June 15, 2025 • 37 mins
Michael Monks breaks down the aftermath of the “No Kings” protests in LA, with dozens arrested and economic ripples continuing downtown. He critiques Mayor Karen Bass’s CNN appearance, where she downplayed the disruptions, calling downtown “a tiny sliver”—a claim Monks pushes back on, noting its vital role in SoCal’s economy. Plus: how the progressive left is interpreting the protests, a protestor’s severe injury draws renewed scrutiny on law enforcement, and a Dodger Stadium anthem controversy sparks heated reactions after Nezza sings the national anthem in Spanish.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Michael Monks reports on Michael Monks from KFI News. You
can catch us live every Saturday night from seven to nine,
but we are in on this beautiful Sunday afternoon for
our continued coverage of the immigration raids and the demonstrations
against them here and across Los Angeles County and southern California.
We're going to be asking for your perspective throughout this
(00:25):
afternoon and give you full updates on what happened yesterday
and what may lie ahead. And you can always participate
in our conversation by opening up the iHeartRadio app and
clicking on that talk back button. We would love to
hear from you, and we will play some of your
comments throughout this afternoon. Happy Father's Day to all of
you out there celebrating. I do hope, in spite of
(00:46):
all the wildness and the weirdness, and the sadness and
the tragedy of the world, that you are able to
take some time to focus on what really matters, which
is those who are close to you. So Happy Father's
Day to all the dads out there, different types of dads,
some of you may have had a dad who stepped
in when another one stepped out. Special special ups to
(01:08):
those guys today, especially to mine.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Happy Father's Day. All right, So this is Sunday.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
We are now ten days into the first major immigration
raids and the demonstrations that followed and the chaos here
in Los Angeles. Yesterday was the biggest in terms of people,
volume of people who came out to speak against policies
out of the White House. Now the no Kings demonstrations
that we saw across LA, across southern California and all
(01:38):
across the country that reportedly drew and estimated five million people,
including tens of thousands in downtown Los Angeles, that was
more broadly directed against President Trump various policies. Of course,
immigration hung heavily over it, but they took exception with
a lot of White House policies. It was later in
(02:01):
the afternoon, in the evening when some of the usual
suspects started to show up to resume the spicier protests
outside the federal building on Alameda Street and the detention
center there where it is believed that suspected illegal immigrants
are being held. And yes things got a little hairy again.
(02:21):
Police said that there were thirty eight people arrested during
the No King's protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of people flooded the area to protest
the policies of the Trump administration.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
But that's not entirely accurate. I don't think I was
down there.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
The No Kings thing looked very much separate from the
more antagonistic ones that we've seen outside the Federal Building.
But for the purpose of their news release, the LAPD
says thirty eight people were arrested during Saturdays No King's
protest after a dispersal order was issued just before four
o'clock for all of the people down there, took a
(02:58):
while to get everybody out out. If you tuned into
our program last night, you heard a lot of that sound.
They were pushing people hard out of that area. The
flash bang started, the tear gas started. We heard some
of our ABC reporters getting pushed around a little bit
as they were trying to cover this thing. We heard
from LAPDS spokeswoman Rosario Cervantes, who says that the tear
(03:20):
gas was in use, but she was uncertain of the
exact area. Today, police say thirty five people were arrested
for curfew violations, one for failure to disperse, one for resisting, obstructing,
or delaying a police officer, and one for resisting arrest.
So what about that curfew. It's been in effect since
(03:44):
last Monday. It looks like it will be an effect
again tonight eight o'clock at night until six am the
next morning. And I can tell you, as somebody who
lives in the curfew zone, that it is quieter in
those late night overnight hours because of it. But there's
something else that's taking place, which is businesses are hurting
(04:08):
in an already challenged economic environment. Those downtown businesses are
already surrounded by regular chaos and filth and homelessness and
drug use, and now they can't be open at all.
But then, what is hanging over all of this, What
is the catalyst for all of it? It's the enforcement
(04:31):
of the illegal immigration policy by the federal government, which
we all knew was coming. President Trump campaigned on it.
They want mass deportations and they are following through on that.
It's happening this weekend. It's probably happening somewhere today. Several
(04:53):
people detained during an apparent immigration rate. At the Santa
Fe Springs swap meet on Saturday, there were videos circulating
social media showing masked federal agents apprehending several people. The
Marines were there, they had their weapons out. Some of
the witness told reporters that people were gathering there for
(05:13):
a concert, which was later canceled. And now we know
President Trump once these policies enacted, and there are reports
that the goal of the federal government is to get
to three thousand deportations per day, but there's mixed messaging
on that front. Of course, are we talking about criminals
(05:35):
outside of crossing the border illegally, people who committed crimes
either in their native country or people who have since
committed crimes since arriving in this country illegally, because polling
shows that Americans overwhelmingly support deportation for those folks if
you have committed a serious crime before coming here or
(05:55):
since coming here. But polling also shows that in general,
Americans don't support blanket deportations. And we even heard from
President Trump this week that he seems to be dialing
it back a little bit. There's certain parts of the
economy that are being impacted in a way that he
(06:19):
doesn't like because of the deportations that he's asked for
and ordered. Farms. We've seen raids here in California, Ventura
County restaurants and hotels also, but there's not been a
publicly formally announced policy shift on that. So there's just
(06:43):
a lot of confusion and there's a lot of uncertainty
hanging over this beautiful sunday in southern California. But it
is definitely hitting the economy here, even outside of the
curfew hours in downtown LA I don't know if you
tried to go to Santi Ali, the famous Santi Allei
(07:03):
this weekend, you were probably there by yourself. All those
metal gates are pulled down and locked. The food vendors
are mostly gone. So there was a massive demonstration in
downtown Los Angeles yesterday, But even as that was happening,
(07:27):
behind all those people marching in the streets, doors were
closed and locked, and some of those doors may never
open again. So what I want to hear from all
of you listening today is how does it end? What
(07:50):
is the end result for Los Angeles specifically with the
immigration policy, because here's what's happening. There is enforcement, a
federal immigration policy, there are demonstrations against it, some things
get nasty, and then a curfew has been enacted. The
(08:11):
curfew is killing downtown. The vandalism which prompted the curfew
is hurting downtown. But it doesn't look like the immigration
enforcement is going to stop, and it doesn't look like
the demonstrations against that enforcement is going to stop. So
how does all this end? We want you to let
(08:32):
us know. Open up that iHeartRadio app, click on that
talkback button. We're going to play some of your thoughts
throughout the afternoons. LA Mayor Bass was on CNN this morning.
We're going to hear what she had to say about
the ongoing demonstrations, the immigration enforcement, how she feels about
the uncertainty in the Los Angeles economy.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We will revisit.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
The Dodgers game from yesterday, not from a sports perspective,
but as it relates to what we are seeing across LA.
While there's been criticism of the Dodgers for not taking
a stance one way or the other on this immigration issue,
one popular Dodger has taken a stance. Meanwhile, I don't
know if you heard the national anthem at that game.
(09:15):
It was sung in Spanish against the wishes of the team. Apparently,
we'll hear from the singer about why she decided to
sing it in Spanish. And while the protests have turned
violent in some ways, it seems to be protester on
(09:37):
protester violence in a lot of ways. So we'll have
to take a look at who got injured and who
got injured where all the one guy took a rubber
bullet to the nether region, I'm sorry, Yeah, to the
nether region, hm, and well little higher knee higher, cast lower, yeah,
(10:01):
to never mind.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
In any of it.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
He says, one of his balls has been shattered. Let
me just spell it off for you guys. He says,
one of his balls has been shattered by the rubber bullet.
And he is talking and you're gonna hear from him.
And then of course there was some other craziness involving
a car into people, and we're going to get into
all that as well.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
This is Michael Monks Reports, a special edition. We're usually
on Saturday nights from seven to nine, as we were
last night, but we are with you till two from
two until four o'clock on this beautiful Sunday in southern California.
Happy Father's Day to everybody out there celebrating that today.
Obviously a cloud hanging over this sunny day, and it
has the ongoing immigration enforcement, the demonstrations against it, and
(10:51):
just the uncertainty in Los Angeles as this thing plays out.
I'll let you know that I did receive an email
moments ago from the Downtown LA Residents Association and asking
for some input from Downtown residents about the curfew. And
I get the sense from this email that they are
back channeling or talking to city officials that maybe this
(11:12):
curfew that's been ongoing in Downtown LA could be evaporating soon.
They say to expect it tonight, but maybe maybe not Monday,
or maybe Monday's the last day. They're asking for some
feedback from folks. So I'll keep you posted on that,
and you'll also be hearing from the founders of the
Downtown LA Residents Association. If you caught my show last night,
(11:35):
you heard them join us. I'm going to play that
for afternoon audience that might have missed out on that,
because this curfew has really taken a toll on downtown businesses.
That's on top of the toll that has been taken
by looting and vandalism leading up to the need for
the curfew. So again I put the question out to
(11:57):
all of you listening. How does it end? We had
this question last night. A lot of great responses, a
lot of thoughtful responses from folks. Just a reminder, if
you do one of these talkbacks, don't swear I can't
play them if you do, so, if you wanted to
play on the air, just use your best vocabulary and
I'll play some of those throughout this afternoon with you.
Ellie Mayor Bass was busy this morning. She had to
(12:17):
get up early to appear on CNN State of the Union,
and here is part of what she had to say.
She was talking to CNN's Dana Bash on State.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Of the Union.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
I do want to ask about something that the Trump
administration did on Friday, which is their reversed course. They
instructed ICE to pause immigration raids on hotels, farms, and
restaurants and not to arrest so called non criminal collaterals,
meaning undocumented people without criminal backgrounds. How is this change
impacting what is going on on the ground in Los Angeles.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
Well, I will tell you that I don't know if
anybody buys that here. First of all, we don't have
you know, big feels in Los Angeles. So the agricultural
peace does not affect us. But in terms of the hotels, absolutely,
and that's a good thing. But I wish that he
would look at the broader impact on our economy. For example,
the construction industry cannot function without immigrant labor. Our fashion industry,
(13:20):
where there's over four thousand businesses, looks like a ghost town.
Speaker 6 (13:24):
Now.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
You hear people talking in restaurants all over about how
they don't.
Speaker 6 (13:29):
Want to go out anymore.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
You have people that won't come out of their house
because they don't want to buy groceries. You have churches
that are on hybrid because people are afraid to go
to churches. Why because there was an arrest outside a church.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
So all of this has.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Created a feeling of fear and terror around our city,
and like I said before, is a body blow to
the overall economy.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
So the mayor is talking there about the impact that
these raids have had, but it does also spell out
that parts of the economy in Los Angeles are powered
by people who are in the country illegally, and if
this policy is going to be fully enforced, how does
that sector of the economy recover. That's why I want
to ask everybody's how does this end to four all
of us? I mean, you may have taco stands that
(14:15):
you like in your neck of the woods that aren't
there right now, or flower shops that are closed.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
How does it end?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
The mayor talks more on CNN this morning about LA's
economy and the difficult situation in which it finds itself.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
There was a pocket of unrest outside the federal building.
How violent did things get in reality last night in
your town?
Speaker 5 (14:40):
Well? Yes, and I appreciate you pointing that out because
this is a small sliver of our town.
Speaker 6 (14:46):
There were a lot of people out, about thirty thousand.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
I will tell you that out of that big crowd,
five people were arrested, about thirty were given citations, and
there were injuries.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
On both sides.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Officers were injured and so were people that were there.
But you know, I think that one if the raids
hadn't happened, then that protest would have been a no
King's protest.
Speaker 6 (15:09):
We know that that was planned months in advance.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
But the disruption and the fear that has been caused
out by the raids has really had a devastating effect
and has been a body blow to our economy. I
don't think the president understands that we have entire sectors
of our economy that cannot function without immigrant labor.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
So there she is emphasizing that point again that the
economy is going to be hurt. I don't know if
that's a shift in messaging, because the question was obviously
about violence that took place yesterday, and there was some,
but she's shifting back to the impact on the economy.
And that's because President Trump has recognized some of the
dangers to certain sectors if you stop immigrants, regardless of
(15:55):
their legal status, from working. So now he seems very
sensitive to farm more works and people in the hospitality industry.
And how is that going to be enforced and how
will that be consistent with the rest of other people.
Here's more from Ayerbass on CNN State of the Union
this morning.
Speaker 6 (16:15):
Well, you know, then, I.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Have to say that yesterday I spent.
Speaker 6 (16:19):
Time in the helicopters.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
So I went all over the city in search of
these marines. And I'm sorry, but I just didn't see them.
What the troops are doing. The federalized National Guard is
protecting the federal building. I think that detention that happened
was an isolated incident, and I believe it was outside
of the city of Los Angeles. But I do want
(16:41):
to dispel the notion that the military is here.
Speaker 6 (16:44):
We don't want them here. They don't need to be here.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Our local law enforcement have complete control of this situation.
And I will tell you the thirty thousand people were
downtown LA. There were protests in fifteen different locations in
our city.
Speaker 6 (16:59):
I flew over each.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
One of them, and they were overwhelmingly peaceful. It's not
shocking that at the end of a protest that you're
going to have some confrontation. Of course, I wish there
was none at all, but I don't think that characterized
the day at all.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
That was May Bass on CNN State of the Union
just this morning. She was on Fox eleven last night,
and she says something that I want to highlight again
when she hits really hard where the unrest is taking
place in Los Angeles.
Speaker 7 (17:31):
We know because we live here that this is contained
to an extremely small area in downtown Los Angeles. But
people who don't live here that feed into the national
rhetoric that they're hearing don't necessarily know that what is
your message tonight, Well, my.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Message to them is to clarify what exactly is happening
in LA. And I appreciate your network for joining in
because you talk about something that's discouraging. It's when networks
essentially covers something that is completely fun and show tapes
over and over again of stuff that had happened days before.
So my message to LA has been consistent. It's to
(18:08):
be peaceful. It's if you actually care about immigrants, you
are not going to be violent. And if you are violent,
then we know that you're just being violent. It is
not on behalf of any cause, and we will deal
with you. You will be held accountable. But if you look
at the tens of thousands of people that were downtown
in La today in that protest, it was overwhelmingly peaceful.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
And I just hope the.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
Stragglers that have not gone home will remain peaceful, will
leave the area, or will understand that they will be
arrested and they will.
Speaker 6 (18:42):
Be held accountable.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
So you've heard from local officials, whether they be at
the city, state federal level really emphasize that this isn't
all of La. LA's not on fire, it's just in downtown.
And I don't know why that's important for them. It
seems like town should be a little more important because
ninety thousand people live there. The curfew is forcing businesses
(19:05):
to close. The uncertainty about immigration enforcement has also forced
businesses to close. But it's just a tiny sliver, they
keep saying. It's the same tiny sliver that's covered in
human feces, that's covered in trash, whose very walkable streets
are unwalkable because of the tents that are allowed to
spread out of skid row into the fashion district, into
(19:27):
the business districts. It's just a tiny sliver. It's not
all of LA. It's a tiny sliver. Ninety thousand people
work in downtown Los Angeles. I live in downtown Los Angeles.
Many more work in downtown Los Angeles. It is the
economic engine of southern California, and this is how they
(19:47):
talk about it. It's just very strange to me. But
I do want you to join our conversation. How are
you feeling about the immigration enforcement? Is this what you
want to see? If it's not share your thoughts as well.
But really, what I want to hear from people, as
I asked last night, is how does it all end.
I don't expect the raids or the arrests or the
detainments to stop. I don't expect the demonstrations against them
(20:10):
to stop, and so we're dealing with all this economic
fallout because of both of them. Up next, I'm gonna
tell you why the leftist in Los Angeles really hated
the No Kings March. Not just Republicans making fun of
the No Kings March, it's the leftist and what their
demands are and why they say that protest was not
(20:30):
a very good protest. It's not the way you protest.
And we'll also hear from the guy who got shot
in the nuts that's coming up next to them.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
We're with you till four o'clock this afternoon. This is
special edition of Michael Monk's Reports. You can usually hear
us every Saturday night from seven to nine, but we're
glad to be with you on this beautiful Sunday afternoon
in southern California. Happy Father's Day to everyone out there again.
I know you saw the flood of people in downtown
(21:01):
LA and in other protests across the country, even in
other places here in Southern California. For that No King's March,
the response to President Trump and the military parade in Washington,
d C. They called it No Kings because they were
criticizing the military parade in Washington, d C. As something
a king would want, not a president. Now, I know,
(21:22):
if you're a Republican or Conservative, you probably had a
laugh at the No Kings protest, the same way that
if you're a Democrat or a liberal you have a
laugh when as the conservatives on the other side having
their little marches or big marches or whatever. That's just
the world that we live in. But I feel like
there's some part of this No Kings thing that has
struck me that I want to talk about it. It's
(21:47):
not leftists, right, These are your run of the mill
democrats and liberals that showed up in mass downtown and
the leftist groups that you see in LA often speaking
at La City Council meetings or the Board of Supervised
are causing a rockets. In another way, they much prefer
direct engagement with law enforcement. They love the graffiti, they
love the vandalism and that sort of thing, and they
(22:10):
hate Democrats.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
They hate a Democrat.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
In fact, you know, I follow a lot of these
folks on social media because of my role here. I
follow a lot of different types of ideologies and perspectives,
just to keep an eye on what people are saying.
And you so seldom hear them talk about President Trump
or Republicans in general. They love to take a dump
on a Democrat. And boy did they hate that No
King's March. So one of the messages that came out
(22:37):
from an organization called the La Tenants Union. You've heard
them speak at city Hall and the Board of Supervisors
over rent issues and other issues of importance to them.
They say on Twitter, we must not let this energy
be co opted by the Democrats, who increased funding for
ice year after year, who has done the same for
(22:58):
the LAPD the Democrat To all people of conscience, our
task is to build radical organizations independent of the Democratic Party.
They say our city is rising up against a military siege.
They say fascism is in our streets. In full force,
and yet the working people of Los Angeles are fiercely
(23:20):
defending our city, blocking deportations and facing down federal agents
for the fourth day in a row. They refer to
the cowardice at LA City Hall. They say that shows
us that poor and working class led organizations are the
only sites of legitimate popular power and democracy. So they're
(23:44):
basically saying, we're on our own here. If you're a leftist.
The Democrats, the Democrats, this is a direct quote from them.
The Democrats have betrayed and abandoned us. Democrats control Los
Angeles in the state of California, yet contrary to popular belief,
they have been waging an escalating war on working class Angelinos.
They not only fail to respond to moments of crisis,
(24:07):
but use our tax dollars to criminalize and displace us.
Democrats want us to blame Trump for this moment, but
they are the ones either refusing to use their power
or actively collaborating with ICE. Now, the LA Tenants Union
says they've got a list of demands, So what are they?
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Number one?
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Ice out of LA stop direct and indirect LAPD collaboration
with ICE, which the LAPD denies that that's happening. Stop
ICE and federal troops from using state or city resources
that is city policy. Declare ICE a rogue federal agency
with no place in La County.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
What's that going to do?
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Number two they want to drop all charges against SEIU,
California President David Huerta and all others arrested for protesting
ICE activity in their neighborhoods. Three free theom allow everyone
quote kidnapped by ICE to return to their families and
loved ones. Publicize the names and locations of the kidnapped,
Allow observers to report whether they have access to food, sanitation,
(25:11):
and legal counsel. Number four is immediate relief for working
class Angelinos. They say raids accelerate mass sweeps and evictions,
tenants housed and unhoused or displaced when family members are
kidnapped or too scared to go to work. They want
to declare a county wide eviction moratories. See, this is
the thing with this group. No matter what is happening,
(25:32):
it always comes back to an eviction moratorium and a
rent freeze. And to stop removing homeless tents on the streets.
So they say abolish forty one to eighteen. That's the
number of the city code that allows the removal of
tents from your city streets. It always comes back to that.
And lastly, they want a budget for the people, not
(25:54):
the wealthy. Defund LAPD, they say, and cancel the twenty
twenty six World Cup, in the twenty twenty twenty eight,
excuse me, the twenty twenty eight Olympics. So if you
were wondering if everybody on the left was supportive of
the No Kings movement, it depends on how close to
the center you are. The farther you get away from that,
the less enthusiastic you were.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Somebody who may.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Not be as enthusiastic about these protests as he was
yesterday is a guy named Martin Santoyo. He's a thirty
three year old guy who is having trouble sitting down
after standing up for what he believes. In yesterday, he
was protesting the ice raids in downtown Los Angeles when
he says an officer's close range shot to his growing
(26:41):
with a rubber bullet severely bruised one of his testicles
and shattered the other one.
Speaker 8 (26:53):
And then they started pushing forward. Oh okay, I just
got my backpack. Then and then they start shouting move back,
but I'm so like fixing myself up, my backpack, my bike,
and then they just pushed me, and I'm just just
instinct just I tell the cop I don't don't push me.
I'm already moving back. And then the cop right next
(27:15):
to him had a gun and just ain't a shot.
He was like what like two three feet away. After
I got hit, I couldn't really walk. I was just
like too much in shock. And then they're still pushing me.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I mean they've been using these less lethal ammunitions and
you know, if you're down there, you're in the way
of it. But he's saying that this was a close
range He's almost saying this felt deliberate. Here's him describing
more about the injury.
Speaker 8 (27:52):
And I need to sit down for a bit, but
they just they just kept pushing. Right now, I'm at home.
The injury was sustained to my growing. I have a
bruse left testicle and my right testicle was actually shattered.
They said that they somewhat fixed it so it should
(28:16):
have to function, but it's still very badly damaged.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Oh that hurts to hear, you know, Regardless of the circumstances.
I think all men can agree that hurts to hear.
Let's hear from Erin.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
See Michael Monks, that's why you're a great reporter there.
My man gets straight to the nuts. Let's get to
your guy who guys shut in the ball.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Thanks for listening, Aeron. I'm gonna have more of your
comments coming up. There were a couple of other injuries
at other protests around LA. A woman in Riverside at
a No King's protest on Saturday night. She was taken
to a hospital after she was hit in a felony
hit and run, according to police. Happened around nine forty
last night on University Avenue, and it looks like, according
(29:01):
to videos post on social media, protesters are running up
to a black car which then turns in an aggressive
manner and plows into that little crowd, and then the
car runs off. And then there was an incident outside
Sofi Stadium, a car that plowed into pedestrians there in
Inglewood left six people injured. According to witnesses there, this
(29:24):
was just somebody trying to show off dangerous times. Dangerous
times up next, the Dodgers game got a little weird
yesterday because the woman singing the national anthem defied the
Dodgers and how she was going to sing it. Plus
one of the Dodgers comes out in support of immigrants
(29:45):
in Los Angeles. We'll have those stories coming up next,
along with your comments. Open up that iHeart Radio app,
click on the talkback button and join our conversation. The
question today is how does all this end? The raids
and the demonstrations, the economic impact in LA. How does
it end?
Speaker 1 (30:01):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News with you until four o'clock this afternoon. You usually
hear me live on Saturday nights from seven to nine.
This is a special broadcast as we continue our coverage
of the immigration enforcement, the demonstrations against them, the economic
fallout here in LA. You can join our conversation by
opening up the iHeartRadio app, clicking on that talkback button,
(30:27):
and letting us know how you feel about it all,
just like Jerry did.
Speaker 9 (30:32):
Hey Monks, this is Jerry from Yucca Valley. Hey Jerry,
I wanted a big a comment about that guy that
got nailed with the nuts. Maybe next time he should
wear a jockstrapper, maybe an ATHLETEX support cup or something,
just saying, I mean, if you know you're gonna get
nailed somewhere in the intimate body part, just something we're
thinking about, you know. Dang don to that guy with
(30:54):
this nutshot.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
All right now, all right, we'll get more of your
comments coming up. But first I want to take you
to the Dodgers game last night and the Dodgers' organization
in general. You know, the Dodgers have a significant fan
base made up of Latinos, and just through the law
of averages, you have to assume, based on the population
in La County that, of course, some of those fans
(31:17):
are here illegally.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
And so there has been some criticism about where are
the Dodgers on this.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Are they going to come out and say something in
support of the the illegal immigrants who are here in
this community and facing deportation and the disruption of the
local economy. And as an organization, we haven't seen anything officially.
It's a difficult position to be in, of course if
you're a baseball club. But Keikey Hernandez has come out
(31:45):
solo with the comments saying that he is showing support
for LA in the face of this civil unrest and
the protest. He made a post on his Instagram last night.
He says, quote, I may not be born and raised,
but this city adopted me as one of their own.
I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our
(32:06):
country and our city. So he's gone on to say
that he is he's felt welcomed, he's felt supported here
in Los Angeles and supported by Dodgers fans since he
joined the team back in twenty twenty three, that he's
only felt kindness and love since he was traded back
to the Dodgers. He says, quote, this is my second
home and I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused,
(32:29):
and ripped apart. All people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity,
and human rights. And he ended that post with a
hashtag City of Immigrants. At last night's Dodgers game, a
singer named Neza I don't even know. I'm so unhip
(32:50):
that I'm not even sure how to say this woman's name.
She's got a significant social media following Michael krozer'schooler than
I am. Do you know this singer at all.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Nesa never heard of her unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Okay, Okay, then we're just a couple of old guys
that don't know who she is. But she does have
a major following online, and she was invited to sing
the national anthem at the Dodgers game, but it did
not go the way apparently. This is This is her
telling of events that the Dodgers had asked her to
do it. I'm gonna play a little clip for you.
(33:23):
This is from Nessa's TikTok. You can hear in the beginning.
It's not great quality audio, but you can hear a
little bit of back and forth between the singer and
apparently a representative from the Dodgers talking about how she's
going to sing the national anthem, and then you'll have
a little clip of her singing the national anthem today.
(33:44):
So I'm not sure, okay, So that was Nasa singing
(34:15):
the national anthem. Her real name is Vanessa Hernande, So
I'm thinking I gotta be right with Neessa because it
is an easy za. But her name is Vanessa, so
I think she's going with Nessa here. My apologies for
being uncool. I don't know, but she sang the national anthem,
the American national anthem, but saying the Spanish language version
(34:38):
of it, and she was quite emotional and explaining why
she did that. She posted an explanatory video on her TikTok.
Speaker 10 (34:48):
Cause I'm still very shooken out and emotional. Names Anyways,
I just got home from singing the national anthem in
Spanish at the Dodgers game. And it is the official
Star Spangled banner in Spanish. You can google it, so
I'll just read it you really quick.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
But it was.
Speaker 10 (35:05):
Officially commissioned in nineteen forty five by the US State
Department as a part of President Franklin Roosevelt's Good Neighbor
Policy to foster a better relationship with Latin America.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
Because of this, I didn't.
Speaker 10 (35:17):
Think I would be met with any sort of like no,
especially because we're in LA and with everything happening, and
I've saying the national anthem many times in my life,
but there was today, out of all days, I could not.
Speaker 6 (35:36):
Sorry, yeah, I.
Speaker 10 (35:37):
Just could not believe when she walked in and told
me no. But I just felt like I needed to
do it.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
But Iby head, there.
Speaker 10 (35:50):
Anyone who's been following me for a while, you know everything.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
I do is out of love, out of love, good energy,
out of love.
Speaker 10 (35:58):
And I'm proud of myself for doing that today because
my parents.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Are immigrants.
Speaker 10 (36:10):
And they've been sitizens like my whole life at this point.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
They got documented really early, but.
Speaker 10 (36:20):
I just can't imagine them being ripped away from me,
even at this age, like lit alone, like.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
A little little kid, like what are we doing anyways?
Speaker 10 (36:32):
Sorry, this is a whole different side of me that.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Y'all never all right, you get the idea.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
That was singer Neza explaining why she decided to sing
the Spanish version of the American national anthem at the
Dodgers game last night in response to what's been going.
Speaker 3 (36:46):
On in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
So emotions are high right now, and I know a
lot of you out there, regardless of how you feel
about immigration, you're feeling it too, because there's just this
cloud hanging over the community right now. Because there are
a lot of the tainment's taking place here in LA
it's affecting the broader economy, and you're also seeing the
demonstrations and then they can be a little scary, and
(37:10):
I know downtown is getting hit hard. So I've got
a lot of your messages that I'm going to play
at the top of the next hour and looking forward
to that. Keep them coming. Open up the iHeartRadio app,
click on that talkback button. We're going to play a
bunch of those coming up. My question to you is
how does this all end?
Speaker 3 (37:27):
In la.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
The raids are probably going to continue, and the demonstrations
against them are probably going to continue, So how does
it end.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
We'll continue that KFI AM six forty on demand
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Michael Monks reports on Michael Monks from KFI News. You
can catch us live every Saturday night from seven to nine,
but we are in on this beautiful Sunday afternoon for
our continued coverage of the immigration raids and the demonstrations
against them here and across Los Angeles County and southern California.
We're going to be asking for your perspective throughout this
(00:25):
afternoon and give you full updates on what happened yesterday
and what may lie ahead. And you can always participate
in our conversation by opening up the iHeartRadio app and
clicking on that talk back button. We would love to
hear from you, and we will play some of your
comments throughout this afternoon. Happy Father's Day to all of
you out there celebrating. I do hope, in spite of
(00:46):
all the wildness and the weirdness, and the sadness and
the tragedy of the world, that you are able to
take some time to focus on what really matters, which
is those who are close to you. So Happy Father's
Day to all the dads out there, different types of dads,
some of you may have had a dad who stepped
in when another one stepped out. Special special ups to
(01:08):
those guys today, especially to mine.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Happy Father's Day. All right, So this is Sunday.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
We are now ten days into the first major immigration
raids and the demonstrations that followed and the chaos here
in Los Angeles. Yesterday was the biggest in terms of people,
volume of people who came out to speak against policies
out of the White House. Now the no Kings demonstrations
that we saw across LA, across southern California and all
(01:38):
across the country that reportedly drew and estimated five million people,
including tens of thousands in downtown Los Angeles, that was
more broadly directed against President Trump various policies. Of course,
immigration hung heavily over it, but they took exception with
a lot of White House policies. It was later in
(02:01):
the afternoon, in the evening when some of the usual
suspects started to show up to resume the spicier protests
outside the federal building on Alameda Street and the detention
center there where it is believed that suspected illegal immigrants
are being held. And yes things got a little hairy again.
(02:21):
Police said that there were thirty eight people arrested during
the No King's protest in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of people flooded the area to protest
the policies of the Trump administration.
Speaker 3 (02:34):
But that's not entirely accurate. I don't think I was
down there.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
The No Kings thing looked very much separate from the
more antagonistic ones that we've seen outside the Federal Building.
But for the purpose of their news release, the LAPD
says thirty eight people were arrested during Saturdays No King's
protest after a dispersal order was issued just before four
o'clock for all of the people down there, took a
(02:58):
while to get everybody out out. If you tuned into
our program last night, you heard a lot of that sound.
They were pushing people hard out of that area. The
flash bang started, the tear gas started. We heard some
of our ABC reporters getting pushed around a little bit
as they were trying to cover this thing. We heard
from LAPDS spokeswoman Rosario Cervantes, who says that the tear
(03:20):
gas was in use, but she was uncertain of the
exact area. Today, police say thirty five people were arrested
for curfew violations, one for failure to disperse, one for resisting, obstructing,
or delaying a police officer, and one for resisting arrest.
So what about that curfew. It's been in effect since
(03:44):
last Monday. It looks like it will be an effect
again tonight eight o'clock at night until six am the
next morning. And I can tell you, as somebody who
lives in the curfew zone, that it is quieter in
those late night overnight hours because of it. But there's
something else that's taking place, which is businesses are hurting
(04:08):
in an already challenged economic environment. Those downtown businesses are
already surrounded by regular chaos and filth and homelessness and
drug use, and now they can't be open at all.
But then, what is hanging over all of this, What
is the catalyst for all of it? It's the enforcement
(04:31):
of the illegal immigration policy by the federal government, which
we all knew was coming. President Trump campaigned on it.
They want mass deportations and they are following through on that.
It's happening this weekend. It's probably happening somewhere today. Several
(04:53):
people detained during an apparent immigration rate. At the Santa
Fe Springs swap meet on Saturday, there were videos circulating
social media showing masked federal agents apprehending several people. The
Marines were there, they had their weapons out. Some of
the witness told reporters that people were gathering there for
(05:13):
a concert, which was later canceled. And now we know
President Trump once these policies enacted, and there are reports
that the goal of the federal government is to get
to three thousand deportations per day, but there's mixed messaging
on that front. Of course, are we talking about criminals
(05:35):
outside of crossing the border illegally, people who committed crimes
either in their native country or people who have since
committed crimes since arriving in this country illegally, because polling
shows that Americans overwhelmingly support deportation for those folks if
you have committed a serious crime before coming here or
(05:55):
since coming here. But polling also shows that in general,
Americans don't support blanket deportations. And we even heard from
President Trump this week that he seems to be dialing
it back a little bit. There's certain parts of the
economy that are being impacted in a way that he
(06:19):
doesn't like because of the deportations that he's asked for
and ordered. Farms. We've seen raids here in California, Ventura
County restaurants and hotels also, but there's not been a
publicly formally announced policy shift on that. So there's just
(06:43):
a lot of confusion and there's a lot of uncertainty
hanging over this beautiful sunday in southern California. But it
is definitely hitting the economy here, even outside of the
curfew hours in downtown LA I don't know if you
tried to go to Santi Ali, the famous Santi Allei
(07:03):
this weekend, you were probably there by yourself. All those
metal gates are pulled down and locked. The food vendors
are mostly gone. So there was a massive demonstration in
downtown Los Angeles yesterday, But even as that was happening,
(07:27):
behind all those people marching in the streets, doors were
closed and locked, and some of those doors may never
open again. So what I want to hear from all
of you listening today is how does it end? What
(07:50):
is the end result for Los Angeles specifically with the
immigration policy, because here's what's happening. There is enforcement, a
federal immigration policy, there are demonstrations against it, some things
get nasty, and then a curfew has been enacted. The
(08:11):
curfew is killing downtown. The vandalism which prompted the curfew
is hurting downtown. But it doesn't look like the immigration
enforcement is going to stop, and it doesn't look like
the demonstrations against that enforcement is going to stop. So
how does all this end? We want you to let
(08:32):
us know. Open up that iHeartRadio app, click on that
talkback button. We're going to play some of your thoughts
throughout the afternoons. LA Mayor Bass was on CNN this morning.
We're going to hear what she had to say about
the ongoing demonstrations, the immigration enforcement, how she feels about
the uncertainty in the Los Angeles economy.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
We will revisit.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
The Dodgers game from yesterday, not from a sports perspective,
but as it relates to what we are seeing across LA.
While there's been criticism of the Dodgers for not taking
a stance one way or the other on this immigration issue,
one popular Dodger has taken a stance. Meanwhile, I don't
know if you heard the national anthem at that game.
(09:15):
It was sung in Spanish against the wishes of the team. Apparently,
we'll hear from the singer about why she decided to
sing it in Spanish. And while the protests have turned
violent in some ways, it seems to be protester on
(09:37):
protester violence in a lot of ways. So we'll have
to take a look at who got injured and who
got injured where all the one guy took a rubber
bullet to the nether region, I'm sorry, Yeah, to the
nether region, hm, and well little higher knee higher, cast lower, yeah,
(10:01):
to never mind.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
In any of it.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
He says, one of his balls has been shattered. Let
me just spell it off for you guys. He says,
one of his balls has been shattered by the rubber bullet.
And he is talking and you're gonna hear from him.
And then of course there was some other craziness involving
a car into people, and we're going to get into
all that as well.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (10:27):
This is Michael Monks Reports, a special edition. We're usually
on Saturday nights from seven to nine, as we were
last night, but we are with you till two from
two until four o'clock on this beautiful Sunday in southern California.
Happy Father's Day to everybody out there celebrating that today.
Obviously a cloud hanging over this sunny day, and it
has the ongoing immigration enforcement, the demonstrations against it, and
(10:51):
just the uncertainty in Los Angeles as this thing plays out.
I'll let you know that I did receive an email
moments ago from the Downtown LA Residents Association and asking
for some input from Downtown residents about the curfew. And
I get the sense from this email that they are
back channeling or talking to city officials that maybe this
(11:12):
curfew that's been ongoing in Downtown LA could be evaporating soon.
They say to expect it tonight, but maybe maybe not Monday,
or maybe Monday's the last day. They're asking for some
feedback from folks. So I'll keep you posted on that,
and you'll also be hearing from the founders of the
Downtown LA Residents Association. If you caught my show last night,
(11:35):
you heard them join us. I'm going to play that
for afternoon audience that might have missed out on that,
because this curfew has really taken a toll on downtown businesses.
That's on top of the toll that has been taken
by looting and vandalism leading up to the need for
the curfew. So again I put the question out to
(11:57):
all of you listening. How does it end? We had
this question last night. A lot of great responses, a
lot of thoughtful responses from folks. Just a reminder, if
you do one of these talkbacks, don't swear I can't
play them if you do, so, if you wanted to
play on the air, just use your best vocabulary and
I'll play some of those throughout this afternoon with you.
Ellie Mayor Bass was busy this morning. She had to
(12:17):
get up early to appear on CNN State of the Union,
and here is part of what she had to say.
She was talking to CNN's Dana Bash on State.
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Of the Union.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
I do want to ask about something that the Trump
administration did on Friday, which is their reversed course. They
instructed ICE to pause immigration raids on hotels, farms, and
restaurants and not to arrest so called non criminal collaterals,
meaning undocumented people without criminal backgrounds. How is this change
impacting what is going on on the ground in Los Angeles.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
Well, I will tell you that I don't know if
anybody buys that here. First of all, we don't have
you know, big feels in Los Angeles. So the agricultural
peace does not affect us. But in terms of the hotels, absolutely,
and that's a good thing. But I wish that he
would look at the broader impact on our economy. For example,
the construction industry cannot function without immigrant labor. Our fashion industry,
(13:20):
where there's over four thousand businesses, looks like a ghost town.
Speaker 6 (13:24):
Now.
Speaker 5 (13:24):
You hear people talking in restaurants all over about how
they don't.
Speaker 6 (13:29):
Want to go out anymore.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
You have people that won't come out of their house
because they don't want to buy groceries. You have churches
that are on hybrid because people are afraid to go
to churches. Why because there was an arrest outside a church.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
So all of this has.
Speaker 5 (13:43):
Created a feeling of fear and terror around our city,
and like I said before, is a body blow to
the overall economy.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
So the mayor is talking there about the impact that
these raids have had, but it does also spell out
that parts of the economy in Los Angeles are powered
by people who are in the country illegally, and if
this policy is going to be fully enforced, how does
that sector of the economy recover. That's why I want
to ask everybody's how does this end to four all
of us? I mean, you may have taco stands that
(14:15):
you like in your neck of the woods that aren't
there right now, or flower shops that are closed.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
How does it end?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
The mayor talks more on CNN this morning about LA's
economy and the difficult situation in which it finds itself.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
There was a pocket of unrest outside the federal building.
How violent did things get in reality last night in
your town?
Speaker 5 (14:40):
Well? Yes, and I appreciate you pointing that out because
this is a small sliver of our town.
Speaker 6 (14:46):
There were a lot of people out, about thirty thousand.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
I will tell you that out of that big crowd,
five people were arrested, about thirty were given citations, and
there were injuries.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
On both sides.
Speaker 5 (14:57):
Officers were injured and so were people that were there.
But you know, I think that one if the raids
hadn't happened, then that protest would have been a no
King's protest.
Speaker 6 (15:09):
We know that that was planned months in advance.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
But the disruption and the fear that has been caused
out by the raids has really had a devastating effect
and has been a body blow to our economy. I
don't think the president understands that we have entire sectors
of our economy that cannot function without immigrant labor.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
So there she is emphasizing that point again that the
economy is going to be hurt. I don't know if
that's a shift in messaging, because the question was obviously
about violence that took place yesterday, and there was some,
but she's shifting back to the impact on the economy.
And that's because President Trump has recognized some of the
dangers to certain sectors if you stop immigrants, regardless of
(15:55):
their legal status, from working. So now he seems very
sensitive to farm more works and people in the hospitality industry.
And how is that going to be enforced and how
will that be consistent with the rest of other people.
Here's more from Ayerbass on CNN State of the Union
this morning.
Speaker 6 (16:15):
Well, you know, then, I.
Speaker 5 (16:17):
Have to say that yesterday I spent.
Speaker 6 (16:19):
Time in the helicopters.
Speaker 5 (16:20):
So I went all over the city in search of
these marines. And I'm sorry, but I just didn't see them.
What the troops are doing. The federalized National Guard is
protecting the federal building. I think that detention that happened
was an isolated incident, and I believe it was outside
of the city of Los Angeles. But I do want
(16:41):
to dispel the notion that the military is here.
Speaker 6 (16:44):
We don't want them here. They don't need to be here.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Our local law enforcement have complete control of this situation.
And I will tell you the thirty thousand people were
downtown LA. There were protests in fifteen different locations in
our city.
Speaker 6 (16:59):
I flew over each.
Speaker 5 (17:00):
One of them, and they were overwhelmingly peaceful. It's not
shocking that at the end of a protest that you're
going to have some confrontation. Of course, I wish there
was none at all, but I don't think that characterized
the day at all.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
That was May Bass on CNN State of the Union
just this morning. She was on Fox eleven last night,
and she says something that I want to highlight again
when she hits really hard where the unrest is taking
place in Los Angeles.
Speaker 7 (17:31):
We know because we live here that this is contained
to an extremely small area in downtown Los Angeles. But
people who don't live here that feed into the national
rhetoric that they're hearing don't necessarily know that what is
your message tonight, Well, my.
Speaker 5 (17:46):
Message to them is to clarify what exactly is happening
in LA. And I appreciate your network for joining in
because you talk about something that's discouraging. It's when networks
essentially covers something that is completely fun and show tapes
over and over again of stuff that had happened days before.
So my message to LA has been consistent. It's to
(18:08):
be peaceful. It's if you actually care about immigrants, you
are not going to be violent. And if you are violent,
then we know that you're just being violent. It is
not on behalf of any cause, and we will deal
with you. You will be held accountable. But if you look
at the tens of thousands of people that were downtown
in La today in that protest, it was overwhelmingly peaceful.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
And I just hope the.
Speaker 5 (18:33):
Stragglers that have not gone home will remain peaceful, will
leave the area, or will understand that they will be
arrested and they will.
Speaker 6 (18:42):
Be held accountable.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
So you've heard from local officials, whether they be at
the city, state federal level really emphasize that this isn't
all of La. LA's not on fire, it's just in downtown.
And I don't know why that's important for them. It
seems like town should be a little more important because
ninety thousand people live there. The curfew is forcing businesses
(19:05):
to close. The uncertainty about immigration enforcement has also forced
businesses to close. But it's just a tiny sliver, they
keep saying. It's the same tiny sliver that's covered in
human feces, that's covered in trash, whose very walkable streets
are unwalkable because of the tents that are allowed to
spread out of skid row into the fashion district, into
(19:27):
the business districts. It's just a tiny sliver. It's not
all of LA. It's a tiny sliver. Ninety thousand people
work in downtown Los Angeles. I live in downtown Los Angeles.
Many more work in downtown Los Angeles. It is the
economic engine of southern California, and this is how they
(19:47):
talk about it. It's just very strange to me. But
I do want you to join our conversation. How are
you feeling about the immigration enforcement? Is this what you
want to see? If it's not share your thoughts as well.
But really, what I want to hear from people, as
I asked last night, is how does it all end.
I don't expect the raids or the arrests or the
detainments to stop. I don't expect the demonstrations against them
(20:10):
to stop, and so we're dealing with all this economic
fallout because of both of them. Up next, I'm gonna
tell you why the leftist in Los Angeles really hated
the No Kings March. Not just Republicans making fun of
the No Kings March, it's the leftist and what their
demands are and why they say that protest was not
(20:30):
a very good protest. It's not the way you protest.
And we'll also hear from the guy who got shot
in the nuts that's coming up next to them.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI News.
We're with you till four o'clock this afternoon. This is
special edition of Michael Monk's Reports. You can usually hear
us every Saturday night from seven to nine, but we're
glad to be with you on this beautiful Sunday afternoon
in southern California. Happy Father's Day to everyone out there again.
I know you saw the flood of people in downtown
(21:01):
LA and in other protests across the country, even in
other places here in Southern California. For that No King's March,
the response to President Trump and the military parade in Washington,
d C. They called it No Kings because they were
criticizing the military parade in Washington, d C. As something
a king would want, not a president. Now, I know,
(21:22):
if you're a Republican or Conservative, you probably had a
laugh at the No Kings protest, the same way that
if you're a Democrat or a liberal you have a
laugh when as the conservatives on the other side having
their little marches or big marches or whatever. That's just
the world that we live in. But I feel like
there's some part of this No Kings thing that has
struck me that I want to talk about it. It's
(21:47):
not leftists, right, These are your run of the mill
democrats and liberals that showed up in mass downtown and
the leftist groups that you see in LA often speaking
at La City Council meetings or the Board of Supervised
are causing a rockets. In another way, they much prefer
direct engagement with law enforcement. They love the graffiti, they
love the vandalism and that sort of thing, and they
(22:10):
hate Democrats.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
They hate a Democrat.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
In fact, you know, I follow a lot of these
folks on social media because of my role here. I
follow a lot of different types of ideologies and perspectives,
just to keep an eye on what people are saying.
And you so seldom hear them talk about President Trump
or Republicans in general. They love to take a dump
on a Democrat. And boy did they hate that No
King's March. So one of the messages that came out
(22:37):
from an organization called the La Tenants Union. You've heard
them speak at city Hall and the Board of Supervisors
over rent issues and other issues of importance to them.
They say on Twitter, we must not let this energy
be co opted by the Democrats, who increased funding for
ice year after year, who has done the same for
(22:58):
the LAPD the Democrat To all people of conscience, our
task is to build radical organizations independent of the Democratic Party.
They say our city is rising up against a military siege.
They say fascism is in our streets. In full force,
and yet the working people of Los Angeles are fiercely
(23:20):
defending our city, blocking deportations and facing down federal agents
for the fourth day in a row. They refer to
the cowardice at LA City Hall. They say that shows
us that poor and working class led organizations are the
only sites of legitimate popular power and democracy. So they're
(23:44):
basically saying, we're on our own here. If you're a leftist.
The Democrats, the Democrats, this is a direct quote from them.
The Democrats have betrayed and abandoned us. Democrats control Los
Angeles in the state of California, yet contrary to popular belief,
they have been waging an escalating war on working class Angelinos.
They not only fail to respond to moments of crisis,
(24:07):
but use our tax dollars to criminalize and displace us.
Democrats want us to blame Trump for this moment, but
they are the ones either refusing to use their power
or actively collaborating with ICE. Now, the LA Tenants Union
says they've got a list of demands, So what are they?
Speaker 3 (24:26):
Number one?
Speaker 2 (24:27):
Ice out of LA stop direct and indirect LAPD collaboration
with ICE, which the LAPD denies that that's happening. Stop
ICE and federal troops from using state or city resources
that is city policy. Declare ICE a rogue federal agency
with no place in La County.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
What's that going to do?
Speaker 2 (24:49):
Number two they want to drop all charges against SEIU,
California President David Huerta and all others arrested for protesting
ICE activity in their neighborhoods. Three free theom allow everyone
quote kidnapped by ICE to return to their families and
loved ones. Publicize the names and locations of the kidnapped,
Allow observers to report whether they have access to food, sanitation,
(25:11):
and legal counsel. Number four is immediate relief for working
class Angelinos. They say raids accelerate mass sweeps and evictions,
tenants housed and unhoused or displaced when family members are
kidnapped or too scared to go to work. They want
to declare a county wide eviction moratories. See, this is
the thing with this group. No matter what is happening,
(25:32):
it always comes back to an eviction moratorium and a
rent freeze. And to stop removing homeless tents on the streets.
So they say abolish forty one to eighteen. That's the
number of the city code that allows the removal of
tents from your city streets. It always comes back to that.
And lastly, they want a budget for the people, not
(25:54):
the wealthy. Defund LAPD, they say, and cancel the twenty
twenty six World Cup, in the twenty twenty twenty eight,
excuse me, the twenty twenty eight Olympics. So if you
were wondering if everybody on the left was supportive of
the No Kings movement, it depends on how close to
the center you are. The farther you get away from that,
the less enthusiastic you were.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Somebody who may.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
Not be as enthusiastic about these protests as he was
yesterday is a guy named Martin Santoyo. He's a thirty
three year old guy who is having trouble sitting down
after standing up for what he believes. In yesterday, he
was protesting the ice raids in downtown Los Angeles when
he says an officer's close range shot to his growing
(26:41):
with a rubber bullet severely bruised one of his testicles
and shattered the other one.
Speaker 8 (26:53):
And then they started pushing forward. Oh okay, I just
got my backpack. Then and then they start shouting move back,
but I'm so like fixing myself up, my backpack, my bike,
and then they just pushed me, and I'm just just
instinct just I tell the cop I don't don't push me.
I'm already moving back. And then the cop right next
(27:15):
to him had a gun and just ain't a shot.
He was like what like two three feet away. After
I got hit, I couldn't really walk. I was just
like too much in shock. And then they're still pushing me.
Speaker 3 (27:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
I mean they've been using these less lethal ammunitions and
you know, if you're down there, you're in the way
of it. But he's saying that this was a close
range He's almost saying this felt deliberate. Here's him describing
more about the injury.
Speaker 8 (27:52):
And I need to sit down for a bit, but
they just they just kept pushing. Right now, I'm at home.
The injury was sustained to my growing. I have a
bruse left testicle and my right testicle was actually shattered.
They said that they somewhat fixed it so it should
(28:16):
have to function, but it's still very badly damaged.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Oh that hurts to hear, you know, Regardless of the circumstances.
I think all men can agree that hurts to hear.
Let's hear from Erin.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
See Michael Monks, that's why you're a great reporter there.
My man gets straight to the nuts. Let's get to
your guy who guys shut in the ball.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Thanks for listening, Aeron. I'm gonna have more of your
comments coming up. There were a couple of other injuries
at other protests around LA. A woman in Riverside at
a No King's protest on Saturday night. She was taken
to a hospital after she was hit in a felony
hit and run, according to police. Happened around nine forty
last night on University Avenue, and it looks like, according
(29:01):
to videos post on social media, protesters are running up
to a black car which then turns in an aggressive
manner and plows into that little crowd, and then the
car runs off. And then there was an incident outside
Sofi Stadium, a car that plowed into pedestrians there in
Inglewood left six people injured. According to witnesses there, this
(29:24):
was just somebody trying to show off dangerous times. Dangerous
times up next, the Dodgers game got a little weird
yesterday because the woman singing the national anthem defied the
Dodgers and how she was going to sing it. Plus
one of the Dodgers comes out in support of immigrants
(29:45):
in Los Angeles. We'll have those stories coming up next,
along with your comments. Open up that iHeart Radio app,
click on the talkback button and join our conversation. The
question today is how does all this end? The raids
and the demonstrations, the economic impact in LA. How does
it end?
Speaker 1 (30:01):
You're listening to KFI Am six forty on demand.
Speaker 2 (30:04):
This is Michael Monks Reports on Michael Monks from KFI
News with you until four o'clock this afternoon. You usually
hear me live on Saturday nights from seven to nine.
This is a special broadcast as we continue our coverage
of the immigration enforcement, the demonstrations against them, the economic
fallout here in LA. You can join our conversation by
opening up the iHeartRadio app, clicking on that talkback button,
(30:27):
and letting us know how you feel about it all,
just like Jerry did.
Speaker 9 (30:32):
Hey Monks, this is Jerry from Yucca Valley. Hey Jerry,
I wanted a big a comment about that guy that
got nailed with the nuts. Maybe next time he should
wear a jockstrapper, maybe an ATHLETEX support cup or something,
just saying, I mean, if you know you're gonna get
nailed somewhere in the intimate body part, just something we're
thinking about, you know. Dang don to that guy with
(30:54):
this nutshot.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
All right now, all right, we'll get more of your
comments coming up. But first I want to take you
to the Dodgers game last night and the Dodgers' organization
in general. You know, the Dodgers have a significant fan
base made up of Latinos, and just through the law
of averages, you have to assume, based on the population
in La County that, of course, some of those fans
(31:17):
are here illegally.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
And so there has been some criticism about where are
the Dodgers on this.
Speaker 2 (31:24):
Are they going to come out and say something in
support of the the illegal immigrants who are here in
this community and facing deportation and the disruption of the
local economy. And as an organization, we haven't seen anything officially.
It's a difficult position to be in, of course if
you're a baseball club. But Keikey Hernandez has come out
(31:45):
solo with the comments saying that he is showing support
for LA in the face of this civil unrest and
the protest. He made a post on his Instagram last night.
He says, quote, I may not be born and raised,
but this city adopted me as one of their own.
I am saddened and infuriated by what's happening in our
(32:06):
country and our city. So he's gone on to say
that he is he's felt welcomed, he's felt supported here
in Los Angeles and supported by Dodgers fans since he
joined the team back in twenty twenty three, that he's
only felt kindness and love since he was traded back
to the Dodgers. He says, quote, this is my second
home and I cannot stand to see our community being violated, profiled, abused,
(32:29):
and ripped apart. All people deserve to be treated with respect, dignity,
and human rights. And he ended that post with a
hashtag City of Immigrants. At last night's Dodgers game, a
singer named Neza I don't even know. I'm so unhip
(32:50):
that I'm not even sure how to say this woman's name.
She's got a significant social media following Michael krozer'schooler than
I am. Do you know this singer at all.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Nesa never heard of her unfortunately.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
Okay, Okay, then we're just a couple of old guys
that don't know who she is. But she does have
a major following online, and she was invited to sing
the national anthem at the Dodgers game, but it did
not go the way apparently. This is This is her
telling of events that the Dodgers had asked her to
do it. I'm gonna play a little clip for you.
(33:23):
This is from Nessa's TikTok. You can hear in the beginning.
It's not great quality audio, but you can hear a
little bit of back and forth between the singer and
apparently a representative from the Dodgers talking about how she's
going to sing the national anthem, and then you'll have
a little clip of her singing the national anthem today.
(33:44):
So I'm not sure, okay, So that was Nasa singing
(34:15):
the national anthem. Her real name is Vanessa Hernande, So
I'm thinking I gotta be right with Neessa because it
is an easy za. But her name is Vanessa, so
I think she's going with Nessa here. My apologies for
being uncool. I don't know, but she sang the national anthem,
the American national anthem, but saying the Spanish language version
(34:38):
of it, and she was quite emotional and explaining why
she did that. She posted an explanatory video on her TikTok.
Speaker 10 (34:48):
Cause I'm still very shooken out and emotional. Names Anyways,
I just got home from singing the national anthem in
Spanish at the Dodgers game. And it is the official
Star Spangled banner in Spanish. You can google it, so
I'll just read it you really quick.
Speaker 5 (35:05):
But it was.
Speaker 10 (35:05):
Officially commissioned in nineteen forty five by the US State
Department as a part of President Franklin Roosevelt's Good Neighbor
Policy to foster a better relationship with Latin America.
Speaker 6 (35:15):
Because of this, I didn't.
Speaker 10 (35:17):
Think I would be met with any sort of like no,
especially because we're in LA and with everything happening, and
I've saying the national anthem many times in my life,
but there was today, out of all days, I could not.
Speaker 6 (35:36):
Sorry, yeah, I.
Speaker 10 (35:37):
Just could not believe when she walked in and told
me no. But I just felt like I needed to
do it.
Speaker 3 (35:46):
But Iby head, there.
Speaker 10 (35:50):
Anyone who's been following me for a while, you know everything.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
I do is out of love, out of love, good energy,
out of love.
Speaker 10 (35:58):
And I'm proud of myself for doing that today because
my parents.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
Are immigrants.
Speaker 10 (36:10):
And they've been sitizens like my whole life at this point.
Speaker 3 (36:16):
They got documented really early, but.
Speaker 10 (36:20):
I just can't imagine them being ripped away from me,
even at this age, like lit alone, like.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
A little little kid, like what are we doing anyways?
Speaker 10 (36:32):
Sorry, this is a whole different side of me that.
Speaker 3 (36:34):
Y'all never all right, you get the idea.
Speaker 2 (36:38):
That was singer Neza explaining why she decided to sing
the Spanish version of the American national anthem at the
Dodgers game last night in response to what's been going.
Speaker 3 (36:46):
On in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (36:47):
So emotions are high right now, and I know a
lot of you out there, regardless of how you feel
about immigration, you're feeling it too, because there's just this
cloud hanging over the community right now. Because there are
a lot of the tainment's taking place here in LA
it's affecting the broader economy, and you're also seeing the
demonstrations and then they can be a little scary, and
(37:10):
I know downtown is getting hit hard. So I've got
a lot of your messages that I'm going to play
at the top of the next hour and looking forward
to that. Keep them coming. Open up the iHeartRadio app,
click on that talkback button. We're going to play a
bunch of those coming up. My question to you is
how does this all end?
Speaker 3 (37:27):
In la.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
The raids are probably going to continue, and the demonstrations
against them are probably going to continue, So how does
it end.
Speaker 1 (37:37):
We'll continue that KFI AM six forty on demand
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