You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty KIM
six forty. It's Later with Mo Kelly. We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio
app as we continue to follow what is happening on UCLA's campus. In fact,
kfi's own Chris Adler is there on the scene with the latest Good Evening.
Chris, what does it look like? Kamo? So, as I
was in the middle of my life head, just starting that lighthead with Mark,
I just turned to my left and from Haynes Paul, I just saw
about three dozen police officers come out with helmets lest lethal round weapons. And
so now we probably we probably have about one hundred police officers on campus here
that I can see. Some of them are carrying les letho round guns.
They have dip ties, those those handcuffs dip ties. So it looks like
it looks like they will be moving in tonight. Don't know what time or
when it's gonna happen, but it looks like they're gearing up for that.
They're getting organized here Mo. And we've got hundreds of pro Palestinian supporters that
showed up about an hour and a half ago in support of this camp,
the UCLA has deemed unlawful, has told these protesters they have to go.
We heard from the protesters they said they're not going. They're gonna stay put
there. They're here for a cause, they're here for Gaza and they're not
moving. So we've got LPD officers and other officers here in the middle and
they're surrounded by a camp protesters on one side, hundreds of protesters on the
other side. So, you know, but they look like they're organizing here
and getting ready for getting ready to move in most Is there any community excuse
me, communication like via bullhorn between law enforcement and the protesters. Are they
given them reminders, you know, get out or you know you're here unlawfully?
Is there any type of communication. Well, I'm looking at HP right
now. They're kind of off on a sidebar with some of these protesters from
within the camp. It's like a mini protest going on that ESP is monitoring
on both sides. On both sides here, there are two buildings across from
each other, and CHP is kind of in the in the middle manning these
these protests, these many protests, though they're directly communicating with these protesters over
there. There's there's no megaphones going back and forth. We did see a
protester emerged from the camp who was screaming and shouting using his bullharn saying,
where was LAPD yesterday when we were being attacked by Zionists? Where was LAPD?
Now? You guys want to show up. So they were screaming at
LAPD, criticizing them for not being there when they were under attack. To
that concern, do you know when you entered the campus, is the campus
officially on lockdown? Are they keeping out non students? Are they allowing students
on the campus? What is it like to gain entrance? Right? So,
from yesterday there were hundreds of students on campus. They were in the
middle of final exams. There were hundreds of students walking through the campus.
Today there were students. Students are allowed on the campus. They're not allowed
in this quad outside of Roy Paul and from outside of Powell Library. Those
buildings have been shut they've been closed down. Those buildings face the camp,
but other buildings are open. Students are able to get in and out,
but classes have been canceled. Students are not allowed to enter anywhere near the
camp. This has been on strict lockdown. Today, Powell Library was walking
up to try to talk to the protesters. Media liaison. They want to
let me get in there, and any of the protesters who came out of
the camp, they would not let them back in. Several of them came
out to try to get supplies and let them back in. Mo as I
watched general news coverage on the various networks locally and even cable networks. For
me, from what I see, is painfully obvious that there are a number
of people who are not students. From what you see on the ground,
are you looking at, to the best of your knowledge, mostly students or
mostly a mix of students and non students. It's hard to tell. It's
hard to tell. But what I can tell you is that from the camp.
There was one woman who walked out of the camp today who was not
a student, and she was wearing the Palestinian shawl. She came out,
officer sold her you cannot go back in. So I started speaking with her.
I said, well, you know what's going on in the camp.
He goes, well, I'm not a student, but I then they're helping
them clean the camp, keeping it in order, so she's not a student,
and she told me there's other people in the camp that are not students.
The question, MO is, how many of them are not students?
We know for a fact that there are non students in that camp. You
talked about how the student protesters will call them student protesters were in communication at
least on a small level with law enforcement. Do we know if there's any
UCLA administration people who are also there in communication with the protesters. You know
what, We've been reaching out to UCLA. We have not heard from UCLA.
I talked to students today who said that they have only heard from UCLA
this morning when these fights broke out last night. The violence attacked from last
night and early this morning. They then received an email that classes were closed,
but they were outraged. They said why didn't the university take action sooner?
And they were also outraged that police took over two hours to show up
on campus. This is coming from the students, but you know, they
said that I personally have not had I have had no communication from UCLA.
I've reached out to the chancellor several times. I did speak with one student
who says the Chancellor's on his way out he's turning, I believe in November,
and they said he doesn't care. So you know, I can't speak
to that, but this is what students are saying. MO. Pay one
more picture for me. I know from published reports that LAPD has taken the
lead as far as that on campus presence. But you made mention of CHP.
What are the law enforcement agencies have you seen since you've been there?
So I will tell you LAPD is the biggest presidence. I'm looking at right
now. I'm looking at lines of LAPD, groups of LAPD in the middle
of this squad here. I've got HP on the side. They probably are
the second biggest presidence. And I saw Beverly HILLSPD and Santa Monica PD,
Roland as well as campus PD. They they have public safety out here and
they have multiple campus uh campus security officer. I've been told that they are
not affiliated with the campus, that they're private contactors, that the campus that's
the st retired Chris. This is something going on right now here. Noise
in the background, it's just the protesters. They're they're getting riled up,
and actually the protesters are shining a flashlight on me from within the camp they
haven't been too friendly with media, So they're shining a flashlight on me right
now. I don't know what they're Yeah, they're tining it directly in my
face. So, uh, now what you're hearing, You're you're hearing protesters
from from all angles. This is a rhetorical question before I let you go.
Don't they understand that antagonizing the media doesn't help them get out the message
that they want all of us to know and support. You would think that.
I think that there have been to their to their credits, there have
been a lot of agitators that have come in. I've seen them myself.
There have been agitators that come in and want to had a reaction. I
think that they are not open to the media now. On day one when
I was here, they they how to check in. There was a media
check in on day one, but they did send out a liaison to speak
with me. She was very cordial, very kind, very very uh very
calm. But we're saying this is the scene now very different towards media,
almost almost hostile towards media. Have you seen people walk up since the order
of dispersal was given? Are are there more people amassing since when you first
walked on campus. Absolutely there within this camp, well within this camp now
there's probably about three hundred people, I'm told within the camp. I was
able to take a peek inside wheres this plywood was coming down. They were
reconfiguring and reconstructing the plywood. I thought that they were breaking down and abiding
by the orders from the university, but I heard them saying, we've got
new rule, We've got a new plan. We're going to be stronger than
ever, and we need to create a multi layered barricade, a three layer
by barricade. They've got dip ties on these palletts, these crates, they're
using metal fencing, these skids. They're using skids and palates and they've got
them all gip tied together to kind of reinforce this wall. So you know,
this is about three hundred of them in their moment. It's very organized.
They even have they have a tent that's designated for PCP. I spoke
with a guy who was trying to get into the camp who said he was
a medic. He said he was a medic and he needed to get back
into the camp to treat his people. So this is a very organized camp
in just a few days. Since last week, they've become very organized.
Do you think organized as in outside money helping or something else, just organized
internally? Well, I've been told that they were having fundraisers. There were
fundraisers. I don't know where where these fundraisers were, where they came from.
They said that they had fundraisers to raise money for supplies. They were
asking for donation from the public. Even up until today we saw Blake Trolly
or Blake Trolley got video of them trying to bring supplies in, food,
water, art supplies. So we don't know exactly who's donating, but they've
been calling on the public tremendously. Chris Adler, fantastic reporting. Please be
safe down there and hopefully there will be no violence tonight. All right,
Mo, you got it, Thank you. It's later with Mo Kelly.
Keep it right here. We're continuing our coverage of the events which are unfolding
on the campus of UCLA. As you heard from Chris Adler, there's a
large LAPD president second, the CHP, Santa Monica PD, Beverly Hills PD,
campus security, and more. We're waiting to see whether the some three
hundred protesters on the campus in that encampment will heed the divers order or whether
LAPD and other law enforcement will be forced to move in. So keep it
right here. We'll find out what happens as the night progresses. KFI AM
six forty Live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app. You're listening to Later with Moe
Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty, and we're continuing to follow the
protests which are going on around southern California, most notably on UCLA's and USC's
campus. You've heard about the expanded law enforcement presence on UCLA's campus, but
we're still keeping an eye on what's happening at USC. As the Daily Trojan,
the student newspaper their online site, they are updating events as it happens
live and just to give you some of the more recent updates at USC.
At seven fifty seven PM, it was reported that protesters are lining the perimeter
of Alumni Park with metal barricades, and then at eight point fifteen a reporter,
Jonathan Park, who's the digital Managing editor, had this to say.
Video shows more than one hundred people passing by campus in the midday protests convoy,
which is currently at Jefferson Boulevard and Figueroa Street per a Trojan's alert at
eight oh six pm, and the most recent update is for DPS cars Department
of Public Safety. Two with headlights on have driven up to two corners of
the encampment. And also, I know Tiffany Hobbs you have an update with
respect to USC as well. Sure, I've been monitoring their USC's Twitter slash
x handle, which is giving more on the ground insight and allowing people to
respond. And I noticed as well that USC's other social media accounts, namely
Instagram, they've shut their comments off. They don't want that sort of dialogue,
so to get information you really have to look deeply into other areas.
And on their Twitter slash x account, just now little over an hour ago,
it was said that demonstrators unaffiliated with the university may arrive outside of a
specific area on campus, and just now, about ten minutes ago, it
was also said that demonstrators unaffiliated with USC are protesting in the intersection of Jefferson
Boulevard and Figueroa So USC is naming these demonstrators, these protesters as being unaffiliated,
it is specifically said, and they are designating them as non students.
So that speaks to what Chris Atler was saying at UCLA and what we've presumed
based off of what we've been looking at. Also, it was said last
segment and the last news report, Mark Ronner made it clear that a report
has just come in that LAPD is officially on tactical alert, meaning that every
officer is on call at this point, and they will even recall some offers
who are off duty, who may even be on vacation, to make sure
that they have all these different campuses canvassed. And we're a little bit behind
on the clock. But Taula, I want to get your thoughts because we
talk about social media, as we do with Tiffany each and every week,
we talk about how young people communicate via social media, how they get all
their news from their phone and so forth. I wonder, and I'm asking
you as a parent, and I'm asking you as an administrator of a school,
what are you hearing? What are young people saying? Are they even
invested in a moment like this? You know this moment, Mike. I'm
going to go with my son who will be eighteen in June, and for
his generation, I know that he has friends from both sides of the argument,
and I know that you know, he's having long conversations with him,
and his friends are confiding in him and they're having talks. But that is
about the gist of it. There is no real i'd say worry because these
aren't things that are affecting them right now, even though college is on the
horizon. Here and Tiffany Hobbs, let me ask you as well, I
didn't give everyone your complete resume. You're also a teacher of eighth and ninth
graders, I am, yes, and I'm quite sure they have all sorts
of thoughts about everything which is ever going on, especially those things which are
viral or at the top of the social media landscape. What are you hearing
from your students and do they care? Do they understand this moment? You
know most some of them care. Some of them are very entrenched in what's
going on. And for those who are paying attention, it's on their TikTok,
it's on their Instagram, they're talking about it. Online media literacy is
extremely important so that they can siphon through all of the information they're getting and
be able to find things that are accurate. What I'm learning is that there
are all sorts of rumors that my students are navigating. There's just an influx
of information, and they don't know what's right and what's untrue. So I've
been helping them with that and encouraging them, of course, to have dialogue
to form their own opinions. It's a large part of my teaching to give
them the information and let them form their opinions. I do not impart mine
upon them. That's not what teaching is at this level. But to know
that they are interested in what's happening in their own physical backyard is inspiring.
It's also nerve wracking because again, the information they're getting is widespread and has
and does contain a lot of inaccuracy. Yes, their ability to be able
to filter it is limited at best, even if they wanted to filter it.
When we come back on the other side of this break, I want
to talk more about how this is a affecting people who are not directly connected
to this, and I would be very transparent. This is something which has
been difficult for me personally. I have friends and family on both sides of
this issue. I have coworkers on both sides of this issue and trying to
navigate that when I personally do not have a rooting interest, as they say,
makes it very difficult. But I also want to hear from you Tuwala.
I want to hear from you Mark and even you Stephane as far as
how you navigate these moments, given that it's kind of complex. It's not
all of this or all of that. And also want to hear more about
what the children are thinking. It's later with mo Kelly as we follow the
events unfolding at USC and UCLA. I was just watching Key Cal nine and
you could see the police presence. It is, I would say, more
aggressive than passive at this point. It seems that they are prepared to enforce
that dispersal order. There's no telling when that may be, but it's obvious
that they're not going anywhere anytime soon, and they're going to make sure that
that encampment, or at least UCLA's campus has been cleared out. So we
will continue to follow that and we'll have more in just a moment. Can
if I am six forty live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app you're listening to Later
with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty when we're following what is
unfolding at UCLA and USC and other campuses around the Southland. Last segment,
we'd started a portion of the conversation as to what the younger people may be
thinking at this moment. Before we return to that, we have an update
in regard to what is happening at UCLA via UCLA social media thanks to Aaron
in the newsroom. Go ahead, erin. I think we're having some technical
difficulties. Mo continue on. Aaron is trying to get connected on her in
there. Okay, then have her come down to the studio of need be.
But we do have some information from UCLA's campus as far as what information
they are allowing out into the public. In the meantime, Tiffany Hobbs,
you had some information update on USC as well. Yes, so I'm looking
at the Twitter. I'm monitoring different accounts, and an hour ago an account
posted that there were protesters at USC and they say again they are not students,
not is emboldened and all capitalized. They are not students. And when
you look at the video they are marching, it looks like southbound on Figaroa
between let's say Jefferson and the next northbound streets where the New University kind of
target is and Trader Jones. They kind of mobilized around there, and they're
marching southbound it looks, but there are clearly about one hundred people. They're
waiving all sorts of signage and insignia, and they are not students, but
they are causing a lot of disruption to those streets and adding to what's already
a very confusing time for people on campus. Can you tell, from what
limited information you have, whether there is any increased police presence around these protesters
marching down the street. From what I'm seeing, there are Department of Public
Safety officers in riot gear on campus and off campus. You have LAPD monitoring
the situation as well. But I think that the increase in what the Department
of Public Safety officers are now wearing speaks to the expectation that things are going
to likely get out of hand as these encampments refuse to move. This is
what I wonder. I wonder if there is any coordination between the campuses,
if there's any coordination between the outside protesters, and whether what is happening at
USC has any connection or timing coordination with respect to UCLA. I'm just wondering
out loud. I just I don't think that anything is happening in a haphazard
manner, in a random manner that makes any sense. I agree. I've
seen numerous accounts that are chokingly saying USC did this, and UCLA said,
hold my beer. So there's always this competitive spirit between the campuses and between
the student bodies, and I am certain that UCLA didn't want to be left
out when it came to these protests. And as we're saying, cal State
Northridge and cow State LA also have created or have had created on their campuses
different encampments in the last eight hours as well. That's an update. Let's
go to Aaron in our newsroom, who has it's a UCLA update. Hi,
though, Yes, So there are protesters that are now turning on their
flashlights. I guess there are speakers inside the camp who are giving a speech
about togetherness. They are trying. There's this idea that those students inside are
trying to keep it peaceful, and they are. The chants are also growing
louder. More police are filling in around. They're not allowed in our own
Michael Monks is on his way there now, and there's a lot of sound
coming in there, a booze and chants. Even though so there's like conflicting
reports of trying to keep it peaceful while also outside anger. Well, from
what you're telling me, and this is just how I'm reading it, you're
telling me that although people who are there are in part trying to keep it
peaceful, they're not trying to leave though either. No, there's hundreds of
them still there, and then the more people that show up, the more
police officers are on their way there as well. I wonder, And I
don't know your exact age, Aaron, but I know you're about one third
my age, So I wonder if someone who's not of my generation. Last
segment, I was asking Taula about the kids that he is an administrator of
a school of and also his personal kids, And I was asking Tiffy Hobbs
about the kids she teaches. You're a little bit older, you're more recent
to the college experience than any of us. Is that fair to say?
Yeah, I don't know. I think don't get in up there now too.
Oh yeah, okay, your whole maybe twenty seven at most, Yes,
there we go, I was warm quarters. How do you read this
moment given that you were more recently in college and what campus life is like
as opposed to the rest of us. What have you gleaned from this moment.
I mean, it's really interesting. I've had I have friends who are
alumni who just dropped off packages this afternoon to students and faculty at UCLA that
needed it. And I also know people who work at Hillel and are with
the Jewish Federation who are on standby if needed. And it's a really interesting
time to be a passionate college student who cares deeply about something. The problem
is there are a lot of outside courses and information is hard to obtain,
and I think in this moment, news or outlets or whatever are a great
resource. But I also think listening to people who have lived experiences. I
think that is a really important thing to do in this moment as well.
And I think there's so much information that people get when they go to college,
and sifting through that is really difficult in any decade to be a college
student, and I think it's no different now. You make a great point
talking about listening to people with lived experiences, and that range of lived experiences
will vary by decade. And what I mean by that is, I'm just
going to get keep it in terms of me. I'm not saying it for
anyone else, but I know for me, I have Muslim relatives who are
much older who have a very, very passionate view of what's going on.
I have Jewish co workers and friends and extended family who have a very passionate
view of what's going on, and they look at this situation through the prism
of history as well as the present. I'm talking about four and five decades
more of history than these college students may have, and there's a lot of
yelling going on, and to your point, Aaron, there's not a lot
of listening. And I found it difficult to manage my personal relationships, my
professional relationships as we move through this really really uncomfortable moment in history. And
maybe that's not for you to answer to, but I think you said something
which is very very insightful as far as being willing to listen to those who
you agree with and those who you don't agree with. But can I ask
you if we can depend on you to give us more updates about UCLA as
the night progresses absolutely. I'm here till Robin says I can go home.
Well, that means nobody's going home because we want to be here all night
long as we cover the events of UCLA and USC. We will have more
in just a moment. You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from
KFI AM six forty, and we're continuing to follow the unfolding situations at UCLA
and USC. And let me just make a point here, and I want
to send a shout out to the student journalists on both the campuses of US
and UCLA. They are my word embedded in this situation. They have the
clearest view of what's going on, and I have to salute them for what
they are doing to give me out information which is necessary for everyone involved,
and also to record these events as they're happening on USC's campus. It was
just reported by the Daily Trojan and they're up dating their site minute by minute
that the May Day protesters at the Trousdale North Entrance have now also disbanded.
People are being allowed onto campus again and back at the encampment. A screening
of Primera, a documentary that follows two parent activists abmit a democratic revolution in
Chile is about to begin. The two DPS cars that were at Alumni Park
have left to stand by that aforementioned North entrance. And also this I didn't
give a chance to make mention of it earlier, but it is relevant given
what we're talking about. In regard to student journalists, The La Times had
reported a couple hours ago that four UCLA student journalists were attacked by pro Israel
counter protesters on campus. That's the headline. That's not my interpretation. Four
student journalists I'm reading from the story who worked for the UCLA Daily Bruin were
attacked shortly before three thirty am pro Israel counter protesters during a campus demonstration that
turned violent. We've heard about the moments of that when violence broke out.
Daily Brewin news editor Catherine Hamilton, twenty one, told The Times she recognized
one of the counter protesters as someone who had previously verbally harassed her and taken
pictures of her press badge. The individual instructed the group to encircle the student
journalists, she said, before they sprayed the four with mace or pepper spray,
flashed lights in their faces, and chanted Hamilton's name as she tried to
break three free Hamilton said she was punched repeatedly in the chest and upper abdomen.
Another student journalist was pushed to the ground and beaten and kicked for nearly
a minute. The attack was first reported in The Daily Bruin. I only
say that to say we appreciate what these student journalists are attempting to do,
as in many instances they will be the voice of record. And let me
just bring you into the conversation very quickly, Mark Runner, if you can
hear me, Mark, When you were a student reporter, did you often
find yourself in precarious positions? Well, I found myself in them as a
normal adult reporter. I was never a student reporter. But I've covered you
know, wto riots and quite a number of other things like that, and
you know, you're always going to have chaos agents who aren't there as part
of the legit protest. They want to stir things up, they want to
break things, they they want to cause damage. And I'm seeing a lot
of reports of that in this situation as well, all around the country,
not just you uc LA, and so as a journalist, that makes me
want to encourage everybody to remain skeptical of what you read, see, hear
what people say, and try to get to the root of things. You
know, if you read something, click through to the source of it.
And that's just a starting point. I mean, I've been in the middle
of these protests and I've been shot with rubber bullets. I've been tear gas
more than anybody, you know. Just a side note, Yeah, never
build up a tolerance for tear gas. Okay, I've had pepper spray and
tear gas. They are not fun. They are unfun. No, no,
they're not. And but you know, and I'm gonna kind of recuse
myself and just stick to news for the most part on this. But I
will say, as a student of history, look at how these things go.
Is it any surprise to you that students are taking a stand on something
they find horrifying, whether it's close to them or internationally. We know that
something like thirty five thousand civilians have been killed in this war in Gaza,
and of that massive number, about seventy percent are women and children. So
you know, we know from the Vietnam protests that this isn't an unusual thing
to happen, right and before we finish out this hour. Let me come
back to Tiffany Hobbes. Tiffany, I had left off with you, your
giving thoughts about your students eighth and nine eighth graders, whether they are processing,
whether they are invested in this moment, Do they have any feelings about
this campus unrest as it seemingly is escalating. They are intrigued, they are
curious, They're a little nervous. They don't understand relativity as well. They
are wondering if the protests are going to make it down to where they are
or our school. So there's all of that happening simultaneously. In addition to
what Mark said, they're increased sympathy for the thirty five thousand plus civilians who
have been killed in Gaza, So we're teaching that humanitarian side as well as
them monitoring what's going on as far as being able to exercise your legal right
to use your voice. But also, again, how does that then affect
them directly? So to shield them from the scariest parts but also expose them
to the truth is the delicate dance of a teacher, and I believe we're
doing well. It's so fluid that I'm sure there will be lots of questions
tomorrow about what's going on, and again, how close to home this would
hit or will hit. Mark Rohner said something that kind of hits home for
me. We hopefully are curious enough to check our sources. Hopefully we're curious
enough to learn the history of America and understand that this moment in and of
itself is not completely unique. The issue is unique, but the way people
are raising their voices is not unique. And it's not lost on me that
we're only three days away from the commemoration of Kent State and how history may
not repeat itself, but it does rhyme oftentimes. There are a lot of
similarities here going on as far as how young people are raising their voices in
a correct and also incorrect way. I would say, but we're going to
stay with this story for the rest of the evening. As a law enforcement
has taken a more aggressive stance my word, on the campus of UCLA.
They have given the order to disperse. In our reporting from Chris Adler,
the students, I should say, those in the encampment number as many as
three hundred people and have not given any indication that they are leaving. If
you've been watching. The news has been made clear by a number of elected
officials, from Governor Newsom to La Meroric Karen Bass that they support the protests,
but not the lawlessness or violence which may be connected to it, and
they do support what law enforcement has done up until this point to maintain and
retain order. We're going to continue to follow this and see where all of
this leads. It's KFI AM six forty. We're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio
app. No access to grind here. We think we are lumberjacks. How
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