Skip to main content
brightcove-6164683488001.jpg
Back to Show
SoCal Connected

I WAS THERE: Emotions Resurface for Woman Whose Family’s Business Burned During the 1992 Civil Unrest

Minah Yeo is the Director of Interior Design at Berliner Architects in Culver City. In this episode of “I Was There” Yeo recalls watching her family’s business burn to the ground during the 1992 civil unrest. The road to recovery was difficult and ultimately led to a dead end. The family business never made a full comeback. Nearly three decades later, Yeo's TV screen is once again showing L.A. reacting to police brutality and racial injustice. The images are dredging up long buried memories and emotions.

Yeo supports the Black Lives Matter movement and believes injustice can also be inflicted on less obvious victims.

Photos of Yeo and her mother present day were taken by Juhn Kwon. 

About the Series

"I WAS THERE" is about telling a great story. This series of first-person accounts breaks current and historical events down to human scale, carefully taking the viewer behind some of Southern California’s biggest headlines.

Production team

Executive Producer: Karen Foshay 

Producers: Tori Edgar, Denise Chan & Michael Ray 

Photographers: Trevor Jackson, Karen Foshay

Editor/Graphics: Michael Ray, Andy Viner

Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Season
'Where's Nancy?' and 'The Virus Hunter'
27:29
A man's search for his missing wife who suffers from early onset Alzheimers reveals gaps in the system meant to locate and care for the mentally impaired in California. "SoCal Connected" documents the journey to answer, where's Nancy?
Bicycle Accident in L.A.
27:15
Public street disrepair is costing Los Angeles millions in costly personal injury claims.
image of assassin bugs
26:59
They’re tiny, weaponized, and carry a potentially deadly payload. They’re called “Assassin Bugs” and they can be as common as the backyard mosquito or as exotic as the so-called “kissing bug"--and they're here in Southern California, spreading some of the
Park Service workers taking care of a Channel Island fox
24:49
SoCal Connected's Deepa Dernandes questions Santa Barbara landlord Dario Pini.
Veteran Tending to a Marijuana Plant
24:30
Examine L.A.'s unregulated short-term housing market and an indoor marijuana facility employing veterans.
'Stolen Paychecks' 'Watch Where You Sign' 'The Virus Hunter'
26:59
A look at the spike in the number of employers retaliating against undocumented workers.
'Who Approved That?' 'Animal Court' 'Energy Saving Family
28:29
As new developments pop up all over L.A., many are asking, 'Who approved that?'
Los Angeles looking hot with sun in background
26:34
How hot will your neighborhood get? "SoCal Connected" looks at the ground-level effects of climate change on southern California.
Active loading indicator