The past couple weeks have seen headlines littered with updates on the Trayvon Martin tragedy. For those of you who live under a rock, Trayvon Martin was an unarmed teenager who was inexplicably pursued by George Zimmerman, a self-proclaimed neighborhood watch volunteer, and killed following a confrontation. As of this writing, Zimmerman still has not been charged and remains free. I’ve been moved by the nationwide rallies and demands for justice, particularly because so much of it is based on race.
Over the past few years in Philadelphia, there have been a raft of robberies targeting Korean business owners. Clearly, word is spreading amongst criminal circles that Korean-American business owners often have large amounts of cash on them, or hidden in their homes. Criminals have followed their targets after work to learn where they live, then devised plans for home invasions. These burglaries, which have led to several murders and much hysteria, have shaken the Korean-American community in Philadelphia. What should be done about all of these unthinkable crimes? How do we protect ourselves?
More and more, I find my fellow Korean-Americans arming themselves, ready to protect themselves and their families if shit goes down. I’m not opposed to second amendment, but believe there are other precautions we can take to protect ourselves. Speaking in absolute generalities, Koreans too often claim victim and are uncompromising in their ways. We are quick to blame others and don’t find any fault in our own actions. When I remind folks that the reason Koreans keep so much cash on them is to avoid paying taxes (a crime in itself), I see and hear looks and tones of disgust. It’s clear most folks would rather strap up than change their cash hoarding ways. The result – I’ve been feeling a lot more racial tension, particularly in the form of anger towards blacks (nearly all of the accused have been black).
Full disclosure- I’ve been away from Philadelphia for a few years and haven’t had to live in or work in “the ghetto” for a long time. So perhaps it’s been too easy for me to forget the racial tension between Koreans and blacks in some of these neighborhoods. But I believe the hoodlums who are doing the robberies are not targeting Koreans because they are Korean, but because of Korean business practices. This isn’t an issue of race, as much as it’s an issue of all parties trying to take shortcuts. No, it’s not a crime to keep tens of thousands of dollars in cash at home, but if we are doing it to hide it from Uncle Sam, then we’re asking for trouble. Maybe I live in a fantasy land on the set of The Wire, but I bet drug dealers get robbed all the time, and we just don’t know about it. Where there is a lot of cash, unmarked and hidden from the authorities, there will be trouble.
Let’s remember the fallen by learning from their mistakes. Instead of getting more guns, installing more security cameras, and buying better safes, let’s start to do business more legitimately. Let’s stop looking at ourselves as innocent victims, but as people who can do more to protect ourselves. Let’s save the claims of racial profiling to cases where they are much more warranted, like in the case of Trayvon Martin.
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