近日，因一名美国非裔男子遭暴力执法死亡，一场声势浩大的抗议活动从明尼苏达州开始。目前，30多城爆发抗议示威，多地的抗议活动走向暴力。Protests have erupted in at least 30 US cities over the death of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.rodney king是一个普通的黑人，1991年一个晚上因酒后驾车超速被洛杉矶警察追捕，但他拒绝停车应为后来他说如果被抓就会违反他的假释便会入狱。后来被警察截住，几个警察把他用警棍臭揍一顿。一个好事小子把这一场面录了下来，卖给电视台，播出后公众气愤，要求惩罚打人警察。但四名警察经初级法院审理后无罪释放，洛杉矶黑人（1992年）趁机闹事打砸抢烧。后来只好重新审理此案，结果两名警察判有最入狱，其他两名无罪释放。最终rodney king获百万美元赔偿。这就是rodney king beating（riot)事件。这次事件中韩国人勇敢团结，在自己杂货店（韩国人在美国专开杂货店）屋顶筑工事架机枪，来抢者格杀勿论，一前来抢店的黑小子被当场击毙，再没有人敢抢韩国人的小店。从此美国人对韩国人另眼看带。 Inner-city rebuilding dominated by supermarkets; two years after riot, smaller businesses not restored - Los Angeles, California - Real Estate Los Angeles Business Journal, April 25, 1994 by Bob Howard bullet E-mail bullet Print bullet Link Almost two years to the day since hundreds of commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed in the Los Angeles riot, supermarkets are the main rebuilders of commercial properties in the areas most affected by the riot. But according to preliminary figures in a new study by RLA, the organization attempting to rebuild riot-damaged areas and other "neglected areas" of L.A., the smaller property owners have made little headway in rebuilding. Linda Griego, the former Los Angeles deputy mayor who became president and chief executive officer of RLA in February, said approximately 350 of the commercial sites damaged in the April 1992 rioting remain vacant. Most of those properties were formerly occupied by smaller businesses that have been either unable or unwilling to rebuild. Griego said most of those 350 sites are in the parts of South Central and South Los Angeles that were hit hardest by the riot, but the 350 also include sites in many other surrounding communities that RLA defines as "neglected." These include parts of Hollywood, Long Beach, East Los Angeles, Pacoima and portions of the San Fernando Valley. In the two years since the riot, supermarket chains Vons Cos. Inc., Ralphs Grocery Co. and Smart & Final Iris Co. have opened 10 new stores in the neglected areas. Those three chains, plus Food-4-Less, have announced plans to open another 20 stores, including eight that are scheduled to open this year. Most of the (supermarket) commitments are still very much on line," Griego said. It"s the businesses on the other end of the scale - the ones that formerly inhabited small commercial sites - that have not reinvested. Most of those sites remain vacant and fenced in. Griego said the 350 sites that remain vacant were among 1,100 commercial sites damaged in the riots. About half of the 1,100 structures sustained relatively little damage, she said, and most of the sites with minor damage have been restored. She said the biggest challenge is to restore the 350 properties that were the most heavily damaged because those are the sites where the least amount of rebuilding has occurred and where owners are least capable of rebuilding on their own. RLA is currently updating its survey of the owners of the damaged properties to find out if they are doing anything to rebuild or if there is some way RLA can help them rebuild. "When you consider how many grocery stores have been built in two years, that"s not so bad considering how difficult development is in today"s economy. Most of the commitments for additional stores from supermarkets are still on line. But not very much has occurred on the 350 vacant sites," Griego said. "I"m concerned that they"re just sitting there with no one working with the properly owners. I don"t want these empty lots to be forgotten. According to the new RLA president, some of the property owners have not rebuilt because they had insufficient insurance. Others already had heavy debt before their properties were destroyed, so they are not good candidates for SBA-backed loans or other traditional sources of financing for small commercial developments. "The biggest problem for these small property owners, which is the biggest problem for everyone in today"s economy, is getting financing," Griego said. Some property owners also received sizable insurance claims settlements and have decided not to rebuild because their buildings had high vacancies before the April 1992 riot. Many of those owners are waiting for the market to improve before rebuilding, Griego added. Griego said a recent RLA study, which was conducted for the agency by Cal State Los Angeles, surveyed owners of riot-affected properties to find out the status of their properties and what their plans are - if any. Survey results are still being compiled and are expected to be completed in May. "We want to look at the survey results and see if we can come up with a strategy" to help the property owners, Griego said. For example, if RLA finds that a property owner needs $2 million to rebuild, and the SBA will only guarantee a loan on part of that amount, RLA would try to find a "combination of resources" for the rest of the financing. The damaged properties include a variety of retail and some light industrial uses that are still in demand, even though the properties haven"t been rebuilt, RLA officials said they believe. "We know these communities need a whole bunch of amenities," Griego said. RLA is looking for these new service "amentities" - such as dry cleaning, restaurants, auto repair, etc. - to be provided primarily through the expansion of existing businesses that are currently providing such services within the areas served by RLA. Griego even sees a need for new office buildings, despite the glut of such space throughout the Los Angeles Basin. "There aren"t surplus office buildings in this part of town (South Los Angeles). If some government agencies wanted to be closer to where their customers are, there are very few spaces where thy can go," the RLA president said.The Rodney King Riot of 1992 occurred in Los Angeles, California in response to a highly publicized incident of police brutality. Rodney King, who had worked as a Dodgers Stadium usher, was arrested on charges of speeding, driving while intoxicated, and failing to yield. The four responding police officers claimed that King had been high on drugs and was trying to attack them, prompting the police to beat him on the grounds of self defense. An amateur photographer, George Holliday, was standing nearby and captured the attack on film. The four officers were brought to court and tried on charges of assault.During the trial, the officers argued that Rodney King"s body was always in the position to inflict harm on others. The use of force was termed as “necessary” when police thought King was reaching for a weapon in his waistband. At 3:00 p.m. on the day of April 29, 1992, the four police officers were acquitted of the assault charges. The riot started soon after the announcement. Around 4:15 p.m, a little over an hour after the acquittal was delivered, there were reports of looting in South Central Los Angeles. By 5:45 p.m. there were numerous reports of motorists being assaulted in the streets and by 8:15 that evening, the first fatality was reported in the news. Rioting occurred throughout the next few days, with the heaviest damage done in the South Central district of Los Angeles and “Koreatown,” which was located between black neighborhoods and Hollywood. Koreans became the eventual targets of the rioting, as minorities claimed they mistreated both Latino and African American customers in their stores. The rioting finally came to a halt on May 2, 1992 when 10,000 National Guardsmen, 3,500 military personnel, and the entire Los Angeles Police Department were deployed to the South Central district. When all of the rioting was finally stopped, over 51 people were killed, 2,383 people were injured, 8,000 people were arrested, and over 700 businesses were burned. Damages were estimated at about $1 billion to property. African American History, Events TERMS: 20th Century (1900-1999), United States - California, Racial Conflict - Race Riots
