Media Mayhem with Allison Hope Weiner
Episode 254
The 1992 LA Riots Explored In ALL INVOLVED, With Author Ryan Gattis
ALL INVOLVED is a novel of set during the 1992 L.A. Riots, told through the eyes firefighters, nurses, graffiti artists, and, most of all, members of Latino street gangs in the South Central city of Lynwood. Author Ryan Gattis discusses structuring the story, interviewing gang members, the racially charged beating of Rodney King, and the role diversity plays in the heart of Los Angeles. We venture down the tense arteries of the City of Angels in this uncensored Media Mayhem interview, hosted by Allison Hope Weiner.
Episode Breakdown
00:01 Welcoming Ryan Gattis to Media Mayhem.
01:35 Structuring the story and remembering the riots.
03:40 The relationship between the police and gangs.
04:40 Rodney King & access to gang members.
10:02 Writing gang member characters.
11:10 The Goon Squad and firefighters.
13:48 Law enforcement & the US legacy of riots.
17:20 The role of Koreans in the 1992 riots.
21:07 An excerpt from ALL INVOLVED.
21:50 The diversity of Los Angeles.
25:50 Immigrants and animosity between Koreans and Africans.
28:29 Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 and other books on the LA riots.
30:26 Thank you and goodbye.
Guest Bio
Ryan Gattis is a writer & educator. His most recent book, All Involved: A Novel of the 1992 L.A. Riots, is grounded in 2.5 years of research & background spent with former Latino gang members, firefighters, nurses, & other L.A. citizens who lived through it. Set to be translated into 13 languages, The New York Times called it a “a high-octane speedball of a read” & its film rights have been acquired by HBO. Gattis lives and writes in Los Angeles, where he is a member of the street art crew UGLARworks & a founding board member of 1888, a Southern California literary arts non-profit.
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