Surviving the 1992 Los Angeles Riots

Michael Evans was a fifth grader in Los Angeles in 1992. He only had one friend, and that was John Newman. John and Mike had been best friends since first grade, when John moved to Los Angeles. Mike had met some superstars, and even attended the Oscars one year. Although his favorite movie didn't win best picture, he still thought it was the best day of his life. On day 1 of the riots, April 29, 1992, Mike heard about the trial on the news. He then turned on the news, and didn't think anything of it. The next day at school, all anyone could talk about was the rioting downtown. The teacher dismissed the discussions, saying those people were not nice. After Mike arrived home, his father said he should go down to get a baseball bat so Mike can practice, since he was so good at baseball. He was going to try out next year for the team. However, once arriving at the store, rioters followed Mike and his dad in. Mike took pictures with a camera that his father bought. Just as they were walking out, the rioters broke into the store. Mike's father threw him behind the check-out counter. The cashier threw himself between Mike and his father while rioters were attacked by cops. Mike then hid behind a door, but his father broke him out soon after. They then raced to the car, only to find out that a window had been smashed to bits by the rioters. The cashier then came out, and Mike thanked him for what he did. When he got home, he told John the whole story. The next day, school was closed because of the riots. John and Mike didn't care, they just played all day long, pretending to be cops busting rioters. However, on day 5, John was also attacked downtown, but was injured with a scraped arm. His arm had to be put in a  bandage to keep from bleeding. Mike came over to check on him constantly. They remained friends, even after their traumatic experiences. They couldn't wait to tell everyone at school.