The Beating of Rodney King

March 3rd 1991: George Holliday and his wife were awoken by sirens and a helicopter flying low over his apartment complex. The plumber and amateur videographer reached for his brand new Sony Camcorder, went out to the balcony and hit record. What he didn’t realize was he was about to capture what was arguably the first viral video of our time. About 90 feet away, four white LAPD officers were beating a black man named Rodney King, stopped after a high-speed pursuit. At home, his 7 year ...