The camera used to record LAPD officers beating Rodney King is about to go up for sale to the public, but this piece of history is gonna cost ya 6 figures.
Auction house Nate D. Sanders will put the original Sony camera up on the auction block this Thursday, and the opening bid is set at $225k — which means they expect it to fetch wayyy more than that.
George Holliday used the camera on March 3, 1991 — when he shot the horrific scene from his apartment balcony in L.A. What he captured eventually set off the 1992 L.A. riots … after the 4 white cops involved were acquitted in the criminal trial.
Holliday referenced the significance of his camera and how it’s more relevant today than ever, saying … “I hope this video camera inspires people to use their power to record events that they find troubling.” He added, “Don’t be afraid to use it.”
Watching LA 92 documentary on Netflix about Rodney King beating by LA police. This happen in 1991 even back then they said it wasn’t a isolated incident & only differences was they got it on video. pic.twitter.com/QQWJhRwdRk
— Carlos Nunez (@CarlosN22296670) July 21, 2020
@CarlosN22296670
It’s unclear if the original videotape of the Rodney beating is included in the auction piece — but Holliday has said that people to this day still seek him out to obtain and use it. It was most recently featured in a Netflix documentary about the riots.
Although King wasn’t victorious in criminal court, he won on the civil lawsuit in 1994 — with a jury finding the city of Los Angeles liable for his injuries, and awarding him nearly $4 million.
He died in a 2012 accidental drowning.
