Asian and African American Issues: Discussion of LA Uprising and Current Hate-crimes
Tensions are at an all time high in Los Angeles in 1992. Citizens are facing financial struggles, Rodney King’s assaulters have been acquitted of their violent crime, and a 15 year old girl has been murdered. The Los Angeles police department has failed its citizens time after time through targeting African Americans, and disregarding their responsibility to enforce the law and keep all citizens safe. Although government regulations and societal enforcements against African and Asian Americans have been put in place by western white masses, somehow the two groups are blaming each other. How did this come about? The hostile relationship between the Asian American and African American communities is due to the consistent marginalization and mistreatment of both groups, and must be addressed as an issue caused by institutionalized racism perpetuated by dominant white western society, instead of an issue isolated between these two groups. Regarding the conflicts exclusively between these two groups deflects from the actual perpetrators causing the underlying issues. Universally, consistent structural mistreatment and marginalization of a group creates root issues involving other marginalized groups that would not occur as extremely had this mistreatment not taken place.
One of the largest conflicts between the African and Asian American communities occurred during the Los Angeles Uprisings, also known as the Los Angeles Riots. Prior to the uprising, tensions were high in the Los Angeles area among minority citizens due to the brutal assault of Rodney King. On March 3rd of 1991, four Los Angeles police officers brutally beat Rodney King, claiming he would not follow their orders to lay down. A bystander witnessing the assault recorded the incident, which was then broadcasted around the nation; citizens were outraged by the police brutality exhibited in the video (Stone). On April 29th, 1992 the four police officers responsible for the assault of Rodney King were acquitted for their crimes. Citizens around the nation were outraged by the verdict, and tensions reached an all time high in Los Angeles California. Hours after the verdict Los Angeles residents set fires, looted, and destroyed local shops around the city. In South Central Los Angeles, a predominantly black community, the reaction was especially violent. This was a result of many aspects leading up to the verdict, including the unemployment rate being a mere 50 percent, a drug epidemic overtaking the area, and gang and violence activity were severely high. (Bates) The unrest eventually moved from South Central Los Angeles to Koreatown. This is potentially due to Latasha Harlins murder that occurred in the same month as Rodney King’s beating. Latasha Harlins was 15 years old when she was shot and killed by a Korean store owner in South Los Angeles. Latasha entered the store despite her grandmother’s warning not to shop at that particular market because it had a reputation among the neighborhood. The shop was allegedly known for being racist and often accused children of stealing. Contradictory to these warnings, Latasha went to that shop because it was the only store available close by to get groceries. She was buying orange juice for her mother, however when she got to the checkout counter, Soon Ja Du, the store owner, accused Harlins of stealing and reached for her backpack. This incited Latasha to fight back in an attempt to repossess her bag. After the tussle Latasha rushed out of the store, however before she could reach the door Du grabbed a handgun and shot Latasha in the black, killing her. It was later said that Latasha had money in her hand to pay for the orange juice, but could not be given to Du before the accusation of cheating occurred. At the time of the murder, Du was on high alert. Her family owned several stores in the area, and she usually worked at other locations. However, she had covered her son’s shift that morning because he had been testifying in court against gang members in the area that were stealing from the store and harassing staff (Duran).
Korean Americans in the area expressed their thoughts that Du made an awful mistake, and expressed their condolences for Harlin’s family. They viewed this murder as a singular action, and did not see themselves in the midst of a race war, or as a target for African Americans. Korean immigrants moved to South Los Angeles because property was cheaper, making it a financially ideal place to start their businesses. Upon arriving they were generally unaware of the historical struggles African Americans faced for decades, resulting in them not realizing how they contributed to these struggles in the years leading up to the conflict. After the murder, Du was indicted and sentenced to five years of probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. Citizens in the area were shocked by the light sentence that Du received after the murder, and instead of focusing on the inequity and the structural issues of the justice system, they shifted their attention with the displeasement of the Korean community in their area. This ultimately resulted in rioters targeting small Korean-owned businesses instead of city government buildings during the 1992 uprising.
During the uprising, “More than 1,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, and approximately 2,000 Korean-run businesses were also damaged or destroyed. In all, approximately $1 billion worth of property was destroyed” (Krebechek, Bates). Many Koreans immigrated to America in hopes of financial success for themselves and their families and were proud of their entrepreneurship. Destroying their business equated in demolishing their American Dream. According to Merriam Webster, the American Dream is “a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful” (Merriam Webster). In this definition, immigrants had hoped that with hard work and dedication, financial and social prosperity was possible in the USA. Because their property and businesses were the major factor dictating their success in the states, many Korean shop owners were desperate to conserve their possessions. Although their self-made businesses are their livelihood, Asian Americans often fall into being forced to be entrepreneurs because there is no other economic option available to them. Early Asian immigrants entered self-employment in response to the low wages and harsh conditions of paid labor and punitive immigration laws, resulting in a cycle of family owned businesses passed down through generations, because staff is normally employed in the family due to lower wages and longer working hours being tolerated. Unfortunatley Asian Americans’ entrepreneurship often results from their discriminatory treatment as unwanted foreigners within a capitalist system exploitative of minorities (Keywords).
The relationship of African and Asian Americans during the LA Uprising is depicted in the film Gook, directed by Justin Chon. In this film, two Korean American brothers, Eli and Daniel, struggle to keep their family shoe store in business. They befriend Kamilla, an 11 year old African American girl from the area, and together they face the violence that ensues during the LA riots. In the film, there are many representations of Asian and African Americans relationship, including Kamilla’s brother is plotting revenge against the brothers (Sundance). Tension are portrayed in Gook when the brothers want to preserve their shoe store, highlighting the economic issues Asian Americans face. However they were not the only ones facing financial hardship, in 1992 African Americans were enticed to participate in the riots to get free products they could otherwise not afford or would struggle to afford. This was depicted in the film in the scene when the African American music producer requested his friend to steal AAA batteries because he is too broke to afford them. Despite the financial hardship Korean American shop owners faced during the uprising, they never received government compensation for property damages and reparations that occurred; this was despite the fact that LAPD took no action to stop the violence, looting, and desolation.
Although the Los Angeles Uprising occurred 30 years ago, the larger issues involving the African and Asian American communities and white western society still persist. In the midst of a world pandemic that rooted in China, more than three out of four Asian Americans worry about experiencing hate crimes, harassment, and discrimination because of COVID-19 (Brookings). These numbers are even higher in Chinese American communities. Video footage of violent crimes against Asian Americans have recently gone viral. These Anti-Asian crimes involve perpetrators shoving elderly men and women to the ground, assaulting Asian American men and women in the face, and stabbing an Asian American man in the back with an 8-inch knife (Brookings). Asian-owned businesses that are already under financial stress exacerbated by the pandemic, are also struggling to keep their employees safe because of the unprovoked attacks occurring. Because some of the video-taped perpetrators appear to have been African American, some people diminish the problem to an Asian-Black conflict. African and Asian Americans both face financial hardships that force them to take desperate measures such as protecting their property and stealing out of necessity. Financial hardship is due to western society marginalizing both groups in terms of the economy and job availability. Across the nation there is a criminalization of color. According to the NAACP, “65% of Black adults have felt targeted because of their race. Similarly, approximately 35% of Latino and Asian adults have felt targeted because of race. A Black person is five times more likely to be stopped without just cause than a white person. Despite the fact that more white people have been killed by police, Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately impacted. While white people make up a little over 60% of the population, they only make up about 41% of fatal police shootings. Black people make up 13.4% of the population, but make up 22% of fatal police shootings. This does not take into consideration other forms of police brutality, including non-lethal shootings. African Americans are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites” (NAACP). These statistics enforce that overall, African and Asian Americans are both faced with financial hardship, police brutality, discriminator incarceration rates, and more by regulations and societal practices made and perpetuated by white people.
The relationship between asian american, african american, and white americans is complicated. Claire Jean Kim describes that Asian american have been placed in a racial position in reference to the two other groups. White people have been placed as superior and insiders, asian americans have been placed as superior but outsiders, and black people have been placed as inferior but insiders (Kim 108).
The Racial Triangle creates a visual of what the asian-black-white american relationship looks like. It also highlights conflicts between the asian american and african american communities that are not isolated between the two groups. It is very important to highlight this fact because oftentimes in today’s society tension and conflicts between the two communities are swept under the rug and deemed the two group’s issues, however it is important to see the root of the issues in order to find potential solutions. Solutions to this misunderstanding start with education of the conflicts and recognition of the root of the issue. The next step is to create regulation and hold political and social leaders accountable for their contribution and to create reparations.
Work Cited
“American Dream Definition”. Merriam-Webster, 2022, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20American%20dream.
Chon, Justin, 2016. Gook Film, https://www.sundance.org/projects/gook
Duran, L., “Latasha Harlins’ Death And Why Korean-Americans Were Targets In The ’92 Riots”. Southern California Public Radio, 2022, https://archive.kpcc.org/programs/take-two/2017/04/28/56439/latasha-harlins-death-is-why-koreans-were-targets/.
Entrepreneur. “UNC-Chapel Hill Single Sign-On”. Sakai.Unc.Edu, 2022, https://sakai.unc.edu/access/content/group/c0e7b73a-94af-4e5e-8dfe-fdc5fd96d3d9/Unit%201/Week%203/Entrepreneur%20-%20from%20Credo%20Reference.pdf.
Huang, J., 2022. Why the trope of Black-Asian conflict in the face of anti-Asian violence dismisses solidarity, Brookings, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2021/03/11/why-the-trope-of-black-asian-conflict-in-the-face-of-anti-asian-violence-dismisses-solidarity/
Kim, Claire Jean., 2022. The Racial Triangle. Sakai.unc.edu. https://sakai.unc.edu/access/content/group/c0e7b73a-94af-4e5e-8dfe-fdc5fd96d3d9/Unit%201/Week%203/Kim%2C%20Racial%20Triangulation.pdf
Krbechek, A. S., Bates, K. G., “NPR”. Npr.Org, 2022, https://www.npr.org/2017/04/26/524744989/when-la-erupted-in-anger-a-look-back-at-the-rodney-king-riots.
NAACP. 2022. Criminal Justice Fact Sheet, https://naacp.org/resources/criminal-justice-fact-sheet
Stone, N.P., “RODNEY KING INCIDENT — THE GAP BETWEEN USE OF FORCE POLICY AND TRAINING | Office Of Justice Programs”. Ojp.Gov, 2022, https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/rodney-king-incident-gap-between-use-force-policy-and-training.
