STUDY QUESTIONS FOR “L.A. IS BURNING: 5 REPORTS FROM A DIVIDED CITY”

The overall theme is this: How do black, Anglo, Hispanic, and Korean perspectives differ? Why are these groups

talking past each other? Be prepared to explain each ethnic perspective. You may want to write answers to this

question and the questions below on a separate sheet of paper (numbering your answers) so that you will

be prepared for possible exam questions!

1. Trigger for 1992 Riot: officers who beat Rodney King found innocent by all-white jury in Simi Valley.

2. Ownership: After the commentator mentions that 51 percent of those arrested were Hispanic, listen for the answer

to the following question: What was the difference between East L.A. and Pico Union that explains differences in the

tendency for Hispanics to riot (or not riot) in these areas?

3. Anglos: What is the perspective of prosperous, middle class whites toward black rioters? Note the response of the

Los Feliz Hills attorney and his neighbors when the talk about blockading their street and having automatic (“semi-

automatic!”) weapons. Later on, note the theme in Richard Reeves’ (columnist) story about his 85-year old mother’s

purse clutching episode. What does this have in common with Angela Oh’s commentary on post-traumatic stress

syndrome and Tim Rutten’s commentary on communities walling themselves in (Windsor Hills).

4. Blacks (militant perspective): What is the view of younger black males toward the conditions in the ghetto

and toward the reasons some of them participated in the riot? Take note of the comments of Deacon Alexander

(“I’m going to hit you on the head”) and Danny Bakewell, community activist. Also, take note of the comments of

young blacks in front of a burnt-out Korean store and the Jordan Downs Housing Project. What is the logical

framework for this perspective? Is Art (“I’ve tried to make it”)--the black store owner who has his truck windows

broken by a crowd--sympathetic to this logic?

5. Equal justice?: What is the significance of the Latasha Harlins shooting by a Korean Grocer (Soon Ja Du)?

How does treatment of this incident by the Anglo (white) power structure differ from the treatment of the Reginald

Denny beating allegedly committed by Damian Williams? What is the critical distinction

6. Koreans: Within the Korean community, what are some of the different perspectives on the riot and its aftermath?

Do Koreans see themselves as gun-toting vigilantes or a scapegoat? Why? What does Edward Chang (Korean

professor of ethnic studies) mean when he speaks of being “a symbol of the oppressor” and when he says the L.A.

City Council is engaging in “pure ethnic politics” when investigating liquor licenses?

7. Hispanics: How does the Latino perspective on the riot and conditions in Los Angeles differ from the perspective

of blacks? What does the “News for America” spokesman (Xavier Elmosio) say? Take note of the scene where

35-40 blacks disrupt work of a white employer and two Latino construction workers. What does this theme have

in common with complaints voiced during a meeting of the Watts Century Latino Organization?

8. Blacks (middle class perspective): Paul Parker (brother of defendant Lance Parker) takes a militant perspective,

seeming to suggest that Reginald Deny got what he deserved (“Now you know what it feels like to be a victim”).

What is the perspective of middle class blacks such as Maxine Waters (in the U.S. House of Representatives) when

they throw support to the “L.A. Four Plus Defense Committee?” How do they see the criminal justice system?

Is this perspective shared by Sheryl Lee Ralph (actress) and Brenda Shockley (attorney)? Shockley speaks about

“a critical distinction,” contrasting the beatings of Rodney King and Reginald Deny in a way similar to the analysis of

Edi Faal (Damian William’s defense attorney). Sheryl Lee Ralph reacts to the first Rodney King verdict as follows:

“I felt like I had been punched in the face” and later on she talks of getting “more time for hitting a dog than shooting

in the back of the head of a black woman.” What is the common theme here? What is the perspective of Georgiana

Williams (mother of Damian Williams)? Can whites with a different life experience be sympathetic to what she is saying?

(Note: Williams got max-10 year sentence).