Summary Of The 1992 LA Riots

Conflict and compromise is an imperative and inevitable part of global history. One memorable instance of this was the Korean community’s forced involvement in the 1992 L.A. Riots. When a conflict of rioters, looters, and arsonists persisted, Korean-American rivals in business came together to protect their families, culture, and businesses against the unifying cause of a common enemy. In doing so, strengthening the community and fighting for the future of their families and lives. This is important for the future generations to understand the compromises to this conflict, and grow and learn from the actions of those who came before us.

A video of a man named Rodney King went viral when a man named George Holliday recorded the scene of King

Yet, no actions were taken towards the police, who were tried for aggravated assault, creating outrage among King's supporters. On April 29, 1992, it was announced that the officers Sgt. Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Theodore Briseno, and Timothy Wind were acquitted and released. In the early 1990's, a spike of Korean immigrants occurred. There was double the amount of immigrants than prior years, especially in the California and Los Angeles areas. This lead to the creation of Koreatown, a congregation of Korean businesses. In this town, there were countless Korean families who began their businesses from the ground up to achieve their version of the "American Dream".

At this time, race was regarded as a divider between interactions ergo, racial tension was present in the community. With the pent up anger and tension, the result was violence and the beginning of the L.A. Riots. However, the riots began as the African-Americans were protesting against the police in the name of Rodney King and the injustice that was inflicted on him. During the process they began to loot stores and set fires in Koreatown, forcing the involvement of the Korean

Rioters began violence at the famous corner of Florence and Normandie where they threw beer cans at surrounding cars and attacked any passing people. Around the same time, protesters gathered and rallied around news stations like KTLA. Daryl Gates, the chief of the LAPD, originally claimed the police had the issue under control, but it progressed into the declaration of an official "State of Emergency."

Two thousand National Guard troops are deployed to popular spots to prevent violence. Later that day, Gates announced that there were four thousand more National Guard members requested and intended to be deployed the next day. At the same time, the Koreans in the area started noticing that not a single troop was in sight. In actuality, the troops were blocking the entrances to the rich white neighborhoods, leaving the Koreans to fend for themselves against the angered looters, arsonists, and the violence-prone rioters. So these newly found soldiers armed themselves with weapons and began defending their homes.

Horrified people in Los Angeles wanted nothing more than an