From memes to gun rights: Rooftop Koreans return as LA erupts

On April 30, 1992 — the second day of rioting in Los Angeles — David Joo, the manager of Western Gun Shop, received a frantic call from Richard Park, a jewelry store owner down the street. “David, we’re having a gunfight here. So can you just come over and help us?” Park said. Joo recalled that they had already called the police. When he arrived, he spotted a Los Angeles Police Department vehicle nearby with three or four officers and assumed they were safe. That mistake nearly got him killed. As soon as the shooting began, the officers fled. Moments later, heavily armed looters crossed the street and opened fire. A bullet flew past Joo’s face — and he didn’t hesitate to shoot back. “In retrospect, it was a dangerous moment, and I was scared. But, you know, even though you’re scared, you don’t have much option. You have to fight,” Joo recalled. “Korean people were very frustrated. Koreatown was damaged and destroyed.” Thirty-three years later, the Korean immigrants who armed themselves during the 1992 Los Angeles riots — including Joo — have become symbols oWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times