

Even if Rodney King had come out of that car waving a gun and they 
managed to disarm him, the police still had no right right to beat
him senseless the way they did once he was on the ground.  If they 
can't handle their jobs, they should be relieved of them.

Additionally, Anna Quindlan of the New York Times said it best (paraphrase):
Many people bring up what happened before what is shown on the tape.  Here's
what came before:  the 80's, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, racism,...