Koreans voice caution as unrest grows in LA

Police take cover from projectiles during protests over the Donald Trump administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles, Monday. AP-Yonhap

LOS ANGELES — Emma Kim, who owns a bubble tea shop near Koreatown in Los Angeles, has been getting dozens of messages and calls from friends and family in and outside of California in the past two days.

With tensions escalating and news of immigration protests in Los Angeles headlining national and global news, many are expressing concerns that the current unrest could lead to something similar to the LA riots in 1992.

“Koreans here have trauma from that moment in history,” said Kim, 54, “but fortunately, what we’re seeing now isn’t anywhere close to that, at least not at this point.”

U.S. President Donald Trump mobilized an additional 2,000 National Guard troops Monday to respond to protests in LA on top of the 2,000 Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines that were already deployed soon after demonstrations against immigration raids began Friday.

Federal agents launched a major crackdown in the city’s garment district for undocumented workers, which prompted people to take to the streets in downtown LA in opposition to the separation and detention of immigrant families.

Currently, protests and rallies are mainly happening in pockets of downtown areas with no activity spreading into Koreatown, which is roughly a 15-minute car ride (four miles) away.

“Even though there isn’t immediate fear, I’m definitely on my toes right now,” Kim said, “and so are many other Korean businesses in the area.”

Koreatown residents and businesses are worried that continued nighttime protests and clashes would lead to looting and vandalism.

“It takes seconds for a peaceful rally to turn into a violent riot,” said David Lee, who works for a large Korean barbecue restaurant in the area. “All it takes is just one person to start something violent and then it results in a domino effect.”

Lee said management at his workplace advised staff to be extra cautious and attentive to unusual activity outside the storefront especially after dark.

Other Koreatown businesses seem to share the same cautious sentiment as uncertainty grows amid Trump’s decision to escalate tension with the use of the military.

Anxious Koreans asked questions online about how serious the situation is in LA.

One user wrote on MissyUSA, the largest Korean online forum in the U.S., “Is it safe to travel to LA for my son’s college graduation this weekend?” Another user echoed a similar worry, “I’m going on summer vacation with my kids tomorrow and staying in a hotel in downtown LA. Should I cancel?”

Responders who claim they live in the area said the reality on the ground isn’t as dangerous as what's shown in news reports.

“There have been better times for sure, but there’s no reason to fear a repeat of the 1992 riots right now,” one user wrote.