March 3, 1991
Latasha Harlins, a black 15 year old girl, was shot and killed by Korean store owner Soon Ja Du. The coverage and outrage that ensued stoked tensions between three groups: (white) authority and the justice system, Korean shopkeepers, and the African American community.
The African Americans accuse Korean shopkeepers of being disrespectful and racist. The Koreans accuse the media of viewing the issue as racially motivated rather than an individual event, and wonder why Korean deaths at the hands of Black burglars are never as publicized. In the end, though she was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, Soon Ja Du was instead sentenced to 5 years time served, five years of probation, 400 hours of community service, a $500 restitution, and funeral expenses. The repeated injustice felt by the black community via this trial is attributed to being a major cause of the 1992 riots. And the tensions with Korean shopkeepers are attributed to why Koreatown was a major target. |
George Holliday filmed this video, which is currently considered one of the first viral videos ever.
It shows a brutal scene: of LAPD officers beating motorist Rodney G. King with unnecessary force at his arrest. The dynamics of this video: an unarmed, black man surrounded by multiple police officers beating him, rightfully sparked outrage. While this form of violence was not uncommon, it was the first time such an event was captured and distributed broadly to the American public. It speaks volumes about the police force: who they protect, and who they threaten (or feel threatened by). March 16, 1991
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April 29, 1992
The jury acquits the four officers charged with excessive force in the arrest of Rodney King. The verdict (though not the first in a long line of injustices) was the last straw for many. People took to the streets in anger to protest, which escalated to widespread arson, destruction, and looting. The 1992 LA Riots had begun.
This event lasted for around 5 days. The following footage is a collection of news from or depicting moments of those days.
Note that this footage was "Never Before Seen". Why might this footage not have been aired at the time of the events?
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Many Korean-owned stores were located in proximity to predominantly black and Latino neighborhoods. There are debates as to whether the destruction of Korean stores was a racially motivated attack fueled by built up tensions similar to those of Latasha Harlins, or if it was purely the coincidental locations.
Whatever the real reason, about 50% of all damages during the riots were Korean mom-and-pop stores, meaning many families lost decades' worth of work and their means of living. And the media wasted no time framing the issue as one of Black-Korean antagonism. |
Unique footage from the perspective of a police officer managing the "riots". One of the biggest shocks of the Korean community was that they received no protection or help from police authorities when their stores were under attack. This greatly skewed their trust in the police, and solidified an identity as Korean-Americans for the first time, equal citizens with the right to be protected.
This specific clip portrays the officer as firm but humane, almost chastising the people he runs into and guiding them to do better. However, it is more than likely that many officers without cameras focusing in on them were brutal in their treatment of the rioters. |
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Abandoned by both the police and the National Guard (who were called into L.A.), Korean shopkeepers took it upon themselves to protect their businesses and themselves. This form of violence ensued purely because police authorities did not protect numerous vulnerable populations.
With many having had backgrounds from the Korean military, fathers and sons took up guns to shoot at attackers and looters who threatened them. In this account it is interesting to note, however, that many of the perpetrators were not African American. Latinos are often erased in mainstream retelling, as media clings to the conflict of black-Korean tensions. |
Not all African Americans took the streets after Rodney King's verdict; a number of them were victims of the destruction themselves.
Scenes like this were often utilized to further antagonize Black rioters as unorganized, dangerous criminals. However, many looters/rioters were actually Latinx, participating without alignment in the movement. Of course, this fact was also used to misrepresent entire populations of POC individuals as well, often in the growing discourse on the perceived dysfunctional nature of multi-racial cities (aka the "browning of America". |
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LAPD Chief Daryl Gates and Mayor Tom Bradley were both criticized for an apparent complacency to racially motivated discrimination in Los Angeles law enforcement and an ineffective response to the violence that ensued following the riots.
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