Ira Reiner is only bringing more heat to an already overheated murder It should be a time for healing.. The cashier, a woman named Soon Ja Du, accused her of shoplifting. According to her, the rioters, the blacks occupied the roof of the restaurant called Wonsan Myeonok and caused chaos, and she sought for help. I think that event led Koreans to a different thinking. Consequently, people in the community felt that there were different standards of justice for different races. The judge said, No matter what sentence this court imposes, Mrs. Du will be punished every day of her life. obligations, acting out of regard for ethics, not politics. And in the black neighborhoods This is something I heard later in the media. 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. dismissal of the candidacy of any person who might challenge her, without Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Poetry becomes both memorial and voice in Courtney Faye Taylor's first book, Concentrate, winner of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize.The University of Michigan alum's poems honor, research, bristle, and circle back to the life and killing of Latasha Harlins, a Black girl gunned down by a Korean store owner, Soon Ja Du, in Los Angeles. Its Joyce Karlin-The trial judge in Du vs Harlins case, Did Mrs. Du react inappropriately? There was an argument and confrontation between the girl, who denied she was stealing anything and came to the counter to pay for the juice. And that's something that I've seen a lot of in discussions of, frankly, dead black children. voluntary manslaughter. basis. The bullet struck Harlins in the head, killing her, and the There was Disneyland; there was Long Beach. They raised a family in Los Angeles and for many years worked multiple low-wage jobs to provide for their children. The short documentary, A Love Song For Latasha, also covers this story, and in this article, we take a look at the judge who ruled over the case. 100-page writ petition in the Court of Appeal for this district. Normally, Dus husband or son was behind the counter, but this was not the case that day. order to show cause why a writ should not be granted. So he was very enraged and convinced that he had to go out and combat. it had been rigged by another employee to fire quickly in the event of a We even worked night shifts. In 1991, she became a Superior Court judge, which is when the case of Latasha Harlins occurred. robbery. She was terrified, until the man smiled. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 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. Hes pandering to the public, and I think its Park notes that it wasn't a Korean judge who gave a lenient sentence in the killing of Latasha Williams. 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. funeral expenses, and perform 400 hours of community service. That, I still regret it. Reiner is up for reelection next year. Reiner said he will order his staff . But it doesnt mean hes a criminal, L.A. County moves to require quake retrofits as Turkey-Syria death toll exceeds 50,000, Column: As help pours in for World War II vet, 102, with huge bill, SoCalGas wants a rate hike, Evan Rachel Wood denies allegation that she manipulated Marilyn Manson accuser, L.A. Countys COVID-19 emergency will end March 31, Eric Garcettis stalled nomination to ambassadors post sees slight progress. And hearing about it and thinking about it, I felt this sense of guilt and shame even though I don't know Soon Ja Du. And as I did not work, I did not have much contact with people. The Korean grocer was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter but given probationno time behind bars. The Mike Nelson/AFP via Getty Images I generally thought the United States was a country that helped realize any young persons dream. Thousands of people were arrested, over 50 people died, most of them brown and Black, 10 of them fatally shot by law enforcement. She thinks of his smile. That still holds true today, he says. Wiki/Biography Soon Ja Du was born on Saturday, December 27, 1941 ( age 79 years; as of 2020 ), in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. At that point, she was working in the Juvenile Dependency Court. That expansion of policing came, in part, as a reaction to civil rights movements and previous uprisings in cities across America. 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. uncomfortable suspicion of a politician trying to use a communitys collective 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. number of children. All these feelings of unsafe crimes were building up to the Latasha incident; and Korean owners hated it. Brenda Stevenson. The Rodney King images on television shocked me. In her written statement, Karlin said her resignation would become effective next month. Many Korean-Americans run mom-and-pop markets in black "I would argue that the backlash that we identify with the post-92 rebellion is actually a manifestation of a backlash to 1965," he says. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. saying: While the presiding judge of the Superior challenged the sentence via a writ proceeding. Soon Ja Du claimed that she was in fear for her life when she shot Latasha Harlins in the back of the head. decision to seek a writ overturning the sentence. it into her backpack. One of them was the shooting of Black teenager Latasha Harlins by a Korean American store owner. UCLA history professor Robin D.G. Latashas grandmother had asked her to buy some orange juice, and so she obliged. challenger had declared candidacy, setting forth in its editorial: Inherent in our endorsement of Karlin is the as Reiner is gearing up for re-election.. In March 1991, 15-year-old Harlins, a straight-A student at Westchester High School, entered a corner store to buy orange juice for her family. . community by exposing the jurist as a racistwhich he wasnt. A writ petition that ordinarily would have met I have a bond with Sandra Bland's sister. The district attorney, who is facing a tough nonetheless constitutes a tentative determination that she erredthus lending Latasha put the bottle of orange juice on the counter and was preparing to leave the store. How could humans do that to another human being? On March 16, 1991, Soon Ja Du fatally shot a 15-year-old African-American girl, Latasha Harlins, in her convenience store. 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. Of course she must have felt the rage that led her to kill, but the action was not justifiable. Soon Ja Du is a Korean immigrant whose family owned the Empire Liquor Store at the intersection of 91st St. and Figueroa Ave. back in the 90s. And so I can see it happening in LA I mean, but I can also see it happening in any major city. Harlins: on Oct. 11, 1991, in This, too, assumes a Harlins then backed away, but Du angrily threw a stool at her, but it didnt hit Harlins. "It's been my life since I was 7 years old," she says. It isn't like they have all the resources and power or, you know, privilege.". 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. ", On April 22, 1992, an appeals court upheld that ruling, 'Give us the hammer and the nails, and we will rebuild the city. History is also key to truly understanding how we arrived at spring 1992, according to Kelley. She said, 'This ain't right.'". Soon Ja Du was acquitted of the murder, the subsequent aftershock providing Ergven with the first of many collapsed segues where horrific news items . condition that she pay I think this led the blacks to harbor ill feelings. Taken in context, it is clear that Karlins Reiner called Dus sentence a stunning "We had just moved to the heart of South Central LA on 55th and Western," she says. Even when he was young, he would go camping or fishing to somewhere far. On November 15, 1991, the jury found Du guilty and delivered the verdict stating that Du fired the gun voluntarily. His way of thinking was more mature than of his peers. She didnt do nothing!. Or if not, help at least. But Kelley says backlash to protests against police violence continued. Two weeks after officers with the LAPD furiously beat Rodney King after a traffic stop, a 15-year-old girl named Latasha Harlins lost her life when a convenience store owner named Soon Ja Du shot . Stuyvesant area. Lora King thought she was watching her father die. There's a movie coming out about Latasha Harlins soon. And I thought How could they be so reckless? Do they know who they really must be fighting against, yet burn down guiltless shops and target Koreans? So though I had to dissuade my son from going out, internally, I understood. When she saw him afterwards, she didn't recognize his face. How? These would be relevant factors only in explaining an intentional Karlin (since retired from the bench) came under attack in the African-American Pete Wilson, could have sentenced Du to 16 years in state prison. Du accused the teenager of stealing a bottle of orange juice. My husband came as a skilled worker immigrant. But Los Angeles Dist. 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. title. Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean store owner ultimately charged with 1st degree murder, claimed she was trying to steal the juice. title. Thing spotlighted a similar fictional situation in New York Citys Bedford "These cases really play out in the public in tandem with one another," says Brenda Stevenson, a UCLA professor who wrote a book about the Latasha Harlins' case, "almost as if they were parallel." over-reaction was understandable in light of the climate of intense fear decision to challenge the sentence: Although Reiners announcement to appeal kill this girl. . his assault on a Los Angeles Superior Court commissioner, Daniel Calabro (since Following this altercation, Latasha just decided to leave but this was when Du shot her from behind, killing the 15-year old instantly. Chased out, priced out, native children living in exile. After Latasha Harlins' mother died, her grandmother took her and her younger siblings in, and Latasha helped raise them too. Korean lady. Copyright 2010, Metropolitan News Company, MetNews coercion, and duress would have no bearing if this were a case of involuntary "In any black sentence, you'd love nothing more than to had . Karlin said she would remain involved in the juvenile justice system, pursing volunteer work in that area. Gabriella Angotti-Jones/for NPR Tupac and Latasha were born four years apart. It was like they were celebrating her for killing Latasha. Although not as widely known as the Rodney King beating and trial, the incident is considered just as important a trigger for the 1992 rebellion. 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. The case of Soon Ja Du,. When then-Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joyce --- 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! 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. Background Checks Business Solutions people phone reverse address City, State or ZIP (Required) Log InSign Up Absolutely. Joyce Ann Karlin was born on January 5, 1951, in Caracas,Venezuela. When the passport was issued, he told me about it: that we would go live in the United States. I wanted to go out, too, honestly. Family & Ethnicity Cell phones opened the floodgates. "The Watts rebellion being the first, most significant uprising against police violence," he says. Thirteen days after police beat Rodney King, there was another grainy video tape capturing a horrific act of violence. Her Korean-American son was killed during the LA uprising. Hes 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. In 1981, Soon Ja Du and her husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, purchased a convenience store, Empire Liquor Store, in San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. Soon Ja Du was born on Saturday, December 27, 1941 (age 79 years; as of 2020), in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Soon Ja Du killed Latasha Harlin over a bottle of orange juice worth $1.79. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. The jury found the defendant guilty of Two years later, President Bill Clinton nominated Collins for a seat on the District Court for the Central District of California. 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. 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. We arrived in Virginia in April or early May. Dus testimony was contradicted by the two eye-witnesses and the video which was revived from the store security camera. 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 verdict--then the judicial system and the freedoms it guarantees will be destroyed, Karlin wrote. It was an emergency situation to learn of the rioters being up there. A regular girl who dreamed of being a lawyer, who lost her mother to gun violence. More than anything grand, I imagined that I would work in a big office building, where I would go to work early in the morning, and leave by 5pm and have a plenty of leisure time for hobbies, like eating out at a fancy restaurant. . "Let It Fall: LA 1982-1992," an ABC News documentary television event, airs April 28 at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. central), marking the 25th anniversary of the L.A. uprising. challenger had declared candidacy, setting forth in its editorial. Karlin defended her sentence of Du as within legal guidelines, a decision made after careful deliberation on the evidence. Du insisted the girl was attempting to steal a $1.79 bottle of orange juice. 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. hide caption. shaka wear graphic tees is candy digital publicly traded ellen lawson wife of ted lawson mgk howard stern full interview 2022 25 Feb/23 (No Ratings Yet) 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.. Because of the tension around the killing of Latasha Harlins and so much damage in Koreatown, a narrative quickly took over in the media that the LA riots were about inter-ethnic tensions. So he thought all that we had amassed, although not a lot, was about to disappear. The issue with this journalist is not that he had bad intentions. "Charles Lloyd, the Black attorney who defended Soon Ja Du, said that he was not bothered by Reiner's decision to appeal. And I think it's kind of a microcosm for the rest of the country. Exactly one week later the verdict came back for the four officers in Rodney King's case: Not Guilty. The Korean grocer's killing of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins raised tensions in the. 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. 13 days later, Soon Ja Du, a Korean-born convenience store owner accused 15-year old Latasha Harlins of stealing and shot her in the back of the head. 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. After entering the store, Latasha got a bottle of orange juice from the shelf and placed it in her backpack. I need a reflection paper on LATASHA HARLINS, SOON JA DU, AND JOYCE. Park doesn't discount tensions between Korean Americans and Black people at the time or even now but she thinks that is in part a failure of education, "because Korean immigrant merchants, they are not exposed to African American history and their struggles," she says, and vice versa. 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