Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire

This account examines the 1992 Los Angeles riots following the acquittal of officers charged with beating Rodney King. Alongside King’s story, it focuses on the lives of Edward Jae Song Lee, a Korean American teenager who died while helping defend Koreatown businesses, and Latasha Harlins, an African American teenager killed earlier that year by a Korean store owner. Their experiences frame a wider exploration of racism, economic pressures, and relations between Black and Korean communities in Los Angeles.