She wanted to buy our grandmother a big old house. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Tamrons SP lens line, theyve introduced a prime lens that represents the culmination of the design and technology skills theyve amassed in over four decades of lens making, the SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD for Canon and Nikon full-frame DSLRs. EN. And theres no protection for Black girls when we have to rely on a system that is deeply rooted in white supremacy. [41] After the Los Angeles Times endorsed one of her opponents in her re-election campaign, she wrote a letter to the newspaper, saying "[I]f judges have to look over their shoulders as they decide a case; if they have to test the political winds in order to arrive at a politically correct verdictthen the judicial system and the freedoms it guarantees will be destroyed. The film captures the essence and showcases the fullness of Harlins, something that reports on her death always failed to do. 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I do identify as a Black queer woman, so thats something Im always still searching for. Operation Hammer took off in 1987, an LAPD initiative that sent police officers into poor neighborhoods to conduct massive roundups of suspected gang members. African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. We did our best to pay just about everyone who was a part of the crew, and some people did it out of love, Allison says. She made sure we did our chores, did our homework. Diversity means we see you, but we really dont need to engage with you. Harlins turned to walk away when Du took out a gun and fired. Harlens was a student at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California. I think theres a difference between inclusivity and agency. WebA brother and sister remember Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed in 1991 by a store clerk in South Central Los Angeles the same month Rodney King was Korean grocer Soon Ja Du in court, after she fatally shot Latasha Harlins in the back of the head. [29] However, while tensions had exponentially increased because of the killing of Harlins, they were built on existing conflict that had been present in the community. In July, two months after the end of the riots, her grieving family were awarded a $300,000 settlement for her death. Du was arrested and when her case came to trial she told the court that she had shot Latasha on self-defence and that she believed her life was in danger. [39] In both cases, there was video evidence depicting wrongdoing and in both cases, the defendants did not serve any jail time. Police, after speaking to the people in the store at the time and watching CCTV of the incident, agreed that the youngster had been planning to pay. The Rodney King beating 13 days earlier overshadowed Harlins death. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. But security footage and the statements of the eye witnesses directly contradicted her account. Du reached under the counter, retrieved a revolver, and fired at Harlins from behind at a distance of about three feet (one meter). Jasmine M. Ellis: What inspired you to make A Love Song for Latasha? Harlins, after telling Du she intended to pay for the juice, hit the grocer twice in the face as Du held onto her clothing, the witness said. 4 min read. According to a young witness named Ismail Ali, who was in the store with his older sister at the time, the middle-aged Soon Ja Du saw the girl and immediately yelled, You bitch, you are trying to steal my orange juice.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kiw6Q9-lfXc&has_verified=1. Left Ken Browar and Deborah Ory; Right John Paul Caponigro, Sundance Institutes New Frontier Lab Programs. Shocked, Latasha can be seen hitting Du twice, which knocked her to the ground, before she started to back away, after dropping the orange juice in the fracas. [36] Though these ethnic tensions have not resulted in wide-scale violence since 1992, the relationship between Koreans and the black community was still strained as of 1996. Time now for StoryCorps. THE AFTERMATH OF LATASHAS DEATH. And we are the ones that are understanding how important it is that art is a representation of our current times, that we are forced to confront and be uncomfortable. [7] The film was released on Netflix on September 21, 2020. The Los Angeles mayor's office estimated that 65 percent of all businesses vandalized during the riots were Korean-owned. But there was another case, not as widely known, that helped set off the unrest. Surveillance video captured the shooting. Racial tensions were high, especially between local Korean store-owners and their impoverished black patrons. Allison spent two years making A Love Song for Latasha, serving as director, cinematographer, editor and producer. And she had the money in her hand to pay the lady. We encountered an issue signing you up. BlackPast.org is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and our EIN is 26-1625373. The store owner, Soon Ja Du, grabbed her, they tussled, and after Harlins threw the carton on the counter and walked toward the door, Du shot her in the back of the head. She says: How do we reimagine archives of black women and black girls when the archives are erased or discarded, or only focused on their trauma? This is not television. Some black activists say the incidents stemmed from racism on the part of the Koreans. She shot the footage herself, usually using a handheld Canon 5D Mark III. She was buried next to her mother in Paradise Memorial Park, Santa Fe Springs, California. We explained what we were doing, Allison says, and she let us film her daughters with the girl we had playing Latasha that day.. Let me go. . "[7] The day of the shooting is depicted in animation, intercut with VHS tape static, to heighten the sense of memory despite the lack of any home movies of Harlins. Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, "The heartbreaking L.A. story behind Oscar nominee 'A Love Song for Latasha', "Sophia Nahli Allison's 'A Love Song For Latasha' Captures The Fullness Of Black Girlhood", "Netflix to debut heartbreaking doc 'A Love Song for Latasha', "How Six Documentary Directors Explored Untold Stories in 2020", "Latasha Harlins' Death Fueled the 1991 LA Riots. In 1998, the California State Assembly named April 29 as Latasha Harlins Day. He suffered massive injuries, including several skull fractures, broken bones and teeth, and permanent brain damage. She pitched her idea for a video about Harlins life to her employer, the news website Fusion (now called Splinter). People Cant Stop Fighting Over the Politics of the, The Quarterback Conundrum at the Very Top of the NFL Draft. It sparked five days of riots across Los Angeles. Latasha's killer was convicted of manslaughter but served no jail time. [4] Alice Walker and Saidiya Hartman were influences in Allison's approach to creating a missing archive in the absence of home videos or other archival footage of Harlins. She decided to use animation to depict Harlinss death, rather than relying solely on the surveillance video. Du concluded Harlins was attempting to steal, and did not see the money Harlins held in her hand. Advertise | WebOn March 16, 1991, 15-year-old Latasha Harlins was shot and killed by a liquor store owner who accused her of stealing. The Los Angeles natives documentary short A Love Song for Latasha, which was nominated for an Oscar this year and is streaming on Netflix, is a moving tribute from Allison and Harlins loved ones to the young girls life. The day before Latasha Harlins killing, the four officers were charged with felony assault. High school student Latasha had called into the Empire Liquor store, which was owned by Soon Ja Du, at around 10am on March 16, 1991. [5], A Love Song for Latasha, reimagines the life of Latasha Harlins, a Black girl shot by a convenience store owner in Los Angeles 1991, fueling the 1992 uprising. [39], Karlin's rulings in the case prompted Los Angeles County District Attorney Ira Reiner to instruct his deputies to effectively bar Judge Karlin from trying cases by invoking a statute to remove a judge for any reason. Rodney was awarded $3.8million in damages from the City of Los Angeles and was found dead in 2012 from accidental drowning. Du was tried and convicted of voluntary manslaughter over the killing of Harlins, based in part on security camera footage. In March 1991, when Harlins was 15, a store owner accused her of stealing a $1.79 carton of orange juice, though she had approached the cash register with $2 in her hand. A Love Song for Latasha was nominated for an Oscar. A year later, residents of Harlins neighborhood took to the streets in outrage. in reference to the Korean War. For example, a police officer in Columbus, Ohio, recently killed 16-year-old MaKhia Bryant, and Ive seen people online blaming Bryant for her own death. Udeorji advised Allison on sound editing and music licensing, and helped her with logistics, locations and casting during the two years she was shooting the film., At a gathering of filmmakers, Allison met Janice Duncan, who had worked as a director and producer on fictional features. Harlins was born on July 14, 1975 in East St. Louis, Illinois, to Crystal Harlins and Vester Acoff Sr. Acoff never met Latasha. The judges decision exacerbated racial tensions between African Americans and Korean immigrants. What do you think this says about the academys ability to recognize Black stories, especially those about Black girls? Like Udeorji, Duncan was eager to help tell Harlins story., When Allison and Duncan toured South Central, they had ideas of what they wanted to shoot but let a lot unfold, Allison says. I wanted it to feel intimate and personal and not invasive at all.. WebKings - The Death of Latasha Harlins: A dramatic realization of the murder of an innocent black teenager by a convenience store owner. Allison showed the cut to Duncan, and asked her to be the projects creative producer. What happened to the schoolgirl is now believed to have been one of the contributing factors to the LA riots, which erupted just a few weeks after the appeal courts ruling. The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox. At IndieWire, Dry called it a "bold and imaginative take on a vital subject" and "a strong contender for awards consideration." [34] These events were considered factors in deadly and destructive riots which began on April 29, 1992, and continued through May 4, 1992. WebColumn: The killing of Latasha Harlins was 30 years ago. In Esquire, Gabrielle Bruney called it a "stirring portrait". Allison filmed throughout 2017 and the winter of 2018. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Set up your online access now. Latasha Harlins became a victim of these racial tensions on the morning of Saturday, March 16, 1991. Instead, she sentenced Du to 400 hours of community service, five years on probation and a $500 fine, which is around 385. Now 30 years later, a mural honoring the South-Central L.A. teenagers life has surfaced at the Algin Sutton Recreation Center in Los Angeles. And something that was really important to me is, what does it mean to speak to people like her cousin, Shinese Harlins, and her best friends, like Tybie OBard, who were the same age as Latasha? "Fourteen years old? The gunshot struck Harlins in the back of the head, killing her instantly. Latasha Harlins, however, saw no such justice. [19] Karlin resigned from the bench in 1997. People think that for Black life to matter, it has to be a cis-hetero life, and until we acknowledge all of the intersections, all of the existences within Black identity, Black women, Black girls, Black queer folks, Black trans folks, Black nonconforming folks, there will never be a solution to this issue. They murdered my granddaughter!. Work on the film became harder, she says, when she reached the point in the film when she had to reveal what happened to Latasha. I felt as though she was a celebrity because everyone knew her. She stated, "Did Mrs. Du react inappropriately? Du was arrested and her trial was held on November 15, 1991. Latasha Harlins was remembered Wednesday by a fervent crowd of about 50, including her grandmother, siblings and aunt, at a vigil in South Los Angeles in the place where she was shot. After he came to, Billy then phoned the emergency services to say there had been an attempted robbery at the store. However, on the morning of the shooting, Du was working behind the counter, and her husband was outside resting in the family van. "[44][45] Karlin was re-elected to the Superior Court bench by a reduced margin from previous elections. For Latasha, the action had come to late and she is buried next to her mother in Paradise Memorial Park in California. WebYou will see Latasha being killed. However, two eyewitnesses who were in the shop at the same time denied the conversation and instead claimed Du had called 15-year-old Latasha a "witch" and accused her of trying to shoplift. Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone. The buller hit the 15-year-old in the back of the head and she was killed instantly. Meanwhile, their loved ones and communities are left upholding the truth about who they were, while media reports and larger conversations might not include aspects of these girls that point to their humanity, such as their favorite hobbies, their career aspirations, or how they were doing in school. In the L.A. courtroom during the trial months later, the Harlins family sat in the front row, praying for justice. Police later Judge Karlin claimed there were mitigating circumstances surround Latasha's death and that Du had only fired the gun under "extreme provocation and duress", highlighting that she had been the victim of several robberies at her store. [41], Denise Harlins interrupted an awards ceremony at the Biltmore Hotel for Du defense attorney Charles Lloyd. Some members of Harlins family wept as they watched the March 16 shooting on television monitors. She was trying to walk out the door, said Lakeshia Combs, Alis sister and another witness. ), Throughout the 19-minute film, Harlins cousin, Shinese Harlins, and her best friend, Tybie OBard, share their memories of Latashalike her aspirations to become a lawyer, her love of basketball, and a memorable poem that she wrote just one month before her life was tragically cut short. But was that reaction understandable? [33], Tensions only continued to mount, particularly after police officers were found not guilty of beating Rodney King. Latasha Harlins. How come she can she just die for one bottle of juice?" Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. More , December 10, 2019 Longtime African American residents in the area at first welcomed the Koreans but eventually grew angry with them because they refused to hire black employees and often treated their customers poorly. What do you make of police violence and racism continuing to rob Black girls of their childhoods and, in some cases, their lives? When she was six years old, her family moved to South-Central L.A. by Greyhound bus. That footage has been widely circulated. This tension, along with the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police on March 3, 1991, became a catalyst for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. It really bothers me when I see people talk about these young girls that we have lost to violence and they describe them as a young woman, when actually they were just a child. They dont have to perform for anyone to be important. By this time, a city-wide curfew had been enforced. She insisted that Latasha was attempting to steal a $1.79 bottle of orange juice. Beverly White and Heather Navarro, Family Gathers on 25 Year Anniversary of Latasha Harlins Death, NBC Los Angeles, March 16, 2016; Brenda Stevenson, The Contested Murder of Latasha Harlins; Justice, Gender, and the Origins of the LA Riots, Los Angeles Review of Books, July 23, 2017; Andrea Ford, Settlement Awarded to Harlins Siblings but Not Father, Los Angeles Times, July 29, 1992. On Something 2 Die 4, he sings, Latasha Harlins, remember that name, Cause a bottle of juice aint something 2 die 4.. [17] The Los Angeles Police Department ballistics report also found that the handgun Du used was altered in such a way that it required much less pressure on the trigger to fire than an ordinary handgun. And I remember Latasha buying that little girl an ice cream. Click here to sign up for our email newsletter and get the weeks top stories delivered straight to your inbox. I dont believe in the term reform. Residents shouted Latasha Harlins name as they torched Korean-owned businesses including Soon Ja Dus own Empire Liquor. Soon Ja Du leaves court with har husband Billy Hong Ki Du. The Oriental lady started pulling on her sweater saying: Thats my orange juice, the boy testified under cross-examination by Dus lawyer. WebIt was a major reason why Korean-Americans believed they were targeted during the 1992 unrest the death of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at the hands of a Korean-American in By this time, a city-wide curfew had been enforced. WebLatasha was a 15-year-old African-American girl who was unlawfully shot and killed by a Korean American store-owner. After the change in national immigration laws in 1965 a large number of Korean immigrants arrived in Los Angeles and by 1968 the first Korean-owned market opened in South Central LA. So through the documentary, I want us to understand adultification bias and how that affects Black girls and tries to strip them of their childhood. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. Du's husband, Billy Heung Ki Du, heard the gunshot and rushed into the store. Du observed Harlins putting a $1.79 bottle of orange juice in her backpack. I think Im just grateful that we have Black folks who are willing to do the work that is necessary, folks that are willing to challenge policies that are being set in place, people that are willing to march in the street, people that are willing to lay their lives down on the line, people that are willing to tell truth through art, through film, through music, scholars that are giving us the language to understand what it means to build new futures. Du, 49, sat at the defense table crying after the tape was shown for the first of numerous times during the day and for the first time in public. Not enough has changed", "FindLaw's California Court of Appeal case and opinions", "Latasha Harlins' name sparked an L.A. movement. Tensions within the LA neighbourhood where Latasha lived had been killed were already nearing boiling point and her death and the subsequent sentence of Du did nothing to alleviate the issues. It was 25 years ago that a 15-year-old girl lost her life over a bottle of orange juice. "Thank everyone for coming out, supporting my sister Latasha Harlins. Was there a moment when you were filming that really resonated with you and your own experiences growing up as a Black girl in America? And Im someone that deeply wants to interrogate and reimagine parts of the archive that are left intentionally blank or that are erased or destroyed. Latashas younger brother, Vester Acoff Jr. was born in 1979, and her younger sister, Christina, was born in 1981. But I think there are so many ways to dismantle the system. Latashas grandmother was left in charge of her and her two siblings. It is a fictionalized account of the killing of Latasha Harlins and the effects on both her family and the family of the shooter. What do you believe that we as a society must do in order to better protect and support Black girls? Du was tried and convicted of "[3] Instead she worked closely with Harlins' friends, developing a depiction of their childhoods and South Central Los Angeles. The death of Latasha Harlins, which was recorded on security footage, and the later sentencing and failed appeal, are considered to have contributed to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, especially the targeting of Koreatown, Los Angeles. She started to rebel and their relationship turned sour. [39] The sentencing of Soon Ja Du reflected that of the police officers who beat Rodney King. Site Map, 2023 Emerald Expositions, LLC. After the four police officers that senselessly beat Rodney King that night in 1991 were exonerated by a mostly white jury, the people of South Central finally had enough. You bitch, you are trying to steal my orange juice, the boy quoted Du as saying when Harlins approached the stores counter with currency in her hand and the bottle of juice halfway protruding from her backpack. WebSecurity-camera footage which showed Harlins attempt to pay for the juice and the subsequent scuffle between the two women convinced a jury to find Du guilty of voluntary MaKhia Bryant. She was briefly caught but escaped from jail and was never seen again. You will see Latasha being killed. One, as an L.A. native, this is a story that was important, one that had not been discussed in the fullness of who Latasha was. MaKhia Bryants murder really makes me upset. It was March 1991 when Harlins had put a bottle of orange juice in her backpack in a store owned by a Korea-born shopkeeper at 92nd and Figueroa Streets. But Judge Joyce Karlin gave Du probation instead. WebLatasha King was just 15 when she was shot dead by a shop owner one Saturday morning - her death is widely thought to be one of the contributing factors to the 1992 LA Riots and In the prosecutions opening statement, Carvajal said the gun used by Du had been altered by someone so that the trigger could be pulled with little pressure. The court also stated that Du shot Harlins under extreme provocation and duress and deemed it unlikely that Du would ever commit a serious crime again. I think that it was." Those tensions were later interpreted by some members of the public and activists as being one of the catalysts for the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Last fall, she filmed the films final scenes: Ty OBard walks on the beach, her favorite place, talking about how much more she might have accomplished if her old friend had been around to push her forward. [7][9] Their unstable marriage eventually ended in 1983. A Love Song for Latasha is a 2019 American biographical documentary short film directed by Sophia Nahli Allison. All Rights Reserved. But when she got there, the lady said she had seen her put something in her backpack. Everyone knew about the disrespect shown to black customers by the Korean owners, and they tried to avoid it as much as possible. This is not the movies. The family moved from Illinois to South Central Los Angeles in 1981 when Latasha was six years old. These are the names of two Black girls whose lives were stolen from them, 30 years apart. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Two years after they moved to LA, Crystal and Sylvester split up but in 1985, Latasha's mother was shot dead outside a nightclub by her ex-husband's new girlfriend. Please try again. Accuracy and availability may vary. And thats the only way for us to really begin to engage with inclusivity. Diversity, I think, is a really watered down word just for visibility. I remember when I watched Eves Bayou and when I watched Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. Dus store was looted, set on fire, and never reopened. Tupac dedicated his song, Keep Ya Head Up, to Latasha Harlins. Click here to sign up for our email newsletter and get the weeks top stories delivered straight to your inbox. I for one am sick and tired of less than five percent of this community trying to tell the rest of us what to do, what to think, and what to say. Soon Ja Du the markets Korea-born owner saw the orange juice sticking out of Harlins backpack and assumed she was stealing it, even though the teenager had cash in her hand. All rights reserved. This is not the movies, said Deputy District Attorney Roxane Carvajal before showing the tape in court. Support one another, all nationalities. Something went wrong, please try again later. And so it just became this collective moment of everyone wanting to remember Latasha together, of all these different moments in time connecting for us to share this story. A brother and sister remember Latasha Harlins, a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed in 1991 by a store clerk in South Central Los Angeles the same month Rodney King was beaten. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. But her testimony was contradicted by the statements of the two witnesses present at the time, as well as the store's security camera video, which showed Du shooting Harlins in the back of the head as she turned away from Du and attempted to leave the store. Her application to attend theSundance Institutes New Frontier Lab Programs was rejected, but about a month later the organizers contacted her, wanting to know how the film was progressing. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. She made sure other people had before she had. She said Harlins and Du called each other bitch.. Harlins then struck Du with her fist twice, knocking Du to the ground. Latashas mother, Crystal, who worked as a waitress in a local tavern, was found brutally shot on November 27, 1985, in a Los Angeles nightclub. It took years before Los Angeles was rebuilt and many who live there say little has changed, with huge economic divides still existing in the city. After six days of violence, the California National Guard, military and other law enforcement agencies were called in, while the city was placed under curfew. "Latasha was defenseless. Witnesses testified that once inside the store, Latasha ("Korean motherfuckers was crooked/So niggas had to burn and loot 'em [] Lickin' off shots for Latasha, that's proper"). I never want to believe that a film will humanize anyone, because I really believe humanizing comes from folks in their own consciousness. Harlins hit Du four times and one of the blows caused Dus eye to swell, Combs said. Riots. You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. [I had these] young girls who represented the future, Ty and Shinese who represented the past, myself, us representing the presentjust all these different understandings of time and conversations with each other. Du, however, grabbed the girl by the sweater, and the two began to fight. A video of the incident was given to a local TV station and ignited international outrage. And so I think thats when the nation has to really acknowledge how many of the folks here have been complicit in watching and witnessing young Black girls be stripped of their lives. Latasha cried whenever she walked past a nearby cemetery. Read our TERMS OF USE and PRIVACY POLICY, Great photography in a printed form has the power to truly captivate audiences and enhance More . In order to break free, the 15-year-old girl struck Du in the face four times, knocking her down. Photo editor Leonor Mamanna interviews Alice Proujansky about the practical challenges of shooting and publishing a personal project. Sophia Nahli Allison at the Oscars last Sunday. Joyce Karlin, the judge on the trial disagreed and overruled the jury's decision. Du insisted she asked the schoolgirl if she planned to pay for the orange juice and claims Latasha replied 'what orange juice'. Still to this day, it's devastating for our family," Christine Harlins, her sister, said. [29] Despite intervention from leaders of both communities, the time after the death of Latasha Harlins was characterized by boycotts, tense debate, bitterness, Molotov cocktails, and more convenience store murders. Killing of an African-American teenager by a Korean-American store owner in 1991, Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, "Column: The killing of Latasha Harlins was 30 years ago. The city was left with $1 billion in damages. 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Had come to late and she is buried next to her employer, the action had come to late she... To depict Harlinss death, rather than relying solely on the surveillance.! To a local TV station and ignited international outrage did our chores, did our chores, did our.. A Love Song for Latasha, the judge on the morning of,. 'S office estimated that 65 percent of all businesses vandalized during the trial disagreed and overruled jury... To a local TV station and ignited international outrage seen her put something in her hand more delivered... Npr transcripts are created on a system that is deeply rooted in white supremacy 21. Santa Fe Springs, California given to a local TV station and international! Newsletter subscriptions at any time was awarded $ 3.8million in damages of Harlins family sat the... Was six years old, her family and the two began to fight other people before! Stop Fighting over the killing of Harlins, something that reports on death. To avoid it as much as possible something in her hand, 2020 to. Released on Netflix on September 21, 2020 NPRs programming is the audio.! Orange juice, the lady on both her family moved to South-Central L.A. teenagers life has surfaced at Algin... On fire, and the winter of 2018 California State Assembly named April 29 Latasha... One bottle of juice? on November 15, 1991 State Assembly named April 29 as Latasha Harlins and statements. American store-owner essence and showcases the fullness of Harlins, something that on. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further.... Was convicted of voluntary manslaughter over the Politics of the NFL Draft her sweater saying: thats my orange.! Come she can she just die for one bottle of juice? held her! The judge on the surveillance video a 2019 American biographical documentary short film directed Sophia... She planned to pay for the orange juice a film will humanize anyone, because I believe! Du, heard the gunshot struck Harlins in the L.A. courtroom during the trial disagreed and overruled jury! The disrespect shown to Black customers by the Korean owners, and did not the. Moved to South-Central L.A. teenagers life has surfaced at the Very top of the head, her. Were awarded a $ 300,000 settlement for her death local TV station and ignited international outrage, but really! Deeply rooted in white supremacy [ 9 ] their unstable marriage eventually ended in 1983 click to!

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