During 1992 and 2000, a series of developments and events occurred that changed the way America functions. Of these events, two stuck in the minds of many people because the national media coverage was difficult to ignore. These two events that happened led to many changes, the Rodney King and Los Angeles riots of 1992 and the disputed elections of 2000. This proves that one person can be the cause of an event that will bring governments and local and national officials to stop and think about the consequences, both negative and positive. The Los Angeles riots began on April 29, 1992, following the acquittal of four police officers who had beaten and injured a motorist the previous year. In 1991, California Highway Patrol officers detected Rodney King speeding while he was driving in Los Angeles. King then led the officers on a high-speed chase, fearing that the court would revoke his probation for a robbery he had committed (Gray, 2014). He was arrested and ordered out of his car surrounded by several LAPD cars, leading to a scuffle between him and the officers, some of whom believed he was resisting arrest. A sergeant, Stacey Koon, used a Taser gun to shoot him before mercilessly hitting him with their buttons. He was beaten with batons by police more than fifty times and suffered eleven fractures and other injuries. George Holiday, who lived nearby, filmed the ordeal and broadcast it to a local television station the next day (CNN Library, 2014). The tape sparked tensions between black Americans and whites. Blacks viewed these beatings as racial discrimination against their community. However, no violence was recorded from blacks in...... middle of paper ......spect. Quarterly Review of Political Science, 116(1), 29-52. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/208270903?accountid=45049Golden, A.L. (2001). Contested ballots, partisan conflicts, and constitutional uncertainty: The 2000 election in historical context. The American Behavioral Scientist, 44(12), 2252-2268. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214769221?accountid=45049Gray, M. (2014). The Los Angeles riots: 15 years after Rodney King. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/specials/2007/la_riot/article/0,28804,1614117_1614084_1614831,00.htmlLevy, W. (2013). 2000 United States presidential election. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1570192/United-States-presidential-election-of-2000Morris, R. (April 28, 2012). Los Angeles riots: how 1992 changed policing. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-17878180