Draft:Edward Song Lee

• Comment: Firstly, Wikipedia is not a memorial, as tragic as his death was, this is already included in the article on the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which could be expanded. Secondly references such as YouTube and FindaGrave are not considered reliable sources. Dan arndt (talk) 02:54, 8 December 2023 (UTC)

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Edward "Eddie" Song Lee (이재성) was a Korean-American residing in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles, California, during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Hearing about the mass looting and burning, and responding to a call for volunteers, Eddie went out to protect Koreatown from looters. He was the only Korean-American to die during the unrest.

Edward as a child with his sister, Jenny.

Edward as a young teenager.

Biography

Edward Jae Song Lee was born on May 24, 1973. He grew up in Koreatown, Los Angeles with his parents and younger sister. He attended Los Angeles High School and Santa Monica College.

Death

On April 30, 1992, Eddie Lee was with his family listening to the live reporting of the LA riots. During the riots, Koreatown was subject to mass looting and burning, ultimately resulting in 2,200 Korean-owned businesses looted, damaged, or destroyed. As the police response during the riots was focused on protecting more affluent neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area, some Korean-Americans took up arms to defend their businesses from looters. These Korean-Americans would come to be known as Rooftop Koreans. Roused by the reporting, Eddie said to his mother, "It's been 20 years since Koreans came here. Everything we have worked for is now in flames. It disappeared in one morning. How can we sit here and just watch it happen? We Koreans should go out and protect our own." Seeing his intent on joining the defense of Koreatown, his mother pleaded with him to stay behind and protect the family. Frustrated, Eddie remarked "Mother, because of people like you, we Koreans have been stricken. If Koreans are all like you, it will happen again in 10 years. We can't sit still,". Later that day, responding to a call for volunteers from Radio Korea, Eddie left his family and entered into the fray of the riots with his friends, who also felt the need to defend their hometown. At around 10pm, Radio Korea (which had been attempting to coordinate the unorganized defense of Koreatown), received reports of rioters occupying the roof of a Korean business on Western Avenue. Eddie and his friends responded to the call for help, and upon arrival, began exchanging fire with the armed men on the roof. Eddie was subsequently shot and killed during the ensuing firefight. Due to the desperate nature of the situation, Radio Korea had been actively broadcasting any incoming calls for help without verification. It was later discovered that the alleged rioters that had occupied the rooftop were Roof Koreans as well, and that both groups mistook each other for looters. Eddie was the only Korean-American to die during the riots. He was 18.

Edward Song Lee is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills, California. His gravestone inscription says the following: "On April 30, 1992, during the Los Angeles Riots, Edward Lee went out into Koreatown to help those who could not protect themselves, unaware that his selfless act of courage would result in the loss of his own life. Although he is no longer with us to share in our lives, we trust that he is now safe and himself protected in the arms of our heavenly father. As a seed must fall to the earth and die to itself in order to grow, may Edward's sacrifice continually remind us of the need to seek peace and pursue love."