What if I told you that a Korean woman was sentenced to community service for shooting a black girl, Latasha Harlins, (15) in the back of the head... and killing her.... on camera.
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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.”
Harlins responded by lifting up her hand, which contained two dollar bills, and explained that she intended to pay. Du, however, grabbed the girl by the sweater, and the two began to fight.
Harlins repeated, “Let me go, let me go,” but the woman wouldn’t release her grip. In order to break free, the 15-year-old girl struck Du in the face four times, knocking her down. She picked the juice up from the floor, where it had fallen, placed it on the counter, and walked away.
“She was trying to walk out the door,” said Lakeshia Combs, Ali’s sister and another witness.
The reaction to Harlins’ killing was quick and bitter. Black residents protested outside of the Empire Liquor Market, and Soon Ja Du was taken into custody.
In the L.A. courtroom during the trial months later, the Harlins family sat in the front row, praying for justice. A security camera tape showed the entire heart-wrenching event on fuzzy, silent film.
“This is not television. This is not the movies,” said Deputy District Attorney Roxane Carvajal before showing the tape in court. “This is real life. You will see Latasha being killed. She will die in front of your eyes.”
The jury found Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter and recommended the maximum prison sentence of 16 years.
White Judge Joyce Karlin, however, gave Du probation, 400 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. Du was released.
Shop owner Soon Ja Du claimed Harlins was trying to shoplift a $1.79 bottle of orange juice, but Harlins had two dollar bills in her hand when she was shot.
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