As a Korean American activist, I have been incredibly dishearted and by the lack of clarity, wisdom and compassion concerning the 10th Anniversary of Sa-I-gu.
Once again the KA voice and a clear accounting of what happened on 4.29 has been marginalized on this issue by a cartload of BS. Rhetoritician extraordinaires like the RCP and others declaring Sa-I-Gu as beautiful and a gain for the revolution.
If you study true revolutionary uprising like ones in Cuba, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, and Nicaragua. One learns that there were times of chaos and tragically innocents were killed and harmed, but there were also clear tactics, objectives, organization, and an overwhelming desire to liberate and uplift the community.
Did people seize control of Parker Center? Did they occupy city hall? Did they go after the banks or the rich on the westside? Can anyone find any evidence of a communal mindset? No!
The mass looting and destruction were akin to a massive dose of narcotics for the oppressed in LA. A self-destructive,accessible way to unleash their rage, frustration, and desire for liberation. Individual taking of material goods doesn't add up to a communal redistribution of wealth. There is a reason the LAPD didn't do anything in the beginning. Why stop the oppressed from doing themselves in?
When the sense of empowerment and joy quickly faded, ashes, rubble and too many broken lives remained. And this rank capitalist system had its proof to further militarize the streets without an organized, militant people to challenge it. Instead of controlling banks or supermarkets, people of color had to clean up rubble from the streets and identify dead loved ones.
Were their exploitative KA businesses? Yes. Do these work places need to be worker controlled ? Yes. But the majority KA businesses were mom and pop with people just making ends meet.
It was this racist, capitalist system that placed KA's within other communities of colors as merchants. It was the system that created the bankrupt analysis that the KA's were the crux of the problem. The rage and hatred for this system of directed towards us, so as to prevent a true uprising.
Finally the masses of KA's in LA are working class or just climbing above, we have are fucked up problems the we need to solve. Our racist behavior towards other people of color needs to end, but we are also tired of facing racism from whites and other people of color.
White supremacy is the enemy not other people of color. And burning down our communities and dishing out slurs is not going to stop this system. Events like Sa-I-Gu are a fucking poor way to create radical third world unity, which is the only force that can take down this system.
In the early 20 century, when labor struggles were beginning to develop along revolutionary lines, a massive demonstration was held in San Francisco. Tens thousands of workers were rallied against capitalism.
The leaders of the demonstration declared that the capitalist bosses would be destroyed, but first they said, the Chinese must be purged. The Chinese were considered coniving and a parasite on the community.
The demonstration descended on Chinatown and spent three days destroying it and murdering people.
In struggle,
Sa-I-Gu Witness