History

Killed over a bottle of orange juice, this 15-year-old helped spark the 1992 L.A. riots

It was a Saturday morning on March 16, 1991. 15-year-old Latasha Harlins walked into a store a few minutes from her home in South-Central Los Angeles to buy a bottle of orange juice.

Harlins, a student at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California, picked up the $1.79 bottle of orange juice and put it into her backpack, where it jutted out from the top.

She subsequently walked towards the counter to pay for the juice but the store owner, Korean-born Soon Ja Du who thought Harlins was attempting to steal the juice, yelled: “You bitch, you are trying to steal my orange juice,” an eyewitness later narrated.

Harlins then lifted her hand, showing two dollar bills she had. She explained that she was about to pay for the juice but 51-year-old Du didn’t take that. Instead, she grabbed Harlins by the sweater, and the two started fighting.

Harlins, in order to break free, struck Du in the face four times and knocked her down. The 15-year-old then picked up the fruit juice which had fallen and placed it on the counter.

She began to walk away. That was when Du reached under the counter to retrieve a handgun. She fired at 15-year-old Harlins from behind at a distance of about three feet, shot her in the back of her head, killing her instantly, reports Blackthen.

Harlins died with the two dollars in her left hand. Her death would spark riots in L.A. a year later as hundreds of Korean-owned businesses would be torched by protesters.

It is important to note that years before her death, L.A. had its own issues. Accounts state that racial tensions at the time were high, particularly between local Korean store owners and their black customers who frequently complained about surcharges.

Black people were also finding it difficult to acquire jobs in these stores.

Born on July 14, 1975, in St. Louis, Illinois, Harlins was only six years old when her family moved to South-Central L.A. by Greyhound bus.

Four years after, her mother was shot dead in an L.A. nightclub, leaving Harlins and her two siblings in the care of their grandmother.

On the day Harlins was shot dead, her grandmother had warned her not to step foot in that store – Empire Liquor – due to the treatment its owners meted out to black customers.

Following her killing, storeowner Du was taken into custody, where she later claimed self-defense, adding that she felt her life was in danger.

In court, a jury found Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter and recommended the maximum prison sentence of 16 years.

But white Judge Joyce Karlin gave Du probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. She was then released.

Credit: Asian American Policy Review

“This system of justice is not really justice,” Harlins’ grandmother said outside the courtroom.

Tension immediately began brewing in the neighborhood but things got worse in April of 1992. Four police officers who had brutally beaten a black man named Rodney King some weeks before Harlin’s death were freed by a white-dominant jury.

That was when black folks in L.A. felt enough was enough.

“The streets erupted in protests and riots, fire and gunshots. For five days, southern L.A. burned, and the LAPD left the area to fend for itself. Residents shouted Latasha Harlins’ name as they torched Korean-owned businesses — including Soon Ja Du’s own Empire Liquor,” according to an article on ati.

By the time the riots ended, over 50 people had lost their lives. More than 2,000 were also injured while the city was left with $1 billion in damages, records showed.

Following the riots, two of the officers who beat King were made to serve time in prison but Harlins never got justice.

Today, she is not only remembered for the 1992 L.A. riots but in some of the tracks by legendary rapper Tupac Shakur.

In fact, Tupac dedicated his song, ‘Keep Ya Head Up,’ to Harlins.

Mildred Europa Taylor

Mildred Europa Taylor is a writer and content creator. She loves writing about health and women's issues in Africa and the African diaspora.

Recent Posts

Mom of 6 and daughter rejoice upon graduating from Rutgers together

Latonya Johnson and her 21-year-old daughter Laila Birchett are celebrating their graduation from Rutgers School…

11 hours ago

Tyson Fury, others pay tribute to Sherif Lawal who died after collapsing during his first professional fight

Tributes have been pouring in from boxing greats for Sherif Lawal who passed away after…

13 hours ago

This is how The Oracle Media founder went from a small-town girl to a big city media mogul in NYC

Jordan Benston is the founder, owner, and operator of The Oracle Media, a black female-owned…

14 hours ago

Preteen who started college at 7 earns associate degree at 12 years old

Cameron Robinson has attained a significant milestone at the age of twelve. He received an…

17 hours ago

Stevie Wonder‘s 74th birthday crowned with Ghanaian citizenship

Legendary singer Stevie Wonder had one of his wishes fulfilled when he celebrated his 74th…

17 hours ago

This Black-owned ice cream brand was founded over 100 years ago and still going strong

Baldwin Richardson Foods is a global manufacturer of custom ingredients for the food and beverage…

18 hours ago

Georgia grandmother defies the odds to become a registered nurse at 69

Loretta Mack has fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a registered nurse at 69 years…

19 hours ago

Why lightning survivors are buried in Ethiopia

A community in eastern Ethiopia buried twelve lightning survivors up to their necks and also…

20 hours ago

Mother wants answers after her daughter allegedly consumed ‘poisonous candies’ her classmate gave her

Da'Kyah, a Minneapolis kindergartener, had to be hospitalized after suffering a mysterious illness as a…

20 hours ago

Tiffany Haddish explains why she thought she would die before turning 21

Eritrean-American comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish recently opened up about a period in her childhood…

21 hours ago

5 years after becoming the first Black mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, Steven L. Reed is now president of AAMA

Steven L. Reed is the first black mayor of Montgomery, Alabama. The state of Alabama…

1 day ago

Maryland: Former NFL player Tobias Dorzon makes history as Chef of The Year

Chef Tobias Dorzon, an ex-NFL player turned chef and restaurateur, has been selected Chef of…

1 day ago

Expectant mother gives birth in speeding Maserati and defends dissertation in maternity ward same day

Tamiah Brevard-Rodriguez welcomed her son in the passenger seat of her wife’s Maserati, then seamlessly…

2 days ago

Aspiring doctor who nearly drowned says he holds no ill will toward female friend who pushed him

An aspiring doctor, who nearly drowned after being pushed into a Louisiana lake, has indicated…

2 days ago

Meet the daughter of Nigerian immigrants who is the first Black woman to earn U-M Robotics PhD

Oluwami (Wami) Dosunmu-Ogunbi is the first Black woman to get a PhD in robotics at…

2 days ago