Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avrogan.

This day, March 15, 1991, this story actually took place on March 16th, important to get the date right.

But on this day, in 1991, a Korean-born merchant shopkeeper, Soon Jadadu shot and killed 15 year old Latasha Harlan's

after accusing her of stealing a bottle of orange juice in her store.

Latasha Harlan's was not stealing the bottle of orange juice.

She was intending to pay for the orange juice.

She died after being shot in the back of her head, holding the $2 in her hand that she was

going to use to pay for that bottle of

juice. No surprise this incident caused a tremendous amount of uproar and

heartache in South Central Los Angeles. Any killing of a young girl would, but it also tied into growing tensions

between Korean and African American communities, and then about a year later as the

trial over Harlan's death was coming to a close.

All of this kind of folded into another incident

that many of us know, the Rodney King beating trial riots,

which were, of course, about police and the black community,

but also about these lingering

tensions within South Central Los Angeles as well. So this is a story about the

death of Latasha Harlids but also the roots of the LA riots that many people

may have not known about or forgotten.

So here to discuss, as always, are Nicole Hammer of Columbia and Kelly Carter Jackson of

Wellesley.

...