This time, we mark the 30th anniversary of one of the darkest days in LA history: Friday, April 29, 1992, when the all-white Simi Valley jury found 4 LAPD officers not guilty in the beating of Rodney King. Rage, protests, and violence, broke out across the city and lasted for days.

Five years ago on Off-Ramp, we marked the 25th anniversary with a full hour of interviews, archival footage, and an unflinching reckoning of the LAPD and its legacy of violence. We wound up with an interview with the late Rodney King.

That's what we're going to listen back to on this episode, but please remember that a lot has changed in five years, and one of them is that as a newsroom - like a lot of other newsrooms around the country - we at KPCC and LAist no longer use the phrase LA Riots.

While riotis used historically, we cannot ignore the media's role in popularizing a term that is now often used as a dog whistle for race. Words like response, unrest, or uprising encourage our audiences to think deeper about its origins.

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.)

The LA-based Catherine Opie is one of the world's most famous working art photographers, and in 2011, she was given exclusive access to Elizabeth Taylor's home in Bel Air,, which she photographed before and after the star's death. Although she never met her, you feel from the photos that Opie knew Taylor intimately.

In 2017, when the photos were exhibited in the exhibit "700 Nimes Road," Off-Ramp host John Rabe spoke with her about the experience.  

Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

(Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.)

Don and Chris Murray finally go to Night of a Hundred Stars together ... Jon Bon Jovi and Steve Lopez go to a homeless shelter together ... Queena Kim gets together with a beer float ... RIP Bobby Espinosa, and thanks for "Viva Tirado" ... CyberFrequencies watches an episode of iCarly with its target audience: kids.

Lisa See's "Shanghai Girls" - sisterhood, immigration, fear, and acceptance ... the future of theatre in Southern California ... Dinner Party Download ... Avatar v. Lorax ... rare beer.

The New York Times Plagiarism Problem ... Randolph Mantooth says "give now and be prepared for an 'Emergency'" ... Nicholas Meyer on The Wrath of Khan ... CyberFrequencies and life on the web ... and how Dinner Party Download makes your life better.

CyberFrequencies talks with Ray Bradbury ... A new documentary: "Finding God in the City of Angels" ... Karen Fritsche invents the Love-o-Meter to weigh driving and dating ... A new butcher in Los Feliz ... Jeff Girod says Obama was right about Vegas ... "Lincoln Echoes."

Dinner Party Download ... "Up!" gets best pic nom, we talk with Ed Asner ... Queena tastes a bacon donut ... Steve Julian tastes at least six tequilas but no margaritas ... Remembering journalist and author Tomas Eloy Martinez, who bared the soul of Argentina.

Ringo Starr in concert and conversation ... Providence's Michael Cimarusti learns secrets and legacy of Japanese cuisine ... the DineLA family tree of chefs ... CyberFrequencies on life on the web ... Animators hold benefit auction to help comatose teen ... Local troupe performs Steve Martin play with Picasso and Einstein.

Editor breaks up with LA Times ... Dinner Party Download ... the lost tapes of Bobbie Gentry.

How to be Doo Dah Queena ... Steven Cuevas' prison special report ... Remembering Leon Lyon, who helped bring Kahlua to America ... CyberFrequencies talks with the father of virtual reality ... and more.