criminal justice system the cases will show if we do and let's see what happens. >> host: a history professor at ucla former chair of the history department. where were you? >> march 1991 i had just moved to a los angeles i had just begun and as an assistant professor in january. i was living in faculty housing trying to figure out what l.a. was all about and was coming from austin, the deep south and raised in virginia, the upper south:to school in the northeast i wanted to know what the west was about the most racially diverse city in the world at the time possibly. i turn on my television the day after rodney king was beaten and i saw the videotape then two weeks later i see latasha harlins and i thought what have i done to come here? [laughter] when i left texas and came to california i expected something very different so these captured my imagination and immediately as a scholar of the african-american tradition. >> host: when did you start writing the book? >> mr. d interview in 1993 with first interview was 1993. and i decided to focus on this case verses' rodney king because of the makeup of the case. three females one was african-american from the working class and one was a nation and also middle-aged one was a young judge the first trial by a jury very well educated very wealthy jewish american woman. for a person who does women's history this jumped out to say get into it with those difficulties that women have how it plays out when women are all over this case. >> host: we have not talked about joyce karlin yet but who is judge karlin? >> she was 40 years old at the time. governor wilson had just made her a judge in the summer prior. her first trial by jury. she came from many leaped background her father was head of warner brothers international and a born and raised in south america and also italy and germany and throughout europe with her father moving with the movie business and coming back to the suburbs of chicago and going on to loyola. she passed the bar without difficulty and then moved later to las angeles where she passed the california bar to the justice department that was very efficient and effective'' and is therefore chosen by governor pete wilson to replace the judge who had retired. this was her first trial by jury some with a trial by fire. >> host: did she talk to you? >> she did not. i had to rely on interviews she gave to the press, of the television as well as the of local newspaper. >> host: is she still active judge? >> she is still doing legal work, a legal professional professional, she is the adjudicator for various cases and has been the mayor of manhattan beach for two terms and sat on the city council. >> host: how many times did you reach out? to run three times i believe. no responses. >> host: the owner's family did they talk? >> they did not. i had a research assistant reach out and she said she would but then when we called back the family said no so we were not able. >> host: what is the owner doing today? >> she is retired and her family still owns two liquor stores but not in south central. one is since the san for ando valley. she has since retired she has grandchildren and children and her husband. she still attends church because she is very committed to her church work >> host: so she did not get life in prison? >> she did not get any jail time at all and that was the controversy. she was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and a recommendation by the probation officer she received the maximum sentence of 16 years in jail because she did not show remorse what she had done in the interview. but the judge decided she should receive jail time. >> host: why did judge karlin decide that? >> guest: i think she thought of latasha harlins has been the aggressor. in some ways contributing to her own death. and she saw the owner as the victim in the case more so than she did latasha harlins. >> host: did the latasha harlins family talk to you? >> i spoke to the representative who is hurt aunt -- her and than the of face of the family she created the justice committee that is a grass roots pohai organizations will follow her around and i interviewed her and also went to the protest things that they had and read the literature mix cetera, etc. >> host: now we are over 20 years later after the murder. is latasha remembered? >> in many ways in los angeles. even two-day people who were born after her i don't think they remember her by people who were alive or teenagers at the time remember. people say the girl killed over orange juice? or they would say do you remember baby? and baby was a small puppy that was kicked and abused by his owner who was cory and on the balcony of the apartment. witnesses called the police and he was arrested and given 30 days in jail. that sentence was pronounced about one month before latasha harlins. people would say baby the dog was harmed and rightfully so the owner was sent to jail for 30 days bet latasha harlins were shot to the back of the head and the person did not receive any jail time at all that really resonated with the african-american community. how can a dog be kicked and they serve jail time that a black girl killed and the person who killed her found guilty and doesn't serve any jail time at all? people also remember the owner because just recently back in august there was a rumor that she had another store in south central and the community was outraged. people were sending around fliers that they were a child killer in they were threatening to boycott. but as it turns out to it was not the same woman. she was caribbean and otis thorpe and not the same but just the idea that she was back in the community had people ready to go to protests and boycotts. >> host: brenda stevenson is there a conflict or issues between african-american community and caribbean grocers or marketers at? >> there was and still is to a certain extent and not nearly as bad as 1991. people have just gotten used to it to have carian shopkeepers and shopkeepers are used to having black and latino clientele so the communication between the two are much better than they were. there was a lot of work done between the caribbean and black community to bridge the caps of people would understand one another better in the and tensions are understood better as well many koreans have hired african american and latino workers from the community to work in the shop that was the complaint previously there have been cultural tours taking place in korea to church groups and organizations that there is still some tension and a sense that if he were going to be in communities of people you should respect those people and we bring business to your community community, we add to the tax base and serve your community have respect for our property and our person. there is some tension but not nearly as devastating as 1991. >> host: is the empire market still functioning today? >> it is. not owned by the same people but it is there. i visited two months ago. wanted to see if it was still functioning and what type of market and there was the big question with the repurchase of there would be a liquor licence issued. the community was supposed and i don't believe it does. but i am not certain. >> host: you have been in los angeles over 20 years. is los angeles the most racially inclusive city in the united states? >> no. i don't think so. it is still fairly segregated. people have the pockets with ethnicity say you have african-americans that live in certain places, asian americans who live other places, , etc.. is still fairly segregated there is a west side and east side and los angeles is still struggling with inclusiveness. i as we get more and more places in this country and outside of the country we have something to work on we are evolving. >> host: were you teaching this semester? >> i am all leave but this summer i will be teaching a class on film and slavery. >> host: we're talking with brenda stevenson. the book is "the contested murder of latasha harlins" justice, gender, and the origins of the la riots". you are watching booktv on c-span2. >> what we can all do to save america's future presidential proposes u.s. decline and consensus solution appeals to every decency and common sense. this program is about an hour. >> host: doctor carson, welcome. i think the best way to start before we delve into the buck is to delve into