latasha harlins' death footage

In justifying his directive, he said "[t]his was such a stunning miscarriage of justice that Judge Karlin cannot continue to hear criminal cases with any public credibility. Rodney was awarded $3.8million in damages from the City of Los Angeles and was found dead in 2012 from accidental drowning. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, "The heartbreaking L.A. story behind Oscar nominee 'A Love Song for Latasha', "Sophia Nahli Allison's 'A Love Song For Latasha' Captures The Fullness Of Black Girlhood", "Netflix to debut heartbreaking doc 'A Love Song for Latasha', "How Six Documentary Directors Explored Untold Stories in 2020", "Latasha Harlins' Death Fueled the 1991 LA Riots. Udeorji advised Allison on sound editing and music licensing, and helped her with logistics, locations and casting during the two years she was shooting the film., At a gathering of filmmakers, Allison met Janice Duncan, who had worked as a director and producer on fictional features. And it still hurts," Ruth Harlins, her grandmother, said. Directed by Sophia Nahli Allison, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021. The Oriental lady started pulling on her sweater saying: Thats my orange juice, the boy testified under cross-examination by Dus lawyer. It is a fictionalized account of the killing of Latasha Harlins and the effects on both her family and the family of the shooter. One of the businesses targeted was Du's store, Empire Liquor, which was burned to the ground and has never re-opened. Not enough has changed Filmmaker Shannon Dion, left, places a portrait of Latasha Harlins as friends and community members But Judge Joyce Karlin gave Du probation instead. Please don't believe the hype. Thanks for signing up! A small donation would help us keep this available to all. ROGERS: I remember we were at the park, and that's where the ice cream truck used to come. When they rejected her pitch, she says, I knew I had to quit and do this story on my own. Allison had trained as a photojournalist, worked at a newspaper and attended the Eddie Adams Workshop. If you are a current subscriber and have not activated your pdnonline.com access, please provide the following information. And theres no protection for Black girls when we have to rely on a system that is deeply rooted in white supremacy. [38], The killing of Latasha Harlins was one of many events in Los Angeles that may have led to the riots in 1992. After these riots, a federal trial saw two of the LAPD officers who beat Rodney King finally serve time for their crimes, although they only ended up serving 30 months in prison. How do I challenge traditional rules of documentary so that Latasha can live in her fullness, and show evidence that she existed?. This is real life. She insisted that Latasha was attempting to steal a $1.79 bottle of orange juice. 30 years later, her first memorial is up", "Conflict Brings Tragic End to Similar Dreams of Life: Shooting: An immigrant grocer is accused of murdering a girl, 15. And I remember Latasha buying that little girl an ice cream. The jury found Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter, an offense that carries a maximum prison sentence of 16 years. More than 50 people died and more than 2,000 were injured. Latasha was shot in the back of the head and died at the scene at the Empire Liquor Market on March 16, 1991. After Harlins backed away, Du angrily threw a stool at her. Latasha, 15, was shot in the back of the head by a Korean woman who owned a South Los Angeles liquor store. Harlins turned to walk away when Du took out a gun and fired. Diversity, I think, is a really watered down word just for visibility. All rights reserved. ROGERS: And we would have, like, spelling bees. One, as an L.A. native, this is a story that was important, one that had not been discussed in the fullness of who Latasha was. Harlins was born on July 14, 1975 in East St. Louis, Illinois, to Crystal Harlins and Vester Acoff Sr. Acoff never met Latasha. How did the young Black girls, the young boys that knew Latashahow were they affected by this? Officer Ralph Spinello told the jury that when he entered the store, Du was sitting in a chair behind a counter and her husband started slapping her at first not so hard, gradually to very hard slaps until I had to stop him . Longtime African American residents in the area at first welcomed the Koreans but eventually grew angry with them because they refused to hire black employees and often treated their customers poorly. Footage showed him being brutally beaten. "Fourteen years old? Do you find this information helpful? Two were found guilty, Officer Laurence Powell and Sergeant Stacey Koon, while two were acquitted. Harlins then struck Du with her fist twice, knocking Du to the ground. WebThe best-known fact about Harlins, whose friends and family called her Tasha, is that she was killed over a $1.79 bottle of juice. There is no space held for what it means when a Black girl is threatened, when a Black girl is accosted, when a Black girl does not feel safe and does not have protection. Her application to attend theSundance Institutes New Frontier Lab Programs was rejected, but about a month later the organizers contacted her, wanting to know how the film was progressing. [4] The killing of Harlins came 13 days after the videotaped beating of Rodney King. [37] Recent years have seen improved relations between the two communities, as a younger generation of Korean-American LA residents showed up in great numbersin some cases even organizing proteststo support the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020. Police later We [talked to] real girls, and I never wanted the image of any of the girls in the film to feel like something that was curated or feel like it was of an actor, but for other Black girls to just see themselves reflected. Koreans in response argued that their attitudes evolved from high crime rates in the area and shop owner fears of shootings and burglaries. When interesting scenes happened in front of them, we felt Latashas spirit with us, she says. A year later, residents of Harlins neighborhood took to the streets in outrage. Latasha's parents' marriage was not a happy one and she, along with her younger siblings, had seen her father attack Crystal. Du's husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, heard the gunshot and rushed into the store. There was no audio on the tape, but the prosecutions first two witnesses--9-year-old Ismail Ali and his 13-year-old sister Lakeshia Combs--testified that there was a sharp exchange and name-calling by Du and Harlins. [29] While the jury convicted Du of manslaughter, which normally carries a maximum of 16 years in prison, the judge, Joyce Karlin, commuted her sentence to probation and a $500 finethis angered many in the black community, as well as other community members, who felt that the sentencing set a dangerous precedent. WebThe only video that exists of her is the grainy surveillance footage that captured the last minutes of her life. I want people to remember that Latasha was a girl, that she was a child. Her death happened thirteen days after the videotape of the Rodney King beating was released. Want morePDN? The killing was captured on a grainy security video. But when she turned around to leave, the lady shot her in the head, and she died. [32], In 1984, seven years before Harlins was shot, an editorial was posted in a black community newspaper urging a boycott of Korean stores, saying that any black person who went to their stores was a 'traitor'. [10] In TheGrio, Cortney Wills described A Love Song as "a mesmerizing piece of work that takes an unconventional route to storytelling."[5]. The shopkeeper, Soon Ja Du, accused Harlins of trying to steal the juice before a scuffle broke out between the two. For me, dismantling the root is through my art, through my work as a storyteller and as an artist. White Judge Joyce Karlin, however, gave Du probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. Who is that really benefiting? She wanted to buy our grandmother a big old house. You always have dreams.. She shot the footage herself, usually using a handheld Canon 5D Mark III. It made it so much easier working with young girls, not actors, to not have a big bulky camera in their face, Allison says. In November, 1991, Du was found guilt of voluntary manslaughter, a crime that can result in a 16 year prison sentence, which the jury recommended she service. And Im someone that deeply wants to interrogate and reimagine parts of the archive that are left intentionally blank or that are erased or destroyed. So understanding this idea of how loss can deeply affect and disrupt Black girl childhood, I thought it was important for us to talk to the women who were then young girls [when Latasha died, in 1991,] about who Latasha was to rebuild the story, to engage in this process of collective memory and rebirth and archive. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The story of Latasha Harlins, who was killed at age 15, is explored in "A Love Song for Latasha," which scored an Oscar nomination Monday. By this time, a city-wide curfew had been enforced. The youngsters, who were at the store to buy hair gel for their mother, said Du had falsely accused Harlins of trying to steal a $1.79 bottle of orange juice, then after a scuffle threw a stool at Harlins and shot her as the teen-ager walked away. Surveillance footage showed the girl was shot in the back of the head. Du was tried and convicted of He said Du feared for her safety because her son had been beaten and forced to pay extortion at the store and she was aware of nearby merchants who had been killed during robberies. On Something 2 Die 4, he sings, Latasha Harlins, remember that name, Cause a bottle of juice aint something 2 die 4.. Time now for StoryCorps. Jasmine M. Ellis: What inspired you to make A Love Song for Latasha? However, on the morning of the shooting, Du was working behind the counter, and her husband was outside resting in the family van. In March 1991, when Harlins was 15, a store owner accused her of The girl was saying: Let me go. "[44][45] Karlin was re-elected to the Superior Court bench by a reduced margin from previous elections. The funding allowed her to travel between North Carolina, where she had returned to graduate school, and South Central to keep filming. Sixteen-year-old Bryant was shot and killed by a police officer in Columbus, Ohio, on April 20, 2021. Im hoping that people really begin to engage with new ways of discussing Black trauma. They murdered my granddaughter!. Official Trailer For Netflix Original 'a Love Song For Latasha', Tensions were already at breaking point in LA, Rodney King was arrested and beaten by police officers. VESTER ACOFF: One of the favorite memories we had was when we used to be in the living room dancing and lip-syncing over music like a talent show. Du reached under the counter, retrieved a revolver, and fired at Harlins from behind at a distance of about three feet (one meter). At the time, These are the names of two Black girls whose lives were stolen from them, 30 years apart. Proceedings held in Compton were marked by confrontations between Dus supporters and backers of Harlins family. I hate the word reform. [27], During the 1992 riots, Du's store was looted and burned down; it never reopened. "Latasha was defenseless. (Never Ignorant About Getting Goals Accomplished)", "True to the Game: Ice Cube's 'Death Certificate', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Killing_of_Latasha_Harlins&oldid=1142220736, African-AmericanAsian-American relations, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 04:43. What do you make of police violence and racism continuing to rob Black girls of their childhoods and, in some cases, their lives? Du was tried and convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Harlins' death and sentenced to time served, five years of probation, 400 hours of community service, a $500 restitution, and funeral expenses. This tension, along with the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police on March 3, 1991, became a catalyst for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. But there was another case, not as widely known, that helped set off the unrest. They remembered being young when Latasha was killed. [12] After speaking with the two eyewitnesses present and viewing the videotape of the incident, recorded by a store security camera, the police concluded that Harlins intended to pay for the beverage with money in hand. The case drew criticism after another LA County court case of cruelty to a dog was given a harsher sentence than the death of a teen. That is, until April of 1992, when the verdict came down for Rodney Kings assaulters. Still to this day, it's devastating for our family," Christine Harlins, her sister, said. A Love Song for Latasha was nominated for an Oscar. [I had these] young girls who represented the future, Ty and Shinese who represented the past, myself, us representing the presentjust all these different understandings of time and conversations with each other. A Love Song for Latasha premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in late April, and was screened at the AFI Docs festival in June. Meanwhile, their loved ones and communities are left upholding the truth about who they were, while media reports and larger conversations might not include aspects of these girls that point to their humanity, such as their favorite hobbies, their career aspirations, or how they were doing in school. The mural was created by visual artist Victoria Cassinova.[6]. It becomes more important for Black girls to see themselves reflected on screens and others to see us reflect it, to humanize them, to provide some form of consciousness and some understanding of why their lives are important in general. We did our best to pay just about everyone who was a part of the crew, and some people did it out of love, Allison says. WebA Love Song for Latasha, reimagines the life of Latasha Harlins, a Black girl shot by a convenience store owner in Los Angeles 1991, fueling the 1992 uprising. Karlin added, "this is not a time for revenge and no matter what sentence this court imposes Mrs. Du will be punished every day for the rest of her life." Webhow old is alec and kaleb on the shriners commercial. This is not the movies, said Deputy District Attorney Roxane Carvajal before showing the tape in court. Almost none of the girls had acted before. Its been 30 years since the death of Latasha Harlins, and through the efforts of her family and a new documentary, South Central Los Angeles is embracing her legacy in a new way. because of the force he was using.. She was killed. So after that, I'm at the free-throw line, and our cousin T ran into the gym screaming. Sophia Nahli Allison at the Oscars last Sunday. WebLatasha Harlins was a 15-year-old African-American girl who was fatally shot by Soon Ja Du, a 51-year-old Korean-born female convenience store owner. Harlins, after telling Du she intended to pay for the juice, hit the grocer twice in the face as Du held onto her clothing, the witness said. You will see Latasha being killed. [7][9] Their unstable marriage eventually ended in 1983. And I wish she still had her life and was here. They lived near 89th St. and Broadway, just a few blocks from where Latasha would be killed ten years later.[7][8]. Dus trial, originally scheduled to be heard in Compton, was moved to Los Angeles this month by a judge who concluded that jurors and witnesses might be intimidated in a city that has a large black population. Sophia Nahli Allisons short film A Love Song for Latasha describes the friendship between three girls who grew up together in South Central Los Angeles: Latasha Harlins, her cousin Shinese Harlins and her best friend, Tybie Ty OBard. We could make the most beautiful films, and there are still people that would not understand what the conversation is, would not understand why its important. [29] In the eyes of many in the black community, it was tragic that Soon Ja Du did not receive any jail time for her crime. Beverly White and Heather Navarro, Family Gathers on 25 Year Anniversary of Latasha Harlins Death, NBC Los Angeles, March 16, 2016; Brenda Stevenson, The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins; Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots, Los Angeles Review of Books, July 23, 2017; Andrea Ford, Settlement Awarded to Harlins Siblings but Not Father, Los Angeles Times, July 29, 1992. And I think people will always blame young Black girls for their outcome. As she approached the counter, Soon Ja Du, one of the storeowners, accused her of stealing after seeing Harlins place the bottle in her backpack, despite her holding the $2 payment for the $1.79 price of the juice and approaching the counter to pay. Feder-Haugabook, A. [36] Though these ethnic tensions have not resulted in wide-scale violence since 1992, the relationship between Koreans and the black community was still strained as of 1996. This system of justice is not really justice, said Harlins grandmother outside the courtroom. These are the names of two Black girls whose lives were stolen from them, 30 years apart. The decision fanned the flames of racial unrest, which led to the LA riots. People Cant Stop Fighting Over the Politics of the, The Quarterback Conundrum at the Very Top of the NFL Draft. I just knew that I was blessed to have an older sibling that looked after me, that loved me. I should say between diversity and agency. Thats why the image of Latasha is always changing in the film. [35] Many of the targets of looting and destruction were Korean stores; more than two thousand Korean stores burned or looted. These are people that I knew in high school when I lost my dad, and now their children are a part of this story. She was trying to walk out the door, when she was shot, Lakeshia Combs testified. [24][25][26] On August 17, 1991, while Du was awaiting trial, a small fire occurred at her store. WebSecurity-camera footage which showed Harlins attempt to pay for the juice and the subsequent scuffle between the two women convinced a jury to find Du guilty of voluntary In July, two months after the end of the riots, her grieving family were awarded a $300,000 settlement for her death. Sophia Nahli Allison: There were so many intersecting reasons that I wanted to pursue this story. WebIts been 30 years since the death of Latasha Harlins, and through the efforts of her family and a new documentary, South Central Los Angeles is embracing her legacy in a new way. From 1986 to 1990, 83 lawsuits against the LAPD for excessive force resulted in a settlement of at least $15,000. The Harlins shooting is one of several confrontations between Korean grocers in South-Central and their customers. Harlins was 15-years-old in 1991 when she died instantly after being shot at the time by 51-year-old, Soon Ja Du, who accused her of attempting to steal the juice. 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Are a current subscriber and have not activated your pdnonline.com access, please provide the following information by... Death happened thirteen days after the videotaped beating of Rodney King the girl was:! Have dreams.. she shot the footage herself, usually using a Canon! School, and she died there was another case, not as widely known, helped! That is deeply rooted in white supremacy: and we would have, like, spelling bees donation! Karlin, however, gave Du probation, 400 hours of community service, and latasha harlins' death footage! The back of the, the lady shot her in the head and died at the time, These the... In the back of the Rodney King a current subscriber and have not activated your pdnonline.com access, please the! Was fatally shot by Soon Ja Du, heard the gunshot and rushed into the gym screaming elections! Whose lives were stolen from them, 30 years apart it is a fictionalized account of the head knew! 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