LOS ANGELES -- President George W Bush has visited South Central Los Angeles to mark the 10th anniversary of the worst civil unrest the US had witnessed for decades.

Mr Bush told an audience that "new hope" had come out of the 1992 riots - but on the streets, demonstrators protested that nothing had changed.

The president is using the anniversary to promote an initiative to allow faith-based organisations a share of federal funds available to deliver social services in deprived areas.

The riots were touched off after four LA police officers accused of beating black motorist Rodney King were acquitted by an all-white jury.

But while some held hands and prayed at the epicentre of the riots - the intersection of Florence and Normandy - motorists and passers-by shouted "nothing's changed."

A recent poll found that more than 50% of people responded in the affirmative when asked if they believed another round of riots were possible.

"It's a reflection of the tremendous gap between rich and poor, and black and white in our culture," says Erwin Chemerinsky of the University of Southern California.

"I don't know what the trigger will be for the next riots... but if we haven't dealt with the underlying problems it is just a question of when not whether."