Latasha Harlins only had a short life and it was not an easy one.
Born on January 1st 1976, in Illinois, USA to parents Crystal Harlins and Sylvester “Vester” Acoff Sr, she also had a younger brother and sister.
In 1981, the family moved from Illinois to South Central Los Angeles but one thing remained the same. Her father was very abusive towards her mother and would often attack and beat Crystal in front of Latasha and her siblings. Their unstable marriage would finally come to an end in 1983.
Latasha's father would eventually get into a new relationship with a new woman named Cora Mae Anderson; but on the night of November 27th 1985, Cora brutally shot dead Crystal outside a Los Angeles nightclub.
The death of her mother impacted 9 year old Latasha greatly as she held her mother in great esteem and loved her dearly. Whilst struggling to cope with her loss, Latasha and her siblings were left in the care of her maternal grandmother, Ruth.
From here, the children at least had a stable and caring environment that was not plagued by violence.
As Latasha entered middle school, she was an honour roll student who excelled in her studies and ran track.
By 1991, Latasha, who was now 15 years old, was a student at Westchester High School. She had dreams of becoming a lawyer and had also developed a love for basketball. She had met her best friend Tybie O’Bard when she had saved her from drowning; after this day, the girls were ininseparable.
Latasha was also well loved in her community and was known as the “neighbourhood big sister”, especially to the younger kids. It seemed that despite her broken past, her future was promising.
But sadly, this too, would soon be snatched away…
Latasha was a bright young girl
Shortly before 10am on Saturday March 16th 1991, Latasha entered a store named Empire Liquor, which was located at the intersection of West 91st Street and South Figueroa Street, in Vermont Vista, Los Angeles.
The store was owned by Soon Ja Du, a 49-year-old Korean American.
The store was normally run by Du’s husband and son; however, on this day, Du was working behind the counter, and her husband was outside resting in the family van.
Upon entering the store, Latasha had made her way over to the drinks and had picked up a bottle of $1.79 orange juice. With the money ready in her hand, Latasha had placed the drink in her backpack.
Du, who had been observing Latasha, concluded that the teen girl was attempting to steal, and did not see the money that she held in her hand. Du later claimed that she asked Latasha if she intended to pay for the orange juice that she had seen her place in her bag, to which Du claimed Latasha responded, “What orange juice?”.
Two eyewitnesses — 9-year-old Ismail Ali and his 13-year-old sister Lakeshia Combs — disputed that claim, saying that Du immediately accused Latasha of trying to steal, to which they claimed Latasha replied that she intended to pay for the orange juice.
After speaking with the two eyewitnesses present and viewing the videotape of the incident, recorded by a store security camera, the police later concluded that Latasha intended to pay for the beverage with money in hand.
The videotape then showed Du grabbing Latasha by her sweater and snatching her backpack. Latasha retaliated by striking Du with her fist twice, knocking her to the ground. As Latasha began to back away, Du angrily threw a stool at her. Latasha then tried to flee the scene but Du reached under the counter, retrieved a revolver, and fired at Latasha from behind at a distance of about three feet (one meter). The gunshot struck Latasha in the back of the head, killing her instantly.
Du’s husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, heard the gunshot and rushed into the store. After speaking to his wife, who asked for the whereabouts of Latasha before fainting, he dialled 911 to report an attempted holdup.
At the murder trial, Soon Ja Du testified on her own behalf, claiming that the shooting was in self-defence and that she believed her life was in danger. But her testimony was contradicted by the statements of the two witnesses present at the time, as well as the store’s security camera video, which showed Du shooting Latasha in the back of the head as she turned away from Du and attempted to leave the store.
The jury found Du guilty of voluntary manslaughter, an offense that carries a maximum prison sentence of 16 years. However, the trial judge, Joyce Karlin, sentenced Du to five years of probation, 10 years of suspended prison, 400 hours of community service, a payment of a $500 fine and Latasha’s funeral costs.
Judge Karlin suggested that there were mitigating circumstances in the killing of the teen. She stated, “Did Mrs. Du react inappropriately? Absolutely. But was that reaction understandable? I think that it was.”
Latasha’s murder, along with her killer’s reduced sentencing by the court exacerbated the existing tensions between African-American residents and Korean-American merchants in South Central Los Angeles.
Those tensions were later interpreted by some members of the public and activists as being one of the catalysts for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The Los Angeles mayor’s office estimated that 65 percent of all businesses vandalised during the riots were Korean-owned. On August 17th 1991, while Du was awaiting trial, a small fire occurred at her store.
During the 1992 riots, Du’s store was looted and burned down; it never reopened. The property later became a market under different ownership.
Protesters noted that a week after the death of Latasha Harlins, a Glendale man received a more severe sentence than Du for kicking a dog.
Latasha Harlins was buried next to her mother in Paradise Memorial Park, Santa Fe Springs, California.
In 1993, hip hop artist Tupac Shakur released a song titled “Keep Ya Head Up”, which was dedicated to Latasha Harlins. Thereafter, Tupac made frequent mention of Latasha in his songs with rapper Rapper Ice Cube following suit, composing a song about the incident which was titled “Black Korea”.
In 1998, the California State Assembly named April 29th as Latasha Harlins Day to honor a young life that was cut short and remember the work that must be continued to strengthen relationships across all races and ethnicities.
The short documentary film A Love Song for Latasha (2019) gives some insight into the background of Latasha’s life, it draws on memories from her cousin and her best friend and is available to watch on Netflix. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021.
In 2021, 30 years after her death, a mural celebrating Latasha Harlins was unveiled in front of Algin Sutton Recreation Centre. The playground there was also renamed ‘The Latasha Harlins Playground’.
A crowd, which included Latasha’s best friend, Tybie and sister, Christina, gathered to pay their respects to their lost loved one and show that she will never be forgotten.
Today, it is reported that Soon Ja Du is a free woman living in San Fernando Valley.
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