‘Shut Down Everything Asian’: Black Americans Call for Boycott After Rick Chow Verdict Revives Wounds from 1991 Case and His Past Faces New Scrutiny
Many Black Americans are calling for a boycott of all Asian American-owned businesses.
This comes after a South Carolina jury found an Asian convenience store owner not guilty of killing a Black 14-year-old.
Chikei Rick Chow, 60, was found not guilty of killing Cyrus Carmack-Belton, 14, in a 2023 shooting. A Richland County jury returned the verdict on Monday.
The verdict sparked outrage throughout the Black community.
WIS reported over a dozen protesters were outside the gas station where Carmack-Belton was killed on Tuesday. They were chanting and holding signs that said “Justice for Cyrus.”
Many people compared the case to the killing of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins in 1991.
Soon Ja Du, 49, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter in Harlins’ death. It happened at Du’s convenience store in Los Angeles.
The killing came 13 days after the videotaped police beating of Rodney King.
Du was working behind the counter when she saw Harlins put a $1.79 bottle of orange juice in her backpack. Du believed she was trying to steal it, and did not see the money Harlins held in her hand.
Security camera footage proved Harlins intended to pay for the beverage. But the video showed Du grab Harlins by her sweater and take her backpack.
You can see in the video that Harlins hit Du twice before Du threw a stool at her. As Harlins tried to leave, Du shot her from behind the counter.
Du was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, but the sentence was suspended. She was instead placed on five years’ probation, with 400 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $500 in restitution and the funeral costs for Harlins.
The sentencing is to this day considered extremely light, especially since it happened around the time of the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
Like Harlins, Carmack-Belton was accused of trying to steal something before they were killed. Both were also Black teenagers taking low-cost items from stores.
Both teenagers were also killed by store owners.
Defense lawyer Jack Swerling, who represented Chow, spoke with the Atlanta Black Star about the verdict.
“It was a very hot-button issue. People were saying it was racial profiling, and it was a Black versus the Asian community, and it really wasn’t,” he told our reporter. “People made it that way.”
It turns out Chow may also be more familiar with law enforcement than we thought.
NBC News reported that Chow has called the police over accusations of shoplifting.
In 2015, Chow allegedly tried to stop a woman from stealing two cases of beer and a package of boiled peanuts.
NBC News reported he allegedly fired about six shots at her and a man as they were leaving the scene. Police did not find the couple Chow was talking about.
In 2018, Chow told police he watched a man take a can of Easy-Off cleaner from a shelf, hide it under his clothes, and leave the store without paying, NBC reported.
Chow claimed he was “unsure of what happened next,” but was hit in the face, and the can fell to the ground, police said. NBC reported Chow pulled out his firearm and fired two shots at the man, 23-year-old Alexis Aguilera, as he fled.
Aguilera later pleaded guilty to a shoplifting charge. He was sentenced to 30 days or a $300 fine. It is unclear if the previous incidents were presented during the murder trial.
Our reporter asked Swerling, who is a white Jewish man, if he or anyone else on the defense team consulted a member of the Black community.
“No, because I think it’s just world experience. I’ve practiced law for 50 years, and you know when you see it,” he replied. “I’m Jewish and very sensitive to racial issues.”
“Stop shopping at the store, stop spending our money with them. These people are the biggest consumers of Black people. We need to stop spending our money at the nail salon, hair store, Chinese store, and convenience store,” one Instagram user wrote.
“Let’s shut down everything Asian,” another person added. “Stop going to these damn stores giving them our money.. They don’t like us, will kill us but love the black dollar.. Send their asses back to Korea,” another person said.
Carmack-Belton’s attorney, Todd Rutherford, said the family is preparing to file a civil suit against Rick Chow.