When I first heard the Rodney King verdict, my blood ran cold and I was filled with anger. Four white policeman had just been acquitted of all charges of beating Rodney King, who is black. The jury was all white and the trial was held in an all-white suburb. Is there something going on here?

Then when I saw the L.A. riots on television, I was filled with a strange feeling. I am Korean, and was saddened to see the Korean shopkeepers whose shops were being destroyed, yet I was glad America was waking up to the racial tensions in the country. Things got ridiculous though. Innocent people were killed and shops were destroyed for no reason. Soon the L.A. riots turned from the wake-up call to America to a ridiculous fiasco. Looters entered shops and stole, not to protest, but just to take what's "free." No one even thought about why the riots started in L.A.

This shows the state of the country we live in. Not only is the economy terrible, homelessness on the rise, and education standards going down, people just cannot live with each other. There seems to be a huge barrier between colors of skin. America is supposed to be a land of opportunity and freedom. But it's not. America has become a wasteland of hate, racism, and total disregard of fellow human beings. When I look at the American flag, I am not proud of our country. I am ashamed to be an American. n