Wild, Wild Western Avenue

While looking for that Donahue segment with Angela Oh, I ran across some 1992 news footage on Korean business owners during the L.A. riots.

The first one shows two things. First, why the actions of the looters — mostly local people — were so fucking galling. Second, why some people — notably these probably South Korean immigrants — and the 2nd Amendment don't mix.



Randomly shooting into the public... asshole. Yeah, I know these business owners were totally blindsided and not prepared, but this is gross misuse of deadly force.



This one above shows probably a more appopriate response: get armed and show you're armed. That's the idea of the Second Amendment: use firearms as a deterrent.

Below is truck driver Reginald Denny getting attacked and nearly killed. This is considered ground zero of the L.A. riots, the first racial retaliation following the shocking acquittal of the police officers who were videotaped beating Rodney King.



Mr Denny was saved by a fellow truck driver who had seen this on TV and went to rescue him. In what I would consider a truly magnanimous act of forgiveness, Mr Denny later said he forgives the men who attacked him by pulling him out of his truck and throwing bricks and a fire extinguisher at his head. Some might wonder just how hard they'd hit him.

Below is another vicious attack.



There's loads more, of course. Seventeen years later, this still disgusts me.