The Madeleine Brand Show

Twenty years ago, rioting first broke out at the intersection of Florence and Normandie, outside Tom's Liquor in South Central Los Angeles.

KPCC's Josie Huang joins the show to discuss the current whereabouts of the major figures from the LA riots.

While Rodney King and Reginald Denny have become household names, another major player in the LA riots was the Los Angeles Police Department, which came under scrutiny for its practices.

There were dozens of shops, stores and other businesses that burned in the LA Riots. Earlez Grille was one of them.  It was about to open its doors 20 years ago this week, but a fire on the first night of the riots stopped that plan. KPCC’s Brian Watt has the story of how the South LA purveyor of hot dogs, burgers, and other good grub survived – and thrived.

With the 20th anniversary of the L.A. riots approaching, David Kipen discusses several books exploring different aspects of the seminal event.