latasha harlins' death footage

She says: How do we reimagine archives of black women and black girls when the archives are erased or discarded, or only focused on their trauma? 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. "Latasha was defenseless. She entered Empire Liquor, which was owned by a Korean family, to purchase a bottle of orange juice. A year later, residents of Harlins neighborhood took to the streets in outrage. 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. Latashas mother, Crystal, who worked as a waitress in a local tavern, was found brutally shot on November 27, 1985, in a Los Angeles nightclub. [7] The film was released on Netflix on September 21, 2020. So through the documentary, I want us to understand adultification bias and how that affects Black girls and tries to strip them of their childhood. 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. Site Map, 2023 Emerald Expositions, LLC. Du concluded Harlins was attempting to steal, and did not see the money Harlins held in her hand. If you are a current subscriber and have not activated your pdnonline.com access, please provide the following information. 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. On November 27, 1985, Crystal was brutally shot dead outside a Los Angeles nightclub by Cora Mae Anderson, Acoff's new girlfriend, leaving Latasha and her younger siblings in the care of their maternal grandmother, Ruth Harlins. The family moved from Illinois to South Central Los Angeles in 1981. What do you believe that we as a society must do in order to better protect and support Black girls? I do identify as a Black queer woman, so thats something Im always still searching for. 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 Acoff Sr. was known to be abusive towards Crystal, attacking and beating her in front of Latasha and her younger siblings. [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. Police concluded that Latasha was not shoplifting and had the $2.00 dollars in her hand when she was killed. These are people that I knew in high school when I lost my dad, and now their children are a part of this story. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The only video that exists of her is the grainy surveillance footage that captured the last minutes of her life. Du hurled a stool at the schoolgirl and when Latasha went to pick up the drink and tried to leave the shopkeeper reached under his counter and pulled out a gun. People Cant Stop Fighting Over the Politics of the, The Quarterback Conundrum at the Very Top of the NFL Draft. The family moved from Illinois to South Central Los Angeles in 1981 when Latasha was six years old. These are the names of two Black girls whose lives were stolen from them, 30 years apart. And I really believe in collaboration to inform the process, to help inspire the visuals, and I wanted to share their truth, their memories, as a way to fill in this archival gap. 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 More , December 10, 2019 It was March 1991 when Harlins had put a bottle of orange juice in her backpack in a store owned by a Korea-born shopkeeper at 92nd and Figueroa Streets. Latashas grandmother was left in charge of her and her two siblings. I guess it made her think of her mom, said her cousin, Shinese. She decided to use animation to depict Harlinss death, rather than relying solely on the surveillance video. 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 same month that King was beaten, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was shot and killed by a store clerk in South Central Los Angeles. He testified that Harlins did not use swear words, but his sisters testimony contradicted that. EN RU CN DE ES. The decision fanned the flames of racial unrest, which led to the LA riots. Tupac dedicated his song, Keep Ya Head Up, to Latasha Harlins. Allison filmed throughout 2017 and the winter of 2018. 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. On the morning of March 16, 1991, though, Harlins did plan to make a purchase. It also shows Du pointing a handgun and Harlins dropping to the floor, mortally wounded. She cooked. The Los Angeles mayor's office estimated that 65 percent of all businesses vandalized during the riots were Korean-owned. WebThe only video that exists of her is the grainy surveillance footage that captured the last minutes of her life. MaKhia Bryants murder really makes me upset. Her death happened thirteen days after the videotape of the Rodney King beating was released. I should say between diversity and agency. Now that you about the tragic and senseless murder of Latasha Harlins, check out these 20 moving Civil Right protest photos. [4] The killing of Harlins came 13 days after the videotaped beating of Rodney King. The buller hit the 15-year-old in the back of the head and she was killed instantly. And theres no protection for Black girls when we have to rely on a system that is deeply rooted in white supremacy. . She wanted to be a lawyer. THE AFTERMATH OF LATASHAS DEATH. They dont have to perform for anyone to be important. But those dreams would soon be crushed. She wanted to buy our grandmother a big old house. The city was left with $1 billion in damages. Thats why the image of Latasha is always changing in the film. How 15-Year-Old Latasha Harlins Murder Over A Bottle Of Orange Juice Helped Spark The L.A. "[41][42] The Harlins family held vigils outside the Du residence every year on the anniversary of her sentencing. If they don't validate the existence of other Black women and girls then they have no right to work with me. 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. Operation Hammer took off in 1987, an LAPD initiative that sent police officers into poor neighborhoods to conduct massive roundups of suspected gang members. And I want people to know that Latasha was an honor roll student. In 1998, the California State Assembly named April 29 as Latasha Harlins Day. 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 [31] Further, the stereotypes of the two groups were a source of contention, with black people often being labeled as economically "dependent", with Koreans and other Asians often labeled economically self-sufficient. They lived near 89th St. and Broadway, just a few blocks from where Latasha would be killed ten years later.[7][8]. The store owner, Soon Ja Du, grabbed her, they tussled, and after Harlins threw the carton on the counter and walked toward the door, Du shot her in the back of the head. One of the businesses targeted was Du's store, Empire Liquor, which was burned to the ground and has never re-opened. 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. In the prosecutions opening statement, Carvajal said the gun used by Du had been altered by someone so that the trigger could be pulled with little pressure. "[3] Instead she worked closely with Harlins' friends, developing a depiction of their childhoods and South Central Los Angeles. 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.". When you say dismantling the root, what do you think that looks like? Instead, she sentenced Du to 400 hours of community service, five years on probation and a $500 fine, which is around 385. Security-camera footage which showed Harlins attempt to pay for the juice and the subsequent scuffle between the two women convinced a jury to find Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter and call for the maximum 16-year jail sentence. The videotape of the incident lasted less than a minute, but showed Harlins and Du grappling at the store counter in a dispute over a bottle of orange juice. [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. The judge sentenced Du to 10 years in state prison but the sentence was suspended and the defendant was instead placed on five years' probation with 400 hours of community service, a $500 restitution, and funeral expenses. 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. When you go someplace else, youre always expecting things to be better, said her grandmother, Ruth Harlins. Allison showed the cut to Duncan, and asked her to be the projects creative producer. I wanted people to realize that Latasha could have been anyone, she could have been me, Allison explains. 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. But her testimony was contradicted by the statements of the two witnesses present at the time, as well as the store's security camera video, which showed Du shooting Harlins in the back of the head as she turned away from Du and attempted to leave the store. Harlins then struck Du with her fist twice, knocking Du to the ground. This documentary focuses on how she experienced the society and what dreams and hopes she developed rather than focusing on her death. This is real life, Deputy District Attorney Roxane Carvajal had warned the jury. However, the officers involved in Rodney King's arrest were re-tried. This is not the movies, said Deputy District Attorney Roxane Carvajal before showing the tape in court. They called her name as they set fire to hundreds of Korean-owned businesses. Los Angeles Times/GettyKorean grocer Soon Ja Du in court, after she fatally shot Latasha Harlins in the back of the head. Witnesses testified that once inside the store, Latasha Tensions were high in the area after just two weeks before, the video of officers pummeling Rodney King came to light. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards. [8], The film premiered at the Tribecca Film Festival and screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. On Something 2 Die 4, he sings, Latasha Harlins, remember that name, Cause a bottle of juice aint something 2 die 4.. 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. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. Wednesday night, family and community members came out to remember Latashas legacy. After the change in national immigration laws in 1965 a large number of Korean immigrants arrived in Los Angeles and by 1968 the first Korean-owned market opened in South Central LA. Time now for StoryCorps. She made sure other people had before she had. The DSLR was inconspicuous when she was shooting on location in schoolyards and streets in South Central. However, on the morning of the shooting, Du was working behind the counter, and her husband was outside resting in the family van. Something went wrong, please try again later. I ran out the back of the gym, ran home. Latasha was shot in the back of the head and died at the scene at the Empire Liquor Market on March 16, 1991. 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