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WHAT'S MORE VALUABLE THAN GOLD?

August 13, 2010

by Grace Powers

The chaos that happened in Los Angeles during the Rodney King riots in 1992 is exactly what will happen in "your city" if there is a sudden meltdown and a collapse of the economy.

I was living in Los Angeles during the riots. It was a war zone of looting, burning, fighting, smoke, helicopters overhead, cars running red lights and jumping the medians, panic in the streets and a breakdown of law enforcement and emergency services.

On the first day of rioting, the grocery stores remained open in the Valley...but all the meat was gone. The next day, the grocery stores closed down completely and so did the bank machines and the gas stations and the airport. You couldn't escape the city.

There were no emergency vehicles to help you out in an emergency. No ambulances or police to respond to your calls for help. You were on your own. My roommate and I looked in the cupboard and all we had to eat was spaghetti noodles. Our neighbours were hiding in their homes. We decided to park our cars in the backyard for fear that the gangs would migrate to our neighborhood and steal our cars and our valuables.

We watched the KTLA news reports as the rioting escalated. Store owners were boarding up their stores. Firefighters were being attacked. Street people suddenly felt empowered. Some carried baseball bats and smashed car windshields. We feared for our lives. I phoned friends and learned that the only thing people wanted was a gun. When the system breaks down, you need a gun to protect any food, money or valuables that you have and... to protect your life.

A curfew was ordered. On the third day of rioting, the National Guard troops in armored Hum-v's rolled onto the city streets and took over Los Angeles.