The neighborhood had its own host of problems during this time. 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. How come she can she just die for one bottle of juice?" Instead, she sentenced Du to 400 hours of community service, five years on probation and a $500 fine, which is around 385. They rented a place near 89th Street and Broadway, just a few blocks from where Latasha would later be murdered. I wanted it to feel intimate and personal and not invasive at all.. Latashas younger brother, Vester Acoff Jr. was born in 1979, and her younger sister, Christina, was born in 1981. "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. He testified that Harlins did not use swear words, but his sisters testimony contradicted that. (Los This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Latasha Harlins became a victim of these racial tensions on the morning of Saturday, March 16, 1991. Soon Ja Du the markets Korea-born owner saw the orange juice sticking out of Harlins backpack and assumed she was stealing it, even though the teenager had cash in her hand. Ty and Shinese want to create their own community center. "[41][42] The Harlins family held vigils outside the Du residence every year on the anniversary of her sentencing. In order to break free, the 15-year-old girl struck Du in the face four times, knocking her down. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Harlins responded by lifting up her hand, which contained two dollar bills, and explained that she intended to pay. )[2] But the organization's indifference and incomprehension of the subject's significance prompted a realization for Allison that "I could no longer work within institutions that don't validate the importance of my existence. As the voices of Shinese and Ty are heard reminiscing about their friend Latasha, impressionistic and sometimes fleeting images of little girls togetherwalking together, playing, swimming in a public swimming poolappear on the screen, intercut with footage of a swing set or other places where they played. [33], Tensions only continued to mount, particularly after police officers were found not guilty of beating Rodney King. In 1982, when Latasha was six years old, her father took a job in a steel foundry while her mother worked as a waitress in a local tavern. Tupac dedicated his song, Keep Ya Head Up, to Latasha Harlins. The family moved from Illinois to South Central Los Angeles in 1981. It made it so much easier working with young girls, not actors, to not have a big bulky camera in their face, Allison says. Latasha, 15, was shot in the back of the head by a Korean woman who owned a South Los Angeles liquor store. I think that we must unanimously reject such demands What's politically correct today may not be politically correct tomorrow or the next day. Those tensions were later interpreted by some members of the public and activists as being one of the catalysts for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. I should say between diversity and agency. The case drew criticism after another LA County court case of cruelty to a dog was given a harsher sentence than the death of a teen. Operation Hammer took off in 1987, an LAPD initiative that sent police officers into poor neighborhoods to conduct massive roundups of suspected gang members. Site Map, 2023 Emerald Expositions, LLC. Los Angeles Times/GettyKorean grocer Soon Ja Du in court, after she fatally shot Latasha Harlins in the back of the head. WebOn March 16, 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was shot and killed by a liquor store owner who accused her of stealing. WebIts been 30 years since the death of Latasha Harlins, and through the efforts of her family and a new documentary, South Central Los Angeles is embracing her legacy in a new way. And theres no protection for Black girls when we have to rely on a system that is deeply rooted in white supremacy. Something went wrong, please try again later. Riots. WebIn March of 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was killed by one of the owners of the Empire Liquor convenience store in Los Angeles, Calif. Latasha had entered the store to buy a Du was tried and convicted of voluntary manslaughter over the killing of Harlins, based in part on security camera footage. A year later, residents of Harlins neighborhood took to the streets in Photo editor Leonor Mamanna interviews Alice Proujansky about the practical challenges of shooting and publishing a personal project. Months later, they gave her a grant. Latasha Harlins. Only two weeks before Latasha Harlins walked into Dus Empire Liquor Market, a black man named Rodney King was pulled over by four LAPD officers, three of whom were white, for speeding. She was buried next to her mother in Paradise Memorial Park, Santa Fe Springs, California. Harlins, after telling Du she intended to pay for the juice, hit the grocer twice in the face as Du held onto her clothing, the witness said. All rights reserved, Man Accused in West LA Hate Shootings Was Subject of Law Enforcement Alert, Pepper Spray Used on High Schoolers as Anti-Racism Protest Grows Unruly', Experts Say Big Bear Bald Eagle Eggs Unlikely to Hatch, This 26-Year-Old Pays $0 to Live in a Luxury Tiny Home' She Built for $35,000 in Her Backyard Take a Look Inside, Beckham High School Teacher in Irvine Accused of Recording Students in Bathroom. But what is justice today is justice always. She will die in front of your eyes. The graphic images of the killing of 15-year-old Harlins, captured by a security camera inside the Empire Liquor 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. (Harlins death was one of the inciting incidents of the 1992 L.A. race riots, and the trial against her killer, store owner Soon Ja Du, garnered national attention; although Du was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, she received a light sentence of probation and community service. Killing of an African-American teenager by a Korean-American store owner in 1991, Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, "Column: The killing of Latasha Harlins was 30 years ago. A state appeals court later unanimously upheld Judge Karlin's sentencing decision, 30, on April 21, 1992, about a week before the LA riots. Thereafter, Shakur made frequent mention of Harlins in his songs, including in tracks like "Something 2 Die 4 (Interlude)" ("Latasha Harlins, remember that name 'Cause a bottle of juice is not something to die for"), "Thugz Mansion" ("Little Latasha, sho' grown/Tell the lady in the liquor store that she's forgiven/So come home"), "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" ("Tell me what's a black life worth/A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts/And even when you take the shit/Move counties get a lawyer, you can shake the shit/Ask Rodney, Latasha, and many more"), "White Mans World" ("Rest in Peace to Latasha, Little Yummy, and Kato"), "Hellrazor" ("Dear Lord if ya hear me, tell me why/Little girl like Latasha, had to die")[47][48] and "N.I.G.G.A." WebLatasha Harlins. When she was six years old, her family moved to South-Central L.A. by Greyhound bus. I said: This cannot be the only way that this young girl exists. She did some research, and found Harlins cousin and then her childhood friend. This is not the movies. People have seen it, and I think we really need to interrogate what it means to constantly think that it is necessary to see Black trauma, to see Black death as a way to make some sort of connection or as a way to make people understand the importance and the significance and the core of it. But was that reaction understandable? Harlens was a student at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California. And 15-year-old Harlins was shot and killed by Soon Ja Du at Empire Liquor in South Central Los Angeles on March 16, 1991. So I think we have to move past diversity and understand what it means for Black folks to have power and agency within the industry. They remembered being young when Latasha was killed. He said Du feared for her safety because her son had been beaten and forced to pay extortion at the store and she was aware of nearby merchants who had been killed during robberies. And I had a basketball game. erupted in protests and riots, fire and gunshots. How did the young Black girls, the young boys that knew Latashahow were they affected by this? The Los Angeles natives documentary short A Love Song for Latasha, which was nominated for an Oscar this year and is streaming on Netflix, is a moving tribute from Allison and Harlins loved ones to the young girls life. MaKhia Bryant. And I think people will always blame young Black girls for their outcome. Sixteen-year-old Bryant was shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, By the summer of 2017, Allison had edited the first two minutes of the video, which helped her establish the films visual style. But security footage and the statements of the eye witnesses directly contradicted her account. Tasha died. For myself, growing up in Los Angeles as a young Black girl, I always want to really document these different stages of Black girlhood. Chilling footage then shows Du grabbing Latasha by her jumper and snatching her backpack. The city was left with $1 billion in damages. [31] Since then, they had been a target of anger from both black shop-owners and black customers, with incompatible claims from either group that say Korean shop-owners "undercut prices" by the shop-owners and that they overcharged customers. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. The court also stated that Du shot Harlins under extreme provocation and duress and deemed it unlikely that Du would ever commit a serious crime again. Send me updates about Slate special offers. MARTINEZ: That's Christina Rogers and Vester Acoff remembering their sister Latasha Harlins. [6], In early 2021, a mural celebrating Latasha Harlins was unveiled in front of Algin Sutton Recreation Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kiw6Q9-lfXc&has_verified=1. One, as an L.A. native, this is a story that was important, one that had not been discussed in the fullness of who Latasha was. WebSecurity-camera footage which showed Harlins attempt to pay for the juice and the subsequent scuffle between the two women convinced a jury to find Du guilty of voluntary But I think there are so many ways to dismantle the system. Black residents protested outside of the Empire Liquor Market, and Soon Ja Du was taken into custody. I never want to believe that a film will humanize anyone, because I really believe humanizing comes from folks in their own consciousness. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Security-camera footage which showed Harlins attempt to pay for the juice and the subsequent scuffle between the two women convinced a jury to find Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter and call for the maximum 16-year jail sentence. Latasha's killer was convicted of manslaughter but served no jail time. The graphic images of the killing of 15-year-old Harlins, captured by a security camera inside the Empire Liquor Market in South-Central Los Angeles, drew gasps in the packed Superior Court courtroom where grocer Soon Ja Du is being tried for murder. People getting pitted against each other. More than 50 people died and more than 2,000 were injured. Dus store was looted, set on fire, and never reopened. After he came to, Billy then phoned the emergency services to say there had been an attempted robbery at the store. PDN Subscribers get instant access to this site for FREE. I spoke with Allison about the process of making A Love Song for Latasha, its Oscar nomination, finding parallels in MaKhia Bryants recent death, and representations of Black girlhood. Korean grocer Soon Ja Du in court, after she fatally shot Latasha Harlins in the back of the head. It was 25 years ago that a 15-year-old girl lost her life over a bottle of orange juice. But just for me, as a young girl, acknowledging that there was this secret language happening on the screen, it made me feel like I had a community, a place to be seen and understood. [39] The sentencing of Soon Ja Du reflected that of the police officers who beat Rodney King. Tasha died. Because we're going to need it," Denise Harlins, her aunt said. Du was released. The property later became a market under different ownership. Allison began applying for grantsand getting several rejectionsin 2017. Judge Joyce Karlin, however, rejected the jurys recommendation and instead sentenced Du to five years probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. Police also discovered the gun had been tampered with so that it would fire with much less pressure on the trigger than would normally be needed to shoot a handgun. After the four police officers that senselessly beat Rodney King that night in 1991 were exonerated by a mostly white jury, the people of South Central finally had enough. Latasha King was just 15 when she was shot dead by a shop owner one Saturday morning - her death is widely thought to be one of the contributing factors to the 1992 LA Riots and Netflix series, A Love Song for Latasha, tells her tragic story. Du was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, but was sentenced to probation and community service; she served no jail time. Latasha Harlins was remembered Wednesday by a fervent crowd of about 50, including her grandmother, siblings and aunt, at a vigil in South Los Angeles in the place where she was shot. Obsessed with Netflix? At the time, So through the documentary, I want us to understand adultification bias and how that affects Black girls and tries to strip them of their childhood. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. 4 min read. This conversation will be archived at the Library of Congress. This is not the movies, said Deputy District Attorney Roxane Carvajal before showing the tape in court. It also shows Du pointing a handgun and Harlins dropping to the floor, mortally wounded. Harlins then struck Du with her fist twice, knocking Du to the ground. [49], Rapper Ice Cube composed a song about the incident for his album Death Certificate titled "Black Korea". [23], The incident and reduced sentencing by the court exacerbated the existing tensions between African-American residents and Korean-American merchants in South Central Los Angeles. On a Saturday morning in 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins walked to a market five minutes from her home in South-Central Los Angeles to buy a bottle of orange juice. Longtime African American residents in the area at first welcomed the Koreans but eventually grew angry with them because they refused to hire black employees and often treated their customers poorly. Harlins' death came 13 days after the videotaped beating of Rodney King. Meanwhile, their loved ones and communities are left upholding the truth about who they were, while media reports and larger conversations might not include aspects of these girls that point to their humanity, such as their favorite hobbies, their career aspirations, or how they were doing in school. Our premiere educational content channel. There have been conversations surrounding diversity and inclusion within the film and television industry for years now. This may have been the last known photo taken of Latasha Harlins. The store owner, Soon Ja Du, grabbed her, they tussled, and after Harlins threw the carton on the counter and walked toward the door, Du shot her in the back of the head. Udeorji advised Allison on sound editing and music licensing, and helped her with logistics, locations and casting during the two years she was shooting the film., At a gathering of filmmakers, Allison met Janice Duncan, who had worked as a director and producer on fictional features. These are the names of two Black girls whose lives were stolen from them, 30 years apart. If they don't validate the existence of other Black women and girls then they have no right to work with me. Some Koreans and others contend that activists who have called for boycotts at a handful of Korean-owned stores are fanning racial tensions. 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