A Los Angeles man who armed himself and took to the streets in 1992 to protect a local business during the height of the Rodney King unrest says today’s rioters in the city are astroturfed for political purposes. 

Tony Moon, 53, is what is now known as a “rooftop Korean.” 

Thirty-three years ago, the Korean-American, then 19, was asked to join a spontaneous movement alongside other Korean-Americans who armed themselves to protect their lives and property from being destroyed by violent rioters who were upset over the verdict in a trial against officers who beat Rodney King during a traffic stop. 

Tony Moon in 1994. Two years earlier he helped protect a business during the Rodney King riots. (Tony Moon)

Riots broke out in U.S. cities after George Floyd’s death in Minnesota in 2020. (Courtesy: Benjamin Crump via TMX.news)

Moon emphasized his support for peaceful protest, but said that when damaging property, vandalization and looting occur, those activities cross the line. 

He also advised Angelenos who feel unsafe due to violent crime to do what he and others in the Korean-American community did more than three decades ago: arm themselves. 

“If it’s a riot or if there’s any sort of mayhem, social chaos going on in your neighborhood, invest in firearms,” he said. “I mean, support the Second Amendment. Buy a gun, buy a rifle. I mean, the most easiest weapon to shoot is a shotgun. So invest in something like that and learn how to shoot it and be proficient with it, so that way it becomes part of your defense, whether it’s for your home or your business.”

A protester waves the Mexican flag amid clashes with law enforcement in the streets surrounding the federal building during a protest following federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. Demonstrators torched cars and scuffled with security forces in Los Angeles on June 8, as police kept protesters away from the National Guard troops President Donald Trump sent to the streets of the second biggest US city. (RINGO CHIU/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this month riots plagued Los Angeles, a so-called sanctuary city, since a series of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps targeting criminal illegal immigrants. 

Federal law enforcement and police clashed with rioters in the city’s streets, while those agitators burned cars, looted businesses, took over streets and graffitied buildings in the heart of downtown Los Angeles with anti-ICE and anti-Trump messaging. 

The city’s mayor, Karen Bass, has blamed President Donald Trump for causing the unrest by deploying National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to protect federal property, and Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration for the move. 

The Trump administration ordered 2,000 more members of the National Guard to the city last week, and ICE will continue conducting operations in the city.