Podcast Summary: Slow Burn – The L.A. Riots | 4. Glen

Slate Podcasts | Release Date: November 24, 2021
Host: Joel Anderson

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode, “Glen,” centers on the personal story of Rodney Glen King, the man at the center of the 1991 LAPD beating that triggered the L.A. Riots. Rather than focusing solely on the notorious video or the uprising it helped ignite, the episode delves into King's life – his childhood, family, struggles, and the immediate aftermath of the attack. It examines how King wrestled with sudden national fame, personal trauma, pressure from the Black community, and the complicated racial and legal dynamics swirling around his case.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Aftermath of the Beating & The Search for Legal Help

• Ontricia Averet (King’s cousin) recounts the family’s scramble after hearing of the beating and the urgency to find proper representation.
  • “She was like, treece, I have a problem. Glenn got beat up by the police.” (00:12)
• Johnnie Cochran was contacted but unavailable (00:42).
• Rodney King’s mother, Odessa King, soon found attorney Steve Lerman, who was quickly thrust into the national spotlight:
  • “I was, like, looking at the sky, thinking, ‘wow, why me?’ And then I thought to myself, ‘why not me?’” – Steve Lerman (03:47)

2. Public Exposure & Media Frenzy

• The Holiday video aired and became an instant, global phenomenon.
• Lerman ensured the public saw King’s injuries firsthand, while King himself remained mostly silent.
• Black and Latino activists saw the tape as long-awaited proof of police brutality, but Lerman downplayed the racial angle, aiming his legal strategy at non-Black jurors:
  • “Mr. King doesn’t want to make it out as though they did this just because he was a black man.” – Steve Lerman (05:29)
  • “People didn’t want to hear about the black thing and kind of squeeze guilt out of white people... They beat him because he’s Rodney King.” – Steve Lerman (21:51)

3. King’s Early Life: Hardship & Context

• Juan King (Rodney’s brother) describes a religious, working-class family, and their move from Kentucky to California in search of economic stability (06:53).
• King’s father was an alcoholic and physically abusive, leaving scars that shaped Rodney’s personality and resilience (08:32).
  • “Every time I saw him, he was drunk. I’d never seen the man sober.” – Johnny Kelly, on Rodney’s father (08:37)
  • “We all grew up getting whippings, but Rodney weapons was more so like beatings.” – Johnny Kelly (08:50)
• Rodney found some solace in fishing and baseball, yet fell into trouble and dropped out of high school (09:42).
• Two arrests, including a robbery conviction, led to prison time. The chase that resulted in the beating came months after he was released on parole (12:11–12:41).

4. Trauma, Fame, and Familial Conflict

• King’s recovery was physically and psychologically arduous:
  • “He was like, ‘I’m bleeding. Blood is coming out of me all over’... Eventually he had to go back to the hospital.” – Ontricia Averet (16:15)
  • King needed a metal plate in his skull and suffered from nightmares and numbness (16:37, 19:02).
• He was deeply embarrassed by his helplessness on tape and became withdrawn and depressed. A disguise and heavy drinking became coping mechanisms (19:49, 20:04).
• The pressure tore at family dynamics and exposed rifts: white lawyer vs. Black representation; private pain vs. public expectation.
  • “A lot of black professionals... felt some type of way like, you know, why would you all have this Caucasian man representing you when... this is a black thing right here?” – Ontricia Averet (22:37)
  • “So you got his lawyer who wants to strip him of his blackness. It was about race. So expose the racism in the case. That’s what a good lawyer for the community would have done.” – Vester Mott Givens (22:17)

5. Navigating Notoriety and Legal Limbo

• Steve Lerman’s anxiety about King’s ability to stay out of trouble foreshadows further complications:
  • “My greatest fear was that the parole department would violate him...that would just be the end [of the case].” – Steve Lerman (25:49)
• King’s run-ins with the law after the beating made him a complicated figure for prosecutors and for the community.
• The narrative splits between Lerman’s approach (avoid the race issue for maximum legal settlement) and activists’ pressure to highlight racism.
• Prosecutors debated the wisdom of having King testify:
  • “He got fairly agitated when we sort of pressed him about details... if he blows up on cross examination, I might as well go home. The case is over.” – Terry White (28:57)
  • “The reality is, I didn’t think it would be good for him because he’d be at a disadvantage because cognitively he was challenged.” – Steve Lerman (29:31)

6. King’s Isolation, Struggles, and Quiet Strength

• King did not want to speak for a movement he never sought, disappointing many, but remained true to himself:
  • “He showed no interest in becoming the face of campaigns against police brutality... King was nowhere to be seen.” (23:29)
• The episode closes with a poetic, mournful reflection on King’s inability to meet others’ expectations:
  • “He was never enough for anyone. At that moment in time, he found himself where he could not meet the standards of anyone. So he just took these blows. It just never stopped.” – Ontricia Averet (30:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “She was like, ‘treece, I have a problem. Glenn got beat up by the police.’” – Ontreecia Averet (00:12)
• “I was, like, looking at the sky, thinking, ‘wow, why me?’ And then I thought to myself, ‘why not me?’” – Steve Lerman (03:47)
• “Mr. King doesn’t want to make it out as though they did this just because he was a black man.” – Steve Lerman (05:29)
• “Every time I saw him, he was drunk. I’d never seen the man sober.” – Johnny Kelly (08:37)
• “We all grew up getting whippings, but Rodney weapons was more so like beatings.” – Johnny Kelly (08:50)
• “He was used to that abuse as a kid, so that’s why he would get up also. He could take it and he would get up, you know, and that pretty much came from his dad.” – Johnny Kelly (13:35)
• “He was never enough for anyone...he could not meet the standards of anyone. So he just took these blows. It just never stopped.” – Ontreecia Averet (30:33)
• “He said, ‘I’m scared to say yes. I’m scared. I don’t want to start a riot.’” – Steve Lerman, on Rodney King (25:06)
• “My greatest worry...was that the parole department would violate him...that would just be the end of a case.” – Steve Lerman (25:49)
• “I couldn’t walk in Rodney’s shoes, you know, being what he went through. So to me, I felt like, okay, if this is going to help the pain...go for it.” – Johnny Kelly on King’s drinking (20:19)

Important Segments (with Timestamps)

• Initial family reaction and struggle to find a lawyer: (00:01–03:50)
• Attorney Steve Lerman takes King's case, describes his injuries and motivations: (03:21–03:50)
• Appearance before media and debates surrounding representation: (04:24–05:35), (21:09–23:01)
• Rodney King’s upbringing, relationship with father, and early struggles: (06:53–11:56)
• King’s prior arrests and context for the police chase: (11:21–12:59)
• King’s physical and emotional recovery; impact of trauma: (15:06–19:26)
• Internal and external family/community debates about race, legal strategy, and representation: (21:09–25:15)
• Legal pressure, parole anxieties, and public expectations on King: (25:49–27:59)
• Prosecutors' debates on having King testify at trial: (28:35–29:39)
• Conclusion: King’s fraught role, public perceptions, and isolation: (30:33–END)

Tone and Storytelling

The episode is deeply empathetic, sometimes sorrowful, foregrounding Rodney King’s humanity while acknowledging the fraught political and racial forces at play. It refuses easy answers, highlighting the complex realities for individuals consumed by events larger than themselves.

This summary offers a frame-by-frame sense of how the podcast moves from personal family drama and trauma to community fissures and finally to the unique, pressured isolation of Rodney King, all while keeping the listener grounded in the voices and lived experiences of those most affected.