I think the police need to be stripped of all of their power. WebLatasha Harlins (January 1, 1976 March 16, 1991) was an African-American girl who was fatally shot at age 15 by Soon Ja Du (Korean: ), a 49-year-old Korean-American Copyright 2022 NPR. She started to rebel and their relationship turned sour. So I think we have to move past diversity and understand what it means for Black folks to have power and agency within the industry. Sophia Nahli Allison at the Oscars last Sunday. WebThe only video that exists of her is the grainy surveillance footage that captured the last minutes of her life. Contact Us | erupted in protests and riots, fire and gunshots. The jury found Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter and recommended the maximum prison sentence of 16 years. Sophia Nahli Allisons short film A Love Song for Latasha describes the friendship between three girls who grew up together in South Central Los Angeles: Latasha Harlins, her cousin Shinese Harlins and her best friend, Tybie Ty OBard. In Esquire, Gabrielle Bruney called it a "stirring portrait". Something went wrong, please try again later. She made sure we did our chores, did our homework. The story of Latasha Harlins, who was killed at age 15, is explored in "A Love Song for Latasha," which scored an Oscar nomination Monday. (Harlins death was one of the inciting incidents of the 1992 L.A. race riots, and the trial against her killer, store owner Soon Ja Du, garnered national attention; although Du was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, she received a light sentence of probation and community service. Obsessed with Netflix? BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. In the L.A. courtroom during the trial months later, the Harlins family sat in the front row, praying for justice. WebThe best-known fact about Harlins, whose friends and family called her Tasha, is that she was killed over a $1.79 bottle of juice. Both sought to overcome adversity", "Liquor Permit Denied at Site of 1991 Killing", The People, petitioner v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Respondent; Soon Ja Du, Real Party in Interest, "A Senseless and Tragic Killing: New tension for Korean-American and African-American communities", "Merchant Charged in Girl's Fatal Shooting", "Legal Audio Opinions and Courtroom Video LexisNexis Courtroom Cast", "Videotape Shows Teen Being Shot After Fight: Killing: Trial opens for Korean grocer who is accused in the slaying of a 15-year-old black girl at a South-Central store", "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 Historical Timeline", "Judge Who Gave Probation In a Slaying May Be Moved", "U.S. Looks Into Korean Grocer's Slaying of Black", "Grocer Given Probation in Shooting of Girl", People v. Superior Court of Los Angeles County (Du), "LOS ANGELES: Family of Latasha Harlins Wins $300,000 Settlement", "African-Americans, Koreans Try to Heal Deep Wounds", "The L.A. Latasha Harlins. [12] After speaking with the two eyewitnesses present and viewing the videotape of the incident, recorded by a store security camera, the police concluded that Harlins intended to pay for the beverage with money in hand. She was buried next to her mother in Paradise Memorial Park, Santa Fe Springs, California. What do you make of police violence and racism continuing to rob Black girls of their childhoods and, in some cases, their lives? Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Officer Ralph Spinello told the jury that when he entered the store, Du was sitting in a chair behind a counter and her husband started slapping her at first not so hard, gradually to very hard slaps until I had to stop him . You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Black folks have always been doing the work, but what dismantling the system for me means is that others acknowledge how they have been a part of the problem, how they have been complicit, how they have allowed the systems to continue, and that no one is challenging or wanting to make others uncomfortable. People getting pitted against each other. She will die in front of your eyes.. And we knew Latasha would get them all right. Born in Illinois, she was just six when her parents, Crystal and Sylvester, made the decision to move their family to Los Angeles. Dus trial, originally scheduled to be heard in Compton, was moved to Los Angeles this month by a judge who concluded that jurors and witnesses might be intimidated in a city that has a large black population. She pulled the trigger and Harlins hit the floor. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. They dont have to perform for anyone to be important. She was trying to walk out the door, when she was shot, Lakeshia Combs testified. WebColumn: The killing of Latasha Harlins was 30 years ago. For Latasha, the action had come to late and she is buried next to her mother in Paradise Memorial Park in California. in reference to the Korean War. In April the following year, just over a year after Latasha's death, the court of appeal upheld Judge Karlin's original sentence. Bryant and Harlins, like so many Black girls in America, have had their lives reduced to the circumstances of their deaths, as videos and images of their final moments continue to circulate for the world to see. And I was even thinking about just how Black girls are continuously having to deal with the adultification bias, how Black girls are not protected, wanting to hold space for this young girl who deserved so much more. In 1982, when Latasha was six years old, her father took a job in a steel foundry while her mother worked as a waitress in a local tavern. [9], The documentary short received strongly favorable reviews. A Love Song for Latasha is not about Black trauma, but the most important part about this film is that we did not incorporate the footage of Latashas death. [46], Hip hop artist 2Pac took particular note of the death of Harlins and in 1993 released a song titled "Keep Ya Head Up" which was dedicated to Latasha Harlins. Now that you about the tragic and senseless murder of Latasha Harlins, check out these 20 moving Civil Right protest photos. But she didn't belong [on the bench] anyway. This is not television. [17] The Los Angeles Police Department ballistics report also found that the handgun Du used was altered in such a way that it required much less pressure on the trigger to fire than an ordinary handgun. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Du reached under the counter, retrieved a revolver, and fired at Harlins from behind at a distance of about three feet (one meter). Latasha Harlins was a 15-year-old African-American girl who was fatally shot by Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean-born female convenience store owner. Du was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, but was sentenced to probation and community service; she served no jail time. Beverly White and Heather Navarro, Family Gathers on 25 Year Anniversary of Latasha Harlins Death, NBC Los Angeles, March 16, 2016; Brenda Stevenson, The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins; Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots, Los Angeles Review of Books, July 23, 2017; Andrea Ford, Settlement Awarded to Harlins Siblings but Not Father, Los Angeles Times, July 29, 1992. And so it just became this collective moment of everyone wanting to remember Latasha together, of all these different moments in time connecting for us to share this story. In March 1991, when Harlins was 15, a store owner accused her of "Latasha was defenseless. Riots. There have been conversations surrounding diversity and inclusion within the film and television industry for years now. A year later, residents of Harlins neighborhood took to the streets in Soon Ja Du the markets Korea-born owner saw the orange juice sticking out of Harlins backpack and assumed she was stealing it, even though the teenager had cash in her hand. Why is it so important, especially now, to humanize Black girls on the screen? Left Ken Browar and Deborah Ory; Right John Paul Caponigro, Sundance Institutes New Frontier Lab Programs. EN. Advertise | He dedicated his track, Keep Ya Head Up, to the 15-year-old girl, and put her name in many of his other songs. You will see Latasha being killed. She adds that the film belongs in part to Ty OBard and Shinese Harlins, and she would like to use it to help them realize a memorial to their friend. Denise Harlins, the maternal aunt of Latasha Harlins, led protests outside Karlin's home and the Compton courthouse. [1] At the time, security camera footage of Harlins' death was broadcast widely on television news, but Allison's work does not include it. Her application to attend theSundance Institutes New Frontier Lab Programs was rejected, but about a month later the organizers contacted her, wanting to know how the film was progressing. The area was recovering from the recent Watts Riots and Koreans began buying businesses because they were inexpensive and there wasnt much competition. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Allison asked them if they would be comfortable being interviewed. During the riots, 63 people were killed with 2,383 hurt and more than 12,000 arrested. According to a young witness named Ismail Ali, who was in the store with his older sister at the time, the middle-aged Soon Ja Du saw the girl and immediately yelled, You bitch, you are trying to steal my orange juice.. The graphic images of the killing of 15-year-old Harlins, captured by a security camera inside the Empire Liquor Market in South-Central Los Angeles, drew gasps in the packed Superior Court courtroom where grocer Soon Ja Du is being tried for murder. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Thirty years ago today, four police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. She was just that smart. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tamrons SP lens line, theyve introduced a prime lens that represents the culmination of the design and technology skills theyve amassed in over four decades of lens making, the SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD for Canon and Nikon full-frame DSLRs. So what will it take for Black girls to just exist on and off screen? Feder-Haugabook, A. A security camera tape showed the entire heart-wrenching event on fuzzy, silent film. I said: This cannot be the only way that this young girl exists. She did some research, and found Harlins cousin and then her childhood friend. Latasha Harlins was killed just a few years after her mother was shot dead in a South-Central L.A. nightclub. WebAP. [49], Rapper Ice Cube composed a song about the incident for his album Death Certificate titled "Black Korea". Absolutely. The girl was saying: Let me go. (2017, September 14). Some black activists say the incidents stemmed from racism on the part of the Koreans. The property later became a market under different ownership. . As the voices of Shinese and Ty are heard reminiscing about their friend Latasha, impressionistic and sometimes fleeting images of little girls togetherwalking together, playing, swimming in a public swimming poolappear on the screen, intercut with footage of a swing set or other places where they played. Riots: 20 Years Later Where they are now", "Demystifying Americanness: The Model Minority Myth and The Black-Korean Relationship", "Korean Businesses in Black and Hispanic Neighborhoods: A Study of Intergroup Relations", "(Mis)interpretations and (In)justice: The 1992 Los Angeles "Riots" and "Black-Korean Conflict", "Culture within and culture about crime: The case of the "Rodney King Riots" Google Search", "Conflicts, Riots, and Korean Americans in Los Angeles, 19651992", "Use and Abuse of Race and Culture: Black-Korean Tension in America", "L.A. activists recall lessons of 1992 uprising in new efforts on Asian-Black relations", "Unusual Threat for a Judge in a Bitter Slaying Trial", "Judge Who Gave Probation in '91 Killing Quits", "The Conquest of Hate: By Turning Conflict Inside Out, a New Breed of Mediators Finds a Way of Bringing Peace to the City", "The Last Plantation Color, Conflict, and Identity: Reflections of a New World Black (chapter 1)", "Commissioner Jones, Former Judge Karlin Draw Administrative Bar Suspensions", "2Pac (Ft. Jadakiss) N.I.G.G.A. because of the force he was using.. I wanted them to feel comfortable being themselves and not feeling that they had to perform, she says. She decided to ask some young black girlsmost of them the daughters or relatives of friendsto reenact moments from Harlins childhood. Latasha King was just 15 when she was shot dead by a shop owner one Saturday morning - her death is widely thought to be one of the contributing factors to the 1992 LA Riots and Netflix series, A Love Song for Latasha, tells her tragic story. [34] These events were considered factors in deadly and destructive riots which began on April 29, 1992, and continued through May 4, 1992. The Los Angeles mayor's office estimated that 65 percent of all businesses vandalized during the riots were Korean-owned. Du was arrested and when her case came to trial she told the court that she had shot Latasha on self-defence and that she believed her life was in danger. A Love Song for Latasha premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in late April, and was screened at the AFI Docs festival in June. This tension, along with the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police on March 3, 1991, became a catalyst for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Jeanne Baret Was The First Woman To Circumnavigate The Globe And She Disguised Herself As A Man To Do It, An Isolated Miner In Alaska Just Survived A Week-Long Struggle With A Grizzly Bear Before The Coast Guard Saw His SOS, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. You bitch, you are trying to steal my orange juice, the boy quoted Du as saying when Harlins approached the stores counter with currency in her hand and the bottle of juice halfway protruding from her backpack. Kirk McKoy/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images. "[40], Karlin became the target of protests and an unsuccessful recall campaign. 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