Chapter 7 notes of Helen Zia's Asian American Dreams book. One of the designated chapter books for UCI's Asian American Communities course (AsianAm52).
Chapter 7: “Lost and Found in LA”
● On a three-day uprising starting on April 29 1992, about 4500 shops were burned down
and 54 people had died in LA. More than half of the affected businesses were
Korean-owned.
○ Known as Saigu, Korean Americans describe this event similar to Japanese
incarceration during WW2, in terms of their life in America. →
● “It took 50yrs for Asianam to begin to see the concentration camps as emblematic for
Asianam, beyond Japanam.” (173) One of the most detrimental acts of the Asiannam
community their repeating offense of isolating certain Asianam ethnic groups
from the whole, recognizing said ethnic group’s problems as their problems, not
ours.
● Saigu exposed the model minority myth, which assumed all Asians worked hard and
kept a low profile which led them to eventual reward. Shopkeepers worked hard to build
a business, yet the riots that destroyed their stores led them to believe they deserved it.
● Africanam saw Korean storekeepers as a “maddening reminder of chronic poverty and
economic injustice in the Black community, … another immigrant group was advancing,
at their expense” (174)
● LA County created a Black-Korean Alliance in order to bridge both communities. One of
their goals was to “draw the media’s attention to positive efforts at interracial relations
between blacks and Koreans” (175). However, Korean merchants did not want to
publicize their relations or even storekeeper murders, in fear the “attention would cause
further trouble.” → Beliefs that are what keep the Asianam community invisible, quiet to
the public eye.
● The year (1992) following the Latasha Harlins shooting, 48 murders and 2500 robberies
were recorded in LA’s Koreatown→ topped all other Anti-Asian hate crimes.
● “BKA members of both groups were labeled race traitors.” (181) This is the reason why
few African or Korean Americans chose to voice their real opinion on the light sentencing
in fear of being ostracized by their communities.
● “Few Korean Americans would admit that prejudices played a role in the insensitivity to
blacks that they were so often accused of.” (181) And vice versa. → BKA disbanded
after 6yrs.
● During Saigu, “Korean Americans suspected that the LAPD was relieved that the rage
over police brutality had found another outlet,” (182) as many officers stood by and
watched demonstrators loot/burn down Korean stores. Caused by the ‘not guilty’ verdict
of white police officers that beat Rodney King.
○ Incident believed to be the start of when “America took notice of Korean
Americans” (183) due to all the publicity; yet many news media did not bother to
get information from Korean American themselves. Bias unfair to Asian
Americans, who were the central victims of Saigu.
● “Korean Americans had taken the hit for all Asianam.” (184) Referring to the anger of
riots broadly stemmed from how the model minority myth negatively affected other
minorities by comparison→ Riots were their form of ‘clapping back.’
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