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As protests against the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants continued for a fourth day in Los Angeles (LA), the Korean American Federation of LA (LA Korean Association) criticized President Donald Trump’s eldest son for posting a photo of Korean American self-defense groups from the 1992 LA riots on social media, calling the act inappropriate. In a statement released on the 9th (local time), the LA Korean Association said, “At a time when unrest in LA has not yet subsided, Donald Trump Jr. recklessly referenced the ‘Rooftop Koreans’ from the 1992 LA riots in a mocking social media post on X.” The statement continued, “As the president’s eldest son and an influencer with about 15 million followers, his actions could pose tremendous risks in this already tense situation.” The association strongly urged, “Do not — under any circumstances — exploit the past trauma of Korean Americans for any purpose.” Donald Trump Jr. had posted an image on X the previous day, believed to be of a Korean man during the LA riots, with the caption “Make Rooftop Koreans Great Again.” The photo showed a man, believed to be Korean, on a rooftop loading a firearm. During the 1992 LA riots, Korean Americans — who were targeted by looters and arsonists — armed themselves and organized self-defense patrols to protect Koreatown. At the time, they became known locally as “Rooftop Koreans.” Kang Hyung-won, a photographer who took the original photo while working for the LA Times, commented on Trump Jr.’s post, saying, “You are using my photo without permission and without context. Please take it down.” Observers suggest that Trump Jr.’s invocation of the Korean American self-defense image is an attempt to justify the Trump administration’s hardline response by evoking memories of the lawlessness during the LA riots 33 years ago. Following President Trump’s order to deploy 2,000 California National Guard troops to LA, references to the LA riots have increased among Republican figures. U.S. media outlets such as the New York Times have pointed out that the current protests against the crackdown on undocumented immigrants are in no way comparable in terms of chaos or crisis to the 1992 LA riots. submitted by /u/Freewhale98 |
Trump’s eldest son invokes ‘Rooftop Koreans’ — LA Korean community responds: “Do not exploit our trauma”
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