Community looks at riots’ causes, effects

CATHERINE JAYIN JUN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Members of the
Korean American community march through the streets of Koreatown
Saturday in a show of unity and remembrance for the 10th
anniversary of the Los Angeles uprising.

By Peijean Tsai
Daily Bruin Contributor

Ten years after the outbreak of the Los Angeles riots, UCLA
experts address the problems leading up to the uprising and apply
the lessons learned in the wake of the riots to social issues of
today.

In addition to discord with the verdict of the Rodney King
trial, social and economic injustice contributed to the unrest of
those who participated, professors said. While improvements were
made in the institutions affecting the community, professors feel
that there is still room for improvement.

A lack of understanding between the different ethnic communities
of South Central Los Angeles contributed to the eventual uprising
among African Americans, Koreans and Latinos of the community, said
Kyeyoung Park, a UCLA professor of anthropology who has published
six articles on the uprising.

But ten years later, there may still be a need to address
misunderstanding. Mechanisms must be put in place for people to be
able to learn about other racial communities to avoid this sort of
conflict, said Park.

Programs founded as a result of the riots, such as the Korean
Immigrant Workers Advocates, work to close the boundaries of racial
division by providing assistance to low income workers, Park
said.

“There was a genuine interest in different groups wanting
to know more about each other,” said Park.

Park, however, pointed out the lack of a diversity requirement
in the UCLA undergraduate education.

“We don’t provide the mechanisms for people to learn
about other groups,” Park said. “Asian American studies
classes are mostly taken by Asian American students
only.”

UCLA is the only UC campus that does not require its students to
fulfill diversity requirements.

The behavior of officials in the Los Angeles Police Department
has also been a continued issue and seen substantial improvement
over the past 10 years, said Jorja Prover, a UCLA professor of
social welfare.

After the riots, changes in the department included improved
hiring practices and screening of people who “may have been
liabilities in the past,” she said.

Also, LAPD charter reform restricted the term of a chief of
police to five years, after which he or she would be subject to
evaluation for a second term.

“Being the chief of police used to be like being
king,” said Prover.

Daryl Gates, who was chief during the riots, served a term of 14
years, and former chief William Parker died in office in 1966 after
serving for sixteen years, Prover added.

The term limit under the charter reform took effect when Chief
Bernard Parks was rejected for rehire by the Los Angeles Police
Commission this month. Parks failed to meet expectations, including
reforming the police force, which has a reputation for corruption,
his opponents said.

Economic problems in South Central also contributed to the riots
and poor economics could once again lead to the same tension that
aided the eruption of the 1992 uprising, said Darnell Hunt,
Director of the UCLA African American Studies Center and a
professor of sociology.

While the South Central economy has improved, Hunt believes more
needs to be done if future violence is to be avoided.

“Until you deal with underlying economic problems, there
is always a risk of people taking to the streets,” said
Hunt.

Hunt added, however, that other “indignities” would
have to be present along with economic strains for another uprising
to brew.

While economic hardship may have contributed to the riots, the
destruction left the city even worse off financially. Right now,
experts compare the economic impact of the riots to that of another
man-made disaster, one without internal roots.

The economy can easily fluctuate with an event like the riots,
creating uncertainty which negatively affects investment in Los
Angeles businesses, said Tom Lieser, senior economist with the UCLA
Anderson Forecast and a frequent commentator on economic trends for
the state. Uncertainty as a result of human upheavals like the
riots bears similarities to the U.S. economy in recession after the
Sept. 11 attacks, Lieser said.

In 1992, Los Angeles suffered negative macroeconomic effects,
such as a decline in its convention business and in income from
foreign visitors, all of which were attributable to concerns about
the safety of the city following the riots, said Lieser.

Uncertainty also has played a big role in the current recession
following the Sept. 11 attacks, which also led to calls for
increased concerns about safety in the hotel and travel
industries.