LAPD Chief Charlie Beck joins Larry for his monthly check-in with the next steps regarding the LAPD’s drone policies after its one-year pilot program was approved yesterday. We also debate a proposal to ban items like pepper spray and gas masks at Los Angeles protests; sit down with the Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka ahead of tomorrow’s season opener against the Clippers; and more.
Is a proposed item ban at public demonstrations in LA a city overreach?
In response to violent protests in Charlottesville and Berkeley, Los Angeles Councilman Mitch Englander has proposed city restrictions on items people can bring into public demonstrations.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, prohibited items would include plastic bottles containing alcoholic, non-consumable, toxic waste or flammable liquid, as well as pepper spray, drones, wooden planks and improvised shields. The proposal is on its way to city attorneys who are drafting the new law before final approval. When Englander amended the proposal during Tuesday’s council meeting, he said that police recommendations could determine other items added to the ban.
Civil rights attorney Carol Sobel challenged the legality of the ban for blocking items from protests that are otherwise permitted. Sobel said that prohibiting shields would make it easier for police to injure protesters.
American Civil Liberties Union senior staff attorney Peter Bibring questioned drones as part of the ban. He said drones are sometimes used to document protest turnout.
Larry speaks to Englander and UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh today for more details on the pros and cons of a potential ban.
Guests:
Mitch Englander, Los Angeles City Councilmember representing District 12, which comprises the Northwest San Fernando Valley
Eugene Volokh, professor of law at UCLA
LAPD Chief Beck: LAPD’s new drone program, event security post-Las Vegas, and more
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck joins Larry Mantle for his monthly check-in.
Topics they will discuss include:
- A new city proposal to ban items like pepper spray, tiki torches and gas masks from protests
- Next steps after the Police Commission approved the LAPD’s proposal to fly drones in a one-year pilot program Tuesday, plus the proposed guidelines
- The future of security at large events in Los Angeles after the Las Vegas shooting, including the possibility of police sharpshooters in helicopters
- LAPD response during the false-alarm shooting threat at USC earlier this month
- An immigration check-in after ICE Director Thomas Homan said ICE will have “no choice” but to arrest undocumented immigrants in California
- An update on the Police Commission’s expected recommendation on body cams
- The Los Angeles Police Protective League’s lawsuit against Beck and the city for failing to notify people alleging misconduct by officers that knowingly filing false complaints is against state law
- LAPD protocol with sidewalk vendors after street vending was decriminalized in February
Guest:
Charlie Beck, chief of police of the Los Angeles Police Department
Rob Pelinka dishes on first season as Lakers GM and what to expect from this year’s team
With most of LA’s focus during this year’s NBA offseason squarely on Lakers’ first round draft pick Lonzo Ball, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that, when the purple and gold take the court on Thursday night for their regular season opener against the Clippers, there will be four other players to watch on the court when the game tips at 7:30 p.m. PST.
The young Ball, whose play was encouragingly solid during the preseason, is just one piece of a bigger puzzle that the Lakers’ brand new front office is already working on solving this season.
The Lakers have not won more than 27 games since the 2013-2014 season. Their last playoff appearance was in 2013. Over those years, they have been stockpiling young talent with early first round draft picks like Ball, fellow guard Brandon Ingram, and forward Julius Randle. This offseason, they also added journeyman center Brook Lopez to add some veteran experience to the young squad and help further shore up their post play.
Now, with Laker legend Magic Johnson overseeing basketball operations and newly-minted general manager Rob Pelinka at the helm, the team is looking to right the ship and get back on track to a playoff berth. Both Ball and Ingram have high expectations in the Laker backcourt, which could potentially be one of the most athletic and dynamic in the NBA. Another young forward named Kyle Kuzma is also quietly turning heads while the spotlight shines on others.
But the long-term challenge is real. The Lakers compete in the Western Conference, a grueling gauntlet of teams that includes the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, who are looking to make waves with their big offseason signings, and the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
What can we expect out of the Lakers this year? Do you expect them to make the playoffs? Will Lonzo Ball live up to the hype? Who are some of the lesser-known players to watch? What are you most excited to see this year?
Guest:
Rob Pelinka, general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers
Molly Melching on more than 40 years of human rights work in Africa
Molly Melching is the founder of Tostan International.
Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, Melching and her organization are most well known for advancing human rights in the region – specifically awareness of female genital cutting, and childhood and forced marriage. Meaning “breakthrough” in Wolof, Tostan organizes community programs on health, hygiene, literacy and other human rights issues.
Through those programs, more than 7,200 villages in six West African countries ended practices of female genital cutting and childhood marriage.
Host Larry Mantle talks to Melching about her work and mission.
Guest:
Molly Melching, founder and creative director of Tostan, a non-governmental organization headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, that promotes sustainable development in Africa
The Great Wall of Los Angeles: The story behind the world’s longest mural
Chicana Artist Judith F. Baca describes herself as a political landscape painter.
Growing up by the Los Angeles River, she remembers when a 40-year-long concrete project along the landmark was completed, and she got the idea to change the way people saw the wall there. And so, Baca’s project was born in 1976.
Today, The Great Wall of Los Angeles is a half-mile long mural with more than 400 of professional and aspiring artists who’ve worked on the project guided by Baca. It’s the world’s longest mural, and was inspired by the work of three major figures in the Mexican muralist movement, Los Tres Grandes: José Clemente Orozco, Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. The project was a way to introduce at-risk L.A. youth to the art world, teach them about collaboration, and is seen as a window into the concerns of the community during the mural’s development.
The book, “BACA: Art, Collaboration & Mural Making,” edited by Mario Ontiveros, showcases more than 200 images of the wall, as well as the inspiration and execution of one of L.A.’s most notable landmarks. Ontiveros joins Larry Mantle today, to discuss its significance, and what we can learn about how and why The Great Wall of Los Angeles was made.
Mario Ontiveros and Judith Baca will be speaking about the new book this Sunday, October 22, at 3:00pm. The event takes place at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena. For info, click here.
Guests:
Judith Baca, professor of Chicana/o Studies at UCLA; LA-based Chicana visual artist, and subject of the new book, “BACA: Art, Collaboration & Mural Making” (Angel City Press, 2017)
Mario Ontiveros, editor and a contributor to the new book, “BACA: Art, Collaboration & Mural Making” (Angel City Press, 2017); he is also an assistant professor of art history at Cal State Northridge