Liquor Store Dreams
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
Growing up a daughter of Korean immigrants who ran a liquor store in a South LA neighborhood, So Yun Um decided that what she wanted to do more than anything else, was become a filmmaker, much to the bemusement of her father. In this vibrant and bold film, So turns the camera on herself, her community and her friends, and documents a rarely seen slice of the American dream as she struggles with creating her own path in life.
Director and liquor store baby, So Yun Um and her father have never seen eye to eye on anything, especially not her career choices. Although his liquor store has provided her financial stability to dream big, there’s tension between father and daughter, and how their Korean culture and store have had a complicated past within a Black community. So goes on a journey to unpack this tension as well as the generational divide between her and her father. In contrast, in the wake of his father’s passing, Danny Park quits his dream job at Nike and returns home to help his mother run the family store on Skid Row. Unlike So, he’s inexplicably drawn towards home, with a dream of uniting the Black and Korean communities at his store. He’s immediately determined to create a path different from his father’s but soon realizes the insurmountable weight of being a small business owner.
Liquor Store Dreams is a portrait of two second-generation Korean Americans trying to create their own future by honoring their parent’s past through understanding and healing.
YurikoCollege Student in New York
"I cried a lot and so did the people around me. We were collectively crying and sniffling. This movie has already started the work of community building and it hasn't even officially premiered yet!"
AngieLos Angeles
"Feeling very emotional and incredibly moved by So's beautiful storytelling of Liquor Store Dreams. I hope everyone gets a chance to watch."
Paul |Chicago
"I loved this film and all the people whose stories were featured in it. You should be very, very proud!"
MollyLocal citizen of Koreatown Los Angeles
"It was so touching, beautiful, and just really really good. So Many emotions ❤
Citation
Main credits
Um, So Yun (film director)
Um, So Yun (film producer)
Kim, Eddie (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, So Yun Um, Dawn Shim; editing, Christina Sun Kim; music, Sal Gabriel.
Distributor subjects
Social Justice; African American Community; Asian American Community; Immigrant Community; LA Riots; BLM; Homelessness; Mental Health and Wellness; Racial Reconciliation; Latasha Harlins; George Floyd; Rodney KingKeywords
00:00:00.625 --> 00:00:02.627
[Korean Trot music]
00:00:48.548 --> 00:00:51.468
My dad is the hardest working
person, I know.
00:00:52.093 --> 00:00:55.346
He manages the family
liquor store with great care,
00:00:55.513 --> 00:00:58.683
15 hours a day,
365 days a year.
00:01:30.340 --> 00:01:32.425
Come. Closer.
00:02:42.662 --> 00:02:44.330
Who would've guessed
that a child
00:02:44.330 --> 00:02:45.707
of a liquor store owner
like me
00:02:45.707 --> 00:02:47.417
would want to make films?
00:02:48.793 --> 00:02:50.670
That's me, So.
00:02:51.671 --> 00:02:54.215
I'm a liquor store baby
00:02:54.215 --> 00:02:57.635
and I have big dreams.
00:02:59.888 --> 00:03:02.974
[Whimsical music]
00:04:06.204 --> 00:04:07.830
Good. Very good.
00:04:27.183 --> 00:04:28.434
When I was 10,
00:04:28.685 --> 00:04:30.645
my parents purchased their
first liquor store
00:04:30.645 --> 00:04:31.604
in Long Beach.
00:04:33.314 --> 00:04:35.692
I have an appreciation for
the family business.
00:04:36.526 --> 00:04:38.569
It brought us
financial security.
00:04:40.863 --> 00:04:42.073
Growing up,
00:04:42.156 --> 00:04:44.075
because my parents worked
so much,
00:04:44.200 --> 00:04:46.494
the television and movies
were my babysitter.
00:04:49.330 --> 00:04:51.499
Watching Justin Lin's
Better Luck Tomorrow
00:04:51.499 --> 00:04:54.043
showed me that I could
also become a filmmaker
00:04:54.252 --> 00:04:57.046
as I saw my angsty yet
sheltered life on screen,
00:04:58.965 --> 00:05:02.093
but later, discovering
Spike Lee movies showed me
00:05:02.218 --> 00:05:03.678
a completely different world.
00:05:05.054 --> 00:05:07.140
[Funky Jazz music]
00:05:08.808 --> 00:05:11.102
I loved how he made
politically charged films
00:05:11.102 --> 00:05:14.147
with tons of fun, flair,
and sincerity.
00:05:17.483 --> 00:05:19.402
That was probably the
first time
00:05:19.402 --> 00:05:21.821
I was exposed to a Black
artist's POV
00:05:21.821 --> 00:05:23.281
of his experience,
00:05:24.282 --> 00:05:28.244
But even in movies,
I couldn't escape my reality.
00:05:29.412 --> 00:05:31.456
20D Energizers.
00:05:31.748 --> 00:05:33.541
20C Energizers?
00:05:33.750 --> 00:05:35.543
D. Not C, D.
00:05:35.752 --> 00:05:37.003
C Energizers?
00:05:37.170 --> 00:05:38.880
D, motherfucker. D.
00:05:38.880 --> 00:05:40.631
Learn to speak English first,
all right?
00:05:40.631 --> 00:05:41.341
D.
00:05:41.341 --> 00:05:42.633
Motherfuck you.
00:05:42.759 --> 00:05:43.718
Motherfuck-- [chuckles]
00:05:43.801 --> 00:05:45.887
Watching Do The Right Thing
made me realize
00:05:46.012 --> 00:05:47.472
just how common racial
tensions
00:05:47.472 --> 00:05:48.890
and misunderstandings occur
00:05:49.098 --> 00:05:53.603
at so many Korean-owned shops
even across America.
00:05:53.853 --> 00:05:55.563
-You're Korean?
-Yes.
00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:59.359
Do you have any idea
how much money my country
00:05:59.359 --> 00:06:00.485
has given your country?
00:06:00.485 --> 00:06:01.277
You go now.
00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:02.945
As I began to watch
more films,
00:06:03.112 --> 00:06:04.197
I realized that the
00:06:04.197 --> 00:06:06.324
angry Korean liquor store
owner stereotype
00:06:06.699 --> 00:06:08.534
went beyond
Do The Right Thing.
00:06:09.369 --> 00:06:11.454
$6.66.
00:06:11.537 --> 00:06:12.914
What are you going to do?
Shoot us?
00:06:13.122 --> 00:06:14.082
It was all over mainstream
media,
00:06:14.082 --> 00:06:15.792
where we were portrayed
as farcical
00:06:15.917 --> 00:06:18.920
and ultimately disposable
sideline characters.
00:06:19.170 --> 00:06:20.546
[gun firing]
00:06:22.298 --> 00:06:24.050
-I Black.
-You're not Black.
00:06:24.175 --> 00:06:24.884
We Black.
00:06:25.009 --> 00:06:26.469
-Where are you Black at?
-Me Black.
00:06:26.636 --> 00:06:29.138
-I Black.
-Me.You, me, same.
00:06:29.555 --> 00:06:30.765
[laughter]
00:06:31.682 --> 00:06:34.644
It was as if Spike Lee
predicted the future.
00:06:36.062 --> 00:06:38.564
The violence began around
five o'clock Pacific time
00:06:38.689 --> 00:06:40.024
in the area around this
liquor store.
00:06:40.191 --> 00:06:42.360
This is live right now.
This is live.
00:06:42.443 --> 00:06:44.445
Guns drawn.
You don't see this very often.
00:06:44.612 --> 00:06:46.489
Okay, this is unprecedented.
00:06:46.531 --> 00:06:48.074
We haven't seen firing
like this
00:06:48.074 --> 00:06:49.617
in the streets of Los Angeles.
00:06:50.493 --> 00:06:53.538
30 years after the 1992
LA Uprising,
00:06:53.579 --> 00:06:56.124
my family is some of the last
generation of Koreans
00:06:56.249 --> 00:06:57.458
who still own liquor stores
00:06:57.458 --> 00:07:00.086
in predominantly Black
and Brown neighborhoods.
00:07:06.092 --> 00:07:07.844
[ticking clock]
00:07:08.136 --> 00:07:10.054
But even after all these
years,
00:07:10.638 --> 00:07:12.807
when I step into my
parent's store,
00:07:13.224 --> 00:07:15.268
it's as if we're stuck
in time.
00:07:27.572 --> 00:07:29.907
All the shame and rage I felt
growing up
00:07:29.907 --> 00:07:31.325
in my parent's store,
00:07:31.534 --> 00:07:33.202
has been fueling my desire
00:07:33.202 --> 00:07:34.996
to film our lives in this
place.
00:08:52.281 --> 00:08:54.242
[Contemplative music]
00:08:55.660 --> 00:08:58.246
I'm surprised he acknowledged
our generational gap,
00:08:58.454 --> 00:08:59.455
because usually,
00:08:59.664 --> 00:09:00.831
our conversation leads to
00:09:00.831 --> 00:09:03.793
more misunderstandings
and fights.
00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:06.170
And lately,
00:09:06.170 --> 00:09:08.798
our main disagreement has
been about my life choices.
00:09:40.288 --> 00:09:43.124
And when will my parents
stop thinking that marriage
00:09:43.249 --> 00:09:45.084
is the answer to everything?
00:09:54.510 --> 00:09:56.012
Good for her.
00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:14.196
Forever?
00:10:15.323 --> 00:10:16.616
So sad.
00:10:29.420 --> 00:10:32.173
Whenever I feel discouraged or
start thinking that my dreams
00:10:32.173 --> 00:10:33.633
are hard to achieve,
00:10:33.841 --> 00:10:35.801
there is one person that
inspires me
00:10:35.926 --> 00:10:40.056
to think differently and dare
to dream the impossible.
00:10:42.808 --> 00:10:44.727
I just want to see it...
00:10:45.770 --> 00:10:49.523
Meet Danny,
a fellow liquor store baby.
00:10:59.533 --> 00:11:01.535
Growing up, I asked myself,
00:11:01.535 --> 00:11:04.413
"If I could work anywhere,
where would it be?"
00:11:08.250 --> 00:11:10.378
The one place I could think
of was Nike.
00:11:13.923 --> 00:11:17.134
I've always wanted to do
branding work for them.
00:11:39.949 --> 00:11:44.203
I ran from my home,
Los Angeles up to Portland,
00:11:44.370 --> 00:11:46.997
because that's where the
Nike World Headquarters is.
00:11:52.461 --> 00:11:54.547
It took me 45 days of running.
00:11:55.631 --> 00:11:58.300
The job I wanted to do was
storytell.
00:11:58.718 --> 00:12:01.721
For me, that's what Nike
always represented.
00:12:01.846 --> 00:12:03.264
Just go for it and
have courage.
00:12:22.283 --> 00:12:24.368
I dropped off my resume,
portfolio, cover letter,
00:12:24.368 --> 00:12:25.536
and I was like,
00:12:25.536 --> 00:12:26.746
"Just did it."
00:12:27.997 --> 00:12:30.082
[Uplifting music]
00:12:32.626 --> 00:12:35.087
Getting a job at Nike,
it was a big deal.
00:12:35.254 --> 00:12:37.089
Of course,
my mom was very happy.
00:12:37.965 --> 00:12:39.467
Everybody was really proud.
00:12:39.633 --> 00:12:41.343
Working at a well-known
company like that,
00:12:41.343 --> 00:12:44.513
there's a sense of prestige.
00:12:44.513 --> 00:12:47.683
Yeah. My dad's favorite brand
is Nike, because of the motto,
00:12:47.767 --> 00:12:48.893
-"Just do it."
-”Just do it.”
00:12:48.893 --> 00:12:50.311
He always says, "Just do it."
00:12:50.478 --> 00:12:53.272
I'm like,
"I'm trying. I'm really trying."
00:12:53.397 --> 00:12:55.941
Now I'm asking,
"Why just do it?"
00:13:10.915 --> 00:13:12.917
Thank you for calling
Hanmi Bank.
00:13:14.126 --> 00:13:16.629
A couple years ago my dad
had passed away.
00:13:21.342 --> 00:13:23.677
While I was working at Nike,
00:13:23.928 --> 00:13:24.970
I was also...
00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:27.973
flying back twice a month
to help out with the store.
00:13:31.769 --> 00:13:33.062
Good morning.
00:13:33.187 --> 00:13:34.396
-Good morning.
-Good morning.
00:13:35.314 --> 00:13:36.398
-How are you?
-How are you?
00:13:36.524 --> 00:13:37.691
-All right.
-All right.
00:13:37.858 --> 00:13:38.943
All right, all right.
00:13:39.944 --> 00:13:41.278
After my dad passing away,
00:13:41.278 --> 00:13:43.906
my mom running the store
by herself, and...
00:13:44.907 --> 00:13:47.284
knowing that that's
very difficult
00:13:47.284 --> 00:13:49.662
to manage a store of
this capacity,
00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:53.541
I ultimately made the decision
to quit my job
00:13:53.666 --> 00:13:55.543
and do my thing here.
00:13:58.254 --> 00:14:01.090
You don't feel like you had
to forfeit your dream,
00:14:01.257 --> 00:14:03.092
because of this and come back?
00:14:03.884 --> 00:14:06.220
I don't feel that at all.
00:14:06.428 --> 00:14:07.888
Yeah, I'm happily here.
00:14:08.138 --> 00:14:10.683
Yeah. It's such a different
contrast.
00:14:11.517 --> 00:14:13.269
I always feel like I would
be burdened
00:14:13.269 --> 00:14:14.645
if my dad were to pass away
00:14:14.645 --> 00:14:16.272
and then to face a
decision whether
00:14:16.272 --> 00:14:17.898
to sell it or actually
take over,
00:14:18.899 --> 00:14:19.567
because...
00:14:19.567 --> 00:14:22.069
didn't they sacrifice so much
so I can do something better?
00:14:22.152 --> 00:14:23.195
-For sure.
-in a way?
00:14:24.029 --> 00:14:25.906
My dad will flip over in
his grave
00:14:25.906 --> 00:14:28.075
if he knew that I was
doing this.
00:14:29.368 --> 00:14:31.787
He didn't even allow
that conversation.
00:14:33.497 --> 00:14:37.376
I hated my dad for
a long period of my life.
00:14:38.002 --> 00:14:41.297
My dad was a very angry man.
00:14:42.298 --> 00:14:44.967
I was at the receiving
end of that.
00:14:50.431 --> 00:14:51.724
I was hurt.
00:14:52.766 --> 00:14:55.269
I was really resentful and
angry
00:14:55.269 --> 00:14:57.438
for a big period of my life.
00:15:00.524 --> 00:15:03.277
It was really awkward because
we spent many many years
00:15:03.402 --> 00:15:04.820
not talking to each other.
00:15:04.987 --> 00:15:09.867
It was awkward,
but I know for sure that
00:15:11.368 --> 00:15:14.079
deep down,
in both of us,
00:15:14.079 --> 00:15:16.123
we both craved it so bad.
00:15:16.707 --> 00:15:17.958
We were hungry for it,
00:15:18.208 --> 00:15:22.004
but we didn't quite have
the communication tools.
00:15:23.714 --> 00:15:27.259
Damn, I wish I knew
more about him now
00:15:28.135 --> 00:15:30.012
and his whole life story
and...
00:15:32.014 --> 00:15:33.432
Yeah.
00:19:02.683 --> 00:19:05.102
It's amazing to see how much
they accomplished.
00:19:07.855 --> 00:19:10.858
How did so many Korean
families in one generation,
00:19:11.066 --> 00:19:12.609
follow the same path?
00:19:18.365 --> 00:19:20.117
When did your parents buy
the store?
00:19:20.117 --> 00:19:21.118
1993
00:19:21.285 --> 00:19:22.661
Oh, wow, okay.
00:19:22.786 --> 00:19:24.121
Wow. That's a really
long time.
00:19:24.121 --> 00:19:24.872
Yeah.
00:19:24.913 --> 00:19:27.833
I was nine years old when we
started. I was a little kid.
00:19:28.917 --> 00:19:32.129
My parents were out of work
for a period of time,
00:19:32.379 --> 00:19:35.382
and then an opportunity came
with this store.
00:19:35.632 --> 00:19:37.301
Enter your pin.
00:19:37.426 --> 00:19:38.969
Okay. Thank you.
How are you doing today?
00:19:39.094 --> 00:19:40.554
I'm fine. How about you?
00:19:42.556 --> 00:19:43.348
Oh, yeah. [chuckles]
00:19:43.473 --> 00:19:45.684
Empty stomach. All right.
00:20:36.151 --> 00:20:39.238
[National Anthem of the
United States]
00:21:40.757 --> 00:21:42.592
[Upbeat music]
00:22:26.678 --> 00:22:30.015
Initially, I was proud of our
vast network.
00:22:31.683 --> 00:22:33.560
But from the local
Black and Brown residents'
00:22:33.560 --> 00:22:34.644
point of view,
00:22:34.936 --> 00:22:37.898
I'm sure it was a completely
different experience.
00:22:39.232 --> 00:22:40.400
By the late '80s,
00:22:40.567 --> 00:22:44.571
Koreans owned 75% of all
liquor stores in South LA.
00:22:46.573 --> 00:22:48.116
How did this happen?
00:22:49.117 --> 00:22:52.871
I decided to ask
UCLA Professor Kyeyoung Park.
00:22:53.455 --> 00:22:54.956
What do you think was the
appeal for
00:22:54.956 --> 00:22:58.794
most Korean immigrants to
come and open liquor stores?
00:22:59.544 --> 00:23:03.048
I don’t think it was appealing
to Korean immigrants.
00:23:03.340 --> 00:23:05.884
There is a stigma attached
to sell liquor,
00:23:05.967 --> 00:23:09.137
because most Korean immigrants
and liquor store owners,
00:23:09.346 --> 00:23:11.640
they didn’t sell liquor in
Korea.
00:23:51.972 --> 00:23:53.515
There is a myth,
00:23:53.515 --> 00:23:57.519
as if Korean immigrants
invented the liquor store,
00:23:57.561 --> 00:23:59.104
and intentionally,
00:23:59.104 --> 00:24:01.940
they started to sell liquor
in South Central.
00:24:02.149 --> 00:24:04.025
That isn't true at all.
00:24:04.693 --> 00:24:08.780
They owned businesses
in other neighborhood
00:24:08.989 --> 00:24:12.075
of similar economic standing.
00:24:12.367 --> 00:24:15.412
That means middle or working
class neighborhood,
00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:17.789
regardless of
race and ethnicity.
00:24:18.039 --> 00:24:21.209
That is why they went to
South Central.
00:24:43.064 --> 00:24:45.692
The only liquor stores I knew
was our own
00:24:45.692 --> 00:24:47.652
and the one stereotyped
in movies.
00:24:50.071 --> 00:24:52.491
If I never learned the history
of the racial injustice in
00:24:52.491 --> 00:24:55.494
South LA before my family
arrived until much later,
00:24:57.662 --> 00:24:59.998
my parents couldn’t have known
more than I did.
00:25:00.540 --> 00:25:03.210
We'll see what's up in this
motherfucker...
00:25:03.543 --> 00:25:05.545
Hey, you ain't got to be
creeping.
00:25:06.379 --> 00:25:09.090
I don’t know why you're trying
to act like you cleaning up.
00:25:09.382 --> 00:25:10.425
Shit.
00:25:11.593 --> 00:25:12.427
Damn.
00:25:12.552 --> 00:25:14.471
You always think we're going
to steal something.
00:25:14.471 --> 00:25:15.597
Hurry up and go.
00:25:16.431 --> 00:25:19.267
But all these shameful images
of us on-screen
00:25:19.601 --> 00:25:21.978
recall back to one real-life
incident
00:25:22.604 --> 00:25:24.981
that my community rarely
talks about.
00:25:26.483 --> 00:25:29.528
Most people understand that
it was the Rodney King verdict
00:25:29.528 --> 00:25:31.112
acquitting four police
officers that
00:25:31.112 --> 00:25:33.240
sparked the 1992 LA Uprising.
00:25:34.824 --> 00:25:36.868
But what some people may
not remember,
00:25:36.993 --> 00:25:39.913
is that only weeks after
the Rodney King beating,
00:25:40.163 --> 00:25:42.374
a Korean store owner named
Soon Ja Du
00:25:42.415 --> 00:25:44.876
shot and killed a 15-year-old
Black teenager
00:25:44.876 --> 00:25:48.922
named Latasha Harlins
over $1.79 bottle of orange juice.
00:25:49.673 --> 00:25:52.676
[Dramatic music]
00:26:00.600 --> 00:26:03.603
I know a criminal when
I see one.
00:26:03.853 --> 00:26:05.522
I know a person who
00:26:05.522 --> 00:26:07.816
presents a danger to the
community when I see one.
00:26:08.483 --> 00:26:12.195
It was an injustice.
Justice has not been served.
00:26:12.320 --> 00:26:15.198
This lady has killed
my 15-year-old granddaughter
00:26:15.323 --> 00:26:18.118
and she got away
with five-years probation.
00:26:18.243 --> 00:26:20.120
This is an injustice.
00:26:20.787 --> 00:26:21.788
The judge ruled
00:26:21.788 --> 00:26:24.165
that the Korean store owner
was not going to receive
00:26:24.165 --> 00:26:26.751
any jail time after killing
a Black teenager.
00:26:29.462 --> 00:26:32.299
Compounded with the acquittal
of the LAPD officers,
00:26:32.382 --> 00:26:34.301
events escalated quickly
00:26:34.426 --> 00:26:36.511
leading to many Korean
owned businesses
00:26:36.636 --> 00:26:39.973
and Koreatown burning
during the 1992 LA Uprising.
00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:50.150
[TV commercial]
00:26:52.611 --> 00:26:55.488
Whenever I experience racial
tension at my store,
00:26:55.739 --> 00:26:57.240
I feel like we are still
connected
00:26:57.240 --> 00:26:59.242
to the controversies of
the past.
00:26:59.993 --> 00:27:01.286
Just like my community
00:27:01.286 --> 00:27:03.580
that has been so quiet about
their shame and pain,
00:27:05.081 --> 00:27:06.625
my dad and I also...
00:27:06.916 --> 00:27:10.503
tend to process our hurt
and pain in isolation.
00:27:10.712 --> 00:27:12.255
[clock ticking]
00:27:12.756 --> 00:27:15.425
There are incidents that
occurred at our store
00:27:16.509 --> 00:27:18.803
that we still haven’t
talked about.
00:27:24.184 --> 00:27:26.645
There is one day
I'll never forget.
00:27:29.481 --> 00:27:31.775
A random group of
teenage girls came in
00:27:31.775 --> 00:27:32.942
and started opening and
00:27:32.942 --> 00:27:34.611
throwing around chips
at one another.
00:27:35.862 --> 00:27:38.448
My dad told them to stop,
but they wouldn’t.
00:27:41.076 --> 00:27:44.037
They stood in front of the
store eating the unpaid chips
00:27:44.037 --> 00:27:45.413
and taunting us.
00:27:47.666 --> 00:27:49.959
My dad went outside
to tell them to leave,
00:27:50.168 --> 00:27:51.753
but they just laughed.
00:27:53.296 --> 00:27:54.798
And then it happened.
00:27:58.802 --> 00:28:02.347
They stood on each side of him
and spit into his face.
00:28:06.393 --> 00:28:09.062
I was standing behind
the bulletproof glass watching
00:28:09.229 --> 00:28:10.939
this all happen in
slow motion.
00:28:11.356 --> 00:28:13.108
I felt paralyzed.
00:28:13.942 --> 00:28:15.568
My mom wanted to chase
after them
00:28:15.568 --> 00:28:16.861
and asked me to come along.
00:28:18.947 --> 00:28:21.533
I said, "It's just chips.
Let it go."
00:28:24.160 --> 00:28:27.997
[Somber music]
00:28:55.233 --> 00:28:58.027
So I get the money from my
mother and I go in the store.
00:28:58.027 --> 00:28:59.571
I grabbed the Mars bar.
00:28:59.988 --> 00:29:01.740
I put it on the counter.
00:29:02.365 --> 00:29:04.701
As I'm counting the change,
00:29:04.701 --> 00:29:07.579
this lady she screams
and she's like,
00:29:07.579 --> 00:29:09.122
"Wait. Hold on.
No. Stop, stop."
00:29:09.122 --> 00:29:10.457
"What are you doing?
What are you doing?"
00:29:10.457 --> 00:29:12.083
"Her mother is outside.
I'm going to go outside."
00:29:12.208 --> 00:29:13.001
"And I'm going to get her
mother."
00:29:13.001 --> 00:29:13.793
"Just wait right there."
00:29:13.793 --> 00:29:15.837
I learned watching the
short film, The Dope Years,
00:29:15.837 --> 00:29:17.797
that Soon Ja Du behaved
recklessly
00:29:17.797 --> 00:29:19.466
and frequently pointed guns
at children.
00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:22.594
As I looked up, I'm looking
down the barrel of a gun.
00:29:22.927 --> 00:29:24.429
Latasha's friend even
warned her
00:29:24.429 --> 00:29:25.764
not to step into that store.
00:29:25.764 --> 00:29:27.098
My mother comes into
the store
00:29:27.098 --> 00:29:28.808
and she said,
"We paid for that."
00:29:28.808 --> 00:29:29.768
"The receipt is in the bag."
00:29:29.768 --> 00:29:31.186
"I asked you for the receipt."
00:29:31.186 --> 00:29:32.771
"We just stepped outside."
00:29:32.771 --> 00:29:34.314
But even if Soon Ja Du's
actions
00:29:34.314 --> 00:29:36.357
didn't represent all
Korean merchants,
00:29:37.859 --> 00:29:39.861
it still created shame in me.
00:29:44.115 --> 00:29:45.575
Maybe my fear of the
liquor store
00:29:45.575 --> 00:29:47.243
has something to do with
this stereotype.
00:29:48.161 --> 00:29:50.663
That I might get stuck
in this place of negativity
00:29:51.915 --> 00:29:54.918
and turn into somebody
that I don’t want to be.
00:30:00.256 --> 00:30:02.383
Yeah, we ran out today,
I think. Miller Lite.
00:30:02.509 --> 00:30:03.968
-Okay.
-Yeah sorry.
00:30:05.595 --> 00:30:06.888
-Right?
-Where'd he go?
00:30:07.013 --> 00:30:08.056
You don't have to stand
so close.
00:30:08.056 --> 00:30:09.098
Wait, where'd he go?
00:30:09.098 --> 00:30:11.017
He left, because there's no
Miller Lite.
00:30:11.142 --> 00:30:13.228
Oh my God.
You lost a fucking sale.
00:30:13.353 --> 00:30:14.229
This is why you can't
work here.
00:30:14.229 --> 00:30:15.814
No, he just wanted to come
here for that.
00:30:16.064 --> 00:30:17.941
If you're a good salesman
you'd be like,
00:30:17.941 --> 00:30:19.609
"Oh, how about a different
beer?"
00:30:19.818 --> 00:30:21.402
Twist that around.
00:30:21.528 --> 00:30:22.529
You're not--
00:30:22.654 --> 00:30:25.240
"There's this new beer
just came out."
00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:27.826
"It's basically similar as
Miller Lite."
00:30:27.951 --> 00:30:30.286
Okay. Well, most people
come here for one thing
00:30:30.370 --> 00:30:31.412
and that's their thing.
00:30:31.412 --> 00:30:32.163
Act like you are a drinker
00:30:32.163 --> 00:30:33.456
even though they know
you're not a drinker.
00:30:33.456 --> 00:30:34.791
That's how you sell.
00:30:34.916 --> 00:30:36.334
Then why don't you run
this place?
00:30:36.501 --> 00:30:37.418
Why-- [chuckles]
00:30:37.544 --> 00:30:39.963
I want to have my own
business. Not this.
00:30:40.630 --> 00:30:41.631
Okay.
00:30:41.840 --> 00:30:42.715
Yes.
00:30:42.924 --> 00:30:44.300
What? Selling bows?
00:30:44.551 --> 00:30:45.552
[chuckles] Oh, shit.
00:30:45.677 --> 00:30:47.387
Cut that out.
Cut that out.
00:30:47.554 --> 00:30:48.763
Cut that out. [chuckles]
00:30:48.972 --> 00:30:50.598
If something would've
happened to Umma and Appa,
00:30:50.723 --> 00:30:52.392
would you take over the store?
00:30:54.561 --> 00:30:56.396
I don't want to do this.
00:30:57.105 --> 00:30:59.023
That's what it comes down to.
I don't.
00:30:59.232 --> 00:31:00.692
But you're so good at it.
00:31:01.693 --> 00:31:03.027
You're a businesswoman.
00:31:03.194 --> 00:31:05.613
Yes, but I'm not good
at doing bitch work.
00:31:06.114 --> 00:31:08.074
This is not bitch work.
You're your own boss.
00:31:08.283 --> 00:31:09.284
Hi.
00:31:13.454 --> 00:31:15.874
How could you say it's bitch
work when our parents do it?
00:31:16.082 --> 00:31:16.583
Huh?
00:31:16.666 --> 00:31:17.834
How could you say it's
bitch work when...
00:31:17.834 --> 00:31:18.710
it's Umma and Appa?
00:31:20.587 --> 00:31:21.629
I can't do this.
00:31:21.838 --> 00:31:23.256
I really can't.
00:31:23.339 --> 00:31:24.465
What about it?
00:31:29.637 --> 00:31:31.180
It wasn't that bad when
we were doing it.
00:31:31.431 --> 00:31:32.473
-Just us two.
-It was.
00:31:32.599 --> 00:31:34.684
We got robbed by a
high school kid.
00:31:34.934 --> 00:31:36.352
Which one? This one?
00:31:43.109 --> 00:31:44.402
[Rock music]
00:32:02.337 --> 00:32:04.964
There must have been good
memories I've forgotten about,
00:32:05.340 --> 00:32:06.841
but in my experience,
00:32:07.091 --> 00:32:08.843
the bad always outweighs
the good.
00:33:36.139 --> 00:33:38.766
I remember the day that
she came home.
00:33:38.933 --> 00:33:40.768
She was really quiet
00:33:40.893 --> 00:33:43.229
and she said something
happened at the store,
00:33:43.312 --> 00:33:44.981
-and--
-She seemed very normal.
00:33:45.523 --> 00:33:48.317
No. When I saw her,
she wasn't.
00:33:48.401 --> 00:33:51.195
She was very quiet
and she's never like that,
00:33:51.362 --> 00:33:53.322
and then she told me
what happened.
00:33:53.656 --> 00:33:57.326
I call mom and dad as
often as I can,
00:33:57.326 --> 00:33:59.454
every day or every other day,
00:33:59.662 --> 00:34:02.498
because I'm scared that
I'm going to get a call from
00:34:02.498 --> 00:34:04.125
someone,
anyone.
00:34:04.125 --> 00:34:06.711
and I'm scared that they're
going to give me bad news.
00:34:08.713 --> 00:34:11.340
I realized now that the liquor
store life has taken a toll
00:34:11.424 --> 00:34:15.553
on each of my family members
and my family as a whole,
00:34:20.266 --> 00:34:22.685
but it's taken the biggest
toll on my dad.
00:34:31.652 --> 00:34:33.821
[Dreamy music]
00:35:22.453 --> 00:35:23.538
A few days later,
00:35:23.663 --> 00:35:26.833
I saw my dad signing away
paperwork to some businessmen.
00:35:30.878 --> 00:35:32.797
After 20 years in the
business,
00:35:32.922 --> 00:35:34.966
he's finally putting
the store up for sale.
00:35:39.804 --> 00:35:41.472
My dad is doing his
best to lift
00:35:41.472 --> 00:35:43.141
the burden of the store
off of all of us.
00:35:47.103 --> 00:35:49.814
The store has served
as a meeting place for me,
00:35:49.939 --> 00:35:52.525
my family, and
different minority communities
00:35:52.733 --> 00:35:55.319
we normally wouldn't encounter
in our daily lives.
00:36:00.074 --> 00:36:01.284
Without the store,
00:36:01.617 --> 00:36:02.785
would we recede back
00:36:02.785 --> 00:36:05.079
only interacting with our
Korean community?
00:36:07.456 --> 00:36:10.751
[street noise]
00:36:14.338 --> 00:36:16.174
-Good morning!
-Hey, good morning.
00:36:17.133 --> 00:36:18.176
See you.
00:36:39.363 --> 00:36:44.160
I recently watched
the Mr. Roger's documentary
00:36:44.160 --> 00:36:45.328
and it really--
00:36:45.578 --> 00:36:47.622
Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.
00:36:48.581 --> 00:36:51.000
There's a lot of parts
that really impacted me,
00:36:52.418 --> 00:36:54.253
and this is something
that he says.
00:36:54.420 --> 00:36:57.632
He says that, "A neighborhood
was a place where at times"
00:36:57.757 --> 00:36:59.842
"that you felt worried,
scared, unsafe,"
00:37:00.134 --> 00:37:01.052
"it would take care of you,"
00:37:01.052 --> 00:37:02.720
"provide understanding,
safety."
00:37:03.137 --> 00:37:04.972
"That's what the
neighborhood is to us."
00:37:05.097 --> 00:37:06.974
"The neighborhood is
not a fantasy place,"
00:37:07.099 --> 00:37:08.559
"where all these people
got together"
00:37:08.559 --> 00:37:10.269
"and everything was
happily ever after."
00:37:10.770 --> 00:37:12.104
'When you have different
people together,"
00:37:12.104 --> 00:37:13.272
"with diverse opinions,"
00:37:13.272 --> 00:37:15.441
"you have conflict.
Real conflict."
00:37:20.238 --> 00:37:21.197
Ah, yeah.
00:37:21.322 --> 00:37:23.032
[laughs]
00:37:24.200 --> 00:37:26.369
I've been here since 2009.
00:37:26.953 --> 00:37:28.412
Doesn't seem too long.
00:37:28.663 --> 00:37:30.831
Days fly by really fast.
00:37:32.458 --> 00:37:36.754
Well, you make mistakes down
in your life.
00:37:37.463 --> 00:37:39.340
You end up in these places
00:37:39.340 --> 00:37:41.634
to help you build yourself
back up.
00:37:42.969 --> 00:37:45.513
We're going to charge you
next time.
00:37:45.638 --> 00:37:48.766
-I'll bring my wallet now.
-It's 75 today.
00:37:50.059 --> 00:37:52.561
The American dream is to have
a good job,
00:37:52.645 --> 00:37:56.023
a house, a good wife,
four kids, two cars,
00:37:56.148 --> 00:38:00.653
and an everlasting pension,
but to me, just to live.
00:38:00.778 --> 00:38:01.737
That's it.
00:38:01.862 --> 00:38:02.655
Oh.
00:38:02.863 --> 00:38:04.198
[laughs]
00:38:04.323 --> 00:38:07.034
Hi. God watch you.
00:38:07.201 --> 00:38:07.827
Yes.
00:38:07.994 --> 00:38:08.995
When I first started working
here,
00:38:08.995 --> 00:38:10.288
I didn't really have any
problems.
00:38:11.163 --> 00:38:14.292
People told me, "Oh, don't
do it. It's not good."
00:38:14.375 --> 00:38:16.085
"They're gonna overwork you."
00:38:16.460 --> 00:38:18.170
"They don't really care
about you."
00:38:18.170 --> 00:38:20.506
"They're just using you
to protect themselves."
00:38:21.924 --> 00:38:24.552
They weren't any type
of racist towards me.
00:38:26.429 --> 00:38:28.139
They speak in their language,
00:38:28.848 --> 00:38:30.599
I don't take that as a
bad thing,
00:38:30.725 --> 00:38:32.226
because that's their tongue.
00:38:32.435 --> 00:38:33.728
That's how they talk to
each other.
00:38:33.853 --> 00:38:35.146
They speak to me in
English.
00:38:36.522 --> 00:38:39.025
Before I started working here,
I really didn't like anybody.
00:38:39.317 --> 00:38:41.027
Everybody was the enemy.
00:38:41.402 --> 00:38:44.322
They taught me that
not everybody is an enemy.
00:38:45.948 --> 00:38:47.283
I'm happy right now.
00:38:48.034 --> 00:38:51.203
Even though
I'm still considered homeless.
00:38:51.662 --> 00:38:53.664
I'm still happy within me.
00:39:47.093 --> 00:39:49.970
Outside of Skid Row,
there's a lot of anger
00:39:50.096 --> 00:39:51.972
and a lot of frustration.
00:39:52.348 --> 00:39:54.934
There's so many deaths,
so many suicides.
00:39:55.434 --> 00:39:57.228
What do we do about all that?
00:40:01.565 --> 00:40:04.068
[Traditional Korean
Percussion music]
00:40:08.948 --> 00:40:11.200
The last time you visited
it was Best Market,
00:40:11.200 --> 00:40:13.786
and this year we had a
transition into
00:40:13.786 --> 00:40:15.538
Skid Row People's Market.
00:40:23.879 --> 00:40:25.381
A lot of the work that
we're trying to do is
00:40:25.548 --> 00:40:27.758
how do we get better food
00:40:27.883 --> 00:40:30.344
at a more affordable price?
00:40:31.053 --> 00:40:32.847
We have a red potato salad
00:40:32.847 --> 00:40:36.517
and tuna salad, all fresh,
packaged here.
00:40:36.809 --> 00:40:38.310
It's also a way that we
could create jobs
00:40:38.310 --> 00:40:40.104
jobs and teach culinary
skills
00:40:40.104 --> 00:40:42.064
to people in the community.
00:40:43.774 --> 00:40:47.903
Using this space for folks
to come together,
00:40:48.070 --> 00:40:51.574
to have conversations,
to talk, meet one another.
00:40:53.951 --> 00:40:55.453
Initially, I got involved
00:40:55.453 --> 00:40:57.830
with going around to
the local little grocers
00:40:57.955 --> 00:41:01.792
to find out actually who was
selling really healthy foods.
00:41:02.001 --> 00:41:07.506
To my amazement, I found that
the store here actually have
00:41:07.631 --> 00:41:09.341
the most healthiest of foods.
00:41:09.633 --> 00:41:11.469
Food preparation and
cooking was
00:41:11.469 --> 00:41:14.138
part of my journey before
I ended up homeless.
00:41:14.305 --> 00:41:16.974
In the last two years that
I've had my own kitchen,
00:41:17.099 --> 00:41:18.434
it's been part of my
recovery and
00:41:18.434 --> 00:41:20.686
also of creating a
healthy lifestyle.
00:41:20.686 --> 00:41:21.687
I just want to thank you.
00:41:21.812 --> 00:41:24.315
Thank you.
[applause]
00:41:24.773 --> 00:41:27.610
Yesterday in our staff
meeting,
00:41:28.027 --> 00:41:30.571
one of the things that
we were talking about was,
00:41:31.530 --> 00:41:33.365
"What is safety?"
00:41:34.492 --> 00:41:35.910
"What does safety look like?"
00:41:36.076 --> 00:41:40.039
In our dialogue, we began
to talk about a smile.
00:41:40.539 --> 00:41:42.750
It was said,
"A smile is powerful,"
00:41:43.000 --> 00:41:44.543
"a smile can be
disarming,"
00:41:44.543 --> 00:41:46.086
"a smile is
transformative."
00:41:46.253 --> 00:41:50.257
My mom, mama, has a smile
that has kept this market warm
00:41:50.257 --> 00:41:51.467
for 20 years.
00:41:51.717 --> 00:41:54.678
Yes, yes, yes. Yes. Yes.
[applause]
00:42:00.643 --> 00:42:01.810
That's great.
00:42:02.436 --> 00:42:03.604
[Traditional Korean
Percussion music]
00:42:22.540 --> 00:42:24.917
The neighborhood that we're
in Skid Row,
00:42:25.084 --> 00:42:26.377
and always hearing the term
00:42:26.377 --> 00:42:28.879
homelessness and
houselessness,
00:42:30.756 --> 00:42:33.133
and that's a part of what
we're looking for, right?
00:42:33.300 --> 00:42:35.094
Our identity,
Korean American,
00:42:35.094 --> 00:42:36.512
children of liquor
store owners,
00:42:36.762 --> 00:42:38.097
immigrant store owners.
00:42:38.264 --> 00:42:39.598
This sense of belonging,
00:42:39.598 --> 00:42:41.267
because we don't quite
feel home in Korea
00:42:41.559 --> 00:42:43.936
and we don't quite feel
home here in America.
00:42:50.234 --> 00:42:52.361
The house is a physical
structure,
00:42:52.570 --> 00:42:55.322
but a home is a
non-tangible and so...
00:42:56.657 --> 00:42:59.702
I feel like we all are
constantly searching for that,
00:42:59.702 --> 00:43:01.161
a sense of belonging,
00:43:01.161 --> 00:43:04.540
where you feel accepted
for just who you are.
00:43:05.874 --> 00:43:08.877
[cheering]
00:43:11.130 --> 00:43:13.549
As a second-generation
Korean American,
00:43:13.799 --> 00:43:16.218
I've always dreamt of a future
where communities
00:43:16.427 --> 00:43:17.678
aren't pitted against
each other,
00:43:17.678 --> 00:43:18.929
but building together.
00:43:21.765 --> 00:43:25.060
If anyone can do it,
it's Danny.
00:43:33.861 --> 00:43:36.488
Chaos and destruction
in Minneapolis tonight
00:43:36.655 --> 00:43:38.407
as police officers and
protestors clash
00:43:38.407 --> 00:43:40.159
over a man's death.
00:43:40.701 --> 00:43:41.660
In the video,
you can see
00:43:41.660 --> 00:43:44.038
an officer kneeling on
Floyd's neck, pinning him
00:43:44.038 --> 00:43:46.290
to the ground outside
Cup Foods on Chicago
00:43:46.290 --> 00:43:47.875
in East 38th Street.
00:43:48.417 --> 00:43:50.711
We were already living
in a global pandemic when
00:43:50.711 --> 00:43:53.797
my dad saw George Floyd
murdered on the news.
00:43:57.301 --> 00:43:59.178
It's a day of rapid
developments
00:43:59.178 --> 00:44:01.055
in Minneapolis to
Los Angeles,
00:44:01.221 --> 00:44:03.599
as the nation remains
on edge
00:44:03.599 --> 00:44:04.850
in protests over the
death of--
00:44:07.811 --> 00:44:10.147
There is a curfew,
6:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
00:44:10.230 --> 00:44:12.983
Simply put, that means
you have to stay indoors.
00:44:21.909 --> 00:44:23.452
He and other liquor store
owners
00:44:23.452 --> 00:44:24.620
worried that their business
00:44:24.620 --> 00:44:28.165
would get targeted
like they did back in '92.
00:44:35.381 --> 00:44:37.174
As Korean Americans,
00:44:37.883 --> 00:44:39.760
we are reminded of a
moment in history
00:44:39.760 --> 00:44:41.303
that we'll never forget,
00:44:42.346 --> 00:44:46.183
the '92 LA Uprising,
commonly known as the LA Riots
00:44:46.517 --> 00:44:49.061
or to Koreans, Sa-I-Gu.
00:44:49.687 --> 00:44:51.230
I was only three years old,
00:44:51.313 --> 00:44:54.233
so I have to remind myself
that during this time,
00:44:54.483 --> 00:44:57.736
more than half of the citywide
damages were Korean-owned.
00:45:39.653 --> 00:45:42.197
We are on Olympic Boulevard
in Koreatown
00:45:42.322 --> 00:45:44.199
at the Olympic Discount Store.
00:45:44.366 --> 00:45:47.870
There are 28 men, armed men,
00:45:48.036 --> 00:45:51.081
everyone with guns,
protecting this store.
00:45:51.165 --> 00:45:53.083
They have done such
a job here.
00:45:54.543 --> 00:45:56.044
This is live right now.
00:45:56.253 --> 00:45:57.212
-This is live.
-Guns drawn.
00:45:57.212 --> 00:45:58.338
We don't see this very often.
00:45:58.797 --> 00:46:01.425
Okay, this is unprecedented.
00:46:51.934 --> 00:46:54.061
No justice, no peace.
00:46:54.061 --> 00:46:55.521
Peaceful protesters are
00:46:55.521 --> 00:46:57.272
demanding justice for
George Floyd.
00:46:58.649 --> 00:47:01.693
To those who want turn this
into something
00:47:01.860 --> 00:47:04.863
that it's not, please stop.
00:47:05.989 --> 00:47:08.075
Then mostly under the
cover of darkness,
00:47:08.200 --> 00:47:09.785
violence erupted.
00:49:19.873 --> 00:49:21.124
I know, but--
00:49:21.375 --> 00:49:22.542
Nobody know.
00:49:24.086 --> 00:49:25.629
Nobody know.
00:49:46.441 --> 00:49:47.651
[heavy sigh]
00:49:51.446 --> 00:49:53.490
[clock ticking]
00:50:00.414 --> 00:50:03.000
Couldn't he try to put himself
in someone else's shoes
00:50:03.000 --> 00:50:04.418
for one second?
00:50:09.589 --> 00:50:13.677
[silence]
00:50:21.727 --> 00:50:23.145
Where do I put this?
00:50:23.311 --> 00:50:25.272
I wanted candy.
[laughter]
00:50:42.164 --> 00:50:43.999
[chanting]
00:50:46.001 --> 00:50:50.130
We want peace.
We want justice.
00:50:52.632 --> 00:50:54.468
Many came out and
filled the streets,
00:50:54.593 --> 00:50:56.887
still trying to grapple how
to promote peace
00:50:56.970 --> 00:50:58.889
between the Korean and
Black community.
00:50:58.972 --> 00:50:59.890
[chanting]
00:50:59.890 --> 00:51:04.061
We want justice.
We want peace.
00:51:04.269 --> 00:51:05.479
Although there were
many efforts
00:51:05.479 --> 00:51:07.522
to bridge our two
communities together.
00:51:08.148 --> 00:51:09.566
I wonder how equipped
they were
00:51:09.566 --> 00:51:10.984
to make any lasting
changes
00:51:11.443 --> 00:51:14.029
amidst the trauma of
losing everything.
00:51:14.362 --> 00:51:20.327
[Powerful music]
00:51:22.245 --> 00:51:24.831
Although there's a lot of fear
in my community of losing
00:51:24.998 --> 00:51:26.291
their businesses again,
00:51:27.000 --> 00:51:28.668
the tides are shifting.
00:51:28.960 --> 00:51:30.504
Many of us now understand
00:51:30.504 --> 00:51:32.047
that it's only through
solidarity
00:51:32.255 --> 00:51:34.091
that can bring real change.
00:51:35.550 --> 00:51:37.594
[chanting]
00:51:37.803 --> 00:51:42.641
Black Lives Matter.
00:51:49.523 --> 00:51:52.400
[chanting]
00:52:07.541 --> 00:52:09.709
30 years after the
Koreatown Peace Rally.
00:52:09.960 --> 00:52:11.711
Here we are.
00:52:17.092 --> 00:52:19.469
I chose to assimilate with
white people
00:52:19.469 --> 00:52:21.012
for my own self-preservation.
00:52:21.930 --> 00:52:25.600
I didn't speak up against
racism because I was scared.
00:53:18.570 --> 00:53:21.865
Anti-Blackness within
our community is severe.
00:53:23.366 --> 00:53:25.619
Within the communities
of color is severe.
00:53:26.661 --> 00:53:29.748
In Asian communities,
it's severe.
00:53:29.915 --> 00:53:32.167
Step by step,
we don't have time,
00:53:32.375 --> 00:53:34.753
but we have to
educate ourselves.
00:53:40.634 --> 00:53:43.553
[Traditional Korean
Percussion music]
00:53:47.599 --> 00:53:49.809
[wooing]
00:54:36.731 --> 00:54:37.691
We don't have nothing.
00:54:54.207 --> 00:54:56.501
Do you feel like you
were a little bit scared
00:54:56.501 --> 00:54:59.838
to get a store because you
knew that that happened?
00:56:39.687 --> 00:56:42.982
California has been hit hard
since the pandemic began.
00:56:42.982 --> 00:56:46.486
Our I-Team found counties here
have four times the death rate
00:56:46.611 --> 00:56:48.196
compared to San Francisco
00:56:48.321 --> 00:56:50.824
and those who've lost loved
ones are now questioning
00:56:50.949 --> 00:56:53.159
what could have been done
differently to save them?
00:56:53.284 --> 00:56:55.161
Since COVID, it's been slower.
00:56:56.704 --> 00:56:59.416
We applied,
but we didn't get any loans.
00:57:01.418 --> 00:57:03.711
We paid all our employees.
00:57:03.878 --> 00:57:05.713
We had a fundraiser for that.
00:57:07.715 --> 00:57:10.301
Working off Skid Row is
kind of difficult,
00:57:10.635 --> 00:57:14.055
when you're also dealing
with your own issues as well.
00:57:14.431 --> 00:57:15.598
So, why are you leaving?
00:57:15.807 --> 00:57:16.933
[sighs]
00:57:17.392 --> 00:57:21.062
So, I've gone through
struggles throughout working,
00:57:21.062 --> 00:57:23.690
throughout the year,
just become...
00:57:23.690 --> 00:57:24.941
draining,
00:57:24.941 --> 00:57:29.654
it's become stressful and
it's become bad for my health.
00:57:29.821 --> 00:57:31.656
When you told Danny,
what did he say?
00:57:31.781 --> 00:57:32.740
What about?
00:57:32.740 --> 00:57:33.950
You're like,
"I want to leave."
00:57:34.617 --> 00:57:36.327
Well, he just wished me
good luck.
00:57:36.619 --> 00:57:38.496
He's a great dude.
00:57:40.039 --> 00:57:42.500
He still encourages me
to do my best.
00:57:44.836 --> 00:57:47.380
Two of our workers,
they're over 70,
00:57:47.464 --> 00:57:51.009
I asked them if they could
stay home for the time being.
00:57:52.051 --> 00:57:54.846
Instead of hiring another
employee to fill that spot,
00:57:55.013 --> 00:57:56.264
I took that spot.
00:57:56.890 --> 00:57:58.516
I was working more hours.
00:58:00.226 --> 00:58:03.980
Angie, my sister, started
working here and helping out.
00:58:04.230 --> 00:58:08.026
We feel more tension
in the air too.
00:58:09.110 --> 00:58:12.238
The fights and the violence.
00:58:26.461 --> 00:58:27.212
How was your fourth of July?
00:58:28.087 --> 00:58:29.130
Oh, it was okay.
00:58:56.407 --> 00:58:57.450
You all right?
00:58:58.284 --> 00:58:59.494
I know, I know.
00:58:59.661 --> 00:59:01.079
Take a deep breath.
00:59:01.329 --> 00:59:03.498
Walk away and take a
deep breath.
00:59:53.881 --> 00:59:57.051
I felt this often, as soon as
I woke up in the morning
00:59:57.218 --> 01:00:01.556
at four o'clock eyes opened
and it's like these...
01:00:01.723 --> 01:00:03.391
suicidal thoughts.
01:00:04.851 --> 01:00:06.561
Not wanting to go to work
01:00:06.561 --> 01:00:09.063
because when I go
it's so difficult.
01:00:10.982 --> 01:00:14.277
You want to crawl up into
a ball or run away as far as--
01:00:14.360 --> 01:00:15.653
Just leave.
01:00:17.071 --> 01:00:19.782
You just can't see anything
outside of that,
01:00:20.033 --> 01:00:21.284
and so
01:00:24.370 --> 01:00:27.206
I guess you plan your exit.
01:00:43.264 --> 01:00:46.184
After being open for a year
in the pandemic,
01:00:47.101 --> 01:00:49.354
I decided we needed a break,
01:00:50.271 --> 01:00:52.732
so we temporarily
closed the store.
01:00:57.153 --> 01:01:03.868
[Gentle music]
01:01:04.994 --> 01:01:07.121
Despite many businesses
closing for good
01:01:07.205 --> 01:01:09.082
during the 2020
global pandemic,
01:01:09.290 --> 01:01:10.375
Thank you.
01:01:10.500 --> 01:01:12.752
our liquor store did
surprisingly well.
01:01:34.816 --> 01:01:36.734
But not only that,
01:01:36.943 --> 01:01:40.113
now we have potential buyers'
interests in our store.
01:01:48.788 --> 01:01:49.997
If the store sells,
01:01:50.123 --> 01:01:53.418
I hope my dad can finally get
the rest that he deserves
01:01:53.584 --> 01:01:55.586
[hums]
01:01:55.878 --> 01:01:58.297
and find new dreams
beyond survival.
01:01:59.924 --> 01:02:02.802
[hums]
01:02:04.846 --> 01:02:05.888
Also,
01:02:06.097 --> 01:02:08.182
it would be nice to spend
time together
01:02:08.307 --> 01:02:10.184
that's not at the
store for once.
01:02:37.295 --> 01:02:40.673
[beach waves]
01:02:57.440 --> 01:03:01.152
Growing up as a man
in this society,
01:03:01.360 --> 01:03:04.739
and thinking that so much
of the responsibility
01:03:04.822 --> 01:03:09.494
lies on my shoulders
and mine only,
01:03:12.038 --> 01:03:14.540
to take care of your family,
take care of your people,
01:03:14.540 --> 01:03:16.501
take care of your community,
01:03:16.501 --> 01:03:18.252
to survive,
to make that money.
01:03:19.921 --> 01:03:22.965
I was trying to cope and
look for relief
01:03:23.174 --> 01:03:24.967
by drinking a lot,
01:03:27.512 --> 01:03:30.807
and I saw the same behaviors
that I saw in my father
01:03:31.224 --> 01:03:32.850
and other men I know,
01:03:33.017 --> 01:03:34.185
other men in my family.
01:03:37.563 --> 01:03:39.106
I relate to my father.
01:03:39.273 --> 01:03:45.446
I did feel similarly having
the weight on my shoulders.
01:03:47.615 --> 01:03:48.866
[Soft music]
01:03:49.367 --> 01:03:51.661
At the end of his life,
01:03:52.578 --> 01:03:54.455
the thing that I felt
most proud of was
01:03:54.914 --> 01:03:57.291
back with my dad.
01:03:58.292 --> 01:03:59.752
We were best friends.
01:03:59.919 --> 01:04:02.672
We were holding each other,
hugging each other,
01:04:04.298 --> 01:04:05.716
saying, "I love you" to
each other,
01:04:05.716 --> 01:04:08.845
which is very uncommon
for Koreans.
01:04:09.095 --> 01:04:11.430
[Uplifting music]
01:04:12.598 --> 01:04:18.563
On a more individual level,
that's what I think about.
01:04:20.815 --> 01:04:22.692
There's a reactionary suicide
01:04:22.817 --> 01:04:24.861
and there's the
revolutionary suicide.
01:04:29.532 --> 01:04:31.951
"But before we die,
how shall we live?"
01:04:32.285 --> 01:04:34.328
"I say with hope and dignity"
01:04:34.328 --> 01:04:36.372
"and if premature death is
the result,"
01:04:36.414 --> 01:04:38.541
"that death has a meaning"
01:04:38.583 --> 01:04:40.251
"reactionary suicide can
never have."
01:04:40.710 --> 01:04:42.378
"It is the price of
self-respect."
01:04:44.881 --> 01:04:46.632
Earlier this year,
01:04:47.008 --> 01:04:50.803
I visited my grandfather's
grave for the first time,
01:04:50.928 --> 01:04:52.805
I didn't even know it was at
Rose Hills,
01:04:52.972 --> 01:04:54.390
went there with my mom,
01:04:54.557 --> 01:04:58.603
I asked her if we can go
and we went together.
01:05:00.479 --> 01:05:03.441
[Sweeping music]
01:05:05.902 --> 01:05:07.695
As soon as we got there,
01:05:07.820 --> 01:05:08.779
my mom was like,
01:05:11.407 --> 01:05:12.533
I just didn't expect that.
01:05:14.535 --> 01:05:20.082
Just experiencing that
mommy and daddy together--
01:05:20.416 --> 01:05:21.918
We always forget that
our parents
01:05:21.918 --> 01:05:23.878
are also sons and
daughters.
01:05:24.211 --> 01:05:26.088
Oh, wow.
01:05:26.213 --> 01:05:27.757
Wow.
01:05:57.078 --> 01:05:59.914
I've known for some time,
01:06:00.081 --> 01:06:05.670
but I never really thought too
deeply about it until last year.
01:06:07.171 --> 01:06:10.007
Even if I've never met
my grandfather in person,
01:06:10.257 --> 01:06:13.427
he's very much alive,
in my behaviors.
01:06:13.552 --> 01:06:18.849
Those are all manifestations,
I think of my grandfather's agony.
01:06:20.017 --> 01:06:24.146
[Emotional music]
01:06:27.066 --> 01:06:34.407
I tell my grandfather and
my father that,
01:06:34.573 --> 01:06:41.580
"It wasn't all your fault,
so rest and be free."
01:06:45.292 --> 01:06:49.005
Part of our healing may
involve
01:06:49.005 --> 01:06:51.966
the healing of our parents.
01:06:54.635 --> 01:06:57.388
Actually, there is no
individual healing,
01:06:57.805 --> 01:07:00.099
change is all relational.
01:08:00.743 --> 01:08:03.496
And killed a Black teenage
girl named Latasha Harlins
01:08:03.788 --> 01:08:06.999
over a $1.79 bottle
of orange juice.
01:08:08.167 --> 01:08:10.753
[Dramatic music]
01:08:14.423 --> 01:08:17.593
Anti-Blackness within our
community is severe.
01:08:17.885 --> 01:08:20.262
Within the communities of
color is severe,
01:08:20.513 --> 01:08:23.099
and step by step,
we don't have time,
01:08:23.390 --> 01:08:26.060
but we have to
educate ourselves.
01:10:36.607 --> 01:10:38.692
[keys jingling]
[padlock unlocking]
01:10:39.068 --> 01:10:42.696
The time and years
of working there, for us all,
01:10:43.656 --> 01:10:45.032
it's traumatic.
01:10:45.491 --> 01:10:47.868
Going back into it,
01:10:47.868 --> 01:10:50.579
we go in knowing
that it's not easy work.
01:10:52.998 --> 01:10:56.418
[Upbeat music]
01:11:01.298 --> 01:11:03.217
Mark, you came back?
01:11:03.509 --> 01:11:04.260
Yes.
01:11:04.385 --> 01:11:06.095
Fortunately, I did come back.
01:11:06.220 --> 01:11:08.097
How'd you make the decision?
01:11:09.139 --> 01:11:11.892
Well, I went through a
spiritual retreat
01:11:12.351 --> 01:11:15.562
to say, get rid of all the
evil demon,
01:11:15.688 --> 01:11:17.356
and to start afresh.
01:11:17.648 --> 01:11:19.525
Danny was cool
enough to
01:11:19.525 --> 01:11:21.443
let me go through that
adventure
01:11:21.652 --> 01:11:24.613
and then come back
and then continue on.
01:11:24.738 --> 01:11:25.990
How do you feel?
01:11:26.115 --> 01:11:27.825
I'll say, I feel a lot better.
01:11:28.075 --> 01:11:31.662
From 2018,
01:11:31.870 --> 01:11:33.789
it was a little rocky for
the start.
01:11:35.165 --> 01:11:37.334
You gather up a lot of
bad energy here,
01:11:37.584 --> 01:11:39.211
and then you take your break
01:11:39.211 --> 01:11:40.838
and then you release
that energy
01:11:41.130 --> 01:11:43.632
and then start over.
01:11:43.924 --> 01:11:45.301
[laughs]
01:11:45.718 --> 01:11:46.969
To me,
01:11:47.094 --> 01:11:49.430
I think it is a
spiritual thing
01:11:49.930 --> 01:11:51.890
that we are all here
together.
01:11:51.890 --> 01:11:55.728
I think the creation has made
us from the time before
01:11:55.811 --> 01:11:58.397
we can even think
about each other.
01:11:58.647 --> 01:12:01.275
I think the creation has
put us here
01:12:01.275 --> 01:12:03.485
for a purpose far beyond
01:12:03.485 --> 01:12:07.489
what any one of us can
assume or think.
01:12:07.906 --> 01:12:11.493
I give thanks for everyone
that's here.
01:12:12.036 --> 01:12:15.456
That's it.
[applause]
01:12:18.417 --> 01:12:20.127
Latasha Harlins.
01:12:20.252 --> 01:12:21.754
Latasha Harlins.
01:12:21.962 --> 01:12:22.963
Breonna Taylor.
01:12:23.255 --> 01:12:24.757
Breonna Taylor.
01:12:25.007 --> 01:12:26.133
George Floyd.
01:12:26.383 --> 01:12:27.634
George Floyd.
01:12:27.718 --> 01:12:28.969
Ahmaud Arbery.
01:12:29.094 --> 01:12:30.596
Ahmaud Arbery.
01:12:31.263 --> 01:12:32.598
This holiday Chuseok,
01:12:32.598 --> 01:12:35.059
is traditionally from
farmers in Korea.
01:12:35.893 --> 01:12:37.895
It's the big harvest festival
of the year,
01:12:38.062 --> 01:12:40.564
and so we get together
and we pause
01:12:40.564 --> 01:12:41.857
and we eat and celebrate
01:12:42.066 --> 01:12:46.445
and also have time to connect
back with our ancestors.
01:12:48.447 --> 01:12:50.324
The same system that caused
01:12:50.324 --> 01:12:52.201
the conflict between
Latasha Harlins
01:12:52.659 --> 01:12:56.163
and Korean communities
and Black communities.
01:12:56.163 --> 01:12:58.832
When Koreans are trying to
make a living,
01:12:58.832 --> 01:13:00.918
and Black folks are trying
to make a living
01:13:00.918 --> 01:13:04.588
The same system affected
us totally different,
01:13:04.880 --> 01:13:08.175
but at the same time,
it's the same system.
01:13:10.344 --> 01:13:12.346
[Uplifting music]
01:13:18.268 --> 01:13:20.187
See that is the value of life.
01:13:20.354 --> 01:13:24.149
The value of life is when
we begin to help each other.
01:13:25.192 --> 01:13:28.362
What we need in our society
is not more enforcement,
01:13:29.238 --> 01:13:31.240
but more inspiration.
01:13:33.200 --> 01:13:38.122
[Sweeping music]
01:13:55.389 --> 01:14:00.018
I find myself looking back
to our ancestors and seeing,
01:14:01.270 --> 01:14:03.939
"What are they calling
us to do?"
01:14:05.691 --> 01:14:08.110
We're a generation out of--
01:14:08.110 --> 01:14:10.529
of the long generation
of humanity,
01:14:12.865 --> 01:14:14.908
and one day we will
be up on--
01:14:15.033 --> 01:14:17.744
we will be on the
ancestor side too.
01:14:18.662 --> 01:14:23.333
[Soft music]
01:15:42.788 --> 01:15:43.914
No, that's okay.
01:16:05.394 --> 01:16:06.562
I love that.
01:16:32.462 --> 01:16:34.923
What else? What else do
we need to take?
01:16:58.780 --> 01:17:01.992
It's hard to believe
that this day is finally here.
01:17:09.416 --> 01:17:10.667
Creating this film
01:17:10.792 --> 01:17:13.587
gave us the space to have
difficult conversations.
01:17:13.920 --> 01:17:16.465
I'm so thankful It brought us
closer together
01:17:16.673 --> 01:17:18.425
rather than tearing us apart.
01:17:24.806 --> 01:17:26.892
I want to honor my
parents' struggles
01:17:27.601 --> 01:17:29.686
by transforming the past
01:17:30.187 --> 01:17:32.064
and creating my own future,
01:17:33.565 --> 01:17:35.192
but most importantly,
01:17:36.526 --> 01:17:38.195
keep dreaming.
01:19:03.572 --> 01:19:06.992
[Soft music]
01:20:42.254 --> 01:20:46.591
[Yaeji's "One More" plays]
01:21:16.580 --> 01:21:17.581
High five.