LOS ANGELES –– K-Town 9-1-1 was held on Sep. 11 at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in the heart of Koreatown. It brought together politics, poetry and hip-hop, and was organized by Asiatic Empire, the five-year-old activist community arts production group and its youth component, Jeet Kune Flow.
Kublai Kwon, the group’s founder, was born in Olympia, Washington, and lived in Alabama, St. Louis and England, before settling into the Koreatown community.
He wanted the event to raise the political consciousness of Koreatown youth, while also creating racial solidarity.
“Living in K-Town, I could observe that the left-wing activist community was fractured and also not really reaching out to the core community or to the youth,” said Kwon.
“I also observed a big gang and drug problem with the K-Town working class youth, a direct result of there not being much to do in K-Town except the typical soulless consumer activities, like buying boba, karaoke, pool halls, cafés, drinking spots.”
Asiatic Empire offers affordable or free arts events for lower economic bracket youth as not only an alternative to gangs, but also creating a bridge between youth and KoreAm activist groups. Many shows are pan-Asian, but Kwon focuses on the neighborhood, so many events are Korean.
K-Town 9-1-1 was intended to educate about 9/11 and how the U.S. government used 9/11 as an excuse to go to war against Afghanistan and Iraq, Kwon said. APA activist groups spoke alongside non-Asian groups like ANSWER LA and Labor Community Strategy Center, and nonprofit groups, like Thai CDC, Pilipino Workers Center and South Asian Network.
The event alternated speakers with performers. Organizations tabling on the sidewalk included: Addicted to War, KPFK, International Action Center, Anakbayan LA, ANSWER LA, Afghan Women’s Mission, and Mindullae/One Korea.
“K-Town 9-1-1 was a truly original political hip-hop event. It was great to see youth come together to see and hear the amazing talent among L.A.’s Asian hip-hop and spoken word artists.”
– Seung Hye Suh, a professor of English and Asian American Studies at Scripps College, Claremont
“What an interesting show! Filled with many political speakers and known emcees from the L.A. underground hip-hop scene. It was good to see music mixed with politics, I mean hip-hop is a revolution.”
– Dumbfoundead, rap performer, age 19
