The UCLA Federalist Society invited James Percival, the General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security to speak on Tuesday, April 21. Unfortunately, there was a massive protest that disrupted the speech. Students consistently disrupted by the event by booing and heckling the speakers. There was a nonstop cacophony of ring tones and other sounds, again, which were intended to disrupt the event. This event has been covered by Fox News and the UCLA Daily Bruin.
I give credit to Professor Jon Michaels, who introduced the speaker. Michaels is a staunch critic of the Trump Administration, but still believes in the robust protection of free speech and discourse. Professor Greg McNeal of Pepperdine also deserves credit for posing tough questions to Percival. I cannot give credit to the UCLA Administration, which took no action to remove students causing the disruption, even after they were warned. I had flashbacks to when I was protested at the CUNY Law School in 2018.
My friend Yitzy Frankel shared some of the highlights here:
