LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Months after pro-Palestinian protests and counter-protests erupted into chaos on the UCLA campus, new insights have emerged into the decision-making process and pressures that unfolded behind the scenes.

KTLA filed a public records request with UCLA on April 30 as the encampment was growing, seeking any emails from former Chancellor Gene Block’s office or his support staff related to the protests. KTLA wanted to know what was happening behind the scenes during those critical days in late April and early May, believing that understanding the internal conversations might be key to that process.

This initiated a back-and-forth that lasted more than six months.

Two months later, on July 29, UCLA responded to the public records request, stating, “Please note that it may be the case that these records are not directly responsive to your request.” They weren’t.

KTLA again approached UCLA, asking for the records request to be fulfilled.

On September 12, UCLA stated, “We confirm that our office is still working on this matter and will soon produce the next batch of records once the legal review of them has been completed.”

On October 15, UCLA said, “Records are still under review and are not available at this time. Please know, though, that we are aiming to produce records to you as soon as possible.”

On November 27, UCLA provided another update: “This is a further update regarding your attached records request. Please accept our sincere apologies, but the review process has not yet been completed on the remaining records.”

UCLA said KTLA would receive further communication by December 18. Then, on the Friday before Christmas week, after the close of business, an email arrived from UCLA with a link to 455 pages of documents—some heavily redacted—related to those critical days during the UCLA protests.

On April 28, with protests growing at campuses across the country, physical altercations broke out between pro-Palestinian groups and counter-protesters. Vice Chancellor Mary Osako emailed senior leadership at UCLA, saying, “It’s been a day…” and discussed UCLA’s communication strategy, emphasizing “transparency and humanity.” Chancellor Gene Block replied, “I think the right message. Bruin values.”

On April 29, the Chancellor emailed UCLA BruinAlert about additional security being added due to the physical altercations.

On April 30, Chancellor Block emailed the university and alumni, discussing the encampment on Royce Quad, calling it “unauthorized” and describing some tactics as “shocking and shameful.” He stated that UCLA supports peaceful protest but not activism that harms the ability to carry out UCLA’s academic mission.

A faculty director emailed the Chancellor, “Gene, good message reaffirming our values for peaceful protest… thanks for your leadership during these difficult times.” The Chancellor replied, “Thank you—very discouraging week. Hopefully we can heal.”

That same night, UCLA declared the encampment illegal, setting the campus administration and university police on a course that would include a violent attack by counter-protesters and –days later– an overnight encampment takedown by police. 

In the meantime, people on all sides of the issue were messaging UCLA leadership: faculty and staff, parents and students, dozens of emails:

• “It’s ridiculous you are allowing a small group to disrupt the learning of 30+ thousand students who want to learn…”
• “This is blatant anti-Semitism being allowed to erupt… why no consequences? Enough is enough.”
• “How much more violence do you need on campus to shut it down?”
• “We are all very worried that what lies ahead is another Kent State where peaceful protests were met with lethal police violence.”
• “Shameful! Take control of your university or let the police do it. Never again is now.”
• “I know Palestine is a very complicated issue. But I think you’re threading the needle very well.”
• “I write as a deeply troubled and angry faculty member who is at the moment ashamed to be associated with UCLA. Your moral cowardice and appalling failure of leadership is profoundly disturbing.”
• “Your inability to find a peaceful way through this makes you abysmally unqualified for your job.”

Some went even further.

On April 29, a UCLA alumnus and donor emailed the university regarding its handling of the protests.

“We as donors have amended our Living Trust by removing UCLA as a financial recipient. UCLA has now lost our multi-million dollar bequest,” the donor told the university.

KTLA contacted that donor, who confirmed they had indeed amended their family trust.

A letter from Judea Pearl on May 2, a notable UCLA educator, stated, “Dear Gene… I am not really sure whether you are under pressure to make concessions to the encampment movement but, regardless, I would like you to know that you have the backing of over 400 UCLA professors supporting your refusal to yield to their demands.”

Many correspondences concerned the decision to move classes to remote learning as the protests continued on campus. Just what decision-making was going on behind the scenes isn’t known—or wasn’t included in this batch of documents related to our public records request. The documents also include KTLA’s own requests to UCLA, saying the public had a right to hear from the Chancellor on such important matters.

Still, very few personal correspondences between the Chancellor and his staff are included in these documents. UCLA cited a common line in public records requests: “Additionally, where the public interest served by not disclosing a record clearly outweighs the public interest served by disclosure, such records may be withheld.”

Of course, that is very subjective, so the public may never know what the senior leadership at UCLA was discussing in those days. However, the fallout from the protests was clear, and in the weeks that followed, UCLA remained under scrutiny for its handling of the protests.

In the meantime, Chancellor Gene Block retired. In the release from UCLA, the school said, “This position at the helm of one of the world’s greatest research universities will surely be a coveted one, and I am certain we will have many excellent candidates for the role.”

In November, a scathing independent audit suggested a series of steps needed to be taken by UCLA “to address shortcomings, performance failures, systems breakdowns, and campus safety issues that emerged from the campus events of April and May 2024.”

In December, UCLA’s Police Chief—who was criticized over his department’s handling of the protests—was also out. The interim Chief stated, “The men and women of the UCLA Police Department proudly serve this community with a firm commitment to our Core Values: ACCOUNTABILITY, RESPECT, INTEGRITY, SERVICE, and EXCELLENCE.”