Thanks for the pic. Yes, I remember the armed Koreans during the Rodney King riots. They were defending their places of business from the rioters.
The rioters were afraid to mess with the Koreans, if I recall correctly.
Sometimes a good show of force can fend off trouble.
You're quite right.
Other posters have mentioned the disastrous Newark riots. A sidelight is the measures taken by Elizabeth mayor Tom Dunn. He posted his police force on the Newark border with shoot-to-kill orders. Far as I know, there were no houses burned there.