RODNEY KING

It was hard to believe that the infamous center of the 1992 Los Angeles
Riots, Rodney King, is dead and that he was only 47. The acquittal of four
white LAPD officers, charged with police brutality after pulling over King
following an eight mile pursuit, sparked looting and violence that
eventually left 55 dead, 2325 injured, 1573 buildings destroyed, and a total
estimated cost of $1 billion dollars (AP Report, 4/26/12). While it seems
like the police officers indeed used excessive force and two of them were
charged with civil rights violations by a federal court, the man they
pursued was neither innocent nor a moral bastion. King, famous for his plea
during the riots--"Can we all get along?"--may have felt partially
responsible knowing that he chose to drive drunk and evade police for fear
of violating his parole on a theft conviction that had already earned him
two years in jail. The twice-divorced King, engaged to a juror from his
civil case against the city of Los Angeles, admitted not long before his
death to still drinking and doing drugs "occasionally" (Jennifer Medina,
NYTimes.com, 6/17/12). He spent most of his life after his brush with fame
in and out of jail and rehab centers, including time spent in prison for
assaulting his former wife and his daughter (ibid.). It all ended Sunday
morning, June 17, 2012, when King was found dead in the pool he built behind
the house he shared with the aforementioned Cynthia Kelly.

A man who seems to have been the victim of excessive force on an occasion
that he could have avoided had he not driven drunk or reached speeds near
100 should vividly illustrate a basic truth for all of us. We cannot escape
the consequences of our own character. King would not have been at the
center of this controversy had he respected God's Word and authority in His
life. He shows how immoral choices lead to unforeseen consequences. The
police and perceived prejudice were key to the riots, but King was culpable,
too. It was his immoral choices that landed him in the middle of a
situation godliness would have avoided (Rom. 13:3; 1 Pet. 3:17).

Suffering is an inevitability of life (Job 14:1). But, some suffering can
be avoided if we will choose the better way. Solomon rightly declared,
"Good understanding gains favor, but the way of the unfaithful
(KJV--"transgressors") is hard" (Prov. 13:15). King could have left a
better legacy, but such required better choices. May we be remembered as
those who left a smoother path for others while being regarded as people of
upright character.

Neal Pollard