The LA Uprising, a generation later

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2022

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Some call it a riot. Some call it an uprising. Many Korean Americans simply call it "Sai-i-gu" (literally, 4-2-9.) But no matter what you call it, it's clear to many that April 29, 1992 made a fundamental mark on the city of Los Angeles. Now, 30 years later, we're talking to Steph Cha and John Cho — two authors whose books both center around that fateful time.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is Code Switch from MPR.
0:01.9	I'm Karen Gricksby-Bates.
0:04.1	April 29, 1992.
0:06.5	It was a memorable day for Los Angeles and the country.
0:10.3	Good morning.
0:11.1	The state of emergency has been declared in Los Angeles
0:13.9	following a night of rioting in the city.
0:16.1	I'm Bob Edward.
0:17.1	Some called it rioting.
0:18.4	Others said it was an uprising.
0:20.3	Either way, Los Angeles exploded.
0:23.2	That's because on that day, four LAPD officers
0:26.7	were acquitted for having beaten a black motorist
0:29.4	named Rodney King the previous year.
0:32.3	When the verdict was announced, the city erupted.
0:35.2	Whole blocks in LA's Koreatown are still smoldering
0:39.1	after a long night of violence.
0:41.1	Across Los Angeles and even some of its suburbs,
0:43.8	angry knots of residents gathered,
0:45.5	and soon the sound of glass breaking was heard.
0:48.1	People swarmed into loot stores and began setting some on fire.
0:51.7	And not just stores.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.