Race Relation Issues During The Contemporary Period

The Asian American communities dealt with many race relation issues during the contemporary period. The Los Angeles Riots was caused by a combination of events that built up to the tension in the black community. The beating of African American motorcyclist, Rodney King, was not the only event that ensued the L.A. Riots. A few weeks after the Rodney King beating, the murder of fifteen-year-old Latasha Harlins, a Black teenage girl, was heavily broadcasted in the media because King’s beatings were still being played on the news. Harlins’s murder was hitting an already soft spot for the black community. The verdict for Soon Ja Du, the woman running the liquor store who had accused Harlins for stealing and evidently shot her in the back of the head, came back as guilty. However, Du did not face any jail time and therefore, caused a rift between the Koreans and the Blacks. A year after these events, the four Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.) officers responsible
80) by the Korean American community. The Korean American community was heavily targeted during the riots. Many of them watched as their “mom and pop” shops were being looted and buildings in Koreatown were being burned to the ground. The shops represented more than their way of income, it represented their “family’s livelihood, the business and their homes, but also the intervals, their hopes and dreams, the expectations they had for themselves in America” (Zia pg. 170). Majority of the Korean American population in South Central L.A. lost their lives during the riots because of Du’s act. Many Korean Americans felt that due to her losing her temper, she practically caused their whole community to be targeted. It was proven to be true as the tension build up was released during the riots, causing many Korean Americans to lose hope for a better future for them in