South LA Park Renamed For Slain Teen Latasha Harlins

LOS ANGELES, CA — The little ones climbing the jungle gym at the newly renamed "Latasha Harlins Playground," in South Los Angeles may not know who she was, but Latasha's story is forever intertwined with the story of Los Angeles.

The park was renamed for the 15-year-old Tuesday on the 30th anniversary of the day she was shot in the back of the head and killed by a Korean shop owner who wrongly accused her of stealing a bottle of orange juice. Latasha died at the Empire Liquor Market on March 16, 1991, just days after the videotaped LAPD beating of Rodney King. Her death sparked widespread outrage, which was inflamed when her killer was convicted of manslaughter and wasn't made to serve any prison time. The shop owner who killed her was sentenced only to five years probation, community service and a $500 fine. The anniversary of her death comes amid a renewed movement to honor the victims of racial injustice who inspire the fight for change.

This week a 19-minute film titled "A Love Song for Latasha," earned an Oscar nomination for best documentary short. The Netflix film celebrates the girl she was and the lasting impact her killing has had on the city. It features pictures of Black girls like Latasha and refrains from using the widely viewed security footage of her death.

"In the film we do not use footage of her death," the film's director, Sophia Nahli Allison, told ABC7. "We're not focused on her death but really on re-birthing the memory of who Latasha was."

Activists and friends of Latasha gathered Tuesday to honor her.

"Before there was George Floyd, before there was Breonna Taylor, there was Latasha Harlins," community activist Najee Ali said during a gathering Tuesday at Algin Sutton Recreation Center. "Latasha Harlins was a child from our neighborhood, our community, and her murder still is painful 30 years later. It was one of the most darkest days in the history of Black Los Angeles.

"But today is not a day of sadness nor a day of mourning," he said. "It's a day of celebration. It's a day we remember Latasha."

The playground at Sutton Recreation Center was formally renamed "Latasha Harlins Playground" in memory of the teen, although the official sign is not expected to be installed until next month.

"This is something that's long overdue," Harlins' uncle, David Bryant, told ABC7. "And I think that could be somewhat of a healing to the community."

Tybie O'Bard, a childhood friend of Latasha featured in "A Love Song for Latasha" said the pair would frequent the park.

"First thing in the morning when she would come to my door, early in the morning, she's like, `You ready to go to the park?'," O'Bard told Channel 7. "This is where we would be."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.