John is a tall, gentle man with a quite demeanor, from Inchon Korea, who has owned and operated a small beat up liquor store on the main drag in Hamilton for these past five years [or longer, as I have only lived here for five years]. John's only employee was a former lightweight boxer who stocked the cases and provided security. I've been a regular for the past couple years, and John has treated me no differently then his black customers. But beginning in September of 2014, with increased violent crime against Hamilton businesses, John had become edgy. Since February he has been treating me like the Korean liquor store owners used to treat me down in Gardenville—nothing gardenlike about it—in the 1990s.

The basic strategy—now adopted by the Sikh liquor store owner up the street as well—is to take the black customer first. Since all liquor store robbers are black, the proprietor hopes to discourage a stick up by arranging it to occur before a witness. This works well as black men and women are generally so into their king and queen complex that they savor the apparent favoritism. The liquor store owner then discounts the white man's cost for his trouble. John began doing this with me as he got ever more nervous. Then, when the riots hit, he would engage me in conversation after the transaction and thank me for visiting him.

John stopped bringing in stock when the riots hit, expressed grave misgivings about the lack of police protection after the riots, and has not brought any stock in for the past three weeks since the riots, shortening his hours more every week as he lost business.

John no longer opens his liquor store. I do not know why. Someone said he was having financial troubles.