Author: Damian Mendieta
The sonorous voice of Roger Guenveur Smith in his one-person show summoned Rodney King back to life last Tuesday in Herrick Chapel. Smith’s “Rodney King” depicted King’s life before and after his violent beating by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1992. During this performance, the tragedy of his beating was palpable. With a rolling voice and the ability to portray the pain of racism, Smith’s performance attempted to conjure up the same feeling as one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s passionate speeches.
Racism and police brutality plagued the poorer communities of Los Angeles in 1992. King’s beating unleashed city-wide riots like a catalyst that left many dead, brought down martial law and covered Los Angeles in a shroud of sorrow. Perhaps the most important line of Smith’s performance was: “In fact, a whole generation doesn’t even know you were beaten.”
An instrumental prelude set the stage, as music from rap group Geto Boys mixed with the sounds of a chaotic police dispatch. Soon after, Geto Boy member Willie D could be heard aggressively rapping “Fuck Rodney King” repeatedly. In clear anguish, Smith came on stage and embodied everything a tormented Rodney King suffered in 1992.
Smith’s first words focused on presenting the ordinary life of Rodney King. Silky smooth poetry described King’s normal routine of construction jobs, listening to music and drinking 40 ounce beers. Smith’s calm tone segued into a jolting depiction of the car chase that led to King’s beating. Smith began to speak in broken sentences to express the confusion King felt as LAPD chased him through the city. Impressively, the one-person show conjured the chaos, disjointed thoughts and fear King probably felt.
Although Smith spoke in the past tense, his emotional performance brought the anger and fear of King’s pursuit to the present. Smith portrayed how the police officers aggressively called after King with derogatory terms until they caught up with him. He also revealed that King did not receive medical treatment after his beating. King’s mangled body was taken to a police precinct to be displayed as human trophy, with bruises, blood and all. Smith’s performance further showed how the officers initially refused to take King to the emergency room, only taking him after they could relish in their savage beating.
Smith began to describe the trial of the officers who beat King and, as he depicted in the performance, a controversial jury did little to bring justice. As the city erupted in chaos and looters and rioters burned down structures, more people were brutally beaten and killed. With major streets Olympic Blvd. and Crenshaw Blvd. rushing with blood, King issued a televised plea with his famous line, “Can we all get along?”
The climactic ending to the show came with an intense scene of King’s beating. While Smith chronologically described King’s story, he waited until the end to highlight the brutal thrashing. Smith would start moving his body as though being slowly beaten, while recounting highlights of the 1992 riots. Yearning for peace, Smith spoke about the needless murders of people, for too often fear and hatred made people pull the trigger and end young lives across Los Angeles. Finally, Smith made one final plea with, “People I just wanna say, can we get along?”
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