Student tasered by police after causing a disturbance

[Chacor]

Meyer refused to leave the microphone after his allotted time was up, police said.

Did no one see this at all? Serves the guy right. He could easily have asked someone else to ask his questions for him. Resisting arrest = dumb.

[Coredesat]

Meyer refused to leave the microphone after his allotted time was up, police said.

Did no one see this at all? Serves the guy right. He could easily have asked someone else to ask his questions for him. Resisting arrest = dumb.

Didn't see that, but he still shouldn't have been tasered.

[Dionne]

I saw the footage. He should not have been tasered. It was not necessary. He was already subdued when the cops tasered him. Excessive zeal on behalf of the cops. They had the kid surrounded and down on the floor.....then they tasered him.

[gtalum]

These cops need to do some hard time. This is America. You can't be tasered for asking questions, even unpopular ones. If I were him UF would end up paying me a massive settlement, that's for sure. They'd have to rename the school Georgia Tech - Florida Campus.

I'd also go after the cops personally, so that they'd be handing me a chunk of their paychecks for the rest of their lives.

And police have the nerve to wonder why most people don't like them.

[azsnowman]

These cops need to do some hard time. This is America. You can't be tasered for asking questions, even unpopular ones. If I were him UF would end up paying me a massive settlement, that's for sure. They'd have to rename the school Georgia Tech - Florida Campus.

I'd also go after the cops personally, so that they'd be handing me a chunk of their paychecks for the rest of their lives.

And police have the nerve to wonder why most people don't like them.

But I'm sure you don't have a problem calling 911 or the police dispacth directly if someone broke into your home, stole your car, took a pot shot at ya huh?

[gtalum]

But I'm sure you don't have a problem calling 911 or the police dispacth directly if someone broke into your home, stole your car, took a pot shot at ya huh?

As I said in another thread, I live in Florida which recognizes the second amendment. Therefore I would take care of the problem myself.

In my experience, the police are at least as likely to make a problem worse as they are to try to solve it. That is of course further exemplified by these disgraceful police at UF.

[x-y-no]

Huh. Well ... as far as I can see from the various videos, he was still struggling and had at least one hand free all the way up to when he was tased.

I don't know if it was justified, but I'm open to the possibility.

[gtalum]

Huh. Well ... as far as I can see from the various videos, he was still struggling and had at least one hand free all the way up to when he was tased.

They had no call to put hands on him or remove him in the first place, making the rest irrelevant.

[x-y-no]

Huh. Well ... as far as I can see from the various videos, he was still struggling and had at least one hand free all the way up to when he was tased.

They had no call to put hands on him or remove him in the first place, making the rest irrelevant.

As I understand the story, this was done at the request of the organizers of the event. Are you saying that event organizers have no right to have someone they deem is being disruptive escorted out, even after they have allowed him to make an extended statement and ask multiple questions?

[gtalum]

As I understand the story, this was done at the request of the organizers of the event. Are you saying that event organizers have no right to have someone they deem is being disruptive escorted out, even after they have allowed him to make an extended statement and ask multiple questions?

Yes, I am saying that, when the event is held on public property.

Further, I'm not convinced the organizers wanted him to leave. Senator Kerry in fact repeatedly said the questions were acceptable and even attempted to answer them until the gestapo moved in.

[fasterdisaster]

Agree gtalum, and it was John Kerry and John Kerry's right alone to decide whether the question was unacceptable and a disturbance of peace, and not the police's.

[x-y-no]

Yes, I am saying that, when the event is held on public property.

Well that sounds like a recipe for total disorder. If this became policy you'd quickly have people jumping the line at events (as this guy did) and ranting away endlessly.

Further, I'm not convinced the organizers wanted him to leave. Senator Kerry in fact repeatedly said the questions were acceptable and even attempted to answer them until the gestapo moved in.

I'm just going by accounts I've read. Yes, Kerry wanted to answer his question(s)

He'd asked three questions already. He showed no signs of stopping his rant to let Kerry answer except his mike was cut off (btw that seems to be a hint that the organizers did want him to leave, along with the fact that one can see one of the organizers wildly signaling to cut him off after he uses the profanity.)

And "gestapo?" Come on.

[Opal storm]

These cops need to do some hard time. This is America. You can't be tasered for asking questions, even unpopular ones. If I were him UF would end up paying me a massive settlement, that's for sure. They'd have to rename the school Georgia Tech - Florida Campus.

I'd also go after the cops personally, so that they'd be handing me a chunk of their paychecks for the rest of their lives.

And police have the nerve to wonder why most people don't like them.

One of the more ridiculus posts I 've seen on this board to be honest.

First off...the video does not show the whole story. They politely asked him to step down because each person had a time limit to their questions and his time was well expired...he didn't step down. Then they turned off the mic and that's when he got enraged and eratic and that's when security had to step in. Despite whether or not Kerry was willing to answer his questions...it's obvious that he was unstable and needed to get some fresh air. And just because he has a right to speak doesnt mean we dont have a right to not listen. The people were there for other reasons than to here him spout his stupid BS questions. He was obviously there just to disturb the event.

As far as the tasering, I do think that was a bit extreme to be honest. The cops had him on the ground...there was no need for it especially with it being in front of everybody. But when you resist the police...you're putting yourself in that danger.

[Coredesat]

A point I made earlier when discussing this with something else was that the cops just made themselves look really bad by tasering him in public. They pretty much made that kid a martyr for crackpot conspiracy theorists, who could make this even worse.

[Stephanie]

I've read that this may be perhaps a stunt that this student was trying to pull? He kept asking a girl if she was ready to video him and there are various videos of him on YouTube doing different stunts.

Regardless of whether the student was trying to evoke a strong response to be videotaped, tasering someone like that in public when they already had him on the ground makes absolutely no sense to me.

[Ptarmigan]

I heard on CNN that Andrew Meyer did this as a prank. Why would someone want to get tasered?

CNN-Students stunned -- and tired -- about Taser incident
Questions Raised Whether Tasered Student Planned to Stage Incident at Kerry Forum

[MGC]

I consider myself a fairly consertive person. Looking at the tape, I see nothing to warrent the actions the police took. He didn't look to be threating anyone. Sure he was loud, but is that a crime? He didn't start to struggle till a couple of cops grabbed him. He actually was defending himself from an unprovoked attack by bully cops.....MGC

[fasterdisaster]

I heard on CNN that Andrew Meyer did this as a prank. Why would someone want to get tasered?

CNN-Students stunned -- and tired -- about Taser incident
Questions Raised Whether Tasered Student Planned to Stage Incident at Kerry Forum

I frankly don't see how that's possible. It would take a conspiracy of impossible proportions with ten or so people and several cops willing to lose their jobs. Perhaps they meant the question was a prank? That I might believe.

[fasterdisaster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE76LQwT6qA

I can't believe how unconstitutional this abuse is.

Apparently there WERE people arguing with the cops, and you can even hear one of the cops apathetically and cruelly say, "Taze the f--- out of him".

[Meso]

The fact is,there are good cops and there are bad cops.Some idiots think cause they have a badge it gives them the right to do whatever they want.And they know no one can say anything cause if they do,all they got to do is arrest them for some made up charge.I've seen videos where cops get violent on skateboarders for skating,and trying to ride away or even questioning their friends arrest (female included).

Not every cop abuses their power,but there are lots that do.And sadly they often seem to get away with it.