[Long thread] W/ every occurrence of riots + protests in response to senseless acts of violence towards Black Americans, I'm always reminded of the 1992 LA / Rodney King riots. A significant event for all Americans but as a Korean American in LA, undeniable 1/

[This is going to be a very abbreviated history so correct/clarify if need be. And content warning, bc I know these posts can take a toll mentally. Just tryna shed a light on the biases I grew up around and hopefully a different story from what we're often seeing on the TL] 2/

I prefer to call it the LA riots. Never forget RODNEY KING but also don't forget LATASHA HARLINS, 15 years old and killed by a Korean convenience store owner who received minimal sentence. This led to many of the rioters focusing their efforts on Koreatown 3/

Small businesses are a staple of Korean immigrant presence in LA. Many came to the city/country unaware of existing racial tensions. Unaware really of the significance of race+ethnicity to begin with, coming from such a small and homogenous country 4/

Twitter messed up. Thread continued here: https://twitter.com/hyuneeto/status/1266168362238791680?s=19