Unlikely Heroes

Jailed for the now infamous beating of a white truck driver during the L.A. riots, five black defendants are hailed by some as victims of a biased legal system

Tom's Liquors was one of thousands of local businesses that were looted in South Central Los Angeles last April. Today the Korean-owned convenience store is back to normal. But outside in the parking lot, just yards from where white truck driver Reginald O. Denny was nearly beaten to death, another minority enterprise has sprung up. It is a makeshift stand selling $5 and $10 T shirts emblazoned with the slogan: JUSTICE FOR THE LA 4. LET MY PEOPLE GO. And who are the L.A. 4? They are the very men who ripped Denny from the cab of his truck, then robbed,...

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