The thriving Chinatown , on the eastern edge of the Plaza , was the site of terrible violence on October 24 , 1871 . A gunfight between rival tongs resulted in the accidental death of a white man . This enraged the bystanders , and a mob of about 500 Anglos and Latinos descended on Chinatown . They randomly lynched 19 Chinese men and boys , only one of whom may have been involved in the original killing . Homes and businesses were looted . Only 10 rioters were tried . Eight were convicted of manslaughter , but their convictions were overturned the following year on a legal technicality . This Chinese Massacre of 1871 was the first time that Los Angeles was reported on the front pages of newspapers all over the world , even crowding out reports of the Great Chicago Fire , which had taken place two weeks earlier . While the '' Los Angeles Star '' went so far to call the massacre " a glorious victory " , others fretted about the city 's racist and violent image . With the coming economic opportunities of the railroads , city fathers set themselves to wipe out mob violence
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Ethnic groups in Los Angeles