In 1992, a "short video" with a head-down end was frantically broadcast on major television by the New York Times and other media, and the 4 Los Angeles police officers in the picture violently waved 53 batons and 23 times in 81 seconds to the black people who fell to the ground, which led to multiple injuries and tears on the body of the black brother underground, multiple fractures in the face and permanent loss of brain repair.
The news caused widespread outrage in American society, with a poll showing that 92 percent of ordinary Americans believe the police are guilty. But the reality is that the black man, Rodney King, was jailed for domestic violence and robbery. This time, the reason was that he drank too much alcohol during the bail period, and he also got on the highway, which soared to 180 km/h, and the police dispatched 3 police cars and 1 police helicopter to force the brother to stop.
After being forced to stop, Rodney King slowly walked out of the car door and humiliated the policewoman by twisting her crotch, which completely angered the male police officers present. Then there is the scene in the video, but the parties did not expect that this video of "violent law enforcement" was captured by the cameras of the surrounding apartments.
In the trial a year later, the jury in the United States found the police innocent, which caused strong dissatisfaction in American society, especially the black and Latino people at the bottom of Los Angeles, who had long been "threatened by violence" by the police and were not well mixed economically, thus triggering a major riot.
On April 29, 1992, riots in Los Angeles began. The rioters rushed to the streets to smash and burn, and the United States also sent 13,500 troops to suppress and arrest 12,000 people, including the process of the previous article said, today we will talk about the focus of their attack: Koreatown.
The "hatred" of Koreans in Los Angeles and African Americans and Latinos has a long history, and as early as 1991, a social incident occurred. A black girl in the ninth grade was caught stealing a Korean shop on the spot, and the Korean hostess got into a fight with her, and then the boss lady took out a gun and shot her, and the boss lady was convicted of manslaughter, but did not go to jail.
This incident immediately caused a lot of controversy, and the confrontation between the Korean community and the black community in Los Angeles was close at hand, and it was almost a catharsis. The riots that began on April 29, 1992, apparently gave blacks more excuses to have a more "sense of justice" when they robbed Korean shops.
A large number of black and Latino thugs rushed to The Koreantown in Los Angeles, and at first Koreans pinned their hopes on the police, but due to long-term language communication and cultural barriers, the Los Angeles police did not pay attention to the "help" of Koreans.
There's also a deeper reason for this, which is that Korean shops tend to be opened in poor areas of Los Angeles, and they are the "only" possible "only" shops that serve blacks, underclass whites, and Latinos. For a long time, the security resources of the United States have been "distributed according to capital", that is, the areas that pay more taxes have good public order, the areas where taxes are less are poor, the areas where South Koreans pay less taxes, the natural police force is small, the police attitude is poor, and the public security ability is also poor.
Rhyu, a South Korean, said: "When our store was burned down, we called the police every five minutes! But there was no response! "（But when our shops were burning we called the police every five minutes; no response！ "）。 Even if the police are on the scene, South Koreans are not necessarily protected. Gun shop owner David Joo said he saw four police cars in front of his shop and ran away as soon as they heard the mob's gunshots. He added: "I've never seen a runaway so fast and I'm disappointed!" "（"I never saw such a fast escape. I was pretty disappointed." ）
One Mr. Kim also said: "We called the police, but no one showed up!" "（"We called the police and nobody showed up"）
"The fire across the street burned for three hours, but no one came!" （"There was a fire burning across the street for three hours and nobody came." ）。
Jay Rhee, a South Korean, said: "We have completely lost confidence in the police! Where are you when we need you? "（"We have lost our faith in the police. Where were you when we needed you?" ）
From today's perspective, the Los Angeles police at the time did abandon almost the entire city of Korea.
(These two Korean guys are also unexpectedly handsome)
In short, in the face of serious threats to property and life safety, shopkeepers in the United States and South Korea have rushed to the roof with large-caliber rifles, shotguns and other weapons to defend their shops. They fired warning shots in a frenzy and shot the thugs to death. According to data, the 1992 Los Angeles riots killed a total of 63 people, of which 44 were shot by South Koreans, and 1 South Korean was "heroically sacrificed." The U.S. Repressive Force, composed of 13,500 National Guard, U.S. Infantry Divisions, and Marine Corps, killed only 10 men.
A Korean named Lucky Electronics put it this way: "I think black people are jealous of Koreans because they're lazy; we're working hard. They don't make money; we make money! "
Ding Zijiang, a Chinese professor who personally experienced the riots in Los Angeles, wrote in his diary: "At an intersection on the east side of Koreatown, two Korean boys, one carrying a double shotgun and one holding a large-caliber pistol, dangled outside the store door, completely exposed, and many people who were afraid of being waiting for robbers did not dare to come forward. The strength and unity of the Koreans impresses our compatriots. "
But South Koreans are still unable to preserve all their property in the face of large numbers of black, Latino thugs. In the midst of "the worst riots of the Twentieth Century in the United States," Koreatown suffered severe damage, with more than 2,300 South Korean-owned shops looted, accounting for 45 percent of all losses. The New York Times commented in a May 3, 1992 report: "The American dream of Koreans is shattered."
Countless South Koreans have been burned to the ground by decades of hard work by the mob, such as the building that Mr. Kim and Kim's wife spent 15 years building, which became a ruin in 2 days.
(Pictured in English: In the midst of a city riot, I will defend myself like a Korean on the roof!) ）
Mr. Parker, a Korean, was once an international student, and since then he has come to the sea with seven brothers and sisters to realize his "American Dream". He opened a "Western Gun Shop" in Los Angeles, which was looted during the Los Angeles riots, and in the face of reporters, he said, "I love this country." Then he said, "Why did they do it?" Everything in my shop is gone! Even the ballpoint pen is gone! Why? They also broke my empty showcase! Why? They also burned all my documents! Why? Even empty checks, they have to throw on the street! Why? "
Mr. Parker burst into tears, and he went on to say, "For 20 years, I have been working hard, working, working, I work 10, 12 or even 15 hours a day, very hard, very hard work, our whole family is working!" But that day, there was no one to help me, and everyone ran away! Now it's all gone! "
（原话：For 20 years, he said, "I am working, working, working. I work 10, 12, 15 hours a day, hard, hard working. My whole family is working," he said. "But that day that happened, nobody helped me. Everybody ran away. Now everything is gone." ）
After this riot, the South Koreans "accidentally" received a fierce nickname: Roof Korean. If the literal translation is Koreans on the roof, this is because at that time Koreans defended their shops is used to standing upstairs condescending to the enemy, in addition to the wordof is pronounced very much like "rough" (there is a different sound), so the transliteration can also be translated as: violent Koreans.
In fact, every shop owner who was looted by the mob wanted to slaughter the mob.
But if it were possible, I believe that Koreans would not want to have such a title, nor would they want such a thing to happen. A week after the riots, 30,000 South Koreans took to the streets in another U.S. city, calling for peace and condemning the police, while new leaders and social organizations emerged in The Korean community, bringing South Koreans closer together but also dividing American society, despite how much South Koreans want other ethnic groups in American society to understand them.
Resources:
The NewYork Times MAY 3,1992《RIOT IN LOS ANGLES: Pocket of Tension; A Target of Rioters, Koreatown Is Bitter, Armed and Determined》
Los Anegeles Times《40% of Koreans in Poll Ponder Leaving : Riots: Survey of business owners finds deep concern. Blacks also voice fears but fewer want to relocate》
《1992: The LA riots》