not call for reconciliation and for people to overcome and forgive. History will record that it was Rodney King’s beating and his actions that made America deal with the excessive misconduct of law enforcement,” he says.
According to the family, “the majority” of funeral costs are covered but they are seeking donations to help with flowers, programs, unpaid bills and other costs.
Kings’ three daughters have established the Rodney Glen King Memorial Fund through Bank of America in Los Angeles County. Interested donors may contribute by calling or visiting a branch.
The funeral information is as follows:
Saturday, June 30, 2012
11:00 a.m. – Private Service
1:30 p.m. – Press Conference
2:00 p.m. – Public Service: Rev. Al Sharpton to deliver the eulogy
Forest Lawn Cemetery
Hollywood Hills
6300 Forest Lawn Drive
Los Angeles, CA.
Location: Hall of Liberty
–yvette caslin
