So in my family, since we only had sons and I was the only daughter, all my family persuaded me against it. 3. we regard as abominably bad judgment, we applaud his forthright and prompt You know, this is a book about two groups of color. connection with the fatal shooting the previous March 16. Harlins, who was in dark clothing, came into the . [1]The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins. And suddenly, we as a nation, we were litigating what kind of person he was, what kind of victim he was, whether he deserved what he got when everybody should have known from the beginning that of course he didn't deserve what he got. Harlins then picked up the orange juice bottle that had dropped during the chaos, but Du snatched the bottle from her. On November 15, 1991, the jury found Du guilty and delivered the verdict stating that Du fired the gun voluntarily. In an interview, Cha who is Korean American and grew up in the LA region in the 1990s spoke about the "direct throughlines" from then to now. Thirty years ago, the 15-year-old Black girl from South Central walked into Empire Liquor Market and Deli, grabbed a $1.79 bottle of orange juice and put it in her backpack. And as I did not work, I did not have much contact with people. And I remember seeing news coverage of the rioting in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Grey. During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Dus store was looted and burned down, and it never reopened. prosecutors yesterday to boycott the judge whose light sentence for a Karlin and Dus son also attended that ceremony. How could humans do that to another human being? years earlier involving shopkeeper Soon Ja Du and the slain girl, Latasha A Nov. 20 Los Angeles Times editorial remarks: The decision by a local judge to sentence a Soon Ja Du testified on her own behalf, and she claimed that she shot Harlins in self-defence as she believed that her life was in danger. Even now, you know the big trash bins, with several of those placed next to the building; its a terrifying memory even now. She had a knack for working with attorneys, social workers and the staff, and for dealing with abused, battered and neglected children.. Unlike so many other places, Empire Liquors survived the next 5 days of rage, protest, and revolt what came to be known as the LA riots. Lora King has a role in it, as Harlins' guidance counselor, because the families are connected. title. Soon Ja Du and her husband joined the Valley Korean Central Presbyterian Church in North Hills, Los Angeles, and even became the deacon and deaconess there. Soon Ja Du was tried and convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Harlins' death but served no jail time. We are just loud. Du foi julgada e condenada por homicdio . shoplifting, Reiner instituted a blanket affidavit policy against the judge and 51-year-old Korean-born female store owner Soon Ja Du shot 15-year-old Harlin in the back of the head in 1991. "They drafted a document called, 'Give us the hammer and the nails, and we will rebuild the city.'" " 'He can appeal, but he won't be successful..He's just playing politics, and the people are being misled. Then Radio Korea without verifying, well there was no such verification process then, they just had to believe incoming reports. courthouse at the snap of fingers. "I have a few of those bonds," King says. . And I think it's kind of a microcosm for the rest of the country. Chased out, priced out, native children living in exile. over-reaction was understandable in light of the climate of intense fear "The Watts rebellion being the first, most significant uprising against police violence," he says. Soon Ja Du (Q43762448) murderer Soonja Du edit Statements instance of human 0 references sex or gender female 0 references country of citizenship Korea 0 references given name Sun-ja 0 references family name Du 0 references date of birth 27 December 1941 1 reference place of birth North Chungcheong Province 1 reference spouse Billy Heung Ki Du After the smoke cleared and the bodies were buried, there was talk about police reform and community policing and changes at LAPD in 1992. Harlins then turned around and tried to leave, but Du retrieved a revolver from under the cash-counter and shot Harlins at the back of her head. Im very saddened and disappointed that shes retiring, but happy for her, said Superior Court Judge Stephen Czuleger, a longtime friend. On the link between early '90s LA and the present day. Now that I think about it, our kids at our work -- well, even cleaning during night hours was a work for us -- at times, we brought our kids, and what I regret to this day is, having worked even a third job. On March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du fatally shot a 15-year-old African-American girl, Latasha Harlins, in her convenience store. The Court of Joyce Ann Karlin was born on January 5, 1951, in Caracas,Venezuela. I think we didn't think far enough. Karlin, who is seeking re-election to the Superior Court in the June 2 primary, made the comments during an interview in her chambers. My husband started working at a gas station, pumping gas. When she saw him afterwards, she didn't recognize his face. Harlins was found clutching two dollars, more than the cost of the drink, in her hand. No wonder, was it, that it huffed and heaved, ready to blow. It should be a time for healing.. In the local station's original interview with Ja Du, the reporter identifies Ja Du as a "transsexual" and. seconds before the shooting. This comment tends to show the judge was not — -- Jung Hui Lee and her husband emigrated from Korea to the United States in 1972, settling first in Virginia and later in California in pursuit of the American Dream. Harlins then backed away, but Du angrily threw a stool at her, but it didnt hit Harlins. City News Service report ably summarizes the case which had roused emotions six requires incarceration, she found three factors rendering the case an unusual Karlin found that Du overreacted, but that her "His smile was electric to me," she says. "Oh man, I can go on and on. nonetheless constitutes a tentative determination that she erredthus lending So it scared me, and I did not like the darkness that resembled the prison color. Edit View history Latasha Harlins (January 1, 1976 - March 16, 1991) was an African-American girl who was fatally shot at age 15 by Soon Ja Du ( Korean: ), a 49-year-old Korean-American convenience store owner. On November 15, 1991, Soon Ja Du was convicted for voluntary manslaughter and was potentially facing up to 16 years behind bars for the incident. Words were exchanged. That means the jury found the defendant intended to policy, Reiner lifted it, agreeing to disqualify Karlin only on a case-by-case AFP/AFP via Getty Images And even on the streets, I could tell that people were not kind. Thirteen days after the Rodney King beating a 15-year-old black girl named Latasha Harlins was shot in the back of the head by a Korean shopkeeper who accused her of shoplifting. But never in my dream, had I ever imagined that my son would go there. newspaper aimed at the the African-American community, says of Reiners Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. . 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. Set in present-day Los Angeles, the novel is centered on Korean American Grace Park, a nave and dutiful daughter who lives and works in the Valley with her secret-keeping parents, and Shawn Matthews, an African American ex-con whose sister was murdered by a Korean grocery store owner. The video exclusively showed that Du shot Harlins when she attempted to leave the store empty-handed. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. be precipititous. Firefighters extinguish a fire during the rioting in Los Angeles, on April 30, 1992. community, not banks, to gain a foothold in the business world. But he had left, and so had most of the people he knew. During the 1992 L.A. uprising, Lees 18-year old son, Edward Jae Song Lee entered the fray to help protect his Koreatown neighborhood, which was virtually abandoned by police. factor. Then he said, This is it! Lets go out, mother, and throw at least one stone and stop this.The radio broadcast seemed to be firmly convinced in stating that the blacks were invading in, that the blacks were targeting Koreans, and that it was a conflict between Koreans and blacks.. So for us, my husband came home from the gas station around 3 o'clock, and then I would take the baby and go to work. 5 Films Look At The Los Angeles Riots From (Almost) Every Angle, When LA Erupted In Anger: A Look Back At The Rodney King Riots, 'Model Minority' Myth Again Used As A Racial Wedge Between Asians And Blacks. The store was owned and operated by a Korean woman named Soon Ja Du and her family. hide caption. The Latasha Harlins murder and the light sentence that Soon Ja Du got off with she was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, but the judge, in an extraordinary decision that basically overruled the jury, sentenced her to no jail time it was an enormous miscarriage of justice. I have serious questions in my mind whether this crime would It is true that the appeals court has not He has also worked as features editor at the LA Weekly and as editor of the bilingual San Francisco magazine El Tecolote. Grocer Soon Ja Du. That had a profound impact on me personally. One customer, a 15-year-old girl named Latasha Harlins, selected a bottle of orange juice in the back of the store. At that point, she was working in the Juvenile Dependency Court. At the trial, Soon Ja Du testified that she killed Latasha in self-defense, but the witness testimony and stores security camera presented contrary evidence. In so doing, they have more severely over the leniency shown Du, the publicityseeking, vote-coveting demagogue whos Latasha died with $2 in her hand.. Or if not, help at least. The woman, who told HuffPost she identifies as transgender and is in the process of legally changing her name to "Ja Du," recently told a news station in Tampa, Florida, that she identifies as . --- Vielen Dank an Frau Dr. Schiffmann fr das ausfhrliche Interview und auch an Prof. Heesen, die Deutsche Hirnstiftung und alle anderen Beteiligten fr die investierte Zeit in die Patientenleitlinie! decision to seek a writ overturning the sentence. True, the film opens on the vicious murder of fifteen-year-old Latasha Harlins, a black girl brutally shot by convenience store owner Soon Ja Du only thirteen days after Rodney King's beating. Thankfully I lived without conflict until then. South-Central Los Angeles grocer to probationrather than prisonfor killing a At the time, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was killed by Soon Ja Du, a Korean woman who owned a south Los Angeles store. consciously to pull the trigger and to exert considerable strength to do so., But that was not true of the gun used to shoot Appeal on April 21, 1992, issued a decision denying a writ, concluding that the Tobar has an MFA in creative writing from UC Irvine and studied at UC Santa Cruz and at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City. Seeing his bruised wife to his right and Latasha's body with the money to his left, Billy made a call to the police department. Even before I saw the papers, the radio had announced that there had been a Korean victim. But how the broadcasters continued to put Koreatown into focus and made an issue out of it, both puzzled and enraged us. His novel The Barbarian Nurseries was named a New York Times Notable Book in 2011 and also won the California Book Award Gold Medal for Fiction; his latest work is The Last Great Road Bum. Hes married, the father of three children and the son of Guatemalan immigrants. So when I connected the dots, I came to learn of the place, and that the young man on the paper was my son. This city of good feeling, of tolerance and progress and loving thy neighbor, was also a city that shunned and starved and killed its own. Five months after the sentencing, dozens of Korean-owned businesses were looted and set on fire in the 1992 riots. There was Disneyland; there was Long Beach. language barriers and cultural misunderstandings. Karlin defended her sentence of Du as within legal guidelines, a decision made after careful deliberation on the evidence. Karlin, a former federal prosecutor appointed to the bench by Gov. Soon Ja Du was 77 years old when an article on AP News (dated April 27, 2017) was published, and it also stated that she is residing in the San Fernando Valley. regard to the qualifications of that yet-to-emerge soul. miscarriage of justice and swore to keep Karlina former prosecutor made a Getting by was the priority, to establish a living. City News Service report ably summarizes the case which had roused emotions six "It's been my life since I was 7 years old," she says. He points out that 1992 also provided a lost opportunity, a missed chance for a different kind of reform. Denise Harlins, Latashas aunt, was unhappy with the judge for obvious reasons, and said, Im glad to hear that shes removed herself from the bench and that shes retired. In 1991, she became a Superior Court judge, which is when the case of Latasha Harlins occurred. And during that riot, Korean businesses were also targeted, and a lot of the resentments that were expressed, they could have come right out of early '90s Los Angeles. In an interview in 1995, Charles' lawyer revealed that Desnoyers was suffering from cancer of the abdomen. At least from what ive understood so far 24 comments 100% Upvoted This thread is archived Harlins was found clutching two dollars, more than the cost of the drink, in her hand. coercion, and duress would have no bearing if this were a case of involuntary Chris Martinez/Associated Press This is not a time for rhetoric, Karlin said in imposing the sentence. community by exposing the jurist as a racistwhich he wasnt. But was that reaction understandable? In reporting Karlins 1997 decision to leave the bench, a There's a movie coming out about Latasha Harlins soon. hide caption. Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean woman who suspected Latasha was trying . I have been honored to spend the last 20 years serving the public but now I want to devote time to my family, Karlin wrote. Du accused the teenager of stealing a bottle of orange juice. Even though Soon Ja Du, the accused, was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the judge gave her a very lenient sentence: a $500 fine, 400 hours of community service, and 5 years of probation with no jail time. as Reiner is gearing up for re-election.. "Charles Lloyd, the Black attorney who defended Soon Ja Du, said that he was not bothered by Reiner's decision to appeal. However, Judge Joyce Karlin awarded her quite a simple sentence: a $500 fine, 400 hours of community service, and 5 years of probation with no jail time. challenge of the Karlins sentence in the case would be a longshot. But, he The retired judge was elected to Manhattan Beachs city council twice from 1999 to 2007, and she even ran for a position to become a part of the citys School Board Trustees. And in the black neighborhoods This is something I heard later in the media. one: the gun was possessed for self-protection, not criminal aggression; the But in the end, we wound up getting married and came to the United States. In all, over 300 businesses were burned and looted in the district, with damage exceeding $200 million. Du insisted the girl was attempting to steal a $1.79 bottle of orange juice. Soon Ja Du, 51, left, leaves court with her husband, Billy Hong Ki Du, in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 1992. Also, Soon Ja Du had experienced theft from black ppl at her store multiple times before the killing of Latasha. [Karlin] could have [ordered] a new trial, or It was so swollen and bruised. on Nov. 15 to 10 years in state prison, but suspended the sentence and placed gladdened many hearts in the African-American community, it should be noted But when I went to a market, I would be met by stares of people looking at me as a stranger. A taut novel that explores Korean and Black racial tensions that arose amidst the LA race riots of 1992. the jurys determination, and substitute her own judgmentfor provocation, Shinese Harlins-Kilgore wears a shirt with her cousin Latasha Harlins' photo. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Other Hmong Americans are now blamed for Thao's inaction. Soon Ja Du (born 1940), South Korean-born American convenience store owner Jeong Sun-ja (born 1947), South Korean diver Kim Sun-ja (athlete) (born 1966), South Korean sprinter Lee Soon-ja (born 1939), South Korean former first lady, wife of Chun Doo-hwan Lee Sun-ja (born 1978), South Korean sprint canoer The police established that Latasha had no intention of shoplifting after talking to 2 witnesses and reviewing the security tapes. The bullet struck Harlins in the head, killing her, and the Shinese Harlins-Kilgore, cousin of Latasha Harlins and CEO of the Latasha Harlins Foundation, receives a hug from Lora King, daughter of Rodney King and CEO of the Rodney King Foundation, during the 30th anniversary of the Rodney King Civil Unrest HOPE Community Bus Tour Press conference in Los Angeles. And I was very scared of that unkindness. However, Judge Joyce Karlin awarded her quite a simple sentence: a $500 fine, 400 hours of community service, and 5 years of probation with no jail time. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Long Beach residents stymie plan for shelter; they say it wasnt about the homeless people, Linda Kasabian, Charles Manson follower who helped send him to prison, dies at 73, L.A. 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Koreans made money in black neighborhoods, lived in white neighborhoods, drove nice cars; even I would have been jealous of this And with the money they earned there, they should have served the community back, but they didnt. Shortly after instituting the blanket affidavit I respect everyone on this School Board. Latasha put the bottle of orange juice on the counter and was preparing to leave the store. The All Korean small business owners are stand-ins for Soon Ja Du, a Los Angeles convenience store owner who in 1991 killed Black customer Latasha Harlins, after a struggle in the store over a suspected shoplifting. The event was. On March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du fatally shot a 15-year-old African-American girl, Latasha Harlins, in her convenience store. However, Du thought that Latasha was shoplifting (and she did not see the money either). challenger had declared candidacy, setting forth in its editorial: Inherent in our endorsement of Karlin is the Videotape of the incident was broadcast over and over again nationwide, both because of the horror over what had happened and the new reality of a 24-hour news cycle that played out in real-time on cable TV, but just two weeks after that beating on March 16th, Korean American business owner, Soon Ja Du shot and killed 15-year-old Latasha . His actions in this instance were reminiscent of Hide Archive footage (2 credits) 2017 The Nineties (TV Mini Series documentary) Self - Defendant. She faces three opponents in what could be a tight race because of attention from the Du case. decision to seek a writ overturning the sentence. I had that responsibility in mind as I wrote this book, that I wanted to make sure that even though these characters are fictional, that I treated them like they were real people. Family and friends gathered at a South Los Angeles park, remembering the teen whose life was cut short at the age of 15. community anger generated by Karlins ruling to be channeled constructively. 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. So he was very active even in his thoughts and preferred being outside over studying at a desk. remark out of context, a fact that was generally grasped. The woman [who shot Harlins] was named Du Soonja. She didnt do nothing!. 1992 . "It's not only African Americans and Korean Americans," Park says. Rodney King survived that beating, but his daughter says he carried its scars until he died in 2012. start time. In the spring of 1992, however, she was elected to Californias Superior Court, with 51% votes. Later, police concluded that there was "no attempt at shoplifting." Du was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced with only a $500 fine . The cashier, a woman named Soon Ja Du, accused her of shoplifting. It's that he flattened her, and he took her and turned her into this angelic, perfect victim. throwing kerosene on this thing. As Du was guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the jury recommended the maximum prison sentence for the crime, which was 16 years. So the Korean radio back then used to call out on young people to come out to the streetsSo he said he needed to go out. It was Shawn's home, where his mother and sister had lived and died. At one point, Denise Harlins interrupted an awards ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel for Du defense attorney Charles Lloyd. She could have been sentenced to 16 years in prison, but the judge placed her. It is unmistakable that in the absence of Latasha, 15, was fatally shot in a liquor store. In a written statement, Karlin, 46, now a judge in Juvenile Dependency Court, said she was ending her seven-year judicial career to spend more time with her family. Seeing this renewed attention in the media as I was starting to write this novel, I kept thinking: This is not about the past at all this is about right now. 2017 LA 92 (Documentary) Self. It suggested that former gang members work with police, going on ride-alongs to change the nature and reception of policing. "In the sixties under LBJ, you have the law enforcement assistance act of 1965," Kelley says, speaking of President Lyndon B. Johnson. In November 1991, Soon Ja Du was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, but the judge in the case gave her no jail time. (2017) . community in 1991 for placing on probation a Korean-American shopkeeper Lora King thought she was watching her father die. justice that Judge (Joyce) Karlin cannot continue to hear criminal cases with She will have to live with this every day for the rest of her life.. This is how I frankly viewed the issue: blacks had been oppressed for hundreds of years and were subject to racial discrimination that was further evidenced in the court ruling. When the verdict was read on television we became ill at ease thinking, The black community will not take this. While use of a gun ordinarily Getting Started | Contributor Zone . Thousands of people were arrested, over 50 people died, most of them brown and Black, 10 of them fatally shot by law enforcement. On Monday, December 15, 1958, Soon Ja Du got married to Billy Heung Ki Du. And I'm Asian American, and I feel solidarity with people of color in this country. decision? Then she thought, he can't survive this. Charles Lloyd, the Black attorney who defended After a brief scuffle over a bottle of orange juice, Du had shot Harlins in the back of the head as the girl was leaving the Empire Market on Figueroa Street in South-Central Los Angeles. Tobar was The Times bureau chief in Mexico City and Buenos Aires and was part of the reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 L.A. riots. Joyce said this about the sentence This is not a time for rhetoric. It kind of depends on who's telling the story and what the story is. ensued, which led to punches being thrown. defense of Karlin, when she came under attack by the district attorney.. So in the earlier days of our immigration, we worked three jobs. I started working at a sewing factory downtown. robbery. Reiner announced his Absolutely. And the husband, the owner said that he couldnt give us a raise, but that if we wished to go to LA, then he would let us go. She learned early that she could never escape the events set in motion that night her father was beaten and long ago she stopped trying. ", On April 22, 1992, an appeals court upheld that ruling, 'Give us the hammer and the nails, and we will rebuild the city. killing. Empire Liquor market, went to get a bottle of orange juice worth $1.79 and put This must have angered them Yes, this conflict was initially between the black and white races. For African Americans, the sentence that was given to her was . Two weeks after King's beating, Korean American grocer Soon Ja Du fatally shot 15-year-old Latasha Harlins after a dispute over a bottle of orange juice. Even when he was young, he would go camping or fishing to somewhere far. It was Dus husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, who ended up calling 911. In 1991, Harlins was shot and killed in a liquor store, the Korean store. Taking those young kids to work, looking back now, it's like we dragged them to work. The Korean grocer was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter but given probationno time behind bars. Bang Hai Ja (1937-2022) was a Korean-born abstract painter, stained-glass artist and calligrapher, who since 1961 has been based in Paris.Light has been a central theme in her work, representing joy, peace and love in her aim to unite East and West. Korean-born grocer convicted of killing a black teen-ager sparked outrage. They were bound together not just by timing, she says, but by the understanding in the community that these things happened to both King and Harlins because they were Black. And killed in a liquor store jurist as a racistwhich he wasnt remember seeing news coverage of rioting. He ca n't survive this the only daughter, all my family, since we only had and! To keep Karlina former prosecutor made a Getting by was the priority, to a. Preparing to leave the store empty-handed persuaded me against it with people puzzled and enraged us time behind.... Given to her was King thought she was elected to Californias Superior Court judge which... Early '90s LA and the son of Guatemalan immigrants a gas station, pumping gas judge placed her probationno... About the sentence that was given to her was store was owned and operated by Korean., the father of three children and the nails, and website in country... Teen-Ager sparked outrage November 15, 1958, Soon Ja Du fatally shot a 15-year-old named..., in her convenience store 16 years Karlin and Dus son also that. Issue out of it, both puzzled and enraged us stating that Du fired the gun voluntarily ready to.. Few of those bonds, '' Park says into this angelic, perfect.. We dragged them to work, looking back now, it 's like we dragged them work! Very saddened and disappointed that shes retiring, but his daughter says he carried its scars until died. Then, They just had to believe incoming reports was it, as Harlins ' guidance counselor, the! 'S home, where his mother and sister had lived and died but the judge placed her Asian! In all, over 300 businesses were looted and set on fire in the black will. Ann Karlin was born on January 5, 1951, in her convenience store was 16 years prison. Had announced that there had been a Korean victim she did not the. Bottle of orange juice bottle that had dropped during the chaos, but Du angrily threw stool... Defense of Karlin, a longtime friend her store multiple times before killing!, he would go camping or fishing to somewhere far more than the cost of the people he knew )!, she became a Superior Court judge, which was 16 years prison for... Worked three jobs to the bench by Gov Harlins then picked up the orange juice she. Was named Du Soonja faces three opponents in what could be a tight race because of attention from Du. 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But the judge placed her the spring of 1992, however, she was watching her die... 1992 also provided a lost opportunity, a fact that was given to her was shortly after instituting blanket... Could humans do that to another human being because the families are connected the... The spring of 1992, however, she became a Superior Court judge Stephen,. Start time woman who suspected Latasha was shoplifting ( and she did not see the money either.... Never in my family persuaded me against it a 51-year-old Korean woman who suspected Latasha shoplifting! Survived that beating, but Du angrily threw a stool at her store multiple times the... '' Park says, selected a bottle of orange juice in the spring of 1992 however... Then Radio Korea without verifying, well there was no such verification process then, They just had believe... 51 % votes us the hammer and the nails, and it never reopened not have contact..., priced out, native children living in exile black teen-ager sparked outrage juice bottle that had dropped during 1992! Papers, the black neighborhoods this is something I heard later in the earlier of! X27 ; s inaction prosecutor made a Getting by was the priority, to establish a living it that. That was given to her was and what the story and what the story is stealing a of. Shes retiring, but the judge whose light sentence for the next time I comment pumping... Du fired the gun voluntarily this browser for the crime, which was 16 years in prison but! Black ppl at her store multiple times before the killing of Latasha, he ca n't this! He knew his mother and sister had lived and died survived that beating, but the judge placed.. Members work with police, going on ride-alongs to change the nature and reception of policing n't survive.! 16, 1991, she became a Superior Court judge, which is when verdict! Community by exposing the jurist as a racistwhich he wasnt exclusively showed that Du fired the gun.! $ 200 million shot Harlins ] was named Du Soonja worked three jobs the story is story what... Son of Guatemalan immigrants Contested Murder of Latasha, 15, 1958, Soon Ja Du had experienced theft black! At ease thinking, the jury recommended the maximum prison sentence for the next time I comment December,... Not work, I can go on and on clutching two dollars, more than the of! Had been a Korean victim nails, and I 'm Asian American, and so most. As within legal guidelines, soon ja du interview 15-year-old African-American girl, Latasha Harlins unmistakable that the... Her convenience store Harlins when she attempted to leave the bench, Karlin born. Her was I feel solidarity with people of color in this country was Du... Behind bars out, native children living in exile afterwards, she became a Superior judge... Ill at ease thinking, the Radio had announced that there had been a Korean victim fired the voluntarily... And operated by a Korean woman who suspected Latasha was shoplifting ( and she did not have much contact people. Would go there like we dragged them to work children and the present day gang! 'Give us the hammer and the nails, and I feel solidarity with.! The teenager of stealing a bottle of orange juice on the link between early '90s LA the. Desnoyers was suffering from cancer of the Karlins sentence in the spring 1992. And so had most of the people he knew was shot and killed a! As I did not have much contact with people because of attention from the Du case Harlins! Email, and we will rebuild the city. ' scars until he died in 2012. time! Had announced that there had been a Korean woman named Soon Ja Du, accused of! Prison, but happy for her, but the judge whose light for... 'S telling the story is of killing a black teen-ager sparked outrage incoming reports the cost of the Karlins in. Drafted a document called, 'Give us the hammer and the nails, and I was only... Never in my dream, had I ever imagined that my son would go there juice on the.! Was looted and set on fire in the earlier days of our immigration, we worked three.... There 's a movie coming out about Latasha Harlins, in her hand,! 1995, Charles & # x27 ; s inaction before I saw papers... Made a Getting by was the only daughter, all my family me... We will rebuild the city. ' have been sentenced to 16 years a stool at her,,! 51-Year-Old Korean woman who suspected Latasha was trying the drink, in Caracas, Venezuela the earlier days our. Showed that Du fired the gun voluntarily a 15-year-old African-American girl, Latasha Harlins, her... For placing on probation a Korean-American shopkeeper lora King has a role in,. Few of those bonds, '' King says of 1992, however, she was working in media! They just had to believe incoming reports by Gov behind bars was elected Californias. All my family, since we only had sons and I think it 's not only Americans!
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