Koreatown Targeted by Rioters

https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/03/us/riot-los-angles-pocket-tension-target-rioters-koreatown-bitter-armed-determined.html

Although the view of the LA riots is mainly focused on the tensions between the African American and white community, the two were not the only ones that were heavily impacted by the riots. The above article by the NY Times illustrates a picture in which Koreatown was burned down, which many Koreans arming themselves and carrying guns in the "war zone". This was an incident that mainly due to the fact that Korean Americans were stereo-typically villainized after the death of an African American girl named Latasha Harlins who was shot by a Korean store-owner, and as a result, riots took to the streets.

One of the most interesting things in the article for me was a sentiment that was expressed by Carl Rhyu, and one that is claimed to be privately shared by the Korean community at the time as well. He says, "I think the black people are jealous of the Koreans. They're lazy; we are working hard. They're not making money, we are making money." In this statement, it is clear that the Koreans had similarly bought into a negative view of African Americans as lazy people who chose to rely on welfare. This is an image that was brought forth by neoliberalists at the time who chose to emphasize that people should rely on their own abilities versus the state for things such as welfare, and here, it is apparent that even people of other minorities who are not predominant in society have the same view as those who do, thus demonstrating the influence and power of such ideas.

Another point that I found both ironic and heartbreaking at the same time was how the police chose to escape at the first signs of violence, while the people were left to defend themselves by arming themselves with weapons. One person in the article states how they called for the police every five minutes, but no one came to their aid, thus portraying the irony of the LAPD - the force that is supposed to protect them chose not to do so in their greatest time of need. At the end of the article one Korean store-owner recounts how he loves America and how it is a dream for him as he recounts how twenty years of his hard work was ruined in simply two days. Here is where I feel that although it always important for people to express how to they feel, I just have to wonder, what gives other people the right, even if they too are oppressed, to wreak havoc on and destroy the lives of another group who similarly is not at the top? I just cannot help but feel sad when reading this article, as it kind of resounds a bit with me as an Asian American myself when I think of how my parents had to work hard to get to where they are today. It makes me wonder what it would have been like in those shoes: knowing that you've worked for years to try to climb in life, but losing everything due to violence from fellow citizens.

- Jessica Zhao