Chapter 202: The Los Angeles Riots

In the top suite of the Raphael Hotel in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, Arthur stood by the window in his bathrobe, enjoying the night view of Paris. The Eiffel Tower was right across from the window.

Swirling the wine in his glass, Arthur downed it in one gulp. Who said the view of the Eiffel Tower was beautiful, anyway?

It was just an iron structure. The neon lights might look decent at night, but during the day, up close, you could even see spots of rust on the framework!

"Arthur, do you think it's beautiful?" A warm embrace hugged Arthur from behind as Sophie Marceau's voice rang out.

"It's alright," Arthur set the glass down, pulled Sophie into his arms, and reached for her chest, feeling the softness. He said, "The preparations for Fanfan are going smoothly. Thanks for your hard work. When do we start filming?"

Sophie Marceau, in her half-slipped nightgown, clung tightly to Arthur. "We'll begin shooting right after the Cannes Film Festival next month. We start on May 20th!"

This year's Cannes Film Festival was set to open on May 7th and would close with the awards ceremony on the 17th.

"Well, it's soon. Tomorrow is already the 30th," Arthur said, lowering his head to kiss the person in his arms.

Not long after, Sophie Marceau was leaning against the windowsill, with Arthur on her back, both of them admiring the night view of the Eiffel Tower.

"Darling, your figure just keeps getting better!" Arthur, lying on Sophie Marceau's back, clearly felt the slimness of the beauty beneath him, much more slender than when they first met.

Sophie Marceau, with a lingering gaze and a quivering smile, explained, "I wore a military uniform every day for A Few Good Men. I haven't skipped many gym sessions. I'm very satisfied with my body now!"

Arthur laughed, "That's great. I feel like I can't do without you more and more. This time, I'll stay in France for a few more days and bring one or two movies back for release."

"Are you going to pick films at the Cannes Film Festival? Many French filmmakers want to meet you. You should see them these days," Sophie Marceau said with pleasant humming, then turned around and squatted directly down.

"Sure," Arthur felt fingers scratching his hip, raising his hand to stroke the woman's hair.

As Arthur arrived in France, the long-awaited African-American riot broke out at the end of the month in Los Angeles.

On the morning of April 29, the four white police officers who had arrested African-American Rodney King for drunk driving last year were acquitted by the Los Angeles Federal Court after a year of trial.

This led to a strong dissatisfaction from Los Angeles' two major African-American gangs, the Crips and the Bloods. Quickly, all branches of the Crips united and held talks with the Bloods' leaders on a street in Compton. They soon decided: to cease mutual attacks, sign a peace truce, and jointly protest against this incident.

That afternoon, on the West Coast of the United States, tens of thousands of gang members from South Central Los Angeles and Compton took to the streets in demonstrations.

The conflict quickly escalated, flames spread everywhere, expanding from Compton and South Central Los Angeles across the entire Los Angeles area.

By the end of the day, Los Angeles was paralyzed and in chaos, especially Koreatown, where previous tensions and struggles had erupted into large-scale gunfights between both communities!

The next day, the riots spread to 19 other states.

In the Raphael Hotel, Arthur watched the TV news report while holding a mobile phone. "I'm fine. I'm not even in the US; I just arrived in France. Don't worry, the government will handle it. It's fine to apply for study abroad next time you come over!"

Everyone called to inquire about the situation including Jennifer Aniston, Winona Rider, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Connelly, Madchen Amick, Vivian Chow, Monica Bellucci, and others, along with other friends and colleagues.

That day, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared a state of emergency. The following day, Los Angeles transit services were suspended, and a curfew from 7 PM to 6 AM was imposed.

Subsequently, Rodney King, the instigator, attempted to publicly appeal for the Los Angeles residents to stop fighting. South Central Los Angeles and Koreatown were looted, and even Hollywood saw many African-Americans causing destruction.

On May 1, 4,000 federal troops, marines, and 6,000 National Guard members entered Los Angeles to quell the riots.

On May 2, Arthur sat on the hotel sofa with Sophie Marceau, watching the TV as the first batch of rioters charged with looting and arson were brought to trial.

"Arthur, is this real?" Sophie Marceau was somewhat stunned, with burning buildings and cars resembling the scenes of a war.

Arthur noticed that the most severe area was still Koreatown. Fortunately, his Galaxy Film City in East Hollywood was unharmed.

"These guys sure are wild," Arthur said, rubbing Sophie Marceau. 

"Forget it, I'm sure it will be resolved soon. I'm here for work," Arthur stretched lazily. The rioters were predominantly African-Americans and Spanish-speaking Latinos.

Surprisingly, the biggest losers were not Whites but the Korean community. The scenes in Koreatown were distressing!

Arthur didn't care much about this. However, this big news had spiked BET TV's ratings, and he wondered if the upcoming release of The Bodyguard from Galaxy this month could use this event as publicity.

"In the evening, let's attend a cocktail party organized by Gaumont. Many French filmmakers should be attending," Sophie Marceau said, holding Arthur's waist.

"I've received a few scripts. See if you're interested in investing. French films currently don't have much market in Hollywood."

*****

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