The War Zone, "Don't Shoot" Summary

Richard Kim, a Korean-American appliance storeowner, begins his 1993 interview discussing his father's experiences the day of the verdict. Kim says his father told him that there were no police to be found when the looting started. They called all the police stations and could not get any information from any of them. They told the stations that there were hundreds of people looting stores and that they should send officers. When they received no useful response from the police stations, Kim, his father, and some neighbors got into a van and drove to their store.

Kim says he knew people were carrying guns and that his mother had been shot on the corner. It was like going into a war, and by the time they arrived, there were hundreds of people at their...