In his new book “Never Again”, author Bill C. Weiss, a Santa Clarita resident, shares this true account and never-before-told insight into the hours leading up to, during, and after the Los Angeles riots erupted on Wednesday, April 29, 1992, in Los Angeles, California.
It is a compelling story, dealing with the emergent preparations and tough decisions he faced as a watch commander for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department while preparing Lennox Sheriff’s Station in South Los Angeles, to intervene as the nearby Los Angeles Police Department found itself totally unprepared to deal with this deadly and dynamic crisis.
The worst civil disturbance in the United States in this century would occur in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdicts. The acquittals of four Los Angeles Police Department officers involved in the beating case of Rodney King left the City of Los Angeles stunned. Angry and violent crowds gathered on street corners across the city, while thousands more turned to their televisions to watch the news events unfold. Spreading unchecked from the major flash point of the South Los Angeles intersection of Normandie and Florence Avenues, this chaotic disturbance engulfed the city and portions of the surrounding metropolitan area. Its affect would be felt throughout the nation, while it was observed throughout the world. Many of its scars still linger today.
The riot’s flames, looting and violence caused at least 53 deaths, over 2,300 injuries of which at least 228 were classified as critical. Over 12,000 arrests and 7,000 fires occurred.
Approximately 3,100 businesses were affected by looting and rioting with property damage estimated at nearly $1 billion dollars.
In totality, the recovery phase still continues as it not only left its mark on law enforcement, but also on the young and old alike. None of this had to happen. Never again should it happen.
Weiss unravels what occurred behind the scenes as he deals with his internal instinct to take action, waged against his self-discipline to follow orders. He is put to the test up to the final moment before being able to put his daring plan into action.
Little did anyone know that a mobile tactical response team, made up of extra on duty personnel that day from the nearby Lennox Sheriff’s Station, stood at the ready awaiting orders. The magnitude of this incident called for an immediate, decisive, and effective showing of force by law enforcement. This response team was ready to do just that.
As several recent incidents in Ferguson, Missouri (2014), Baltimore, Maryland (2015), and numerous incidents in 2016 have shown, law enforcement’s initial response to and handling of these violent encounters and civil disturbances continues to resonate with the entire country.
“Never Again”, published by Morgan James in New York, will be released on November 1, 2016, to various retailers, such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon, BAM, Powell’s, Indie Bound, and Chapters Indigo. The book can be found on Amazon.com under the title or author Bill C Weiss.
For information on ordering copies of the book (ISBN 978-1-63047-904-6) that are available now for delivery visit Bill’s website, https://www.billcweiss.com., or to secure speaking engagements, please contact Bill at [email protected].
