Family Red Apple boycott

Initial events The boycott was sparked by an alleged assault of a Haitian American woman, Giselaine Fetissainte, by a Korean-American shopkeeper. The woman alleged that she had been searched and then struck by three of the shop's employees. The shopkeeper said that the woman had refused to pay for store items and that she had not been attacked. The boycott was led by Robert (Sonny) Carson, a local activist and black nationalist, and George Edward Tait, a community activist and educator. The incident led to public criticism of New York City's Mayor David Dinkins for failing to end the protest. Threatened escalation Carson threatened the storeowners that the boycott would escalate, stating "in the future, there will be funerals not boycotts". The mayor's office attempted to mediate between the two sides. Eight months into the boycott, with the picketers continuing to refuse to cooperate, Dinkins made a personal effort at reconciliation by shopping at the grocery shop. Related events Family Red Apple was not the only store affected. Seven months after the first boycott, ==Resolution==

The boycott ended after the owner of Family Red Apple sold out his lease to another Korean-American."After.. 16-month boycott ... sold... began in January, 1990, when ..." {{cite news |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=May 30, 1991 ==Criticism of Mayor Dinkins==

Mayor Dinkins was criticized in the press for his administration's handling of the affair. The situation was described as "not just one boycott but a gratuitous strike against a Korean-owned grocery across the street." He also wrote, "It may well be that I waited an overly long time to take this step, but I had faith in the court system and in the rational ability of people to come to satisfactory conclusions among themselves. I may have been wrong on both counts." Reaction of the New York Times This type of "antagonism ... led to boycotts of a half-dozen Korean stores ... since 1984." Seven months after the January 1990 start of the Family Red Apple matter in Flatbush, The New York Times wrote regarding August's Brownsville case, "At least the Mayor acted quickly this time, and acknowledges the likelihood of a racial motive. ==References==