This is not the movies, said Deputy District Attorney Roxane Carvajal before showing the tape in court. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity. Who is that really benefiting? Operation Hammer took off in 1987, an LAPD initiative that sent police officers into poor neighborhoods to conduct massive roundups of suspected gang members. We [talked to] real girls, and I never wanted the image of any of the girls in the film to feel like something that was curated or feel like it was of an actor, but for other Black girls to just see themselves reflected. 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. And I want people to know that Latasha was an honor roll student. 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. Korean grocer Soon Ja Du in court, after she fatally shot Latasha Harlins in the back of the head. Left Ken Browar and Deborah Ory; Right John Paul Caponigro, Sundance Institutes New Frontier Lab Programs. Some black activists say the incidents stemmed from racism on the part of the Koreans. But there was another case, not as widely known, that helped set off the unrest. Atop these voice-overs, there are photos of Harlins and footage of the South Central community in which Harlins grew up. Webhow old is alec and kaleb on the shriners commercial. Lastasha and her siblings were taken in by their grandmother, Ruth Harlins, but the youngster was understandably devastated by what had happened to Crystal. ACOFF: You know, she was a caretaker. The judges decision exacerbated racial tensions between African Americans and Korean immigrants. When interesting scenes happened in front of them, we felt Latashas spirit with us, she says. What signal does this send to Black girls about how society sees them in life and even in death? They lived near 89th St. and Broadway, just a few blocks from where Latasha would be killed ten years later.[7][8]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kiw6Q9-lfXc&has_verified=1. ("Korean motherfuckers was crooked/So niggas had to burn and loot 'em [] Lickin' off shots for Latasha, that's proper"). But Judge Joyce Karlin gave Du probation instead. Du reached under the counter, retrieved a revolver, and fired at Harlins from behind at a distance of about three feet (one meter). Police, after speaking to the people in the store at the time and watching CCTV of the incident, agreed that the youngster had been planning to pay. ? [8], The film premiered at the Tribecca Film Festival and screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The death of her mother had a devastating impact on Latasha, who began to rebel and argue with her maternal grandmother and her maternal aunt Denise. Longtime African American residents in the area at first welcomed the Koreans but eventually grew angry with them because they refused to hire black employees and often treated their customers poorly. "[41] Since retiring from the bench Karlin has used her husband's surname Fahey. The same month that King was beaten, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was shot and killed by a store clerk in South Central Los Angeles. Once Allison had figured out the films narrative arc, she outlined some ideas for what footage she might shoot. ROGERS: I remember we were at the park, and that's where the ice cream truck used to come. Im hoping that people really begin to engage with new ways of discussing Black trauma. Now 30 years later, a mural honoring the South-Central L.A. teenagers life has surfaced at the Algin Sutton Recreation Center in Los Angeles. The shopkeeper, Soon Ja Du, accused Harlins of trying to steal the juice before a scuffle broke out between the two. in reference to the Korean War. When she wanted to give up, I thought: But Latashas story deserves to be told. In the spring of 2018, she landed a grant from Glassbreaker Films. For Latasha, the action had come to late and she is buried next to her mother in Paradise Memorial Park in California. Some members of Harlins family wept as they watched the March 16 shooting on television monitors. 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. ROGERS: And we would have, like, spelling bees. This may have been the last known photo taken of Latasha Harlins. The community simmered in anger. And so thinking about this young Black girl who was taken from everyone, whose life was lost, [I wondered] why this story didnt exist beyond the headline and discussions of trauma and visuals that really produced triggering reactions from the community, from family members and friends that knew her and loved her. Harlins then struck Du with her fist twice, knocking Du to the ground. WebAP. Latasha Harlins, American Girl South Central remembered the 15-year-old girl killed 13 days after Rodney King was beaten. They called her name as they set fire to hundreds of Korean-owned businesses. Police later In his opening statement, Dus attorney, Charles Lloyd, contended that Du pulled a handgun in self-defense and accidentally shot Harlins. 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 She added: "This is not a time for revenge and no matter what sentence this court imposes Mrs Du will be punished every day for the rest of her life.". She made sure we did our chores, did our homework. When she was six years old, her family moved to South-Central L.A. by Greyhound bus. Thats why the image of Latasha is always changing in the film. And a little girl didn't have enough money. Back in 2015, as London-based portrait photographer Benjamin McMahon was building his career, his mentor, photographer Julian Broad, gave him a valuable piece of advice: Dont start changing your style. A brother and sister remember Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed in 1991 by a store clerk in South Central Los Angeles the same month Rodney King was beaten. I think every single one of them deeply affected me. 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. In Esquire, Gabrielle Bruney called it a "stirring portrait". PDN Subscribers get instant access to this site for FREE. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. The court also stated that Du shot Harlins under extreme provocation and duress and deemed it unlikely that Du would ever commit a serious crime again. 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 . Some Koreans and others contend that activists who have called for boycotts at a handful of Korean-owned stores are fanning racial tensions. Harlins threw the juice bottle back on the counter and turned to leave the store when Du pulled a .38-caliber handgun and shot 15-year-old Harlins in the back of the head. Latasha Harlins was born on July 14, 1975, in St. Louis, Illinois. Diversity, I think, is a really watered down word just for visibility. She created a script based on her interviews with OBard and Shinese Harlins, choosing recollections and anecdotes that touched the core of Latasha. She wanted the film to draw viewers into Latashas life and portray her girlhood dreams for the future before it revealed how she died. She was briefly caught but escaped from jail and was never seen again. She cooked. Du was released. There is no space held for what it means when a Black girl is threatened, when a Black girl is accosted, when a Black girl does not feel safe and does not have protection. But what is justice today is justice always. After speaking to his wife, who asked for the whereabouts of Harlins before fainting, he dialed 9-1-1 to report an attempted holdup. Related Links:Frames Per Second: How Independent Filmmakers Earn Back Their Production InvestmentTips for Pitching Your Film Successfully to Festivals and FundersThe Funding and Distribution of a Feature-Length DocumentaryFirst-Time Director Jonathan Olshefski on Creating a Feature-Length Documentary, January 7, 2020 The mural was created by visual artist Victoria Cassinova.[6]. High school student Latasha had called into the Empire Liquor store, which was owned by Soon Ja Du, at around 10am on March 16, 1991. The Rodney King beating 13 days earlier overshadowed Harlins death. All rights reserved. In March 1991, when Harlins was 15, a store owner accused her of stealing a $1.79 carton of orange juice, though she had approached the cash register with $2 in her hand. Allison, who had only shot documentaries and had no experience directing actors, would first tell the girls what she wanted to show, then simply follow them and observe. People getting pitted against each other. 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. One, as an L.A. native, this is a story that was important, one that had not been discussed in the fullness of who Latasha was. The killing was captured on a grainy security video. Those tensions were later interpreted by some members of the public and activists as being one of the catalysts for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. She then moved to Juvenile Dependency Court, a transfer she had requested before the Du case. [2] The sentencing was widely regarded as an extremely light sentence, and a failed appeal[3] contributed to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, especially the targeting of Koreatown, Los Angeles, California. It sparked five days of riots across Los Angeles. [3] Ava DuVernay programmed the documentary as part of Array 360, and it was then picked up by Netflix. WebLatasha 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. Diversity means we see you, but we really dont need to engage with you. Judge Karlin claimed there were mitigating circumstances surround Latasha's death and that Du had only fired the gun under "extreme provocation and duress", highlighting that she had been the victim of several robberies at her store. You always have dreams.. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. Work on the film became harder, she says, when she reached the point in the film when she had to reveal what happened to Latasha. Proceedings held in Compton were marked by confrontations between Dus supporters and backers of Harlins family. We encountered an issue signing you up. They murdered my granddaughter!. People have seen it, and I think we really need to interrogate what it means to constantly think that it is necessary to see Black trauma, to see Black death as a way to make some sort of connection or as a way to make people understand the importance and the significance and the core of it. In November, 1991, Du was found guilt of voluntary manslaughter, a crime that can result in a 16 year prison sentence, which the jury recommended she service. Only two weeks before Latasha Harlins walked into Dus Empire Liquor Market, a black man named Rodney King was pulled over by four LAPD officers, three of whom were white, for speeding. In the L.A. courtroom during the trial months later, the Harlins family sat in the front row, praying for justice. Judge Joyce Karlin, however, rejected the jurys recommendation and instead sentenced Du to five years probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. A year later, residents of Harlins neighborhood took to the streets in outrage. Du was tried and convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Harlins' death and sentenced to time served, five years of probation, 400 hours of community service, a $500 restitution, and funeral expenses. How 15-Year-Old Latasha Harlins Murder Over A Bottle Of Orange Juice Helped Spark The L.A. Thirty years ago today, four police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. Surveillance video captured the shooting. It made it so much easier working with young girls, not actors, to not have a big bulky camera in their face, Allison says. Instead, she sentenced Du to 400 hours of community service, five years on probation and a $500 fine, which is around 385. Still to this day, it's devastating for our family," Christine Harlins, her sister, said. [41], Denise Harlins interrupted an awards ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel for Du defense attorney Charles Lloyd. Rather than shooting crisp, clear frames that offered a literal recreation of what youre hearing, she wanted to combine the voiceover with fleeting images that suggest visual memories. But when she turned around to leave, the lady shot her in the head, and she died. In reality, Latasha had been carrying the money to pay for the drink in her hand. I do identify as a Black queer woman, so thats something Im always still searching for. After six days of violence, the California National Guard, military and other law enforcement agencies were called in, while the city was placed under curfew. "We got all this racism, hate going on. 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. All rights reserved, Man Accused in West LA Hate Shootings Was Subject of Law Enforcement Alert, Pepper Spray Used on High Schoolers as Anti-Racism Protest Grows Unruly', Experts Say Big Bear Bald Eagle Eggs Unlikely to Hatch, This 26-Year-Old Pays $0 to Live in a Luxury Tiny Home' She Built for $35,000 in Her Backyard Take a Look Inside, Beckham High School Teacher in Irvine Accused of Recording Students in Bathroom. Latasha Harlins became a victim of these racial tensions on the morning of Saturday, March 16, 1991. 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If you are a current subscriber and have not activated your pdnonline.com access, please provide the following information. WebA Love Song for Latasha, reimagines the life of Latasha Harlins, a Black girl shot by a convenience store owner in Los Angeles 1991, fueling the 1992 uprising. The Harlins family received a $300,000 settlement from Dus insurance company. WebLatasha Harlins was remembered Wednesday by a fervent crowd of about 50, including her grandmother, siblings and aunt, at a vigil in South Los Angeles in the place where she was She said Harlins and Du called each other bitch.. The streets erupted in protests and riots, fire and gunshots. 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. She wanted to be a lawyer. I felt as though she was a celebrity because everyone knew her. Latasha was shot in the back of the head and died at the scene at the Empire Liquor Market on March 16, 1991. And something that was really important to me is, what does it mean to speak to people like her cousin, Shinese Harlins, and her best friends, like Tybie OBard, who were the same age as Latasha? The area was recovering from the recent Watts Riots and Koreans began buying businesses because they were inexpensive and there wasnt much competition. "I have been honored to spend the last 20 years serving the public but now I want to devote time to my family," Karlin wrote. What are you hoping that people take away from your documentary about both Latasha Harlins story and the larger concept of Black girlhood? Soon Ja Du leaves court with har husband Billy Hong Ki Du. 20072023 Blackpast.org. because of the force he was using.. A Love Song for Latasha is a 2019 American biographical documentary short film directed by Sophia Nahli Allison. Please try again. So what will it take for Black girls to just exist on and off screen? 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. Tensions within the LA neighbourhood where Latasha lived had been killed were already nearing boiling point and her death and the subsequent sentence of Du did nothing to alleviate the issues. Born in Illinois, she was just six when her parents, Crystal and Sylvester, made the decision to move their family to Los Angeles. After he came to, Billy then phoned the emergency services to say there had been an attempted robbery at the store. After they had scouted a church they wanted to film, they returned just as the deacons wife was walking in with her two young daughters. Let me go. . I should say between diversity and agency. And she had the money in her hand to pay the lady. I want people to remember that Latasha was a girl, that she was a child. EN. More , December 10, 2019 I think that it was." L.A. would never be the same. cultfacts 1.6K 31 dethb0y 3 days ago NSFW 4 dead including 3 teens in murder-suicide khou 1.5K 148 AmethystOrator 7 days ago NSFW [I had these] young girls who represented the future, Ty and Shinese who represented the past, myself, us representing the presentjust all these different understandings of time and conversations with each other. Photography equipment news and reviews, business and technical advice from top pros, industry news and much more, delivered to your inbox each week. She made sure other people had before she had. After putting it into her backpack, where it jutted out from the top, she made her way to the counter. Meanwhile, their loved ones and communities are left upholding the truth about who they were, while media reports and larger conversations might not include aspects of these girls that point to their humanity, such as their favorite hobbies, their career aspirations, or how they were doing in school. Click here to sign up for our email newsletter and get the weeks top stories delivered straight to your inbox. Like Udeorji, Duncan was eager to help tell Harlins story., When Allison and Duncan toured South Central, they had ideas of what they wanted to shoot but let a lot unfold, Allison says. Allison filmed throughout 2017 and the winter of 2018. He fired at Latasha as she walked away from him from about three feet away from her. On a Saturday morning in 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins walked to a market five minutes from her home in South-Central Los Angeles to buy a bottle of orange juice. [30] Korean immigrant shop-owners had a growing presence in black communities since before the 1970s. And I think people will always blame young Black girls for their outcome. [35] Many of the targets of looting and destruction were Korean stores; more than two thousand Korean stores burned or looted. On Something 2 Die 4, he sings, Latasha Harlins, remember that name, Cause a bottle of juice aint something 2 die 4.. However, two eyewitnesses who were in the shop at the same time denied the conversation and instead claimed Du had called 15-year-old Latasha a "witch" and accused her of trying to shoplift. It really bothers me when I see people talk about these young girls that we have lost to violence and they describe them as a young woman, when actually they were just a child. And 15-year-old Harlins was shot and killed by Soon Ja Du at Empire Liquor in South Central Los Angeles on March 16, 1991. Copyright 2022 NPR. I ran out the back of the gym, ran home. After a short scuffle, Du grabbed a 0.38-caliber handgun and shot Harlins in the back of her head. Her dad worked in a steel foundary while he mum waited tables to try to make ends meet and provide for Latasha and her younger sister, Christina. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. The reaction to Harlins killing was quick and bitter. Support one another, all nationalities. After these riots, a federal trial saw two of the LAPD officers who beat Rodney King finally serve time for their crimes, although they only ended up serving 30 months in prison. Ty and Shinese want to create their own community center. In cross-examining Combs and her brother, Lloyd pointed out discrepancies among statements they gave to police the day of the shooting, to the grand jury that indicted Du, and to the jury Monday. However, on the morning of the shooting, Du was working behind the counter, and her husband was outside resting in the family van. Tensions were high in the area after just two weeks before, the video of officers pummeling Rodney King came to light. She pitched her idea for a video about Harlins life to her employer, the news website Fusion (now called Splinter). WebIts been 30 years since the death of Latasha Harlins, and through the efforts of her family and a new documentary, South Central Los Angeles is embracing her legacy in a new way. What do you believe that we as a society must do in order to better protect and support Black girls? As the Harlins back was turned, Du reached for her gun and aimed it at the back of her head. But just for me, as a young girl, acknowledging that there was this secret language happening on the screen, it made me feel like I had a community, a place to be seen and understood. Disrupting American societys harmful tendencies to portray Black girls as more mature than other children their ageto deny them of their childhoodsis key for experimental documentary filmmaker and photographer Sophia Nahli Allison, whose work aims to portray young Black girls as just that: young girls. All Rights Reserved. Sixteen-year-old Bryant was shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, Ohio, on April 20, 2021. WebIn March of 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was killed by one of the owners of the Empire Liquor convenience store in Los Angeles, Calif. Latasha had entered the store to buy a ROGERS: Walk me through the day Latasha died. And so for me, dismantling means making people uncomfortable and building something completely new. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. [27], During the 1992 riots, Du's store was looted and burned down; it never reopened. Set up your online access now. She was buried next to her mother in Paradise Memorial Park, Santa Fe Springs, California. Thanks for signing up! Under cross-examination, the officer acknowledged that the blows from the husband probably were not as forceful as those attributed to Harlins. You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Denise Harlins, the maternal aunt of Latasha Harlins, led protests outside Karlin's home and the Compton courthouse. [34] These events were considered factors in deadly and destructive riots which began on April 29, 1992, and continued through May 4, 1992. 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.. They dont have to perform for anyone to be important. Here's her grandmother, Ruth, who the kids call Madea (ph), remembering the day she sent Latasha to the store. Absolutely. The girl was saying: Let me go. [11], Shortly before 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 16, Harlins entered the store. I wish MaKhia had someone else to call rather than the police who could have helped in that situation, because theres just no protection when it comes to police. In August 1991, a small fire broke out just before the trial kicked off. Upon hearing of retirement, Denise Harlins stated, "I'm glad to hear that she's removed herself from the bench and that she's retired. Sixteen-year-old Bryant was shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, WebLatasha was a 15-year-old African-American girl who was unlawfully shot and killed by a Korean American store-owner. People think that for Black life to matter, it has to be a cis-hetero life, and until we acknowledge all of the intersections, all of the existences within Black identity, Black women, Black girls, Black queer folks, Black trans folks, Black nonconforming folks, there will never be a solution to this issue. White Judge Joyce Karlin, however, gave Du probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. [50], Singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane composed "Empire Liquor Mart (9127 S. Figueroa St.)" for the album The Ambassador in 2014, which tells the story of Latasha's life and the event that transpired.[51]. Latasha Harlins was a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed on March 16, 1991 by Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean store owner. [1] She originally pitched it to a documentary organization she worked for, given the approaching 25th anniversary of Latasha Harlins' 1991 death and the 1992 uprising it fueled. Harlins then picked up the orange juice bottle that dropped during the scuffle and handed it to Du, who snatched the bottle from her, and Harlins turned to leave. The Los Angeles mayor's office estimated that 65 percent of all businesses vandalized during the riots were Korean-owned. 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. [10] In TheGrio, Cortney Wills described A Love Song as "a mesmerizing piece of work that takes an unconventional route to storytelling."[5]. He suffered massive injuries, including several skull fractures, broken bones and teeth, and permanent brain damage. What do you think this says about the academys ability to recognize Black stories, especially those about Black girls? The jury found Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter and recommended the maximum prison sentence of 16 years. [39], Karlin's rulings in the case prompted Los Angeles County District Attorney Ira Reiner to instruct his deputies to effectively bar Judge Karlin from trying cases by invoking a statute to remove a judge for any reason. , 2021 the movies, said Deputy District Attorney Roxane Carvajal before showing the tape in,... 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