California Chaos
During the early stages of Dr. Simmons' life, California was encountering a chaotic time of social uprising. Simmons briefly touched on the Watts Riots of 1965 to convey to listeners what it was like in California during the civil rights movement. The riot stemmed from a man named Marquette Frye who was hit while being arrested for suspicion of driving intoxicated by a white California Highway Patrol officer. People in the surrounding communities believed that Frye was not resisting arrest and the highway patrol offer used excessive force to arrest both Frye and his mother. The Watts Riots were part of a broader series of civil uprisings during the 1960s, along with the Harlem Riots (1964) and the Detroit Riots (1967). These events brought attention to issues of racial injustice and economic inequality, contributing to the momentum of the civil rights movement. The riots resulted in dozens of deaths and millions of dollars worth of damage that included burning buildings and destruction of personal and state property. Simmons recalls riding around Watts with his uncle who was a dentist, picking up people in need during the riot.
Simmons experienced the impact of the civil rights movement and social unrest in Southern California first-hand. During the early civil rights movement, his father was a cop at a time when the number of cops who were people of color was very low. His father changed from the LAPD to the medical field, despite how hard it was for a person of color to be accepted into medical school during this time. Simmons was a member of a very accomplished family that did not fit the widely held stereotypes of Black communities in the 1950 and 1960s. Simmons has always been committed to helping people and that is why he ended up in the medical field.