Lessons learnt in Watts, 50 years after historic riots It all started with a traffic stop for reckless driving and escalated into one of the most destructive uprisings Los Angeles had ever seen, as police officers and protesters faced off for nearly a week. The City of Angels on Tuesday marks the 50 year anniversary of the 1965 Watts riots that's shaped the African-American community today. A natural sound version of an AFPTV report.