Analyze why the 1992 Los Angeles riots and civil unrest were a traumatic and transformative time for many Korean Americans. The unrest began after the acquittal of four police officers for the savage beating of Rodney King, a Black man, during a traffic stop. After five days of rioting, over 2,000 Korean-run businesses were damaged or destroyed by rioting and looting. Korean American shop owners were angry at the police who left their businesses unprotected. Mainstream media focused heavily on the tension between Black and Korean Americans rather than on police brutality, the cause of the civil unrest. Out of the unrest emerged a political and community consciousness that included new leadership, activism, and coalitions to create peace and, with Black Americans, to demand racial justice.