The Big Answer

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In the aftermath of the L.A. riots, a 1992 Life magazine looks at a besieged city that felt like Beirut for awhile. The riots manifested some of the underlying tensions and realities of this and most other big cities.

L.A. riots required troops to stop the violence

Wikipedia says "The riots started on April 29, 1992, after a jury trial resulted in the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the videotaped beating of motorist Rodney King following a high-speed police pursuit. Thousands of people throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area rioted over the six days following the announcement of the verdict. Widespread looting, assault, arson and murder occurred during the riots, and property damages topped roughly one billion dollars. The rioting ended after soldiers from the California Army National Guard, along with U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton were called in to stop the rioting. In total, 53 people were killed during the riots and over two thousand people were injured."

The videotaped beating of motorist Rodney King following a high-speed police pursuit set off the L.A. riots

"Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965 – June 17, 2012) was an African-American construction worker who became nationally known after being beaten by Los Angeles police officers, following a high-speed car chase on March 3, 1991. A local witness, George Holliday, videotaped much of it from his balcony. The footage shows five officers surrounding King, several of them striking him repeatedly, while other officers stood by. Part of the footage was aired around the world, inflaming outrage in cities where racial tension was high, and raising public concern about police treatment of minorities."