L.A. Riots

The Los Angeles riots of 1992 had a significant impact on the Asian American community, particularly those who lived and worked in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. During the riots, many Korean-owned businesses were targeted and destroyed, with over 2,000 stores and buildings being damaged or destroyed.

The riots were sparked by the acquittal of four LAPD police officers who were caught on video brutally beating Rodney King, an African American man, during a traffic stop.  The LAPD decided to pull back from the heart of the rioting areas (South Central Los Angeles and Koreatown) to protect more affluent areas.  Some Korean shopowners, coined rooftop Koreans, were left to fend for themselves. 

While the root cause of the LA riots was the LAPD's unusually brutal tactics in black communities, crisis-oriented storytelling and media exploitation led to an exaggerated narrative of the conflict between resentment of African Americans towards Koreans owning shops in their neighborhoods culminating in the death of Latasha Harlins,  a 15-year-old black girl who was shot and killed by a Korean storeowner over a shoplifting scuffle. 

The destruction of Korean-owned businesses during the LA riots of 1992 had a significant impact on the Asian American community, both in terms of economic loss and emotional trauma. Many Korean Americans felt that they had been abandoned by the larger society and were left to fend for themselves. However, the riots also led to increased activism and solidarity within the Asian American community, as people came together to support each other and demand justice and equality.

In the aftermath of the riots, many Korean Americans began to get more involved in community organizing and political activism, working to address issues of racism, poverty, and social justice. The riots also highlighted the need for greater understanding and cooperation between different communities of color, as people began to recognize the shared struggles and experiences of marginalized groups.