Aug 11, 2020
On this episode of the Resistance Library Podcast, Dan and Sam
discuss the Korean Americans that defended their Koreatown
businesses during the 1992 LA riots.
The riots of the spring of 2020 are far from without precedent in
the United States. Indeed, they seem to happen once a generation at
least. The 1992 Los Angeles Riots are such an example of
these
“generational
riots.” And while most people know about the riots, less known –
though
quite
well known at the time – were the phenomenon of the
so-called
“Roof
Koreans.”
The Roof Koreans were spontaneous self-defense forces organized by
the Korean community of Los Angeles, primarily centered in
Koreatown, in response to violent and frequently racist attacks on
their communities and businesses by primarily black looters and
rioters during the Los Angeles Riots of 1992. Despite their best
efforts, over 2,200 Korean-owned businesses were looted or burned
to the ground during the riots. It is chilling to imagine how many
would have suffered the same fate had the Koreans not been
armed.
Standing on the rooftops of Koreatown shops they and their families
owned, clad not in body armor or tactical gear, but instead dressed
like someone’s nerdy dad, often smoking cigarettes, but always on
alert, the Roof Koreans provide a stirring example of how free
Americans of all races can defend their own communities without
relying upon outside help.
The Koreans of Los Angeles were the ultimate marginalized minority
group. They were subject to discrimination and often victimized by
the black community of the city. Due to language barriers and other
factors, they lacked the political clout of other minority groups,
such as the large Mexican community of Los Angeles County. This in
spite of their clear economic success in the city beginning in the
1970s and 80s.
The reasons for the tensions between the Korean and black
communities of Los Angeles pre-dates the riots, which were largely
just the match that ignited the powder keg that had been this
region of Los Angeles for years. To understand what happened in
Koreatown in 1992, it is necessary to understand much more than
simply the Rodney King trial and the resulting riots.
You can read the full article “Roof
Koreans: How Civilians Defended Koreatown from Racist Violence
During the 1992 LA Riots” at Ammo.com.
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