In Los Angeles in 1992, an event known as the LA Riots took place, which lasted from April 29th to May 4th, 1992

In Los Angeles in 1992, an event known as the LA Riots took place, which lasted from April 29th to May 4th, 1992. The Riots were caused by several factors, most notably, the Riots were in retaliation to 4 police officers being acquitted of beating Rodney King, a black man who was beaten by police officers. However, there were racial tensions between White, Black and Asian communities, which amplified the Riots.

The Riots were also a product of gang violence, as both the Crips and the Bloods, two prominent LA Street gangs who had a vicious gang war in the 1980s -1990s, formed a pact just days before the Riots took place, and took part in defending certain neighbourhoods and businesses, but interestingly, did not fight each other during the Riots themselves.

There was a lot of looting during the Riots, and this saw business owners arm themselves to defend their stores. In particular, American Koreans or Korean immigrants armed themselves to defend their stores. In Korea, it is mandatory to do 2 years of service in the military, meaning many Koreans have experience using firearms. Tensions between Koreans and African Americans were high, as violence between the two races in LA was not unheard of.

The photos above capture Korean business owners on the top of their stores while armed. They gained the nickname "Roof Koreans" or "Rooftop Koreans" because of this.