An Author Reflects on the Effort to Rebuild L.A. After the ‘Violent Spring’ of 1992

The Los Angeles riots began on April 29, 1992, at the intersection of Florence and Normandie avenues in South L.A. Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

In 1992, four Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of the brutal beating of Rodney King, an unarmed Black motorist, igniting tensions that had been simmering for years in South Los Angeles. Unemployment was almost 50%, the crack cocaine epidemic had a firm hold in the area, and gang activity and violent crime were high.

The same month that King was beaten, Korean American store owner Soon Ja Du shot and killed Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old Black girl trying to buy orange juice. Du received probation and a $500 fine. That episode in 1991 strained already tense relations between Korean and Black residents and fueled exasperation with the criminal justice system.