[Repost] Angel Fire: Korean Americans in the LA Riots
The 1992 LA Riots from the Korean perspective
The LA riots of 1992 brought into focus the ragged edges of racial politics in the United States. My podcast series, “Angel Fire,” on the Korean American perspective of those riots was, and to a large extent still is, an untold story of a marginal immigrant community struggling to thrive in a foreign land.
While the trial of the officers that beat Rodney King near to death rules histories of the riots, in this first episode, I talk about another trial that spoke to racial division in LA. Before long, Korean Americans would be arming themselves against rioters in an act of neighborhood vigilantism that has become legendary in itself.
If you’re looking for a story of race and riots, immigration and industry, you’ll love Angel Fire!
Angel Fire - Korean Americans in the LA Riots, Chapter 1: THE OTHER TRIAL
Listen now (82 mins) | Tinderbox will be investigating the Korean American experience of the 1992 LA Riots in this series, "Angel Fire". In this episode, we delve deep into the People vs. Soon Ja Du, a criminal case that had major implications for race relations in LA in 1991. It acts as an entry point to understanding a troubled city, its history, its people, and why the dev…