http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/09/18/offense.report.072274.pdf
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=657_1190085332
http://video.nbc6.net/player/?id=157250
Viewing the video from Meyers' own camera, it's obvious that he basically puts the police on notice when they politely intervene the first time: "I'm calling the shots here." According to the police report, at the moment of intervention the officers had just been directed by the event sponsor's leadership to remove the student. Meyers' behavior escalated; the charitable reading is that he was out of control. The officers were completely calm as they restrained him on the ground after he wrested himself free in the back of the room. As for the number of officers in play, some folks seem to think these kinds of things are supposed to be "a fair fight." The point, however, is to bring the subject under control so that no one is hurt (subject or officers). The difficulty in controlling flailing limbs diminishes when you can have one person on each limb.
Folks, this was right out of the book -- a flawlessly executed performance of duties by calm officers.
Folks who talk about Meyers not "deserving" tasing are speaking like children. This is not about deserts. Tasing is about bringing a subject who's endangering himself/others under compliance. This is not about "punishment."
The campus police will be entirely vindicated. Why do I know this -- because I'm aware of a right-wing plot to exhonerate them? No. Because what they did was by the book.
The scariest part about this incident has been the ignorant, hysterical reaction to it. Another blogger on this site calls these police "absolute scum" and says "as far as I'm concerned, people watching this happen a few feet away would be justified in defending the victim from the officers with the use of any weapon available."
By the book police work versus that kind of remark on this web site? Yeah. Scary stuff.
Tasering Students: A Shocking Disgrace
At work in the Yale Admissions Office today, I spoke with a prospective student about some of my favorite parts of college life. "Every week it seems there's another prominent figure or great mind speaking on campus," I said, recalling one week last year when I had a chance to hear Antonin Scalia and Howard Dean. What makes those events so special and such an integral part of a college education is that students have a chance to ask questions that matter to them, not some talking head conducting a television interview. I still remember seeing John Bolton engage in heated debate with a student who challenged Bolton's views on international law at a forum my first month on campus. So when I saw the video of a University of Florida student manhandled, tasered and arrested by police for asking Senator John Kerry a series of questions about the 2000 election, the footage hit close to home.
I watched in disgust as Andrew Meyer, 21, was dragged by police through the auditorium and tasered repeatedly after he pleaded, "Don't tase me!" while Kerry did nothing to intervene. Every time the taser's shock caused Meyer to shriek, I didn't just hear a defenseless young man screaming in pain, I saw a fellow student becoming the victim of police brutality and unconstitutional censorship. Sure, Meyer's rant was getting a little long-winded, but while his verbal diarrhea may have deserved the ire of the audience, it certainly did not justify the violent arrest that prompted one onlooker to shout, "This is Rodney King all over again." Obviously an overstatement, but the police's use of force was undoubtedly unwarranted.
The media has flocked to this story because of the shocking footage of campus police attacking one of the students they were hired to protect. But what alarms me and the classmates I spoke with on campus today is the crackdown on students' free speech rights. You can argue that the police tried to get Meyer off the mic simply because he was hogging the stage too long, but it's unlikely that they'd have arrested him if he were asking Kerry about the Gators rather than questioning his actions during the election. Watching the police silence Meyer was particularly worrisome after a summer in which the Supreme Court limited students' rights in the Bong Hits 4 Jesus case. As David Horowitz and Co. continue their campaign to restrict free exchange of ideas on campus, I can't help but fear for the future of students' rights to question authority and express dissenting opinions, exercises that are fundamental both to students discovering what values are important to them and to the vitality of our democracy.
When politicians address college students, they constantly return to the same theme: "Be an active member of your community, be politically engaged and speak up for what you believe." John Kerry's lecture at the University of Florida predictably delivered this message. What a shocking disgrace that when Andrew Meyers took Kerry's advice, he ended up getting electrocuted.
Comments for this post are now closed
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
To ask questions that matter to them??? Seriously? He rushed the mike out of turn and caused a disruption. He used a sexual reference that caused his miked to be killed. He resisted police who fairly politely asked him to step out. He screamed and played to the cameras. He resisted the policy to the point where they legitimately had to taser him in order to get him out of the room. What were his legitimate questions? Read this conspiracy book I'm holding in my hand? He wouldn't shut up and let Kerry get a word in? How does anyone believe this person was not ALL about generating some publicity for himself on YouTube and NOT AT ALL ABOUT actually learning something?
Homeboy should be grateful they tasered him. In 1970, they'd just kill students for doing what Meyer did, namely - question authority. One was an ROTC student on his way to class. Kent State, anyone? Jack-booted thugs.
Is it fascism yet?
Without taking any sides, I'd like to suggest a tazing for anyone who thinks anyone else deserves it, a billy club in the abdomen to anyone who thinks that's a good way to shut people up, a mouthful of fire hose to anyone who thinks troublemakers deserve what they get.
Somebody else said it: What's happened to this country? We have become gutless thugs, eager for others to hurt others while we watch.
"When politicians address college students, they constantly return to the same theme: "Be an active member of your community, be politically engaged and speak up for what you believe." John Kerry's lecture at the University of Florida predictably delivered this message. What a shocking disgrace that when Andrew Meyers took Kerry's advice, he ended up getting electrocuted."
Bull manure. Also included in the general theme you mention is the encouragement for one to be a law-abiding citizen. You imply that a person has unfettered restrictions on how, when, where, and what they have a "right" to say. He was NOT "electrocuted," but that's certainly a nice, inflammatory term to justify how this poor student, who was twice the size of the officers trying to keep the forum running with a sense of decorum.
The officers were not interested in removing Mr. Meyers because of the questions he continued to hog the forum with, he was being approached for intentionally refusing to stay within the confines of the forum's time limits for questions.
Why should all the other students, who have a right to ask questions, have to be ignored or have their opportunity negated because some grand-stander thinks and acts like the rules do not apply to him? He acted more like the Republicans most people on this site are so quick to accuse of abusing the rules. Make up your minds, people, do the rules apply equally, or not? And, if they do, just how in the heck do you expect them to be enforced - by ignoring someone who is physically imposing and totally uncooperative?
None of this surprises me. Try expressing your free speach rights in a public highschool. If a teacher or administrator wants you to shut up, you have no rights whatsoever. They can search personal property on flimsy cause. People don't care about this at all once they are out of school. What they fail to realize is that governments NEVER take away rights all at once (ok, the Taliban did it); rather, they take them away incrimentally so no one speaks up. Kids and minorities are the first to lose rights because no one who matters complains.
Free speech does not consist of barging to the front of the line after the q&a has ended, asking a bunch of completely stupid questions, going on long after you've been asked to stop and then struggling with police who grab you by each arm to escort you away.
The little drama queen learned a valuable lesson. When two officers take you by each arm, you STFU and allow yourself to be escorted away. Otherwise, you will be subdued. At that point, how you are subdued is up to you.
Just as that female cop was justified in doing to that inconsiderate schizoid jerk. He towered over her.
BTW, cops survived quite well in the past, thank you. They used billyclubs.
How did law enforcement ever survive before tasers. They used to know how to cuff a person who was being disruptive, instead they treated him like unruly cattle. A atser should be used in the face of violence, he was never a threat to anybody. You know that female cop was proud of herself. She sure stuck it to him for a good long time.
You and many of the other posters on this topic obviously have no earthly idea about the escalation of force continuum officers have been taught for years. The officers did try to get Mr. Meyers to voluntarily comply with their instructions; instead, he jerked away, raised his arms, became more boisterous, and moved away from the officers (who were CONSIDERABLY smaller than Mr. Meyers).
When the African-American officer picked-up Mr. Meyers and half-carried him toward the door, Mr. Meyers continued to resist. Then Mr. Meyers went to the floor, still struggling and intentionally ignoring the officer's attempts to get him to comply.
I doubt he was tasered - probably stun-gunned, and there is a big difference, but that's not the issue here. He obviously knew he was going to get the shock treatment, if he did not stop resisting because he kept hollering don't do it. So, the officers surely were telling him to stop resisting or they were going to shock him - he did not comply and he got shocked like the unruly bull-y he is.
Whoever the officer was that shocked him stopped when Mr. Meyers finally ceased resisting and complied by allowing the officers to put him on his stomach and cuff him. Just how would you have cuffed someone his size and disposition without using more risky physical force? Try it sometime, then ask your stupid question about how officers survived without tasers (or batons, or chemical irritants, or etc.).
And the cowardly,complacent students did nothing. They could easily have swarmed the cops and disarmed them. Sheep. They'll deserve the dictatorship tey get.
I know I'm going to get lambasted for writing this. I don't think that the student's action were political at all. I think that he was trying to garner a YouTube moment.
The only question in my mind is whether on not Carl Rove orchestrated this psycho-drama.
Think about it. Who is hurt by this kid's actions?
Senator Kerry: he appears weak, vacillating, and anti-free speech.
The Democratic party: for nominating Kerry for the presidency.
The student protest movement(?): it appears unviable and populated by effete drama queens. This young man could not muster a string of cusswords (of course his audio would have been dropped), or throw a few "going down fighting" punches, or go limp in the classic Ghandian mode, or raise the "power to the people" fist, or yell out "What the eff about Freedom of Speech?". No, he kicked and squealed like a little school girl. "Don't touch me"
No I'm sorry, I smell a rat. And if you listen to the tape as well as watch it, there seems to be people in the background who sensed this kid was acting out.
Okay, I know I have it coming, go ahead, I'm ready for my verbal beatdown. Just "Don't taze me Bro!
I always smell a rat when a Dem is made to look bad.
Kerry did tell them to let the kid speak, he wanted to answer.
Apparently he kept on talking as the kid was being dragged out and had no idea about the taze.
The kid kept talking when Kerry tried to answer. He refused to let Kerry say anything, and it was clear at that point he only wanted to be a disruption. That is why event organizers asked the police to remove him.
Thank you for your post Zack. It is always great and inspiring to hear any voices but particularly voices from your generation speaking out, answering, saying NO.
Unfortunately I have to post this in several parts as I went over the allotted 350 words due to .... well, going on and on. As I tried to edit I only added more. I am still a big-mouth.LOL I have to post this in 2 parts .It seems to have turned into an essay, or a call to the young!)
It was unbelievable. As I watched it on the news last night I was deeply disturbed. The screams of that young man should be a rallying cry. His repeated cries "what did I do? what did I do?" should galvanize others to ask" What should I do? What can I do?
Part 2:
I am from the last protest generation, marches, Civil Rights, Vietnam, Watergate, Chicago 7, Dan Rather being manhandled, Kent State, but we just kept going, we just kept marching, shouting, protesting, using civil disobedience. No one can say we didn't pay dearly in some ways, or that we didn't suffer. I have despaired that the voices of the young are so far and few between, that the media focus more on Paris, Oj, Blake, and on and on more than they do on the war and on civil disobedience, protests, voices of everyday people asking questions, demanding justice.
On the 15th I had to really search for coverage of the Washington DC protests. It was minimal, a remark or two and move on to murder, to scandal. "Tens of thousands" doesn't seem to be enough to make a mark on the consciousness of our lawmakers and our media. There must be millions, or one. While millions of voices are more powerful than thousands, so is one voice more powerful than thousands. Look back at Gandhi, Rosa Parks, MLK and many more. One voice can make a difference if it is just and persistent and doesn't cave to power.
This young man showed courage to stand up and attempt to speak. He showed courage in not giving in, in pushing back, saying NO, i will speak even as the guards tried to remove him, even as members of the audience wanted him to go, even as some clapped while he was being dragged out. He showed courage even when he was crying "Owww, Owwww." He suffered for his rights. I hope he will not be dissuaded from continuing to do so.
I hope those who witnessed thison the news, YouTube or in person see it as an invitation to fight back. I hope you will see how easy it is for the constitution to go up in flames without vigilance and dissent. Peaceful participation is good and necessary... but when it gets to this point civil disobedience and peaceful resistance must be resorted to.
I encourage you to not be pushed away but called to push back. Look at footage from the past, there is a lot of it. Look up Kent State, see the photos, check out the Berrigan Brothers and others who risked much, who went to jail for justice. Analyze what made a difference taking the present into account and act. Understand the media's role and use it rather than being ignored by it. Look at the corporate strategy of turning everything into a commodity, even protests and movements -and pointedly trivializes them. Turn it against them. Do not let them win, do not let them co-opt you, do not let them turn you cynical and defeated.
I don't know how to do that, I can't offer a strategy, actions to be taken. I can just see that something needs to be done and the young, with fire and energy still at their disposal must be the ones that take on the task with the support and participation of the elders.
When I look at the protests of today I see some young people, I see some middle aged people and the ones in between. I see those of my generation, not quite old, but a little past middle age now. We've done our job, we are willing to do more. We need you to step up, step in front and push back against this hell. Organize, mobilize, start a movement. Don't join our organizations, we'll join yours, we'll help you.
Ignore the nay sayers, or the cynical who laugh at the past and think nothing changed and nothing will. It all changed, and it is time to change it again. Each generation has a choice and a chance to look to see if the Democracy is still working. If it isn't, there is a responsibility to fix it.
Some may not like his manner of contributing, of standing up for equal participation but that young man did what Democracy demands. He attempted to question and speak truth to power. I hope he inspires you to all do so.
That mouthy bozo got what he deserved. The rent-a-cops were charged with maintaining a peaceable assembly at that school. Bozo broke the rules. Bozo should thank his lucky star that the school hadn't hired Blackwater as security for Kerry that day.
Appropriate police response is the point.
An appropriate police response to jaywalking is not the cops using a shotgun on people.
If 6 cops can't physically carry some skinny 21-year old out without tasing him first, they need re-training, to take up a new line of work, or best, be fired & charged with assault.
And that's assuming the cops didn't taser him just for kicks (or to "teach the little sh*t a lesson for speaking up"). Like with Rev. Yearwood, cops dogpile on so no one can see what's really going on, and then they start shouting "stop resisting!," even if the person isn't, and later pretend that he "needed" to be assaulted, because he was "combative & resisting." It's all BS.
This stuff also has a chilling effect on lawful behavior. It is LAW that we all have a right to Free Speech. If people see other people getting tased for it, lawfully or not, though, they're going to be dissuaded.
Man, I am amazed. In the US we really do take our rights for granted. In so many countries on this Earth you DIE for saying things that annoy the governemt (or the cops, or some rich guy, etc.).
Meyer was flailing his arms, kicking, pushing and doing everything he could to avoid the officers. Could they have physically subdued him? Probably, but he likely would have been hurt in the process (a broken arm lasts much longer than a jolt of electricity). You can imagine the outcry if that happened.
The police told Meyer to stop resisting, or they would tase him. He could have said, "OK, OK..." and stopped squirming, but he didn't. They administered the taser to his shoulder once.
He had MANY chances to leave peacefully. He chose conflict.
There are many example today of our right eroding. But the police removing an obnoxious jackass from a senator's speech is not one of them.
Maybe you should lick a storm-trooper's jackboot. The storm-trooper should be of a political ideology you find oppressive or distasteful, just to make sure you don't enjoy it.
Then you should just be grateful that you were given the opportunity to lick the trooper's boot, rather than having your neck stepped on.
Just be glad while you lick the boot. There could always be something worse, right?
Whatever you do, don't stand up and speak up. If you do, you deserve the worst, because life is all about power and fear, not freedom. Do I understand you correctly?
He wasn't asking questions about the 2000 election; it was the 2004 election. He jumped to the front of the line, insisted that he be allowed to ask a question even though the Q&A period had finished, and then rambled on with at least four questions that were effectively meaningless ("Are you a member of Skull and Bones?" for example.)
He was there to make a scene and become famous, and he has succeeded. I guarantee you, he's very happy he got tased.
Andrew Meyer was tortured.
BALONEY.
Loading comments…
In a candid interview via satellite from China, Olympic...
Update: Keith Olbermann had Rachel Maddow on "Countdown" Tuesday night to celebrate...
UPDATE: A day after Roseanne's blogs from below...
"How honest are we if we tell the truth most of the time &...
Obama's been to Hawaii. We're moving...
I've read the comments. I know what some of you think. Yawn. It's not a story. He's not...
LOS ANGELES — Barack Obama is getting praise from Nashville, courtesy of one...
The New York Times' Kit Seelye is backing up NBC's Andrea Mitchell, who reported on...
Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps. With all the play his name gets right now,...
NEW YORK — The suspense didn't quite compare to the identity of "Deep Throat,"...
As much as I dreaded turning 30, believe it or not I'm actually starting to...
Turning conventional neuroscience on its head, new research suggests the...
BURKE, N.Y. -- Everywhere that Janet and Ken Tacy...
Posted September 19, 2007 | 11:27 AM (EST)