Rodney King Gets New House

54 thoughts on “Rodney King Gets New House”

• Are you kidding me right now?? Calling Rodney King a dirtbag and implying he led to the deaths of people during the riots??? REALLY??? First of all, Dr. Drew didn’t give him a new house. The house was his, Drew had it remodeled, using King’s furnishings, pictures, etc. Second, the police who beat him to an almost death have NO responsibilities in the 53 riot deaths??? Wow.

• I agree with Kaybee 100%. The house was already Rodney’s he just had it remodeled. Also if you ever what the show, you will realize that Rodney is dead serious about his recovery, while some of the others are not serious at all.

  And to blame Rodney for the riots is ridiculous.

• Kaybee,

  I know it was just a remodel, but in effect, the house is now new. Did you see it before? It was basically a crackhouse, with rotted wood, no furniture and scum everywhere. Since he did that to his home, it makes him a dirtbag.

  He didn’t deserve a new home. Giving this man something he did not earn will not be appreciated, and it will not help his addiction whatsoever.

  And the police that beat King were just doing their job and they were acquitted of all wrongdoing. King was loaded on alcohol, was speeding, and refused to cooperate with police instructions. So yes, King’s behavior led to his confrontation which eventually led to the deaths of 53 people in the LA riots. Its called causation.

• If you knew it was a remodel of his own house, you were being purposely misleading by saying he was given a new house. It was his before Dr. Drew did anything. You also conveniently do not mention that Dr. Drew remodeled it because Rodney wanted to turn his house into a sober living environment and had even met with the man who owns the sober house he was in to talk about what it would take to do that, then realized he couldn’t because his house was in such bad shape due to his choices during addiction. I would gladly invite you to tell us where you got the law degree that qualifies you to talk about causation, then please do the world a favor and go back for a refresher. His misconduct that night was the proximate cause of the stop. The misconduct of the police officers was the proximate cause of his injuries. The acceptance by a state jury of the use of force used in the King case, combined with a State judge’s having ignored a jury sentencing recommendation in the Latasha Harlins case a year earlier (probation and community service in lieu of the 16 years recommended by the jury when the girl was shot in the back of the head), was the proximate cause of the rioting. The police officers were not acquitted of all wrongdoing–two were convicted on federal felony charges. The other two were found in violation of department policy for their inappropriate use of force (sad, really…there was appropriate force that could have been uses instead, but they CHOSE not to use it).

  So, no, King’s behavior did not lead to the riots, and you should not post if you are not going to be truthful.

• King’s behavior DID lead to the riots. Do you think 10,000 rampaging blacks in Los Angeles knew about “Latasha Harlins?” No. King is a raging drunk and an addict who still blames all of his woes on everybody else instead of himself. And his new house will soon turn back into a crack house and we will likely be reading about Rodney’s overdose and subsequent death in the papers someday.

  That is the truth. Not your fantasy of causation tied to a state judge’s ruling.

• Are you asking me if the rioters in LA know about Latasha Harlins or were you asking yourself since you answered your own question? On the off chance you were asking me, I will answer. Yes, the rioters in South Central LA knew all about Latasha Harlins because the convenience store where she was killed was IN South Central LA and was burned to the ground during the riots and it’s why Asian-owned businesses were particularly targeted (the store owner who shot her was Asian). They also knew all about their own personal experiences with the lawlessness of the LAPD and their biases directed at blacks and latinos (and, after the Christopher Commission, so did the rest of us).

  You have no business pretending that you know the meaning of the word truth when you don’t put any of it in your posts.

• Lots of convenience stores in South Central LA were burned down. That’s where those 53 people lived that Rodney King’s actions caused to die.

  Shocker that you try to blame “lawnessness” on the LAPD, but still can’t speak about the lawnessness of Rodney King.

  Gosh, I think those cops were all hired by democrats on the city council and were working for the democrat-controlled policies in the city on how to deal with citizens. And the blacks hated it but just not enough to ever vote for a different political party. They get what they vote for. Detroit burns to the ground every year too and that city has been democrat controlled even longer than LA.

  The riots were caused by Rodney King’s inability to cooperate with the police. If I had to live with the guilt of killing 53 people I might be a drunk and a crackhead too. Which is why this new house of his will degenerate into a crapshack.

• WOW…thats a shame…but I guess not. My name is Randy Ran and I am an addict. At one time, I too blamed everyone and everything on everybody else. But I went to a program that taught and showed me that the past is just a part of my life, and I need to let it go. Just like Rodney did when he wrote the letter, he is now able to move on with life. He can stop blaming the LAPD and realize that he did have a part in that “historic” event. At the same time the LAPD also had the other part of that event. Unfortunately, the LAPD is less forgiving and less forgiveable, this depends on who you believe is responsible. I also believe that a majority of the negative comments made about Rodney and his gift from Dr. Drew, come from those who are not addicts, or who have not done step one, Y.E.T. this stands for…You’re Eligible Too. No one is immune from the disease of addiction, and addicts ARE NOT just addicted to substances. Some of us can be addicted to porn, gambling, internet stuff, violence, eating, and this list really has no end. So those who make the negative comments, good for you, I have learned to accept the fact that there are people who just dont know what we are. We are humans who have made bad choices and we experience the outcome and because we can make our own choices, we CAN make the right choices with help. We shouldn’t let our past dictate our future, some do. Rodney can now make the right choices and the gift from Dr Drew may allow others to move into an environment where they can make the right choices. I love the show and Dr Drew is very caring and attempts to help his patients as much as possible. Truth is this, the chances are extremely low that most of them will truly stay clean and sober…once again the choice is theirs. These celebrities have quite a few resources at their reach, it might not seem that way on tv. Meetings are a very important part of our lives, we pretty much need to attend them on a regular basis for the rest of our lives. They really dont emphasize that on the show, and I think that they should.
  The riots in LA were caused by a city who CHOSE to use Rodney as a catlyst, or an excuse to terrorize and loot the city. CHOICES…This is just a part of life that some people refuse to understand. I am NOT saying what happened was justified, what I am saying is this, RACISM played a big factor in that event. Drugs and alcohol had a part in it also, but did it justify the beat down that Rodney experienced?
  When we addicts recieve another chance in life and we make bad choices sometimes the rest of the world gets affected by our decision making. When we addicts make the right decisions and we recieve gifts we embrace them as blessings.
  Rodney was blessed with another chance at life, and now maybe he can help another addict get another chance at life. Rodney cant do anything about the 53 people that died as a result of the riots, but maybe he can help 53 people save their own lives by getting clean and sober.
  You can call Rodney a crackhead and a drunk, but here is something you might not know about us “crackheads and drunks”…we can recover. You see the thing about our fellowships is…we dont shoot our injured. Apparently and unfortunately, there are human beings that think, that would be the answer. Recovery is a “WE” program that could include “YOU” also…give Rodney a chance.

• Randy, thanks for taking the time to share. I do hope that Rodney really recovers this time and gets all the help he needs on a personal and spiritual level to continue toward his recovery.

  My objection to the way Dr. Drew handled this case was that the remodeling job was a gift that Rodney neither earned nor deserved. It would have been far better for him to have been teamed with a sponsor that was an expert in home improvements and together the two of them could have slowly rebuilt the place. Hard work is good therapy. And it would have given Rodney a sense of pride and accomplishment instead of a gift of entitlement. Heck, they could have even made a TV series about it.

• Anyone who says he contributed to the deaths is a fucking moron, The stupid ass cops were the ones who contributed to the deaths. Not Him millions of people get caught DWI a year, no other riots! or any deaths!

• During one of the last episodes of “Sober House”, you saw Mr. King return to the place where he was beaten by the police. On his trip there, with Dr. Drew, you heard the reason he didn’t want to stop. “I’d seen my father get beaten too many times before by the police.” However, he did stop and was pulled out of the car and throttled within an inch of his life.

  Pat, you stated, “Hard work is good therapy.” but in all actuality, Good therapy is hard work. I, too am a recovering addict. I have to admit that recovery is a life long fight. After being in 5 different rehabs, something finally clicked. To date I have been clean for 6 years.

  I admire Mr. King. He doesn’t want to be in the spotlight, unlike his other “Sober House” mates. His main focus seems to be on his sobriety. God Speed, Mr. King.

• SandySue,

  See, you said it yourself: Rodney didn’t want to stop for the police, he was itching for a confrontation.

  You don’t make any excuses for your addictions. But everyone loves to make excuses for Rodney’s, including Rodney himself.

• You sound like a troll that lost his own debate. Every “point” you made got refuted with evidence. Maybe you are now the one that needs to get over Rodney’s past.

• Tyree,
  You sound like a failed hip hop wanna-be star who blames his lack of success on “the man.”

  Of course you think Rodney King did nothing to provoke the police response and you probably think OJ was innocent too.

• There is something very wrong with you. It is a fact that what bothers us most in another is a trait we ourselves have and loathe about ourself. So I can only deduce that you are an addict of some kind and thus cannot stand to see someone rise above their own circumstances and/or addictions, because then you have no excuse to get yourself together. Save the hatred for yourself, maybe then you will actually do something about your own problems!

• WiseOne,

  Trying to assign attributes to me based upon your own imperfections and flaws is called projecting. Sorry, I have no addictions. I don’t even smoke.

  I have friends who are addicts, and no one ever gave them a new or refurbished house just because they stayed clean for 30 days. Most people get a 30-day coin. Rodney King, who can’t stop for a police pursuit gets a house.

  But like I said, he will probably burn it down when his new meth lab explodes.

• I stand by what I said.
  Rodney King was thrust into the public eye, raw for people like you to pass judgment, that’s why you know who he is. He didn’t ask for it, it happened, he therefor deserves more consideration. Whilst others are relatively anonymous in their addictions, this event and the notoriety most definitely contributed to the escalation of his drug use – for that reason he is entitled to additional help.
  As I said, I stand by my statement, there IS a reason you are so affected by what you deem ‘unfair reward to someone not worthy’ as it does not affect your life in the slightest, your obvious offense speaks to something that has absolutely nothing to do with Rodney King and everything to do with you.
  Whereas you choose to attack and malign him – I feel nothing but compassion for the man and an earnest and heartfelt hope that he succeeds in his quest for sobriety – as I wish for everyone in his shoes. I lost my best friend to a heroin overdose, I don’t want anyone else to go through the pain I went through when I lost him, yourself included. I don’t understand why you are predicting, expecting and dare I say it, willing him to fail. That doesn’t make you a very nice person.

• WiseOne,
  I don’t begrudge any addict a chance at recovery. And of course I fully understand that Rodney was a helpless addict before his beating and nothing was getting better for him afterwards. And extra help, of course, Rodney would need that. But he will not succeed in getting the extra help he needs by dealing with his recovery on a stupid reality show and giving him a house he didn’t earn will also not help in his recovery one little bit.

  And because those showbiz attempts to help Rodney will be what fails is why I predict that Rodney will blow up his new house in a colorful meth lab accident.

• I am just going to end with one final thought…if we all wished the best for people instead of predicting failure – perhaps this world would be a nicer place to live, and maybe less people would find the desire and/or need to partake of substances that do them harm. What works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another, and vice versa – a sober Rodney King realized what he had been doing to himself – a sober Rodney King made a decision to change it in front of millions of witnesses – perhaps the very thing that made him a household name can in fact be used to hold him to the promise he made to himself and his family.
  Negativity is pervasive and parasitic – it travels farther and wider than positivity – it’s harder to be positive, but it’s sure worth it – why not try it?

• I am so glad for Rodney King. How can anyone possibility think that he was responsible for those riots.
  Randy Ran is correct. Pat is not an addict and does not have a clue what he is talking about. Addiction is a miserable curse. I should know. I have been there.
  You know Pat, you cannot fake manners, humility, forgiveness, charm, personality and a whole lot of other traits or attributes for which Rodney King is blessed with. Of course, you would not understand because you are actually an idiot that should not have a dias nor a piece of paper to communicate with.
  I wish Rodney King the very best. I hope Dawn and Rodney have a long, healty sober life together and the generousity Rodney has shown as to open his house up to recovering addicts is beyond words.

  Good Luck Rodney
  Jude, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada

• Jude,
  Halifax Nova Scotia? Wow, if it weren’t for MTV and VH-1, you wouldn’t even know what a black person looked like.

  Sounds like you have fallen in love with Rodney King- you should get together and drink a case or two of malt liquor together and go sightseeing.

  Keep believing your fantasy that Rodney is going to recover based on this show and a dubious gift of a new house.

  By the way, Rodney King is a lousy fisherman too. I saw him try to catch a fish at that pond. The whole scene was a staged event to make it look like he was contemplating his life. He wasn’t.

• By the way Pat, I see you are ignorant as well. Can you imagine, you live on the continent of
  North America and you don’t even know you own back yard. I guess if you are not educated about Canada, you really can’t help that. But that’s ok, we have it going pretty hep. Seems alot of celebrities feel the same way because they vacation here quite a bit. But anyway, you would not know that either.
  I am not in love with Rodney King but I do admire what he is going to do for recovering addicts. As far as black people, we got all kinds of them baby.
  Are you sure you are not one of the cops who beat him??????? Isn’t it amazing, not one person on this page agrees with you. Keep trying Pat, you might find a friend instead of staying up all night on a computer. As for me, I found this page being curious about the house and stumbled on to your foolishness. My God, you are so pathetic, I can’t even feel sorry for you.

• Yeah, Halifax is the Hotbed of celebrity vacation activity. All them blacks and celebrities the ones who bring in all the drugs you are addicted to?

  The fact that no one on this page agrees with me is no shock either. Most of the commenters have been addicts and it is no surprise that they can’t deal with the light of reality nor the concept of accepting responsibility.

  All that hate and animosity you have for me is hilarious given that you never showed any of that to the people you bought your drugs from.

• You see Pat, there you go again presuming and assuming. I was not addicted by choice. I have had over 30 kidney stones since 2001. I was given strong medication to deal with them as they do not remove a stone that is in the urator unless it is causing a blockage. Due to taking medication over and over, I became addicted. I do not use a dealer or you can say, it is my doctor or was when all that was happening.
  I am so glad that I do not have the hatred in me that you seen to embrace.
  My dear man, I come from a very respectable family. My son is a decorated police officer and I hope some where in there Pat, you find some peace. You need help.

• By the way Pat, I do not hate anyone including you. As I said before, you assume a lot of things.