When Stryker asked King if he hated the Los Angeles officers who beat him in 1991, King responded, "I look at it a total different way today. You know, I don't hate them. If it hadn't happened, a lot of things wouldn't have changed. I don't think we'd have a black president as soon as we had one ... minorities getting in positions that would have taken more years to get into. There's a positive thing that came out of a horrible situation."
When most of the officers charged with using excessive force on King were acquitted, the news sparked the Los Angeles riots of 1992. King was awarded $3.8 million in a civil case, but only took home $1.4 million, he told his "Loveline" hosts. Much of that money went to a divorce settlement and efforts to start a hip-hop label, he said.
Since his arrest in 1991, King has had a string of run-ins with the law and has battled substance abuse. He appeared last year on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew" and is currently on its sequel series, "Sober House."
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