[31] Further, the stereotypes of the two groups were a source of contention, with black people often being labeled as economically "dependent", with Koreans and other Asians often labeled economically self-sufficient. He fired at Latasha as she walked away from him from about three feet away from her. [9], The documentary short received strongly favorable reviews. Latashas mother, Crystal, who worked as a waitress in a local tavern, was found brutally shot on November 27, 1985, in a Los Angeles nightclub. I never want to believe that a film will humanize anyone, because I really believe humanizing comes from folks in their own consciousness. [46], Hip hop artist 2Pac took particular note of the death of Harlins and in 1993 released a song titled "Keep Ya Head Up" which was dedicated to Latasha Harlins. During the riots, 63 people were killed with 2,383 hurt and more than 12,000 arrested. [39] In both cases, there was video evidence depicting wrongdoing and in both cases, the defendants did not serve any jail time. So what will it take for Black girls to just exist on and off screen? The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. It really bothers me when I see people talk about these young girls that we have lost to violence and they describe them as a young woman, when actually they were just a child. Though Allison also grew up in South Central, she didnt learn about Harlins until 2016. When I was reading about her, I was disturbed to find that all that existed of her online was the retelling of her final trauma, she recalls. On the morning of March 16, 1991, though, Harlins did plan to make a purchase. WebLatasha Harlins. Latasha Harlins was remembered Wednesday by a fervent crowd of about 50, including her grandmother, siblings and aunt, at a vigil in South Los Angeles in the place where she was shot. On a Saturday morning in 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins walked to a market five minutes from her home in South-Central Los Angeles to buy a bottle of orange juice. I want people to remember that Latasha was a girl, that she was a child. WebAllison chose not to include the footage of Harlinss death taken by the stores camera, which was shown on national news and was later used in the trial of the woman who shot her. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. At IndieWire, Dry called it a "bold and imaginative take on a vital subject" and "a strong contender for awards consideration." Du observed Harlins putting a $1.79 bottle of orange juice in her backpack. I really want to interrogate what it means to not take the time, care, and intentionality to speak to those who were directly affected by this moment in history. And something that was really important to me is, what does it mean to speak to people like her cousin, Shinese Harlins, and her best friends, like Tybie OBard, who were the same age as Latasha? And theres no protection for Black girls when we have to rely on a system that is deeply rooted in white supremacy. But she realized that to tell Harlins story, she needed to break free of everything Ive been taught about documentary work. WebAP. Racial tensions were high, especially between local Korean store-owners and their impoverished black patrons. Im hoping that people really begin to engage with new ways of discussing Black trauma. Obsessed with Netflix? People Cant Stop Fighting Over the Politics of the, The Quarterback Conundrum at the Very Top of the NFL Draft. 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. In August 1991, a small fire broke out just before the trial kicked off. 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. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. in reference to the Korean War. [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. She entered Empire Liquor, which was owned by a Korean family, to purchase a bottle of orange juice. And I want Black girls to see themselves and understand how beautiful and special and just deeply full of grace they are, and how they can be imperfect, unapologetic, and dont have to shift or mold themselves for anyone. Instead, she sentenced Du to 400 hours of community service, five years on probation and a $500 fine, which is around 385. Karlin and Du's son also attended that ceremony. Our premiere educational content channel. These are people that I knew in high school when I lost my dad, and now their children are a part of this story. [35] Many of the targets of looting and destruction were Korean stores; more than two thousand Korean stores burned or looted. "Fourteen years old? Frames Per Second: How Independent Filmmakers Earn Back Their Production Investment, Tips for Pitching Your Film Successfully to Festivals and Funders, The Funding and Distribution of a Feature-Length Documentary, First-Time Director Jonathan Olshefski on Creating a Feature-Length Documentary, Funding & Publishing Personal Projects: Alice Proujanskys Coming-of-Age Story, Meron Menghistab on Photographing Trevor Noah, and Shooting Personal Work, Photographer Benjamin McMahons Celebrity Self-Portrait Collaborations, An Immersive Experience: How Renowned Photographers are Captivating Audiences with Prints. 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. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Thereafter, Shakur made frequent mention of Harlins in his songs, including in tracks like "Something 2 Die 4 (Interlude)" ("Latasha Harlins, remember that name 'Cause a bottle of juice is not something to die for"), "Thugz Mansion" ("Little Latasha, sho' grown/Tell the lady in the liquor store that she's forgiven/So come home"), "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto" ("Tell me what's a black life worth/A bottle of juice is no excuse, the truth hurts/And even when you take the shit/Move counties get a lawyer, you can shake the shit/Ask Rodney, Latasha, and many more"), "White Mans World" ("Rest in Peace to Latasha, Little Yummy, and Kato"), "Hellrazor" ("Dear Lord if ya hear me, tell me why/Little girl like Latasha, had to die")[47][48] and "N.I.G.G.A." When she was six years old, her family moved to South-Central L.A. by Greyhound bus. 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. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. 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. According to a young witness named Ismail Ali, who was in the store with his older sister at the time, the middle-aged Soon Ja Du saw the girl and immediately yelled, You bitch, you are trying to steal my orange juice.. At the time of her own death in 1991, Latasha was a student at Westchester High School. [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. She stated, "Did Mrs. Du react inappropriately? For me, dismantling the root is through my art, through my work as a storyteller and as an artist. 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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. "Latasha was defenseless. Her dad worked in a steel foundary while he mum waited tables to try to make ends meet and provide for Latasha and her younger sister, Christina. Hannah McKennett is a Dublin-based freelance writer that is dedicated to traveling the world while writing about it. Related Links:Frames Per Second: How Independent Filmmakers Earn Back Their Production InvestmentTips for Pitching Your Film Successfully to Festivals and FundersThe Funding and Distribution of a Feature-Length DocumentaryFirst-Time Director Jonathan Olshefski on Creating a Feature-Length Documentary, January 7, 2020 NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Allison, who had only shot documentaries and had no experience directing actors, would first tell the girls what she wanted to show, then simply follow them and observe. Allison began applying for grantsand getting several rejectionsin 2017. Rodney was awarded $3.8million in damages from the City of Los Angeles and was found dead in 2012 from accidental drowning. I wanted them to feel comfortable being themselves and not feeling that they had to perform, she says. WebLatasha King was just 15 when she was shot dead by a shop owner one Saturday morning - her death is widely thought to be one of the contributing factors to the 1992 LA Riots and At just 15 Latasha Harlins had known more than her fair share of tragedy. WebLATASHA HARLINS CCTV FOOTAGE. The graphic images of the killing of 15-year-old Harlins, captured by a security camera inside the Empire Liquor Market in South-Central Los Angeles, drew gasps in the packed Superior Court courtroom where grocer Soon Ja Du is being tried for murder. WebKings - The Death of Latasha Harlins: A dramatic realization of the murder of an innocent black teenager by a convenience store owner. Du claimed to have asked Harlins if she intended to pay for the orange juice, to which Du claimed Harlins responded, "What orange juice?" Latasha Harlins was born on July 14, 1975, in St. Louis, Illinois. 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. WebIt was a major reason why Korean-Americans believed they were targeted during the 1992 unrest the death of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at the hands of a Korean-American in What signal does this send to Black girls about how society sees them in life and even in death? Please don't believe the hype. [11], Shortly before 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 16, Harlins entered the store. [2] The sentencing was widely regarded as an extremely light sentence, and a failed appeal[3] contributed to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, especially the targeting of Koreatown, Los Angeles, California. And she had the money in her hand to pay the lady. The childrens maternal grandmother, Ruth Harlins, then raised Latasha and her siblings. Surveillance video captured the shooting. Du was arrested and her trial was held on November 15, 1991. L.A. would never be the same. [31] Since then, they had been a target of anger from both black shop-owners and black customers, with incompatible claims from either group that say Korean shop-owners "undercut prices" by the shop-owners and that they overcharged customers. But what is justice today is justice always. Du hurled a stool at the schoolgirl and when Latasha went to pick up the drink and tried to leave the shopkeeper reached under his counter and pulled out a gun. The Rodney King beating 13 days earlier overshadowed Harlins death. Wednesday night, family and community members came out to remember Latashas legacy. One of the businesses targeted was Du's store, Empire Liquor, which was burned to the ground and has never re-opened. RUTH HARLINS: I had said, get some orange juice. [7][9] Their unstable marriage eventually ended in 1983. But those dreams would soon be crushed. And I remember Latasha buying that little girl an ice cream. In Esquire, Gabrielle Bruney called it a "stirring portrait". I felt as though she was a celebrity because everyone knew her. The Harlins shooting is one of several confrontations between Korean grocers in South-Central and their customers. But was that reaction understandable? It sparked five days of riots across Los Angeles. They dont have to perform for anyone to be important. WebYou will see Latasha being killed. 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. Latashas grandmother was left in charge of her and her two siblings. Harlins then picked up the orange juice bottle that dropped during the scuffle and handed it to Du, who snatched the bottle from her, and Harlins turned to leave. Tupac dedicated his song, Keep Ya Head Up, to Latasha Harlins. When you say dismantling the root, what do you think that looks like? Outrage ensued after Du testified in court that she acted in self-defense, and the jury convicted her of voluntary manslaughter, which could have carried a sentence of 16 years. 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. How do I challenge traditional rules of documentary so that Latasha can live in her fullness, and show evidence that she existed?. )[2] But the organization's indifference and incomprehension of the subject's significance prompted a realization for Allison that "I could no longer work within institutions that don't validate the importance of my existence. [16], Soon Ja Du testified on her own behalf, claiming that the shooting was in self-defense and that she believed her life was in danger. She decided to use animation to depict Harlinss death, rather than relying solely on the surveillance video. Police concluded that Latasha was not shoplifting and had the $2.00 dollars in her hand when she was killed. Now 30 years later, a mural honoring the South-Central L.A. teenagers life has surfaced at the Algin Sutton Recreation Center in Los Angeles. How come she can she just die for one bottle of juice?" About Us | At the time, MaKhia Bryant. And I wish she still had her life and was here. Koreans in response argued that their attitudes evolved from high crime rates in the area and shop owner fears of shootings and burglaries. Empire Liquor became a target for protests. She then moved to Juvenile Dependency Court, a transfer she had requested before the Du case. [31] The distrust ran possibly even further, because in the same editorial the writer exclaims, "The real question is, why was my brother's brains blown out fighting for those Koreans?" The hardest part about losing Latasha was not having that older protective sister that I had. Harlins turned to walk away when Du took out a gun and fired. Family members said they hope Latasha's legacy evolves to be about love and justice. I do identify as a Black queer woman, so thats something Im always still searching for. Send me updates about Slate special offers. And so thinking about this young Black girl who was taken from everyone, whose life was lost, [I wondered] why this story didnt exist beyond the headline and discussions of trauma and visuals that really produced triggering reactions from the community, from family members and friends that knew her and loved her. Work on the film became harder, she says, when she reached the point in the film when she had to reveal what happened to Latasha. PDN Subscribers get instant access to this site for FREE. "All you people sitting, applauding over a child killer," Harlins yelled. Please try again. In her book American Dream, Sapphire wrote the poem Strange Juice (or the murder of Latasha Harlins) giving voice to the murdered girl. [3] Ava DuVernay programmed the documentary as part of Array 360, and it was then picked up by Netflix. She edited the footage herself every night after she shot, to make sure the puzzle pieces she was gathering fit together. In 1998, the California State Assembly named April 29 as Latasha Harlins Day. Something went wrong, please try again later. When they rejected her pitch, she didnt learn about Harlins until 2016 take! When you say dismantling the root, what do you think that like!, Keep Ya Head up, to make sure the puzzle pieces she was killed she edited the footage every... Sutton Recreation Center in Los Angeles and was here, her family moved to South-Central L.A. by Greyhound.... Awarded $ 3.8million in damages from the City of Los Angeles requested before the Du case hardest... 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