Rooftop Koreans



Rooftop Koreans or Roof Koreans refer to the Korean American business owners and residents during the 1992 Los Angeles riots who armed themselves and took to the rooftops of local businesses to defend themselves. The unrest in urban areas was sparked by the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers in the beating of Rodney King and resulted in rioting, and looting, along with widespread violence and arson throughout the city.

Background
Tensions had existed between the Korean and African American communities in Los Angeles, with previous violent incidents including the killing of Latasha Harlins, an African-American teenager who was fatally and controversially shot by a Korean-American convenience store owner, Soon Ja Du. Du was tried, convicted, and given ten years in prison. However, the sentence was suspended, and she was instead placed on five years' probation with 400 hours of community service and payment of $500 restitution, as well as Harlins' funeral costs. The sentencing was widely regarded as extremely light, with a failed appeal reportedly contributing to the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Events
Following the Rodney King verdict, Los Angeles police were unable to provide protection to many affected areas due to the overwhelming scale of the riots. Controversially, they opted instead to set up a defensive perimeter around the Beverly Hills and West Hollywood cities, cutting off Koreatown and abandoning other minority and low-income communities, leaving the Koreatown community to mostly fend for themselves. In response, many Korean business owners and residents took matters into their own hands. Local Korean radio stations in Los Angeles put out a call to help Korean business owners, leading to volunteers arriving with their own firearms. The intersection of 5th Street and Western Avenue served as a flashpoint, where the California Market (also called Gaju or Kaju) Korean grocery store was a major point of conflict. Other locations that were defended by citizens with firearms included 8th and Oxford, as well as Western and Third Street. The Los Angeles Times stated there were multiple people on the roof of the grocery with "shotguns and automatic weapons" while Ebony Magazine noted the use of "rifles and handguns."

Because South Korea has a two year mandatory military service for males, it was noted that many Korean immigrants had experience with handling firearms.

The actions of the rooftop Koreans sparked debates about gun control and vigilantism, while simultaneously spurring praise for the residents' bravery and resourcefulness. Edward Song Lee, a Korean American was shot and killed mistakenly by his peers when protecting shops near 3rd street. Hector Castro, a Latino was also fatally shot in Koreatown during the riots. Authorities could not determine who killed him, as both merchants and rioters were shooting in the area.

Police were on "tactical alert" thus not responding to any calls from citizens. Order was not restored until President Bush invoked the Insurrection Act (declaring it an insurrection) deploying 15,000 troops. Order was restored almost immediately.

Influence
The rooftop Koreans have been cited by gun rights advocates for the value of citizen ownership of firearms and "being your own first responder." In recent years, it has also been the subject of social media memes, contributing to ease of tensions with African American communities especially in the 2014 Ferguson unrest, the emergence of Black Lives Matter, and the increased racial tensions around Stop Asian Hate.