All Involved (41 page)

Whitecoats:
slang for hospital emergency personnel who wear white coats, typically doctors or, occasionally, nurses

Wifebeater:
a cotton undershirt, typically a white tank top

For further information on Chicano culture, please see:
Chicano Folklore: A Guide to the Folktales, Traditions, Rituals, and Religious Practices of Mexican-Americans
by Rafaela G. Castro

The quote from Joe McMahan that begins Day 2 was transcribed from a live television report made during the riots for
7 Live Eyewitness News.

The quote from LAPD Chief Daryl Gates that appears in “The Facts” and the quote from Rodney King that begins Day 3 can be found in
Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the Riot Changed Los Angeles and the LAPD
by Lou Cannon.

The quote from Major General James D. Delk that begins Day 5 can be found in his book,
Fires & Furies: The L.A. Riots
.

The quote from Lieutenant Dean Gilmour that begins Day 6 can be found in
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
by Anna Deavere Smith. The [
sic
] added was my own, as there is no “Hollingback Division” in Los Angeles. There is, however, a Hollenbeck.

I am greatly indebted to all three books and their authors for broadening my understanding of the events that took place from April 29 to May 4, 1992.

Except for Anthony's speculation on the amount of bullets fired after two days of rioting, or the 9.15 million L.A. County population (
L.A. Almanac
), every statistic used in this book was found in either Cannon's or Delk's work.

Throughout this process, the
Los Angeles Times
was an absolutely invaluable resource for my research. The headlines used in this book are real.

Álvaro, who was the absolute guiding force for this book; thank you for helping me to plan every crime in the novel as if it were real. I could not have written this without your input and great generosity.

Evan Skrederstu, who never hesitated to listen or tell me what worked and what didn't.

Everyone else in UGLAR (Unified Group of L.A. Residents): Chris Horishiki Brand, Espi, and Steve Martinez—without you all, this book would not exist.

Stanley Corona, who shared with me how deeply the riots impacted his family.

LAFD Battalion Chief (Ret.) Ron Roemer and Engineer (Ret.) John Cvitanich, as well as Captain Skelly, Engineer Zabala, and Firefighters Meza and Bennett of 112s.

California Highway Patrol Captain (Ret.) Chuck Campbell.

Marisa Roemer, who listened to every chapter the moment it was written and always knew what rang true and what plot needed to go where.

William J. Peace, M.D., who oversaw all medical references in this book.

My entire family—most especially Grandmother Annazell, Mom, Dad, Brandon, Karishma, Big Sister Char, and Alexa—who motivate me by loving me more every time I fail.

Kevin Staniec, Corrie Greathouse, and my incredibly supportive artistic family at Black Hill Press, who are always there for me.

Chapman University Independent Study (Editing) students Jennifer Eneriz and Zoe Zhang, who copyedited the text, fact-checked for historical accuracy, and provided vital language assistance during the glossary creation process.

Gustavo Arellano and P. S. Serrato, who are tremendous teachers of Southern California culture in their own inimitable ways.

Bryce Carlson, who never grew tired of talking L.A. or schooling me on sound effects—
shimp,
indeed, sir.

Lizzy Kremer, Harriet Moore, Laura West, Emma Jamison, Alice Howe, and Nicky Lund at David Higham, who believed in this work from day one.

Simon Lipskar at Writers House, who made an exception for me, and Kassie Evashevski at UTA, who helped make a dream come true.

Last, but never least, there are a number of people who participated in the research and background that led to this book who wish to remain anonymous. I will always keep your trust. Please know this novel would not have been possible without your insight and I cannot thank you enough for sharing with me.

Photograph © by Sam Tenney

RYAN GATTIS
is the author of the novels R
oo Kickkick & the Big Bad Blimp
and
Kung Fu High School,
as well as the novellas
The Big Drop: Homecoming
and
The Big Drop: Impermanence.
He lectures at Chapman University and is a member of the urban art group UGLAR. Gattis lives in Los Angeles.

WWW.RYANGATIS.COM

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THE BIG DROP: IMPERMANENCE

THE BIG DROP: HOMECOMING

KUNG FU HIGH SCHOOL

ROO KICKKICK & THE BIG BAD BLIMP

COVER DESIGN BY SARA WOOD

COVER PHOTOGRAPH © BY ZUMA PRESS, INC./ALAMY

ENDPAPER ART © BY EVAN SKREDERSTU

All Involved
is a work of fiction. While based on true events, the characterizations and specific incidents presented are totally products of the author's imagination.

ALL INVOLVED
. Copyright © 2015 by Ryan Gattis. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

ISBN 978-0-06-237879-8

EPub Edition APRIL 2015 ISBN 9780062378811

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