Both sought to overcome adversity", "Liquor Permit Denied at Site of 1991 Killing", The People, petitioner v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Respondent; Soon Ja Du, Real Party in Interest, "A Senseless and Tragic Killing: New tension for Korean-American and African-American communities", "Merchant Charged in Girl's Fatal Shooting", "Legal Audio Opinions and Courtroom Video LexisNexis Courtroom Cast", "Videotape Shows Teen Being Shot After Fight: Killing: Trial opens for Korean grocer who is accused in the slaying of a 15-year-old black girl at a South-Central store", "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 Historical Timeline", "Judge Who Gave Probation In a Slaying May Be Moved", "U.S. Looks Into Korean Grocer's Slaying of Black", "Grocer Given Probation in Shooting of Girl", People v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County (Du), "LOS ANGELES: Family of Latasha Harlins Wins $300,000 Settlement", "African-Americans, Koreans Try to Heal Deep Wounds", "The L.A. Im saddened for the system that were going to be losing her.. Harlins reciprocated to this by punching Du twice and knocking her down to the ground. It rained a lot and houses were made of bricks. After all, a video of an immigrant Korean store owner shooting the teenager in the back of her head followed at the heels of the Rodney King incident. When The Times had endorsed one of her opponents, she wrote them a strongly worded letter stating, If judges have to look over their shoulders as they decide a case; if they have to test the political winds in order to arrive at a politically correct verdictthen the judicial system and the freedoms it guarantees will be destroyed.. The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins: Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots (English) author name string. The life was in another word, I felt like we were not treated as human beings. Shinese Harlins-Kilgore CEO of the Latasha Harlins Foundation, left, offers a t-shirt recognizing her cousin, Latasha . She testified on her own behalf, and she said that she believed that her life was in danger when the shooting occurred. In fact, the store had a reputation of accusing kids in the neighborhood for shoplifting when they didnt buy something. It is not a time for revenge. Latasha was killed by convenience store owner Soon Ja Du in March 1991. The uneasy relationship rapidly deteriorated after the killing of Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl who was shot in the back of the head by Korean convenience store owner Soon Ja Du in 1991 over an allegation of shoplifting. Later, it was discovered he was shot by another Korean-American by mistake. In fact, a week before the riots commenced, a state appeals court upheld Judge Karlins sentence. It is not a time for revenge. Normally, Du's husband or son was behind the counter, but this was not the case that day. Once there, the teenager put the required item in her bag and then headed to the counter with money in her hand. She graduated from a university in Seoul, South Korea, where she studied literature. After Harlins backed away, Du angrily threw a stool at her. During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Dus store was looted and burned, and has never reopened. In the Netflix documentary, Latasha's friends and loved ones discuss the big dreams she had for her future. [16], Soon Ja Du testified on her own behalf, claiming that the shooting was in self-defense and that she believed her life was in danger. Or if not, help at least. I thought for sure he would die. Latasha was defenseless. "[40], Karlin became the target of protests and an unsuccessful recall campaign. It was Dus husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, who ended up calling 911. We arrived in Virginia in April or early May. I generally thought the United States was a country that helped realize any young persons dream. It is a fictionalized account of the killing of Latasha Harlins and the effects on both her family and the family of the shooter. In 1981, Soon Ja Du and her husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, purchased the Empire Liquor Store, a convenience store in Los Angeles San Fernando Valley. It should be a time for healing.. Update information for Soon Ja Du More at . Brenda Stevenson. [12] After speaking with the two eyewitnesses present and viewing the videotape of the incident, recorded by a store security camera, the police concluded that Harlins intended to pay for the beverage with money in hand. Those of us of the first generation, including myself and others, have no particular strength. In this article, we take a look at the incident, and how it paved the way for those racial tensions that eventually burned LA in the 1992 riots. Then, hell broke loose following the acquittal of white officers who had beaten Rodney King, an African American man, within an inch of his life on camera. In the beginning, we brought our son to work. Family & Ethnicity Soon Ja Du follows Christianity. Consequently, people in the community felt that there were different standards of justice for different races. Harlins' family, including her aunt Denise Harlins, are holding a vigil today to honor her memory. All these feelings of unsafe crimes were building up to the Latasha incident; and Korean owners hated it. And I said, No, you cant. Joyce A. Karlin, the judge whose light sentencing of a Korean-born grocer in the 1991 shooting of a 15-year-old black girl inflamed already simmering racial tensions in Los Angeles, said Monday that she was resigning from the bench. My husband started working at a gas station, pumping gas. During the 1992 L.A. uprising, Lee's 18-year old son, Edward Jae Song Lee entered the fray to help protect his Koreatown neighborhood, which was virtually abandoned by police. A store video camera captured the incident, which came just two weeks after LAPD officers were videotaped beating Rodney G. King. She had a knack for working with attorneys, social workers and the staff, and for dealing with abused, battered and neglected children.. So without knowing the full story, I just thought, wow, shes badly beaten. But I dont think it was justifiable to kill. [50], Singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane composed "Empire Liquor Mart (9127 S. Figueroa St.)" for the album The Ambassador in 2014, which tells the story of Latasha's life and the event that transpired.[51]. Du eventually fell down, and she then threw a nearby stool at Latasha. Cha's book focuses on the aftermath of a similar, fictionalized crime. On March 16, 1991, at around 10 a.m., Latasha entered the Empire Liquor store to purchase the container of orange juice. [31] Korean immigrants bought their storefronts in black neighborhoods, specifically South Los Angeles, because the real estate was significantly cheaper than other neighborhoods. From that, we paid the rent, the electricity bill, and and I had not realized it then, but life was like a war Others came for studies, but for us, it was for survival, and we had not brought much money with us.we worked at places like Swap meet, cleaning jobs at night. The L.A. On March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du fatally shot a 15-year-old African-American girl, Latasha Harlins, in her convenience store. Soon Ja Du (born 1940), Korean American convenience store owner; Lee Soon-ja (, born 1939), South Korean former first lady, wife of Chun Doo-hwan; Lee Sun-Ja (born 1978 . It was like they were celebrating her for killing Latasha. The Harlins family was awarded $300,000. In all, over 300 businesses were burned and looted in the district, with damage exceeding $200 million. On the afternoon of March 16, 1991, the 15-year-old Harlins It was an emergency situation to learn of the rioters being up there. . I am also the type to get enraged by that kind of thing. Where is Soon Ja Du now? Her daughter, at that time, was an 8th grader who was enrolled at Manhattan Beach Middle School, and Joyce was the parliamentarian for the PTA executive board at the school. "[41][43] After Denise Harlins was removed from the ballroom, Karlin gave a speech, stating "There are those in the community who demand that we define justice by what is politically correct. Soon Ja Du is a Korean woman who co-owns the Empire Hotel in Vermont Vista, Los Angeles. After speaking to his wife, who asked for the whereabouts of Harlins before fainting, he dialed 9-1-1 to report an attempted holdup. Outside the shop where Latasha died, now a Numero Uno grocery store, a pack of white . Even when he was young, he would go camping or fishing to somewhere far. A policeman, a soldier, he always wanted to become one. However, it was close to Latashas house and so she went there. She stated, "Did Mrs. Du react inappropriately? The sentence was suspended and defendant was placed on probation under certain terms and conditions. It was unusual for Soon Ja Du, who was originally from Korea, to be behind the counter at the Empire Liquor store. On Monday, December 15, 1958, Soon Ja Du got married to Billy Heung Ki Du. When The Times endorsed one of her opponents, she wrote an impassioned, angry letter to the editor in defense of both her decision and the principle of judicial independence. The LAPDs ballistics report also noted that the pistol used by Du had been modified to require far less trigger pressure than a regular pistol. According to surveillance video from the store, Du grabbed Latasha by her sweater and she attempted to remove her backpack. On the morning of Saturday, March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du shot Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old African-American girl in the Empire Liquor Store, in Vermont Vista, Los Angeles. Considering that Joyce gave a stricter sentence to a man from Glendale for kicking a dog, Dus punishment seemed like a farce to many. So thats when we were in such terror, thinking, What do we make of this? Steph Cha's novel Your House Will Pay centers on the aftermath of the murder of a 16-year-old African-American girl in south-central Los Angeles. Soon Ja Du leaves court with har husband Billy Hong Ki Du. Something might happen. We sensed it. . I think so. It was at this location that Soon Ja Du would shoot Latasha Harlins on March 16, 1991. Directed by Sophia Nahli Allison, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021. Her shooter was Soon Ja Du, a Korean American grocer in South Central Los Angeles. Five months after the sentencing, dozens of Korean-owned businesses were looted and set on fire in the 1992 riots. The video exclusively showed that Du shot Harlins when she attempted to leave the store empty-handed. [39] In both cases, there was video evidence depicting wrongdoing and in both cases, the defendants did not serve any jail time. In justifying his directive, he said "[t]his was such a stunning miscarriage of justice that Judge Karlin cannot continue to hear criminal cases with any public credibility. 1992. Jung Hui Lee spoke to "Let It Fall: LA 1982-1999," an ABC News documentary, about the riots that followed the Rodney King beating verdict. Continue reading to find out more about what happened, and to learn what her legal fate was. Latasha's aunt, Denise Harlins, founded The Latasha Harlins Justice Committee in her honor. On the morning of March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du was on duty at the store, while her husband was outside. There was Disneyland; there was Long Beach. She passed away on Christmas Day in 2018. Ty recalled her friend saying. in reference to the Korean War. In return, Harlins punched Du twice, knocking her to the ground. Soon Ja Du, her face beginning to swell and discolor from the four punches Harlins landed during a brief struggle between the two, ostensibly over a $1.79 bottle of orange juice, crouched on top of the counter trying to see where Harlins had fallen. This California farm kingdom holds a key, Six people, including mother and baby, killed in Tulare County; drug cartel suspected, Im afraid for her life: Riverside CC womens coach harassed after Title IX suit, New Bay Area maps show hidden flood risk from sea level rise and groundwater, Who would execute a baby? [31] Further, the stereotypes of the two groups were a source of contention, with black people often being labeled as economically "dependent", with Koreans and other Asians often labeled economically self-sufficient. Her daughter graduated from the University of San Diego and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy at USC, according to the website of the Manhattan Beach Youth Council. I was full of hopes. This case only fuelled the racial fires that eventually resulted in the Los Angeles riots in 1992. Getting by was the priority, so we were not choosy over which job to work at. That day, around 10 oclock, around then, a woman called Radio Korea. Soon Ja Du was born on Saturday, December 27, 1941 ( age 79 years; as of 2020 ), in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. As Du was guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the jury recommended the maximum prison sentence for the crime, which was 16 years. Soon Jadu testified on her own behalf, claiming she shot Harlins in self-defense because she believed her life was in danger. You need to protect us. And we had an arguments saying, You cant go out.. Store owner Soon Ja Du in March 1991 a policeman, a pack of white to his,! 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