The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 - Literature review Example

The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 Abstract The aspect of crime and criminal appearances in several states making up the United States of America has risen to levels which cannot be assumed with a majority of those involved in these operations togged up in a pool of cultural, racial and political conflicts. The three aspects have created a lot of rifts between the various communities and races dwelling in the multiracial American states constantly raising eyebrows on the pace and mode of co- existence between these communities. A most remarkable incident that can be used to prove this long lasting anomaly is the Los Angeles Riots of 1992 which caused widespread loss of property through looting as well as the death of a number of residents in the area, most of whom affected, the Korean- Americans. This paper tries to find out the underlying matters, causes and consequences related to the 1992 Los Angeles riots which to date constantly send sparkles of hatred and whispers of racism in the region. Several instances have been referred to in this article in order to make the points raised herein more clear, among these include the shooting and killing of the African- American teenage girl over an allegation that she has stolen things from a Korean- American owned store. This reference comes in the first section of this paper. The second section of this paper contains a clarification drawn from the torture and molesting of Rodney King, an African- American, by a number of police officers over an allegation that he has been over speeding. These incidences have been vividly clarified in this paper using historical references and trace of events. The consequences of these prevailing events have been explained after every reference used in order to bring out the true picture of the underlying tensions in the region as well as other American states. Research methodologies Various research methodologies have been employed in coming up with the whole bank of information presented in this paper. Majorly, secondary data retrieval methods and sources have been used in acquiring the relevant and necessary information. The data on the history of the prevailing upheavals have been acquired from secondary sources including books and related journals. Besides this there were a high use of the related newspapers printed with the same information, among which include the Los Angeles Times and the Korean Times which widely aired the existing differences between the African and Korean Americans during this time of uncertainty and animosity in the region. Some information was restored from the internet sources such as websites which bore the information on the events which took place on the animosities which took place during the turn riots. Soft media secondary sources such as the song by Ice Cube, an African American living in Los Angeles, titled Black Korea recorded in 1991. Literature review Certain pertinent factors have been linked to the widespread cases of violence, racism and hatred among various communities and races living in America today. While some people have seen this as a backlash in the development of humanity, especially in the modern era, others have continuously shunned the occurrences of such disorders terming the as drawbacks to human ethics and development (Alesina and Perotti). The most spectacular occurrence narrated by (Tilly and Tilly) which promotes and qualifies the occurrence of such vices within the most developed and respected American nation is the Wednesday, April 29, 1992, around 4:00 PM police beating of a motorist Rodney King, an African- American living in Los Angeles based on the allegation that he was speeding on his motor. The fact that the group of policemen who participated in this ill minded event were further found innocent and left free only helped to stir up violence and hatred among the races living in the region other than being viewed as a course aimed at pursuing justice (Ades and Glaeser). The African- Americans living in the region felt secluded in the course to pursue justice with others arguing that if at all it would have been a white person who was molested by the police to that extent, the law could have been followed to the fullest end as opposed to the case of an African- American involved in the same incident (Staff of the Los Angeles Times). For a long time, the African- Americans living in several states in America have continuously raised alarms that they are actually being discriminated based on their ski color and race. For this reason (Tilly and Tilly) argue, many blacks in America have felt they actually do not belong to the continent despite being of rightful and legal origin based on birth and other citizenry procedures. Instead of retreating, the issue of racial discrimination has been escalating rather than diminishing with time (Tullock). Several political riots and upheavals have been witnessed in several states of America including the remarkable Los Angeles riots of 1992. Besides, lack of a common language for communication among most immigrants to several American states has helped create more rifts than offer any solution to the prevailing problem of racism. Introduction The Los Angeles Riots in 1992 was a result of the growing economic and racial tension between White, African, and Korean Americans within the diverse multicultural backdrop of L.A.’s urban life. The causes of the devastating violence, vandalizing, and looting was a result of the rise in economic instability within the African-American community, the shooting of an African-American girl by a Korean shopkeeper, and finally the brutal beating of Rodney King by a number of White police officers, who was later found innocent and released from any type of repercussions. With each event triggering a chain reaction that fueled the animosity between ethnic communities, the consequences lead to many injuries, massive amounts of property damage, and numerous deaths. It was a brutal awakening for many citizens of Los Angeles, as well as the rest of the country, in realizing the fact that even in the modern 90’s era, racism and feelings of inequality were very much alive in the United States. The growing economic instability within the African-American community was majorly influenced by a recession in the United States that hit the African and Latino-American population, in Los Angeles, especially hard at the beginning of the 90’s. LA weekly reporter, Patrick Range McDonald, states that: “The California Economic Development Department had at the time painted a bleak picture of L.A.'s labor market as "experiencing one of the most severe recessions of the postwar era." Between April 1991 and April 1992, 108,000 local jobs vanished. Black and Latino communities were hard hit, with a combined 29.7 percent in poverty and more than 13 percent unemployed” (McDonald). With many African Americans out of the job and many more living in a state of poverty, crime rates began to rise and a culture of street violence increased in the less privileged areas of Los Angeles, a majority of which were in the African-American community. Groups such as the “Crips” and “Bloods” were just two of the many street gangs that roamed the streets, searching for ways to survive outside of the law. Journalist, Ronnie Flores, writes that: “The Crips and the Bloods are notorious Los Angeles street gangs with origins dating to 1969. Both groups operate autonomously, have large African-American male memberships and are made up of smaller gangs known as "sets," some of which feud with one another.”(Flores). As the recession began to affect the lives of African-American communities, street violence increased in the early 90’s and the tension between street gangs and law enforcement began to slowly brew within urban areas. McDonald states that: “L.A. Was in the throes of a vicious era of street violence, and a year-long bloodbath was unfolding in U.S. cities. Driven by armed gangbangers and violent crack and PCP dealers, the mayhem in L.A. Produced 1,025 murders in 1991 and 1,092 in 1992” (McDonald). The struggle to survive had given birth to a growing population of teenagers and young adults that sought for illegitimate methods of subsistence as the recession blocked legitimate paths. Thus, racial tension in these areas began to grow as young African-Americans lashed out against a majority White police force as well as Korean shop keepers, who held their businesses in these areas. A large percentage of immigrant Americans, including Korean-Americans, focused on small businesses throughout the mid 80’s to the 90’s. Many of their stores were located within African-American communities. Areas such as, South Central, were just one of the many places with a large African-American population in which, a Korean business owners held their shops. This is touched on in an essay titled, “Los Angeles Riots: Causes, Myths, and Solutions”, written by social critics, Joel Klotkin and David Friedman. It states that, “much of the business base was in the hands of the Koreans, who are 10 times as likely to become entrepreneurs as blacks, as well as other immigrants. As a result, Latino and Asian-owned businesses felt the blunt of the riots” (Klotkin, Friedman). Although African-Americans had gained substantial political power, due to the civil rights movement, a majority of the businesses in the area were held by Korean-Americans. This caused animosity between African and Korean-Americans, with Koreans being looked at as coming in and stealing the entrepreneurial opportunities from the African-American community. Unlike African-Americans, who had long struggled for subsistence in the United States, many Korean-Americans were able to invest in small businesses with capital brought from Korea. Therefore, the tension between the two ethnic groups began to grow slowly in Los Angeles’ melting pot. One aspect of these tensions became present due to the miscommunication between the two ethnic groups throughout the everyday business interactions between them. Many African-Americans began to call the Korean shop owners racist and cold, unappreciative of their customers who were majority African-American. Part of the reason for this perception might have been due to the language barriers that were present within the Korean-American community. Since a majority of the shop owners were Korean immigrants that spoke little to no English, a disconnection in verbal dialogue between Korean and African-Americans became present within their everyday interactions. This added fuel to the perception that Koreans were cold and greedy, taking away and never contributing to the community that fed them. In an essay titled “Communicative and Behavioral Conflict between African-American Customers and Korean Immigrant Retailers in Los Angeles”, Professor Benjamin Bailey writes that the: “Differences between immigrant Korean storekeepers and African-American customers in service encounter behavior are a result of differing, culturally specific communicative conventions for such encounters. The negative attributions that each group makes about the other – citing specifics of service encounter behavior – are thus a form of interethnic/intercultural miscommunication, in which members of each group interpret the others’ behavior in terms of their own frameworks for appropriate service encounter interactions.” (Bailey). With two different cultures suddenly forced to deal with the other under unstable economic conditions, it is obvious that a misunderstanding between the two groups became more prevalent. The differences in language and culture had created misconceptions on the demeanor of the two, regarding business owner and customer etiquette, causing a rift in the very tight knit relationship of seller and buyer. Even African-American artists, such as “Ice Cube”, wrote songs such as “Black Korea”, calling out Korean shop owners and their suspicious looks upon African-American customers by saying: “So they watch every damn move that I make they hope I don't pull out a gat and try to rob me.”(Ice Cube). The Korean shop owner’s lack of English and their business presence within the African-American communities resulted in a further increase of resentment that began to take place between the two groups within Los Angeles. An incident involving 51 year old Korean shop owner Soon-Ja Du and fifteen year old LaTasha Harlins brought substantial proof of this growing animosity between African and Korean-Americans in Los Angeles. After, being accused of stealing orange juice from the store owned by Du, Hellenes' is said to have attacked her with the bottle and her fists. As a form of retaliation, Du shot and killed the teenage girl, as she was leaving the store. To intensify the situation further, the duo was later sentenced to a lighter punishment of five years probation, sparking mass upheaval in the African-American community and adding to the racial tension between the two groups. An article from the Trotter Review, by Karen Umemoto, states that: “The fact that no prison time was included in the sentence enraged many African-Americans. LaTasha Harlins came to symbolize the litany of injustice faced by African Americans” (Umemoto). There was clearly a feeling of injustice and inequality within the African-American community. However, the Korean-American community had a view of their own. Umemoto points out that: “The Korea Times featured three different articles offering contradictory evidence as to what transpired. One article quoted Soon Ja Du’s son who related his mother’s story. He told of a scuffle between the two and an attempt by LaTasha to steal money from the cash register. He explained, ‘But Harlins was undaunted and continued to hit Du. As she was about to faint from the blows, Du shotHarlins,’” (Umemoto). These contradicting views on what actually happened is evidence of how conflicted the two communities were becoming, and proves to have been a key contributing factor to the breakout of violence and rioting that was to come. Many argued that had Latasha Harlins been White, the punishment for Soon-Ja Du would not have been so light. The fact that a girl had been shot and killed along with the fact that the killer was now being freed, with little consequence, was simply unacceptable to the African-American community. The image of the cold and greedy shop owner suspicious of their African-American customers was now completely legitimized, in the eyes of most African-Americans. They felt betrayed and discriminated against as the verdict for the killing was announced. Thus, Korean-American shop owners were now becoming targets of the backlash of racial tensions subsiding over the urban areas of Los Angeles. The division between these ethnic groups was reaching a boiling point, on the brink of spewing over at any given time. Among this unrest, another aspect of racial tension in Los Angeles was growing with the release of a video that showed the brutal beating of Rodney King, by a number of White police officers, who pulled him over for speeding. Obviously, the African-American community was enraged. However, the full acquittal of the police officers of any charges against them seemed to be the last straw on the camel’s back. LA Weekly reported that, “The riots erupted after a police brutality trial in which a jury acquitted Los Angeles Police Department officers Stacey Koon, Theodore Briseno, Timothy Wind and Laurence Powell on charges of excessive use of force against Rodney King,” (McDonald). After the announcing of the verdict, massive rioting began to ravage the streets of Los Angeles, resulting in property damage, injury, and death. It was truly the breaking point of a city looming with racial and economic tension. The Korean American shop owners were the hardest hit, as angry rioters lashed out with bitterness that still remained from the killing of LaTasha Harlins. The Los Angeles Times reported that, “Koreans suffered outsized losses: More than 2,000 Korean-run businesses were damaged or destroyed, with an estimated $400 million in losses. Two-thirds were not insured,” (Banks). Many lost their businesses and means of survival. Not only was there resentment against the African-American community, there was also a feeling of betrayal at the city’s lack of ability to protect them from looters and vandals. The Los Angeles Times stated that; “"They felt betrayed. It was overwhelming," said Cho, who coordinated counseling for thousands. "They said, 'I can tolerate that my business burns.' But their psychological anger toward this society -- that was more intolerable."” (Banks). The rioting and lack of protection left store owners to fend for themselves as the world looked on. In a tragic turn of events, eighteen year old, Edward Song Lee was shot and killed by another Korean-American who mistook him for a looter. He was the son of shop owners and had left home, on April 30, 1992, in an attempt to protect the family store. In a documentary directed by Da-Sil Kim-Gibson and Christine Choy titled, “Sa-I-Gu”, the mother of Edward Lee speaks on her son’s determination to protect their store after the police force’s obvious failure to do so. She recalls him saying: “We Koreans should go out and protect our own. We can’t sit still.” (Kim-Gibson, Choy). With no assistance from law enforcement, many owners were found posted on rooftops with guns trying to keep looters away. Thus, a feeling of inequality and discrimination was felt by both African and Korean-Americans amongst the violence and unrest that resulted from the riot. It was a strong implication that even in the country’s modern era, racism and inequality were still very present issues within our society. Upon the aftermath of the violence, Korean shop owners were left with rubble in the place of where their stores used to be. Many completely lost their businesses because of the lack of insurance money to pay for such devastating damages. Klotkin and Friedman state that, “according to both city and Small Business Administration statistics, they [Korean Shop Owners] accounted for roughly 85 percent of all the businesses damaged in the riots.” (Klotkin, Friedman). This was a devastating blow to the Korean-American community within the Los Angeles area. Not only was it difficult to put together resources to make repairs and start up the business again, there was now an apprehension to conduct business where such violence and looting had taken place. Thus, many Koreans moved to more suburban areas of Southern California, looking to start over fresh, away from the racial and economic tensions of urban Los Angeles life. The Los Angeles Riots of 1992 was a result of the backlash of economic and racial tensions that grew within the city in the early 90’s. Through incidents that occurred including the economic instability within the African American community, the shooting of LaTasha Harlins by Soon Ja Du, and the beating of Rodney King, the world stood witness to one of the biggest forms of rioting and looting in American history. With feelings of animosity that grew amongst the White, African-American, and Korean communities, the problem of racism and inequality was brutally portrayed, with Korean shop owners feeling much of the after effects of the violence. It is a reminder that even in this modern era, the social issues that we have faced regarding race and discrimination within our country must always be looked at as a crucial issue for the future tranquility of this nation. Works Cited Ades, A. and E. L. Glaeser. "Trade Circuses: Explaining urban giants." Quarterly Journal ofEconomcs (1995): 195- 228. Alesina, A. and R. Perotti. Income Distribution, political INstability and Investment mimeographed. 1993. Bailey, B. "Communicative Behavior and Conflict between African-American Customers and Korean Immigrant Retailers in Los Angeles." Discourse & Society 11.1 (2000): 86-108. Print. Banks, Sandy. "The Damage Went Deep." Los Angeles Times [Los Angeles] 12 May 2012: n. page. Print. DiPasquale, Denise, and Edward L. Glaeser. "The Los Angeles Riots and the Economics of Urban Unrest." (n.d.): n. pag. University of Chicago. Web. Nov. 1996. . Ice Cube. "Black Korea." Rec. 1991. Black Korea. Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, 1991. MP3. Klotkin, Joel, and David Friedman. "The Los Angeles Riots: Causes, Myths, and Solutions." (n.d.): n. pag. Web. Feb. 1993. . McDonald, Patrick Range. "Then and Now." Los Angeles News, Events, Restaurants, Music. Los Angeles Weekly, 8 July 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. . Nopper, Tamara K. "The 1992 Los Angeles Riots and the Asian American Abandonment Narrative as Political Fiction." CR: The New Centennial Review 6.2 (2006): 73-110. Print. Sa-I-Gu. Dir. Da-Sil Kim-Gibson. Perf. Christine Choy. PBS, 1993. Documentary. Staff of the Los Angeles Times. "Understanding the Riots." The Los Angeles Times (1992). Tilly, Tilly L. and Tilly R. The Rebellious Century. Cambridge: Havard University Press, 1971. Tullock, G. S. "Public Choice." The Paradox of Revolution (1971): 89- 99. Umemoto, Karen. "Korean and African-American Relations: Integrating the Symbolic with the Structural." Trotter Review 7.2A (1993): n. pag. Print. Read More