How the LAPD’s Most Infamous Trial Got Moved to ‘Copland’

Joel Anderson: “The defense’s motion to move the trial out of L.A. County was rejected by the trial court, but the appeals court overruled that decision. One key part of the defense’s legal argument was this letter by the director of the Mexican American Political Association, reading in part: ‘If this case isn’t dealt with justice and equality, it’s going to get very hot in Los Angeles.’ The court called it an ‘incendiary communication.’”

JA: “Simi Valley, the site of the trial, had earned a reputation for hostility to Black people. In the 1950s, when the city was first being developed, signs that read ‘No n-----s or dogs allowed’ were posted on rock formations around town. The city was later known as “Copland” because so many law enforcement officers lived there. This article talks about the city’s history as well as the Black Lives Matter protests there in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd.”

JA: “For months, the District Attorney’s office debated whether to put King on the stand. King’s personal attorney Steve Lerman told me that King was in no shape to testify given his brain injuries. Lead prosecutor Terry White said Lerman frustrated his efforts to interview King before the trial. And when White did get to speak with King, he told me he found King unreliable and quick-tempered. He decided it was too risky.”

JA: “In a trial that hinged on whether the officers used an appropriate amount of force on King, the prosecution couldn’t convince anyone to testify that the officers had gone too far. The defense, on the other hand, called a 21-year veteran of the LAPD who testified that the force was justified.”

JA: “Stacey Koon was the officer who took control of the scene that night, and he was the first officer to take the stand during the trial. Koon basked in all of the attention. The lawyer for another of the officers on trial told me that Koon was the ‘best witness I’ve ever seen anywhere.’ In this interview after the trial, Koon says that people who have spoken out about the verdict are ‘uninformed.’ Then, nearly six months after the verdict, he published an autobiography, writing, ‘I was able to bring the videotape to life in a form never seen before.’”

JA: “This broadcast from the day after the officers were found not guilty offers a good look into what it was like to live through the moment. It includes audio from a juror who says she felt, ‘King was directing the action—he was the one who determined how long it took to put him in handcuffs.’ The broadcast also features footage of the first night of riots in L.A.”

JA: “Here you can get more insight into how people outside of the courtroom viewed the verdict (and the footage).”

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