any period of time since the Watts riots of 1965. Despite the large number of arrests, in April 1988, there were only 60 felony arrests, and charges were only filed in 32 instances. Disputing that figure, Chief Gates claimed that charges were filed on 70% of the suspects arrested. Critics have alleged that the operation was racist because it heavily employed racial profiling, targeting African-American and Hispanic youths. The perception that police had targeted non-Caucasian citizens likely contributed to the anger which, after the assault of motorist Rodney King, would erupt into the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Chief Gates was asked in a 2001 PBS interview whether the local people in the minority areas expressed thanks to the police: Sure. The good people did all the time. But the community activists? No. Absolutely not. We were out there 'oppressing' whatever the community had to be, whether it was blacks, or Hispanics. We were 'oppressing' them. Nonsense. We're out there trying to save their communities, trying to upgrade the quality of life of people ... See also Operation Cul-de-Sac References Los Angeles Police Department History of Los Angeles Urban decay in the United States Organized crime in Los Angeles Hammer, Operation 1987 in Los Angeles