David Johann Kim‘s Two Stop tells the other side of the 1992 L.A. Uprising from the point of view of a Korean store owner as he battles to save his investment.
In the Korean American community, the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising is remembered as Sai-i-gu (April 29 in Korean). Also known as the 1992 Los Angeles Riots or the 1992 Rodney King Riots, it was a major outbreak of violence, looting, and arson that began on April 29, 1992.
The L.A. Uprising was a response to two events: the acquittal of four white L.A. policemen on all but one charge connected to the severe beating of Rodney King, an African American motorist, in March 1991; and the fatal shooting of African American teenager Latasha Harlins by Korean convenience shop owner Soon Ja Du 13 days after the beating of Rodney King.
TWO STOP stars Suzen Baraka (Sunny), JuneSoo Ham (Jong), and Iyanna Jennaé and Tristina Lee share the role of (GG).
Two Stop attempts to summon sympathy for the Koreans that were left devastated in the aftermath.
According to the Rafu Shimpo, “Korean Americans suffered extremely high economic losses as 2,300 Korean American businesses were looted or burned, resulting in over $400 million in property damages. During the L.A. Uprising, Korean Americans received very little aid or protection from police authorities due to disparities in social status and language barriers.”
They continue to face criticism for the failure to fully understand the communities they operate in while facing a noticeable uptick in hate crimes over the years.
Two Stop is a painful reminder that despite the losses suffered in 1992, it’s back to “business as usual” with it taking three decades for the area left devastated by the riots to rise like a phoenix from the ashes (literally) and finally begin to rebuild.
