Los Angeles Riots and Korean-African American Conflict

Abstract

The Los Angeles riots of 1992, the worst civil disturbance in America, exposed the deepening racial and class divisions in the U.S. The divisions between the haves and have-nots, minority and majority, immigrants and natives, and even among the heterogeneous "minority" populations exacerbated distrust, fear, and hopelessness. Because racial and ethnic groups perceive that they are vying against each other to grab shrinking piece of pie, racial and ethnic conflicts in Los Angeles have proliferated in the aftermath of the riots. On the other hand, the riots increased racial and ethnic awareness and opened up dialogue between people who prior to the riots had no interaction with one another on other than superficial levels. Additionally, Asian American, African American, White and Latino riot victims shared frustration and anger with the government for not providing adequate compensation for their losses.