Quid Pro Quo

 
            In Harlem: Dark Weather Vane Alain Locke writes that “the Negro is not merely the man who shouldn't be forgotten; he is the man who cannot safely be ignored.” Referring to the Harlem riots as an example of how discontent could turn into threatening violence. The Harlem Riot of 1935 showed that African Americans in Harlem have a voice, and need to be heard. What occurred in Bedford-Stuyvesant and in Flatbush fifty years later not only shows that African Americans and people from the West Indies shouldn’t be ignored, it also shows how a city of rich cultural diversity could cause misapprehension between different ethnic groups.
            The Harlem Riot of 1935 occurred for many reasons; discontent among African Americans suffering from unemployment, discrimination, and even a semi-convincing story of what happened to the “12 year old” Lino Rivera. The events the occurred in the 1980’s offer a stark resemblance to what happened in Harlem, except for the fact that African Americans had gained more rights then they had in 1935. A similar incident occurred in the Tropic Market in Bed-Stuy where a woman supposedly stole fish, when the Korean merchants asked to search her bag she refused. She claimed that she was beaten and assaulted. Protesters gathered and eventually demands were made, and the market was shut down. 
            Like in Harlem, the incident in Bed-Stuy shows that the resident population of these two areas was not entirely happy with having their retail, and produce stores owned and operated by people of another race. The resident population of these areas believed that they had the right to control their community and that foreign merchants were a hindrance to African American success. The boycott that occurred in Brooklyn by the December 12 Movement was not a proclamation against Koreans (even though a lot of anti-Asian sentiment was occurring during those years) it was as Robert Carson puts it “an overall campaign to control our community and not a campaign against the Korean people.”
            Even though Robert Carson states that this was not a “campaign against the Korean people”, I am not entirely sure that this is true. Had the merchants in these stores been Jewish, or White this incident would probably have never had occurred. Because of the fact that Asian Americans, especially Koreans were being treated, with such disdain in the media might have something to do with it. I was surprised to read that the Korean merchants agreed to the demands of the December 12 Movement. It seemed as if the Korean merchants were heavily underrepresented and that is why they had to concede. Had the December 12 Movement campaigned against a Jewish store, the Jewish storeowner would have shown more reliance. Simply because of the fact that the Jews were not being defaced in the media, and they would have more powerful organizations to combat these attacks.
            The Irony in this is that African Americans who had at one time rebelled against a legitimate white presence in Harlem, are boycotting and attacking a small immigrant group in Brooklyn. In reality the Koreans only owned 5,000 stores in the city at the time, and the stores that they owned catered to the needs of the people from the West Indies.
            In Harlem in 1935, the government got seriously involved in the situation. They brought together a team of experts to find what caused the riot. However, in the case of the Tropic Market no government team was created to investigate these incidents. It seems as if politicians were trying to distance themselves as far as possible from this incident. In fact in the article it says exactly that. None of the people in city office wanted to get in between the two groups.
            Another aspect, which contributed the outbreak of violence, was that resident population believed that Korean merchants were not polite or outgoing. They did not realize that in Korea it is impolite to look someone in the eyes, or to touch their hand when giving them change. “To Americans the missing signs of friendliness were signs of rudeness.”
            I feel like there were many factors that allowed this event to occur and drag on. It seems like the stars aligned against the Korean Americans. During a time of recession, and social unrest this incident seems to have been the straw that broke the camels back. It gave African Americans a reason to show their disgust with the city. With the support of an African American mayor, they had more security. I still feel as if the Korean Americans were poorly treated in this case. Had the Korean Americans been better organized they could have probably avoided this whole situation.