Press Conference Quotes

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Source: Press Conference

Speaker: Rodney King

"Can we all get along?"

Can we… can we all get along? Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids?

Context

This famous line was spoken by Rodney King in a press conference following the Los Angeles riots of 1992.

After being spotted by the California Highway Patrol (Erik Estrada was off duty that night), Rodney King led police on a high-speed chase through the San Fernando Valley in March 1991. A man named George Holliday recorded the confrontation between King and multiple police officers when King was caught, a confrontation that led to King's hospitalization.

The officers were charged with using excessive force and were later acquitted, their acquittal igniting racial tension across the country. Riots swept L.A., injuring hundreds and prompting King to go on TV with his plea, "Can we all get along?"

Where you've heard it

Often misquoted as "can't we all just get along?" this quote—correctly worded or not—is majorly popular, whether the conflict has to do with racial equality or something elseentirely

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Putting race and politics aside, the sentiment here is a call for peace.