University Of Florida Student Arrested, Tasered During Kerry Speech
By Logan Murphy Monday Sep 17, 2007 12:15pm
h/t The Raw Story via The Gainsville Sun:
Download | play 
Download | play (thanks to Scarce)
U.S. Sen. John Kerry's speech at the University of Florida came to a dramatic close Monday, shortly after a vocal audience member was hauled off by police and shot with a Taser gun.
The audience member was preliminarily identified by UF officials as Andrew Meyer, a UF student in the College of Journalism and Communications.
Toward the conclusion of Kerry's UF forum, Meyer approached an open microphone at the University Auditorium and demanded Kerry answer his questions. The student claimed that University Police Department officers had already threatened to arrest him, and then proceeded to question Kerry about why he didn't contest the 2004 presidential election and why there had been no moves to impeach President Bush.
A minute or so into what became a combative diatribe, Meyer's microphone was turned off and officers began trying to physically remove him from the auditorium. Meyer flailed his arms, yelling as police tried to restrain him. Read more...
There are different versions on Youtube, thanks to Scarce for finding this one.
Update: John Kerry has condemned Meyer's arrest. And shock of shocks, Malkin defends Kerry
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where's the gator chomp when you need it?
well...he was acting a bit crazy...am i alone in this?
In some of these videos, you can clearly see the faces of the police officers. They are having a great time. This is clearly a big thrill for them.
I can't but feel suspicion, that the police staged this to disrupt the event. It looks like it.
revulver @ 2:
Crazy enough to be held down and tortured with a taser, because the police felt that their lives were in danger? No I don't agree.
He was annoying. I don't think that torture is a suitable punishment for being annoying.
revulver @ 2:
He was, but they didn't need to taser him. He was unarmed, not apparently very physically powerful, and there were four cops on him. He wasn't a danger to anybody's safety.
As a consequence of Bush & Co's constant fear mongering, expect to see this more often as those with even the smallest amount of authority feel justified in abusing that authority since NOT doing so could result in another 9/11. Thanks to Bush by definition, the terrorists have won.
The student was an obnoxious loudmouth who had the microphone for his soapbox and didn't want to give it up after his time was up, goading the police to arrest him. He perfectly got what he deserved as far as I'm concerned..
I guess it's "if you don't bow your head and comply, you get the screws."
acting crazy or not, no one should be tazered unless they are acting violently. He was just trying to get his questions across. I think he would have sat down like the others after he spoke, too...I think it's pretty clear that these 'officers' went too far...
I have no respect for John Kerry, who could have tried to stop this inhumane treatment of what appears to be an appropriately acting young man.
Guy Fawkes @ 7:
He was 'goading' them? That means you have to taser him? Arrest him, ok, put him in fisticuffs and be done with it. He didn't have a weapon for chrissake.
Guy Fawkes @ 7:
So being an obnoxious loudmouth justifies torture and fascist behavior on the part of the cops, does it?
Yes, the terrorists have won.
Just remember that if you ever find yourself in a position to ask Bush, Cheney or one of those guys a question they don't like, that's how you'll be treated.
And . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fed Day
Let's update the Pre-crash trajectory chart, which is holding right above the declining trend line. While media hints the Fed will cut.
http://www.urbansurvival.com/week.h303.jpg
As a consequence of Bush & Co’s constant fear mongering, expect to see this more often as those with even the smallest amount of authority feel justified in abusing that authority since NOT doing so could result in another 9/11. Thanks to Bush by definition, the terrorists have won.
Astute point.
DO NOT EVER ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever
ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever
ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever link to Malkins Cesspool again. Reading peoples posts there are like reading the drooling knuckle dragging rants of Hitler.
Marc @ 10:
Marc, it's hard to tell from the video, but from eyewitnesses' accounts, Kerry WAS trying to get the police to stop and let Meyers ask his question.
Guy Fawkes @ 7:
So you and I agree that he didn't commit a crime. He was tortured for being annoying. Right?
He didn't want to give up his time and he annoyed people, so you feel it is appropriate to pin him to the ground and torture him with a taser?
What other non-criminal acts would you to see people tortured for?
As a consequence of Bush & Co’s constant fear mongering, expect to see this more often as those with even the smallest amount of authority feel justified in abusing that authority since NOT doing so could result in another 9/11. Thanks to Bush by definition, the terrorists have won.
Astute point, FilthyHarry.
revulver @ 2:
He should he left and not resisted. The taser is better than a police club or a 0.45.
Chris from Ohio @ 13:
Of course none of us will ever be in such a position because Bush's advance goons will have weeded us out beforehand.
Mention Skull & Bones and the cops swoop in. Look how everyone just sits there while the poor guy screams for help. We have the government we deserve. Of course, Kerry condemns the arrest now. Why didn't he speak up at the time?
Welcome to the Bush Banana Republic
http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/images/Bush-Motorcade-Policeman.jpg
I'm sorry if this offends anybody with officers in the family, but when was it that more and more cops have turned into total chickenshits that have to tazer or pepperspray anything they don't understand? Is this what police work is now? Taze first, knee in the back second, twist arms to the point of snapping third, ask questions never? Where is the rest of their training that helps them control a perp? Where's the negotiation? Where's the notion of strength in numbers to avoid having to go with brute force to control a situation?
I ask all this as a layman. I don't know the first thing about being a cop, but as an onlooker, it looks to me like the new paradigm is increasingly to just be as afraid as possible and go straight to the brute force. A reflection of our entire society, maybe?
Guy Fawkes @ 7:
I agree up to the goading part. He was acting like a jerk and was clearly amped up. He was indeed resisting and not complying with Police.
revulver @ 2:
Yes he was. When you act like that you get tazered.
saw this yesterday. there are several different videos of this incident on the internets. whats really interesting is how Kerry does absolutely nothing to stop it. he really is spineless.
better quality video is here: link (scroll down)
this one has kerry in the frame: link
I agree that the guy was annoying -- but the response was way out of proportion. Since when is being annoying a crime?
If the cops had kept that up they could have been on the receiving end of riot. The girl in the background crying "why are you doing that?!" sounds like the kind of thing that would get the crowd on their feet. I sure hope that their training from now on will include not tasering people for merely being loudmouths, and also how not to turn an otherwise safe situation into a riot.
Dr. Matt @ 20:
Is it?
You do know that people have died after being tasered, right? Would it have have been funny if he had died? Would death had been an appropriate punishment for being annoying?
We have lost our moral compass when we think that torture is an appropriate response to people being non-violently annoying.
Clearly then, tasering is appropriate for other transgressions to. If the police pull over someone for having a bad tail light, isn't tasering that person while being held down by four police officers the appropriate response? And why not? If they taser you, its your fault.
Sure he could have done things a bit differently...he was extremely passionate and he has every right to be. I want to hear John Kerry's answers on the subject.
That was excessive force on the part of the police department. There was no reason to taser him.
After what happened at VA Tech, the college over reacted. They don't know when another "crazy" may pop out of the woodwork.
Poor John, he has a black cloud hanging over him. No matter what he says or where he goes, bad luck follows.
George @ 26:
In a police state you do.
Welcome to the new USSR.
Why did they applaud? They are applauding the banning of free speech? Idiots.
Guy Fawkes @ 7:
I agree, he sure was abusing his right to free speech. Too bad no one had a hand gun, in Fla. they could have shot him preemptively. THEN he would have gotten what he deserved for his impudent use of
HIS SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS, Who TF does he think he is? He sure isn'tthe RIGHT kind of American.Freedom hating hippy scum.mainstream media will eventually report this. they are always pathetically late when it comes to shit like this. god bless the internet.
ok, am I the only person that thinks that when you act like an idiot you should be thrown out of a place? I mean my God. I get social discourse, but there are ways of doing it. Riiiiight we are in 1930's Germany. It's pretty obvious from the video that this guy was all by himself in his views. He wasn't apart of a group that was being stifled , and he went batshit.
subatomicdog @ 358:
no, thank you for proving that america has devolved since the 60s
there are no shades of gray in this situation
unless the student threatened senator wuss with physical harm, he did nothing that should have caused the officers to try and physically remove him from the room
and i bet you would be first to condemn bush for having protestors removed from one of his bs speeches
and if what i said is an attack, no wonder why you think that any of what occured is justified
america is now populated by sheeple....
blow this mother up
09/18/2007
WASHINGTON D.C. – Sen. John Kerry issued the following statement today, in response to the arrest of a student at the University of Florida.
“In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way. I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention. I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody. I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building. I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted."
anonymousryan @ 356:
And you know that he wasn't forceably handcuffed before being tasered, how?
eddiberto @ 360:
yes....you should be the only person with this view....sad thing is, you are not
to the repukes, every war protestor is an idiot....according to you, they therefore should be hauled off in chains and thrown right in the pokey
this country is doomed
im moving to france
seth @ 286:
I'm 99% sure that what you read was sarcasm.
For the rest of you who are defending the cops in this one, you're all crazy. It might be true that once a cop grabs you and you don't act like a submissive sheep, that they can arrest you. But that doesn't mean that they can taser you unnecessarily.
As for the people cheering, I actually thought they were cheering what he said when the cops were trying to grab him.
Let's Stick the THE ISSUE, the unarmed Journalism College Student Asked a QUESTION ( actually THREE) at a Public Forum with a Senator- he was thrown to the ground by 6-8 officers, WITH NO CAUSE AND NO LAWS TO BACK THEIR REACTION...AND ONCE RESTRAINED HE WAS TASERED WITH 50,000 Volts while SIX officers were on top of him, and while restrained and WHILE asking them to STOP and HELP......this is TORTURE. Period. This is not WHAT is allowed by American Laws and the Constitution.
We The People have Every Right to be Concerned, and the Gestapo responses here should show that Bushco's brainwashing is much more dangerous than we could ever know...
Fight back. Make Calls , Call the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department.
TORTURE FOR QUESTIONS- WHAT IS NEXT???? We Don't want to know......
Questions Blog @ 210:
yup....ask a question out of turn....go directly to jail
uncle joe mccarthy @ 348:
What fucking society do you live in where it's appropriate to get up and shout in the middle of an event? If I start shouting to the conductor at an opera is that okay? If I start shouting at a politician when they're making a speech is that okay? No.
It was a structured public event, the question period was OVER. By attending the event you are de facto agreeing to follow the rules of the event, otherwise you're a public disturbance. Does anyone here seriously think the Code Pink ladies have a right to shout down people during Congressional testimony?
And I wouldn't be tasered because I'm a fucking reasonable person, even assuming I was wrongly being detained by the police I understand it's best to follow their directions and then exercise my legal rights. Had he been unlawfully removed and arrested he could've filed a lawsuit and been compensated for having his rights trampled on, that's the way things work. By fighting back he only GAVE the police a reason to detain him and taser him and surrendered any compensation or recourse he might have otherwise been entitled to.
You people are being ridiculous with the "FREE SPEECH" claims, he wasn't removed for the content of his speech he was removed for being disruptive to a public event. What of the rights of other people attending the event? His right to free speech doesn't entitle him to infringe on the rights of the other people to enjoy the event as it was supposed to be held.
I mean christ, I'm a democratic socialist so I don't think anyone can accuse me of not being liberal- but I believe in the rule of law and I KNOW this guy was acting like a jackass and deserved to be removed from the event.
I think you can watch better examples of "a combative diatribe" most days on C-SPAN. Why aren't members of Congress tazered when they ask hard questions with passion?????
uncle joe mccarthy @ 364:
Au revoir, Uncle Joe.
enigma4ever @ 328:
Hey, I think your caps lock is stuck...
I saw no flailing. he never got a hand above his waist until the police tried to break his arms while claiming he was resisting.
Weaseldog @ 363:
Because I was there?
If the police tasered him in handcuffs it would obviously be a very serious breech of conduct and I would hope criminal charges would be pressed against them. But what reason would they have to do that? I mean jesus, you guys are grasping at straws at this point.
seth @ 286:
I'm not sure I understand your point, but I'm pretty sure we're on the same side of this. (I intended a laugh at the expense of the original "he was acting a bit crazy" comment poster.)
Dark images, corporate facism has arrived.
anonymousryan @ 368:
im sorry....but there has been way too much order in this country
oh woe is me, he got disruptive
bet you were applauding those that became disruptive during gen betrayus' testimony...
kerry repeatedly said he would answer the questions....doesnt sound disruptive to me
were the poor students disrupted from their stupor?
you are a sheep...deal with it
anonymousryan @ 356:
This, to me, is one of the most important issues here. It bears repeating: tasers can be lethal. Check out this article, and, yeah, I know the source is not going to win over any 29%ers, but I found it quickly: http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511392004
Yes, I agree, the guy was being disruptive. Yes, I agree, one could argue that he should have been removed when the cops reached for him initially - I don't agree, but its a question of degrees, and people will disagree. I think you should have a pretty high threshold when you have an open mike - and the speaker (Kerry) has a lot of control in this situation to at least appeal to the students sense of decorum.
But there is no reason to taser a guy who is in cuffs. Am I missing something?
As far as I'm concerned the police acted as terrorists in this incident and should be held accountable as terrorists. The definition of terrorism is instilling fear through violent acts for political purposes. That is very clearly what took place in this incident!
eddiberto @ 360:
No, you are not alone or the only person feeling this way..
[...] Petraeus’s Claim of Surge Success in AnbarLeahy, Dodd Introduce Bill To Restore Habeas CorpusUniversity Of Florida Student Arrested, Tasered During Kerry SpeechFla. Assistant U.S. Attorney Arrested In Child Sex StingLate Edition: Wes Clark talks to [...]
anonymousryan @ 368:
Baaahhhh, Baaaahhhh, Baaaahhhh....
And I wouldn't be tasered because I'm a fucking reasonable person, even assuming I was wrongly being detained by the police I understand it's best to follow their directions and then exercise my legal rights.
Baaahhhh, Baaaahhhh, Baaaahhhh....
This is the reason that we may have fascism in the U.S. because when people exercise their first amendment rights, "it's hilarious" when they are rushed, thrown to the floor and tasered. How uncool speaking out is. What a loudmouth! He deserved what he got.
Where is the courage in this country? Our ancestors founded a country on speaking out to authority and someone is called a douchebag because they get a little excited and aren't reverential to the almighty Kerry. Many people believe that fascism could never happen here. I would tell these people to just read this thread and see how many good Germans there are, even among supposed progressives.
anonymousryan @ 373:
the police tasered him while he was on the ground and being subdued
the taser should never be used as a compliance weapon unless the suspect is being combative and the officers are fearful for their and/or the suspects safety
this is the second major incident where a taser was apparently used innapropriatly...the first being the case at ucla
uncle joe mccarthy @ 364:
I've only been to France once....to Paris and the South of France...the latter is a better
place to reside..
anonymousryan @ 368:
Legal or not, proper or improper, and regardless of "police department policy regarding the use of force", if you tolerate public beatings you had better get ready to take yours, because it'll be your turn soon enough.
It's just a question of who's gonna hand you yours.
anonymousryan @ 373:
Okay, hey, at least we agree on that. Unfortunately, I think that's what the news reports say; and that's what I'm upset about. (Ergo, no straw grasping here.)
Actually, this video shows clearly the suits standing there directing the police..
CRAP! Sorry, I don't know how that previous post got all messed up:
I was posting this:
The question is not whether he was acting well or badly, the question is whether you want to live in a society where someone who stands up at a public event and demands an answer of a public official gets hit with 50,000 volts by police.
anonymousryan @ 373:
Got pictures?
You're grasping at straws saying that he wasn't handcuffed, when video footage shows him in handcuffs.
It is one thing to speculate, it is another just to make crap up. At some point he was forceable handcuffed.
So you asked, which is better, tasered or forceably handcuffed? Well he got both. We can speculate whether he was tasered before or after.
In the video, you can see that his arms were painfully twisted and locked by four police officers pressing him to the ground with their arms and knees. It looks like he could be cuffed by this time, but I don't know. A fifth officer comes up grinning and tases him.
So he got his arms twisted, chest compressed, and tased, after being subdued.
So where you there?
uncle joe mccarthy @ 383:
Unfortunately, this is not nearly the second incident. This happens all the time. Cops are using tasers instead of practicing resolution techniques that are proven to defuse situations.
John Kerry is not at fault here. He was not trying to silence the young man. Furthermore, Senator Kerry can not interfere with police officers who are detaining a person. That would put Senator Kerry in legal jeopardy for obstructing police officers who were arresting a person.
Beware of Police Tasers. There is a good reason why Barney had to keep that bullet in his pocket. Police officers in Wisconsin Tasered a mentally ill person to death just a few months ago, and it looks like it is not an isolated incidents. If police are not to allowed to use excessive lethal force with a gun, then why should they be allowed to do so with Tasers!
How to NOT get tasered at College:
http://digg.com/offbeat_news/Guide_How_to_not_get_Tasered_at_College
Hell why use a taser, why not use bullets and let him bleed to death right where he stood? Talk about over-reacting and the inability of the facilitators, the speaker and the audience to bring order. Instead we see the little SS take over in a blatant over-reaction. Class act there folks, who do you mame for an oncore? Anarchy in the US!
zugzug @ 389:
Unfortunately there are many that want to live in this type of authoritarian society, their cheerleading these actions of beating up dissenters. None of the fools that want this deserve America.
Bonkers @ 24:
I agree. I've been in many situations in which a cop or cops had to subdue and arrest somebody (unarmed). A good cop doesn't need a taser or pepper spray.
Dr. Matt @ 25:
I disagree that resisting arrest means you get tasered. Unless you are putting officers in grave physical danger, you should not be tasered. Taser aren't without risk, you know. They can cause cardiac arresst and seizures. They should be a last result which didn't exactly seem appropriate when there were 4 officers lying on top of him.
I am not anti-police, either, my brother is one hell of a good cop.
And shock of shocks, Malkin defends Kerry...
You mean this defense?
You know what the lamest part is? Listening to impotent John Kerry’s voice droning apathetically during the entire incident. - MM
How can anyone have any remaining shred of respect for Senator Kerry after he continued to drone on during the police brutality in the back of the auditorium? Sick.
Weaseldog @ 29:
Funny? I didn't think anything about this is funny. Take a deep breath, you are clearly unhinged. Quit being a typical bleeding heart liberal. The kid wouldn't comply with police. Fact. The taser is better than a 0.45 to the chest or a police club to the head. Now settle down.
He resisted, though I don't agree with tasering him. This kid should take a lesson from the pros. When you have made your point, you go quietly with the police. Code Pink does this all the time. They speak their peace, as they did at the Patraeus hearings, and when they take your arm, you allow yourself to be escorted out. This guy resisted. What did he expect? It's a fucking police state. All that screaming and struggling got him nothing but ridicule. He hurt the civil disobedience movement. Fox was eating it up today. It was unrealistic of him to expect Kerry to even attempt one of his feeble answers when the questioner becomes the focus of the ridicule. He did it all wrong.
Jeff @ 27:
What exactly the fuck should he have done? Physically overpowered the cops? Tried to give them orders (which he has no authority to do)?
Diogenes @ 31:
Yup, VA Tech changed everything. It was the very time anyone has been killed with a gun. Now the police are completely ignorant in how to deal with gunmen. That incident sucked all of their training and memories out from between their ears.
Now when a clearly unarmed student is being annoying, they have to assuming the worst. He might've had a 747 in his pocket, ready to fly into a building!
Around 1:35 the skinny cop is pointing his gun at the guy. You can see it clearly on other videos.
Fanon @ 37:
It's easy to criticize the police when you have no idea of what is going on under that pile. He resisted arrest, he paid the price.
In AMERICA we have the right to answer questions. He was not being violent, he was just trying to get his point across. I've seen personalities on TV act like this and they have not been tasered. ;-)
A guy who was there said that Kerry said to let the guy ask his question. Kerry couldn't exactly jump on the cops and stop them. I think the cops went too far with the taser, they had the guy down and under control.
uncle joe mccarthy @ 376:
I think the people that got disruptive at the Petraeus testimony were idiots. Kerry DID say he would answer the question, but the kid went off on a diatribe and wouldn't LET Kerry answer. I didn't want to hear this idiot rant and rave and he doesn't have a right to commandeer the microphone and ask all the questions he wants. If he would have just asked his questions in a concise manner it would have been fine, but instead he starts ranting like an idiot and insisting he has a right to ask three or four questions when they were clearly being generous by allowing him to ask one AFTER the question period was over.
I didn't see anyone get turned away from asking questions during the question period, he had plenty of opportunity to do so. Instead he wanted to wait until the very last moment and make some big event of himself. Were we disrupted from OUR stupor? Because we didn't want to listen to some douchebag rant?
You're an idiot... deal with it. (And please don't move to France because that's where I plan on moving, or at least stay away from Lyon.)
Some time after Kerry threw his medals over WH fence he was neutered. Put together his weakness in contesting the presidential election and his unwillingness to stop the cops from abusing this student. It spells weakness and unwillingness to take charge.
Until we Dems put more assertive, combative and commanding leaders in place, we'll lose. Voters won't respect candidates and a party who won't go toe-to-toe with the opposition. That's the underlying message of the Swift Boat episode. Issuing carefully crafted press releases after-the-fact does nothing but bring attention to Kery's ineffectiveness.
We need to clone Feingold and Webb.
The taser is just the human version of the cattle prod, we are only tax dollars to our elected to overseers!
Two legs Good, Four legs Bad ;)
Weaseldog @ 4:
Tortured? Seriously, you plainly hear the words, "Stop resisting... you will be tasered..." The guy admits he hears by saying plainly, "Dont taze me bro". All he had to do was stop screaming and he would have been handcuffed and escorted out of the room. How is that anymore of a torture than if the officers were to use physical force on him? What if they were to use some sort of pressure point or pepper spray ((if you watch closely they do use other tactics before the tazer is deployed))... is that torture?
When a suspect resists ((which is not assaulting an officer)), police officers dont have to sit there and let the guy continue to do whatever he wants just because he isnt an immediate threat. The fact that the guy got loose from officers and then attempted to run past them back towards Senator Kerry says a great deal. They dont have a clue what his plans are nor do they know if he is a further threat to the Senator. His own actions governed what choices the police had at their disposal. Pain compliance is used on every subject that resists... if its not a taser, its a pressure point, a joint twist, whatever best fits the situation and ends the confrontation effectively.
Obviously there is more to the video than we are allowed to see as the students cheered when he was being escorted from the podium. Obviously he did this as a ploy to get attention. Obviously he was wrong and will spend time in jail. Obviously you need to think about what kind of world this would be if everytime an officer attempted to make an arrest, when the suspect said no, the officer had to walk away.
Neters Landreau @ 388:
Also, it shows the rent-a-cop twisting his arm behind his back as soon as he had finished his 1:30 question and was preparing to listen. It also catches the audio of him saying, "If you let me go, I'll walk out of here." Yep, he's annoying, annoying I can deal with, brutality, not so much.
I'd shake the kids hand...if I had a hand buzzer.
anonymousryan @ 396:
Lyon, France....what a wonderful place to visit/live. You might want to try just one of
the many, many nice restrauants along the Saone River which runs through the City...
and of course the 2,000 year old city has many historical sites.
1930's Germany....moving to France....fascist pigs....Hyperbole, anyone?
It's amazing how so many people can view the same video and have completely different views of what actually transpired. Rodney King, anyone?
Chris @ 399:
yea dude, the police officer should have just pistol whipped him a few times instead, nobody would have complained about that ;)
Chris @ 399:
Yes, they successfully subdued him, then a grinning cop tasered him for fun.
Let's stay on point folks- This is about A Student- college Student being TORTURED, TASERED WHILE RESTRAINED AND HELD DOWN BY SIX OFFICERS( ATLEAST)....(and yeah I write in capitals , because this is Dangerous Times we live in WHEN ANYBODY could be tasered with 50,000 Volts for asking Questions in a Public Forum of a Senator- THERE WERE NO LAWS BROKEN...NONE.... Try reading up on
(1) Dangers of Taser
(2) the Constitution- FREE SPEECH
(3) Excessive Force/Cruel and Unusual Punishment
(4) Human Rights Watch - look up the Definition of Torture- and yes, being restrained and tasered with 50,000 Volts IS TORTURE....( if he had a heart defect that would kill him..did you know that? yeah, not so funny)
AND NO STATEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY ANY JUSTICE OFFICIAL..NONE..YET 4-6 OF THOSE OFFICERS ARE STILL ON DUTY....
Weaseldog @ 390:
I'll admit I was a bit away, but from what I could tell his arms were being held behind his back but the officers couldn't get them still enough to cuff together.
Like I said, if I'm wrong and he was cuffed, then the officers should be fired and criminal charges should be brought. Unless they were sadistic, I don't see why they would do that, though.
As well, I think I was being more than a bit vitriolic and I apologize for calling that one guy an idiot. I don't really agree with using a taser as a compliance weapon, but I think it's safer than being held to the ground and handcuffed. (People cite stories of people dying from tasers, but why not cite stories of people suffocated or receiving serious internal injuries from being forcibly held to the ground?)
The point is the kid was being a public disturbance and nuisance and deserved to be removed. There were certainly ways to avoid the situation and I don't believe the police acted entirely defensibly, but "DON'T TASE ME, BRO!" is still funny.
If we can't agree that people who say "bro" should be tasered than we'll never agree. So, I'm leaving.
Real Cause @ 400:
Exactly, the cops immediately assume he's some kind of threat. Maybe this is the insane world of fear we live in, where some ranting guy with a book is such a threat that he needs to be tazered. You'd think that the cops would have had training in how to defuse such a situation instead of making it worse.
Chris @ 399:
I assume you agree with the cops that the kid committed a felony and should spend five years in prison for this, right?
If the kid died, I'm sure you'd be laughing. The cops clearly thought all of this was fun.
And just for a point of reference- remember that at Abu Gahrib The Military used Electrical Devices on Restrained Prinsoners- they faced Charges....
HAVE WE LEARNED ANYTHING FROM THAT- OR JUST FORGOTTEN IT?????
Start thinking with Your Brains and Your Souls...
Adam @ 184:
What question did Tyler want to ask?
Restore the Bill of Rights @ 401:
lol, that made me laugh :D
Beginnings of a police state...people wake up. The divisions between liberal and conservative are so at odds...we have been conditioned to think this way and are being played by rich and powerful interests. This has happened countless times in history and do not think that we as americans are immune to it.
Watch this and you will be surprised...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5948263607579389947
Real Cause @ 400:
I just watched again. Those cops were planning the whole thing. You could see them conversing behind him during his question. If they just let him stand there while Kerry answered they could have arrested him without any force for whatever bullshit charge they wanted to put on him.
And the "inciting a riot" is crap. No one should be held responsible for things they yell while being tasered.
pissed off patricia @ 277:
Does it hurt like a tazer after being "restrained" by 5 cops?
bubba @ 397:
Amen to that. I can't imagine a Jim Webb just standing there droning on while this ugly scene transpired. And no, I don't care about Kerry's after-the-fact statement. "I regret enormously..." Who talks like that? Wow, thanks for standing up for us, Thurston J. Howell III.
Mark my words, some day an event like this will explode with violence when the crowd attacks the police for tasering someone.
In this video and a similar incident last year, bystanders screamed at the police, "Why are you doing this?" They are angry at the heavy-handed tactics being employed by law enforcement.
Some day that anger will turn ugly. And you can BET the cops will open fire into the crowd with their service revolvers, not their tasers. Another Kent State waiting to happen. It's coming.
anonymousryan @ 407:
Hehe
enigma4ever @ 406:
Two of the officers have been placed on paid administrative leave.
pookers @ 411:
This sounds a little hyperbolic to me. "Rushed to the microphone with cops in pursuit" and "did he have a bomb?" Maybe, like some earlier commenter said ,he had a 747 in his pocket and was going to fly it into a building.
Land of the "Free" ?
zugzug @ 408:
I think you're missing my point. The cops were just following orders.
Thanks to the kid for presenting these important issues in a way that didn't make the others in the room clap when he was forcibly subdued. If he hadn't gotten tasered and earned his 15 minutes, no purpose at all would have been served but making people who ask those questions look reasonable. Now let's resume posting "fight the power" on C&L under our pseudonyms.
anonymousryan @ 407:
I think the cops were wrong to taze the kid, but I still want one of those t-shirts.
Simon White-Thatch Potentloins @ 416:
One officer had his gun drawn early on.
Clearly he had decided that this situation warranted the threat of lethal force.
I really don't trust their judgment.
Weaseldog @ 417:
HeHe, indeed. Also, Kudos to Gekke for handshake with a buzzer, too. Levity is sorely needed at this point, especially after getting more than a fair dose of enigma4ever.
Waiter! Decaf, stat!!
All you who are defending this jerk...Good news!!!
You can support him and buy some of his "merchandise" (a "Pimp Light") on his website...yes, its actually called TheAndrewMeyer.com
Please consider the kind of complete, idiotic publicity seeking jackass you're defending...Consider he just may have (just may have) planned the whole thing...
Then take it all back.
guess its a slow news day....and how is this even 'news'.......yeah, the cops overacted..WAY TOO MUCH...and this is somehow turned to being JK's fault for doing nothing to stop it.......whatever......
Simon White-Thatch Potentloins @ 416:
This is disturbingly correct. The real issue here is--esp. post 9/11--the assumptions that police make about their behavior in controlling *any* situation that seems somehow out of place. In this instance, sure, we had a college kid who was a little over-passionate. But I've seen that at countless college panel discussions, without this ugly response.
The police assumed they could get away with this new over-reaction, and as the crowd sat compliantly, the police were confirmed in their overreach.
And they'll reach a little further, and a little further, in future incidents.
So, all you police apologists on here--how do you feel the mindset of the cops would be if, say, hundreds of students were trying to shut down a campus, maybe even hurling a few cans or rocks?
They'd shoot. That's what they did at Kent State. There's a slope here, and it's damned slippery. And I'm beyond appalled that some of you are greasing it up.
I'd be very interested to know about any recenet anti-terrorist training courses these police officers had been to in the last 6 months, and specifically, what percentage of that training they had pertaining to civilian crowd control.
wouldn't you ;)
I'm no cop, but I agree with their sequence of decisions.
1. The guy was clearly given his free speech rights to stand up there and ask a question, whatever it may have been. I don't care what he was asking or how he asked it, but he was given his chance.
2. The guy spent well more than his time trying to make SEVERAL points, and gave no indication that he was ever going to shut up and allow Kerry to respond. Plus he was obviously getting more and more ramped up and agitated.
3. The cops tried SEVERAL times to politely ask him to end his question after his time was up, but became angry at these attempts.
4. After it was clear that politeness wasn't going to work on the guy, they decided to grab his arms and lead him out. The guy starts flailing his arms at this point and getting even more agitated.
5. It becomes clear to the cops that more of them are needed to get the guy out of there (clearly a disturbance at this point).
6. The guy is still yelling and flailing and trying to resist being escorted out.
7. You can't tell from the audio if the cops stated this to him, but I would say the presumption is that the cops decided to arrest him for disorderly conduct. He's still yelling and flailing, so they drop him to the floor so they can handcuff him.
8. The cops get one of his wrists in the handcuffs, but he is STILL flailing his other arm, yelling, etc.
9. They verbally WARN him that if he doesn't cooperate, they're going to Taser him.
10. He STILL doesn't cooperate.
11. ZAP!
Civil disobedience is one thing, and something I support as a way to make a statement. However, if I was told that I was about to be Tasered because I was clearly resisting arrest, I'd either STFU or prepare for a little shock treatment.
What gets me, though, is how monotone, bored, and unaffected (in the general sense) that Kerry sounds both before and during this incident. If the stereotype of Al Gore is that of a robot, this guy is about as interesting as a bar of soap.
Kerry just lost all my respect, he's a coward, also only one women had the guts to scream at this incredible instance of police brutality, the whole crowd should have got up and shouted police brutality, we live in a police state, we are all afraid to do anything against police brutality, that guy is a hero, he's got guts, and his question was what our journalists should be asking Kerry. Kerry is a wimp I'm glad he lost. Vote Kucinich, Kucinich would have done something , he would have shout down the police, this is America today??? We are going to bomb children in Iran because of wimps like Kerry in the Democratic Party.
Dr. Matt @ 20:
Dr Matt, I am sorta surprised that you think these are the only options. I heard a joke once:
"Frank Sinatra saved my life."
"Really? How?"
"He told the goon to take it easy on me and only break my legs."
(Obviously that joke is pretty versatile and has nothing to do with Frank. That's just how I heard it first, so if you happen do be a Sinatra fan, please don't flame me :) )
So no way am I ever going to be grateful that cop tazed rather than shot me if a conversation or a handcuffing would have sufficed.
This f0ckers are taking it too seriously.. I would have been there I would have started a riot. Who do they think they are the owners of us. Those F0ckers. Hope they die.
"You know what the lamest part is? Listening to impotent John Kerry’s voice droning apathetically during the entire incident." -Malkin
Oh yeah, John...she's "defending Kerry"??
Bulls*t. (You need to take down that link cuz she's not)
i'd feel bad for him if he wasn't such a douche bag.
it reminds me of a cops episode where somebody freaks out and they beat the crap out of them.
Those people are innocent until proven guilty, and this guy didn't do much of anything except freak out the officers.
oh well.
Who cares about kerry anyway?
Dr. Matt @ 40:
You're the one advocating torture in order to deal with someone being annoying.
Better? No, he could've died from this.
You're argument tells me that you believe that club to the head or a shot to the chest is the proper way to deal with someone, as he is being held down by four police officers.
Why do you think it is reasonable for a fifth officer to shoot someone in the chest when they are being restrained? And why do you think I'm unhinged for believing that this is wrong?
Che's Lounge @ 41:
one of the code pink women screamed her ass off when the police dragged her off.
How can you resist arrest if there is no underlining crime that you were arrested for? I have seen this over and over. People being abused and charged with "resisting", but no others charges filed. I believe you have the right to resist an unlawful arrest. But, we as a nation, have come to accept this behavior. Remember the Iranian kid in the University library in California? There were quite a few people here that said he deserved it too. As far as I am concerned, people who say that are enablers to the encroaching police state.
CNN INTERNATIONAL covered this story just an hour ago:
VIDEO -
http://beta.redlasso.com/Community/ClipPlayer.aspx?i=d0b440e8-b944-4286-...
includes reaction from students
"In the center of the room
they are torturing a bear.
And although he cannot sing
they can make him whistle 'Londonderry Air'.
For we only aim to please
it's our customers who gain.
As their appetites increase,
they must come to us for pleasure and for pain."
-Byrd, Moskowitz, et al, "The American Metaphysical Circus"
This is what a POLICE STATE looks like. Welcome to our democracy, oppression by the majority.
The ACLU is gonna have a field day with this one. Regardless of the obnoxiousness of this guy, he still had a right to say what he did unmolested. In other words he wasn't crying "fire!" in a crowded theatre. And screw Kerry for not even raising one of his lethargic eyebrows in this guy's defense. Expect more of this no matter which party wins in 08.
Why is Malkin's opinion so important that you have to cite it? Don't dignify that fuking idiot by talking about her.
granted, this wasn't Kerry's fault...but the guy showed ZERO leadership skills in this situation.
ZERO. I knew he was gonna lose to Bush the day he was nominated.
PoliceState, WTF did you think Kerry was going to do? Jump down and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the cops? He's giving a freaking speech. He's not there to obstruct officers. The man drove his f--king boat onto a shore so that he could kill some f--kers trying to take out his boatmates, and you've got the the little grape-nut balls to come onto a message board and talk about you "lost all respect for the coward"? Kerry pisses me off from time to time as well, but on his behalf, let me just wish you a giant "f-- you."
Please don't waste time linking Malkin's site. It serves no purpose except to bring her traffic. Any defense is layered with an equal and nasty attack.
Also, the man got out of hand. He asked for it. His whole demeanor just became increasingly erratic. What started as a pointed question soon evolved into into rambling hysterics. He just wanted to make a speech and wasn't interested in any answers. Kerry could have tried to calm everyone down but the guy was like a bullet train. Regardless, they gave him a chance and he blew it and he did so intentionally. The guy should not be defended.
Johnny2Bad @ 51:
Yeah, I was left scratching my head after following the link. I saw no defense there.
I'm impressed with the way Kerry handled the situation. I'm no huge fan, but the ability to think on his feet and know who he is would have made the last couple years much better if he were Preznit.
Dr. Matt @ 45:
Unless he pulled a weapon in the bottom of that pile, I fail to see how the response was proportionate. Jeez, watch COPS sometimes and see a single cop take down a hopped up crack head and handcuff him with no taser, and you're telling me that 4 cops couldn't subdue an obnoxious college student without resorting to that level of force?
It's disproportionate.
This stupid student got what he deserved. He was purposely trying to make a disturbance and make a spectacle of himself.
He was acting up and playing for the cameras. And trying to be some sort of "symbol" or a martyr for police brutality.
He's a pretty big guy so I don't feel sorry for him. If you start making a ruckus and the cops ask you to leave, then leave. Don't start screaming and making a scene in a public forum and being a total jackass.
This jerk got what he deserved. Now he's got bragging rights for the rest of his life about how the cop used "excessive force".
He was just a jerk looking for attention. It's so obvious. I'd have tasered his little whiney ass twice until he shut the hell up.
This is but another event symobolizing what's gone wrong with America: The ridiculous abuse of power to stifle free exchange of ideas. America has lost more moral authority. It may be a large military nation, but it is not great. Just as the Roman Empire. It's crumbling.
It looks as though, to regain its "lost position," the arrogant law enforcement will use more abusive method to make people believe in a myth. Law enforcement is not your friend: They will lie, abuse, and accuse you of crimes to make you comply with non-sense intrusions.
Americans need to come together, stand against this abuse of power, and refuse to let this arrogant law enforcement continue abusing American citizens. Law enforcement, arguably, is a domestic enemy and threat to the Constitution. An independent review is warranted.
On the video I watched, the guy appeared to keep edging closer to the stage while waving an object and getting increasingly loud and belligerent as security was trying to move him toward the rear. Not a good tactical decision. However, it appears that they could have hustled him the rest of the way outside and subdued him without the use of the taser.
steve davis @ 62:
What Steve said.
There's certainly enough blame to go around on this one. The kid was grandstanding and basically being a putz -- but there was no justification for the cops to taser him. Deja vu all over again like the reverend getting arrested in DC last week.
The Bushevik gov't is firmly in control, even on college campuses.
debaser71 @ 192:
I agree! You don't taser and arrest a person simply because they are
being 'annoying' and asking a Senator a couple of 'inconvenient questions'.
If people truly believe this 21 yo honor student should have been treated
like this for asking poor little John Kerry the questions he has been trying
to avoid for the past 3 1/2 years then I have to agree with the few posters
here that say this country is in real trouble. It's really quite sad, it's actually
pathetic!
That is just utter BS. yea he was a jerk, most people are when they are passionate about a subject, such as he was. Still, there was no justification for what occured. Yeah, he resisted arrest, he was being arrested unfairly. Being arrested for asking a question in a political event. Hello, that is what you do at those events. Those officers had him subdued, it was like 6 officers. The female officer alone looked stronger then him. There was no need, he was not being violent. Police officers nowadays are cowards, they arrest opinionated students yet look the other way when they see drug dealers. Why? Cause they know that drug dealers carry guns and aren't affraid to use them, but some dumb kid asking questions won't hurt them, they will just get their kicks and giggles by tazering him and then saying he resisted arrest.
Nicole Belle @ 17:
He just didn't want to answer the Skull & Bones question.
Wow. Another reason why giving cops an option of 'non lethal force' is fucked up. Maybe I don't agree with this guy, maybe I think he was being a bit obnoxious, but maybe next time it's me protesting something. Do we deserve to be tasered??!?! (which CAN kill you) Unbelievable. I don't even know what they were arresting him for? Asking questions? What the hell did he do that deserved to have his rights trampled?
I would hope that this guy sues -- big time. Maybe a large monetary settlement will get it through the authorities that civil rights matter. Yes, Kerry could have done more in retrospect, but this isn't about him, it's about protecting our rights. One day, something will happen, where protest is the only option. Do we allow the cops to just taser anyone who questions authorities?
This was ridiculous. This is dangerous. Letting any sort of precedent like this slide has horrific implications for the future. Times change. Leaders change. Don't take your freedom of protest for granted.
No one could've anticipated how this would turn out.
Florida cops just aren't trained for this sort of thing.
Johnny2Bad @ 426:
So, because he has a website (haven't gone to it, don't know what you mean by "merchandise") BUT, because he has a website he planned to get tased? I think that is a real stretch. And, anyways, it is not the man I am defending. It's his right to create a civil disturbance without getting tased. Even if he did resist arrest, he didn't have a weapon, he didn't deserve to be tased. Hell, he shouldn't have even been arrested. Escort him from the building and shut the door.
The police over reacted and over reached.
Zat is ze zay! Zap ze little zhit, zen schtick him in und Gas Chamber!
Long Live ze Furher - Long live BUSH!
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