This was the plea heard from Rodney King almost 20 years ago at the height of the infamous LA riots, sparked by the aquittal of the officers who brutally beat him. The anniversary of those riots come at a time when this country is embattled by some of the same issues, with the recent arrest of George Zimmerman for the second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin.

Of the Martin case, King commented that he was “glad his attack was caught on tape,” although I don’t know the good it did him; every problem is not solved by a monetary settlement. But I digress…

King has released a memoir titled, The Riot Within: My Journey From Rebellion to Redemption. It may be worth read.