Before I begin with the breaking down of the animosity between Blacks and the Koreans in Los Angeles one need to understand that these Koreans do not represent the entire group of Asians in the US nor the entire world.
With that said..
One of the things I have noticed in Los Angeles while growing up is that some Blacks views the Koreans as "bloodsuckers" basically what some of them implied is that the Koreans go into Black neighborhoods, and suck up all the wealth. This is one of the main things many Blacks in Los Angeles resent about the Koreans being in their neighborhoods. When one is examining the root of the animosity it will lead back prior to the L.A. riot, it will lead back to the day LaTasha Harlin got killed in one of the liquor stores owned by the Koreans. LaTasha Harlin, if yall remembered correctly was a 15 year-old Black girl whom was shot and killed by Soon Ja Du a person of Korean descent. Soon Ja Du was tried and convicted but received no jail time.
After this the seed of hatred was planted...
The Black community in Los Angeles was outraged by this verdict, some of them were mad that Soon Ja Du received no jail time. What followed was basically racial violent against the Koreans and Korean Americans by angry Blacks. So is it a wonder that during the L.A. riot, most of the Korean owned stores were robbed, looted, and burnt to the ground? I think the Korean community in Los Angeles suffered substantial damages, millions upon millions were lost to the riot. Following the third day of the riot, many Koreans viewed Blacks as; criminals, dirty animals, thugs, something sort of "inferior" to them.
I remember growing up in Los Angeles and during the L.A. riot the Black kids were looking for only the Koreans to mess around with, they left me and the other Asian kids alone. I was only 10 years-old at the time, I didn't know much about race, about racial tensions, about police brutality, etc etc, but I do know that there was a rioting going on and it's much safer to stay around the house. I remember my dad telling me not to go to certain areas, he was afraid I might get hurt in the riot. I remember a few days after the riot, the Korean kids at school were walking around all pissed, they were trying to unite all the Asians and Hispanics against Blacks.
At 10 years-old, the Koreans whom were older than me was trying to get me on their team, they were planing to beat down any Black kid that come their way. They were telling me these dirty things about Blacks, stereotypical things. I didn't care much for any of it because at the time I had a crush on this Black girl at school and I didn't feel right if I were to join with them in dissing her race while still having feelings for her. That would make me hypocritical. Well, when they gave up trying to get me on their side and thinking like them, they started dogging me calling me "half breed" and shit.
You would think these fools would give up the hatred after all these years, but guess what? None of them did. They formed Korean Street gangs in L.A. Koreatown, these gangs are there to intimidate any Black person walking through Korean areas without permission. While I do acknowledge that some Koreans do not have a problem with Blacks, many of them do. The Koreans that experienced the L.A. riot at first hand, some will never forgive Blacks for that, and many of them told their sons, and daughters on the experiences and that shit make them have biased opinions about Blacks prior to interacting with them on a personal level.
What do you peeps think about this? just wondering, holla!
