The LA riot sequence was shot in Los Angeles with the help of over 30 members of the L.A.P.D.
When Alicia is watching her neighbor cry at her party she says "it's her party, she'll cry if she wants to" she was referring to the 1963 song "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore. The song is about a teenage girl who's boyfriend disappears one day and then shows up awhile later at her birthday party with another girl. The song's chorus "It's my party I'll cry if I want to" became a popular pop culture reference starting in the 1960's to describe being humiliated and miserable during a situation that is supposed to make you happy.