Democracy Now! April 30, 2002

9:01-9:06 Headlines: type 9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break MUSIC:6: WINDOW - Poem by Quraysh Ali Lansana Poets for Peace 20: KILLING IN THE NAME OF - Rage Against the Machine 40: GOD SAVE US FROM OURSELVES - Walela Unbearable Love End: GOD SAVE US FROM OURSELVES - Walela 9:07-9:20 ON THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RODNEY KING UPRISING IN LOS ANGELES, A LOOK BACK AT ONE OF THE LARGEST UPRISINGS IN MODERN US HISTORY This week is the tenth anniversary of one of the largest uprisings in modern US history, the uprising in Los Angeles sparked by the acquittal of four white police officers who beat Rodney King. On April 29, 1992, an all-white jury acquitted four white police officers in the beating of an African American man, Rodney King. This despite a videotape that showed the officers hitting King with their batons over 50 times, kicking him, and shooting him with an electronic stun gun, as he lay on the ground. After the videotape was broadcast, a grand jury indicted all four officers on a number of charges. The world assumed a guilty verdict was inevitable. But then the judge moved the trial to Simi Valley, a largely white enclave in conservative suburbia. He ruled the officers could not be guaranteed an impartial trial in LA. Many felt they could not get an impartial trial in Simi Valley. A few months later, the jury acquitted the officers of all charges. An hour and fifteen minutes after the acquittal came down, what will be remembered forever as the LA riots, or the LA rebellion, began. Ten years ago, fires spread throughout the streets of South-Central, Long Beach, Hollywood, Koreatown, and West LA. 55 people were killed. More than 2,300 people were injured, and more than 1,100 buildings were damaged or destroyed. More than 13,000 National Guard and federal officers were called in by President George Bush senior. And most of the 10,000 people arrested were Latino and black young men. We are going to turn to an audio documentary, produced at Pacifica station KPFK in Los Angeles, and take a look at Los Angles during those stormy months of 1992 and today. Tape: The Rodney King Uprising: Ten Years Later, an audio documentary produced at Pacifica station KPFK in Los Angeles.Produced by Armando Gudino. Associate Producer/Editor: Nathan Thompson. Contributing Producers: Christopher Sprinkle, Eben Ray, Maria Kim, and Zubery Fields. Music by Rage Against the Machine. Some of the people featured are Maxine Waters, California Congresswoman, Warren Caton, West Hollywood gay activist and business owner, Oscar Vergara, teacher and activist, Pastor Brian McNight, of the Baptist Church of South Central LA, which has been in south central for over 90 years, Roxanna Hernandez, an immigrant worker from El Salvador, and Miguel Paredes, from Boys and Girls club in East Los Angeles. 9:20-9:21 One Minute Music Break 9:21-9:39 ON THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RODNEY KING UPRISING IN LOS ANGELES, A LOOK BACK AT ONE OF THE LARGEST UPRISINGS IN MODERN US HISTORY Tape: The Rodney King Uprising: Ten Years Later, an audio documentary produced at Pacifica station KPFK in Los Angeles. 9:39-9:40 One Minute Music Break 9:40-9:58 BLUE GOLD: THE FIGHT TO STOP THE CORPORATE THEFT OF THE WORLDS WATER: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANTI CORPORATE GLOBALIZATION ACTIVIST MAUDE BARLOW The book begins like this:"The world is running out of fresh water. Humanity is polluting, diverting, and depleting the wellspring of life at a startling rate. With every passing day our demand for fresh water outpaces its availability and thousands more people are put at risk. Already, the social, political, and economic impacts of water scarcity are rapidly becoming a destabilizing force, with water-related conflicts springing up around the globe. Quite simply, unless we dramatically change our ways, between one-half and two-thirds of humanity will be living with severe fresh water shortages within the next quarter-century. "Faced with the now well-documented fresh water crisis, governments and international institutions are advocating the privatization and commodification of water. 'Price water,' they say; put it up for sale and let the market determine its future. For them, the debate is closed." Well, today on "Democracy Now!" we are going to reopen this debate with theauthor and activist, Maude Barlow. Maude Barlow is the chairperson of the Council of Canadians, Canadas largest public advocacy organization. She was one of Canada's leading voices in the battle against the US-Canada Free Trade Ageement, NAFTA, and the Multilateral Agreement on Investment. Her book, Blue Gold: The Fight To Stop The Corporate Theft Of The Worlds Water., has just been published by The New Press. Guest: Maude Barlow, national volunteer chair of the Council of Canadians, Canadas largest public advocacy organization, and author of Blue Gold: The Fight To Stop The Corporate Theft Of The Worlds Water. IN STUDIO Contact: www.canadians.org 9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits