“The Roof Koreans” refers to a community of Koreans that defended Koreatown from gangs of looters and rioters during the 1992 LA riots. This community represents a historical story, within a broader historical event.  

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Amidst the LA riots of 1992, police forces were spread thin throughout the city. This meant the limited police force was unavailable to aid Korean business owners in protecting their property from destruction. In order to evade incoming destruction from rampant rioters, Koreans took up arms and positioned themselves across rooftops.

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"The Roof Koreans” wielded pistols, shotguns, batons, and other defensive objects. In some instances, communication networks via walkie-talkies were established. Furthermore, in some cases giant barricades composed of cars with headlights illuminating the night were positioned as protection and to ward off looters and rioters.  

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The LA riots of 1992 resulted in greater than 50 deaths, more than 2000 injuries, 3600 fires set, and ~ 1 BILLION dollars in damages. Some reports indicate that between 40-50% of the damages were sustained by Koreans.

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Herein, we attempt to better understand this historical event and discuss the nuances associated with it. We present the events leading up to the riots and discuss several case studies of Koreans who were involved at the time and defended their property.  

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What say you?   

#history #riots #losangeles