Blacks Voice Outrage Over Sentence in Girl’s Death : Reaction: Some fear that fragile truce between Korean merchants and African-Americans could be in danger.

The conciliatory dialogue that has helped mend relations between the Korean-American and African-American communities turned fiery Saturday, as black leaders expressed outrage over the light sentence given to the Korean-born grocer who killed a 15-year-old black girl.

The infusion of anger comes at a time when both communities are struggling to end long-simmering tensions over the relationship between Korean merchants and residents of the mostly black neighborhoods where they do business.

While a truce had been struck in recent weeks, few leaders expected that the convicted grocer would receive only probation for the fatal shooting. The outpouring of emotion has worried some that their fragile accord may be in danger.

“As a Korean-American, I am afraid when people say they are going to take this to the streets,” said Marcia Choo, director of the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center. “All it takes is just one person to break down everything we’ve worked for.”

More than 300 people--including many of the city’s most respected black leaders--filled the pews of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Los Angeles on Saturday, saying that healing not only depends on Korean-Americans and blacks getting along, but on blacks taking control of their own communities.

During the four-hour town meeting--part political rally, religious revival and economic workshop--there were calls for more black elected representatives, more black-owned businesses and for more black organizations to devote their resources to social action.

“If not you, who? If not now, when?” implored the Rev. Edgar E. Boyd, pastor of the church. “Let’s stop the talk and let’s get up and get on and get into it.”

Brotherhood Crusade President Danny Bakewell told the gathering that he plans to organize protests in front of the home of Superior Court Judge Joyce A. Karlin, who sentenced grocer Soon Ja Du to five years probation for the fatal shooting in March of Latasha Harlins. Du also received a fine and was told to perform community service.

“We’re going to disrupt her life like she disrupted the Harlins’ life,” said Bakewell. “We’re not advocating violence, but I know that she and her neighbors will consider it a major disruption of their lives if black folks are standing out there 24 hours a day.”

Inside the church, Latasha’s family sat behind the pulpit, in the chairs usually reserved for the choir. Denise Harlins, the slain girl’s aunt, was asked whether she would support Bakewell’s efforts to disrupt the life of the judge that sentenced Du.

“By whatever means necessary,” she said.

The gathering, sponsored by the Black Women’s Forum and led by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles), had been scheduled weeks ago to discuss violence in the black community. But in an unexpected twist, it came the day after Du’s sentencing and quickly became a rallying point for the participants.

The sentencing also dominated the discussion at another previously scheduled meeting across town, where 100 minority community leaders were attending a conference at a downtown Los Angeles hotel on “Communities in Crisis: Poverty, Racism and Urban Violence in Los Angeles.”

There, Korean-American leaders expressed fears that the agreements forged between the two communities--including an employment program for blacks and an end to a boycott of a South Los Angeles liquor store--could be sundered by the latest wave of anger and tension.

“Now there is a perception that the Koreans got away with something in the black community and that something must be done about it,” said Jerry Yu, president of the Korean-American Coalition.

During one workshop, Jessica Crenshaw, a representative of First A.M.E. Church in southwest Los Angeles said that “when I watched the sentencing on TV, I was thinking that this is going to be like another ‘60s in Los Angeles.”

Deputy Mayor Mark D. Fabiani, who did not attend either of the meetings, said city officials have been in contact with leaders of both communities and remain hopeful that the truce will hold.

“People have a right to protest the judge’s decision and the mayor would be the last person to tell people to not exercise that right,” Fabiani said. “But people’s anger has to be channeled toward a productive solution.

“It’s important to remember that this was a decision as a result of the judicial process and not representative of the feelings of people in either community,” he added.

The Rev. Cecil L. (Chip) Murray, pastor of First A.M.E. Church, said he will encourage members of his community to express their frustration in protests, but to also to build coalitions.

“In the short run we must vent our anger to the larger community . . . or else we will be taken for granted.” Murray said. “We must feel that our lives have value. We must feel that justice is equitable, that Latasha’s death has meaning.”

But he cautioned that a “thoughtless word or deed could easily trigger polarization” and called on blacks to “be offended without being offensive and to be offensive without being violent.”

At the town meeting at Bethel A.M.E. Church, the anger was readily apparent. One man was wearing a hand-lettered T-shirt that said “(Expletive) the judge. Justice B Damned!!!” Wilbur Thomas, wearing a Malcolm X cap, stood in the street waving a sign that read: “Enough Is Enough.”

“I wanted it to say ‘Take It to the Streets,’ but I didn’t want to be arrested for inciting a riot,” Thomas said. “This is the closest I could come to saying that we should be doing something drastic.”

Most leaders at the meeting tried to harness those emotions into a call for black self-determination.

In a rousing speech, Archbishop George A. Stallings Jr., the African-American priest who was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church for forming a breakaway movement in 1989, urged that Latasha’s death not be in vain.

“It is time for us . . . to wake up and smell the coffee,” said Stallings, as the crowd rose to its feet, clapping. “It is time to wake up Los Angeles and take destiny into our own hands.”