StoryCorps Griot: Karen Slade, Eric "Rico" Reed and Arthur "Sonny" Williams
From: StoryCorps
Series: StoryCorps
Length: 02:28
In 1992, Los Angeles police officers were charged — then acquitted — of assaulting Rodney King.
The news sparked riots in the city, and no neighborhood was hit harder than South Central LA.
KJLH was an urban R&B station located on Crenshaw Boulevard, at the heart of the riots.
Karen Slade, the general manager, Eric “Rico” Reed, a DJ, and Arthur “Sonny” Williams, KJLH’s driver, remember what happened during those days.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
In 1992, Los Angeles police officers were charged — then acquitted — of assaulting Rodney King.
The news sparked riots in the city, and no neighborhood was hit harder than South Central LA.
KJLH was an urban R&B station located on Crenshaw Boulevard, at the heart of the riots.
Karen Slade, the general manager, Eric “Rico” Reed, a DJ, and Arthur “Sonny” Williams, KJLH’s driver, remember what happened during those days.
Broadcast History
NPR's Morning Edition 4/13/12
Transcript
MUSIC
Karen Slade (KS): I’m Karen Slade; I’m the general manager of KJLH radio. We were prepared for people to be unhappy, but we couldn’t believe our eyes. People were beyond angry. They were crazy. It’s like they lost their mind. The phone started lighting up, and my jocks shut down the music, they stayed on the mic, they took the calls and probably for the next three days, we just became all talk…
Archive Audio DJ: What is your name and where are you calling from?
Archive Audio Caller: Okay, hey, my name is Valen; I’m calling from Compton. They’ve been having fires out here. They say the guy got trapped in the building…
Archive Audio DJ: What is the situation in that neighborhood right now?
Archive Audio Caller: A lot of smoke. A lot of fires. A lot of gunshots.
Archive Audio DJ #2: Brothers, please, please stay indoors. Please, Please take care of yourselves.
Eric Reed (ER): M...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Time again for StoryCorps.
Today -- remembering the L-A riots.
Twenty years ago this month, Los Angeles police officers were charged -- then acquitted -- of assaulting Rodney King.
The news sparked riots in the city.
And we'll hear next from three people who lived through them in the neighborhood of South Central.
They were working at K-J-L-H ...
... an urban R&B station, located on Crenshaw Boulevard ...
... right in the heart of the riots.
OUTRO:That's Eric "Rico" Reed, Karen Slade and Arthur Williams remembering the LA Riots at StoryCorps.
Their interviews will be archived with all the others at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Living for the City | Stevie Wonder | The Definitive Collection. | Motown | 1963 | 20:00 |
| (I Remember) Mr. Banks | Maceo & All The King's Men | Doing Their Own Thing. | Snapper Music Group | 2006 | 00:20 |
| Cardova | The Meters | The Meters. | Sundazed Music Inc | 1999 | 00:53 |
Additional Credits
Capella University, special thanks to Dr. Phylis Johnson
Related Website
