Excessive Force?
PJM ROUNDUP: Videos posted on the Internet Tuesday show police shocking a Florida university student with an electric stun gun during a speech by US Senator John Kerry, prompting the former presidential candidate to express regret over the incident. (AFP) Bloggers wasted no time expressing their own feelings about what transpired at the University of Florida.
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Neocon Express: “The student seems to be asking for it and should have handled himself with less hysteria. But it seems to me the cops handled the situation even worse than the student, and they’re supposed to be the grown-ups.”
Greg Lukianoff @ The Huffington Post: “It’s good that students were able to get this on tape. Such unreasonable and excessive force might be hard for some to believe unless they saw it with their own eyes.”
Dean Barnett: “Like a lot of questioners prone to such thinking, he wouldn’t shut up. To shut him up, the campus police completely over-reacted and began tasering him.”
Michelle Malkin: “UF student Tyler Antar was there and e-mails his account of what happened. Looks like there was more to the story than meets the eye.”
TheAndrewMeyer.com: “Andrew Meyer is currently incarcerated in Alachua County. While asking U.S. Senator John Kerry a question during a question and answer period following Kerry’s speech at the University of Florida, Meyer was attacked by five police officers, manhandled and tasered.”
Jonah Goldberg @ The Corner: “He was escorted from the mic for going on too long, as per the rules of the event, and for generally being a pest. He was arrested for resisting the officers.”
Pam’s House Blend: “Here we go again. Law enforcement using a tool meant for use against violent out-of-control individuals being used inappropriately.”
The Thinker: “Just in case someone wants to go off the rails, this has nothing to do with the first Amendment of the US Constitution; furthermore, this bazaar behavior has nothing to do with Andrew Meyer’s freedom of speech.”
laist: “There are a million reasons LA is better than Gainesville, but both are home to major state universities with their own Taser-happy police forces.”
Frameshop: “The incident raises two very painful, but vital questions for college campuses across America: (1) What is the best way to speak out on political issues in a post-VA Tech massacre world? (2) What is the best way for campus police to react to students speaking out on political issues?”
The Jawa Report: “Heh, Apparently Andrew Meyer thinks the vast right wing conspiracy goes all the way up to and including John Kerry.”
Don Suber: “ABC News said Kerry condemned arresting the heckler. I no longer feel sorry for Kerry. What was I smoking?”
Comments From Left Field: “I don’t have a high tolerance for Meyer’s behavior. Even George Bush, a man I believe to be about as low as you can get, I would at least treat with a certain modicum of respect if for no other reason than that is what civilized people do.”
Clayton Cramer’s BLOG: “RoboSenator seems to be either completely and utterly unaware of this amazing sequence of events taking place in front of him–or completely and utterly unconcerned about it. Either way, it doesn’t say much for John Kerry.”
Maggie’s Farm: “I know exactly what’s going through the mind of the loudmouth. He’s playing for the cheap seats — eating the scenery, as they say about bad actors in the theater. He knows, ultimately, that nothing much is going to happen to him no matter how childish and nasty he acts.”
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26 Comments
Jay:And…Stop The ACLU Reacts…
Sep 18, 2007 - 1:14 pm Uncle Jimbo:What a joke. Sadly I think he actually assumed the rest of the world was required to hear his deranged blather. Nope, we are not and he found that out .
It was pathetic to see the cops unable to subdue on nuttah, but he brought every volt of that on himself.
Cordially,
Uncle J
Sep 18, 2007 - 1:20 pm Patrick Stephens:This shouldn’t and probably won’t rise to Rodney King levels of hysteria; it was a campus incident, and everyone comes across rather poorly: the security officers, the speaker, the student, and even John Kerry.
But I think it is important to question whether or not campus security were acting professionally in this case. It does appear that the speaker was subdued and handcuffed before he was tased. Their actions should be subject to review, and they are. (The whole “inciting a riot” excuse that the campus security used also seems rather absurd.)
Sep 18, 2007 - 1:29 pm EDH:Too Funny,
I have to admit, Kerry got off a good one, whether he knew it or not.
Listen closely to Kerry (Drudge-linked YouTube video @ 1:38.)
Amidst Kerry’s droning monotone moments before his would-be questioner is “tased” by the police:
“…Unfortunately, he’s not available to come up here and swear me in as president.”
Sep 18, 2007 - 1:35 pm mrsizer:Frameshop: Too easy. Both questions have the same answer: Respectfully.
When #1 is not respectful, there is no reason that #2 should be, either.
Sep 18, 2007 - 2:12 pm syn:The ‘teach-in’ sessions must make the professors really proud of their accomplishments.
Sep 18, 2007 - 2:15 pm RedMan:Hahaha…the moron deserved it. When will libruls understand free speech and stop wetting their panties over non issues.
https://www.cafepress.com/zaphedeservedit.171315577
Sep 18, 2007 - 2:58 pm sharinlite:The police overreacted to the situation. I think it was because Kerry was there. But this idiot was trying to get his 15 minutes and he got ‘em. But there was no need to taser the guy. Watch and see the female copy giving him hell with her finger pointing just like you would to a two year old. Waste of time.
Sep 18, 2007 - 3:20 pm Shamus:The police should be fired. They’re not the kind of people who should be in law enforcement.
Sep 18, 2007 - 3:57 pm Cedar Bristol:What should police do? Surrender the stage to any kid who takes it by force? The alternative is to drag the perpetrator kicking and screaming off the stage. Do you think that poses less risk of injury than a taser? The cops did exactly the right thing and they are being treated like criminals, that is the real story here.
Sep 18, 2007 - 4:03 pm Richard Aubrey:Putting a blu uni on an undersized woman doesn’t make her a street fighter.
Feminists may object to many of the laws of physics. Here’s another. The way to get a guy to come quietly is to be bigger and stronger. Otherwise, you get into a fight.
Sep 18, 2007 - 4:19 pm Ray:Saw a couple of female cops trying to arrest a guy who was drunk and disorderly in a bar. They had to have help from other patrons, whereupon the guy’s wife attacked the cops. Unable to just shove her away, one of them had to sap her.
He wasn’t arrested for what he said. He was arrested for not cooperating with the cops.
Do what you’re told, put your hands behind your back and save your arguments for court.
Not only did this punk deserve to be tasered, they should have used their batons and pepper spray on him as well.
Sep 18, 2007 - 4:38 pm patagonianplato:Freedom of speech is a very precious right. However, it belongs to all. No one has the right to cut in front of the line. No one has the right to shriek incessantly and thereby prevent others from exercising their constitutional right. Whenever an individual in a free society shows that they have no respect for the rights and freedoms of others, they have returned to a state of nature, which in this context we shall call anarchy. A democracy cannot function in a state of anarchy and no citizen who reveres freedom should countenance such behavior.
This individual is either deranged or is a thug. Either way, I recommend regular electro-shock therapy until he learns how to behave in civilized society.
Sep 18, 2007 - 4:51 pm Room 237:I know this will be a big surprise but taser boy is a Ron Paul supporter.
http://ronpaul.meetup.com/80/?gj=sj2
Sep 18, 2007 - 5:17 pm reliapundit:THIS MOONBAT WAS TREATED MORE HARSHLY THAN OUR GITMO DETAINEES!
WHICH IS BASSACKWARDS.
WE SHOULD LET THE MOONBATS RANT ALL THEY WANT.
AND KICK THE CRAP OUT OF THE JIHADISTS.
Sep 18, 2007 - 6:15 pm Josh Reiter:I’m pretty sure that if he had just shut up and started walking to the door without making a scene then the police probably would have just escorted him off the premises and that would have been it.
He was a pretty tall athletic looking kid. He was a head taller then the beefy black cop that stepped in. That cop was able to shove him a few times towards to the door but even he had a handful with him.
I dunno it looked like the kid had plenty of opportunity to just start walking for the door if he wanted. Did he really just think the cops would put there hands up in frustration and say, “okay okay fine,” and let him walk back over to the mike to resume his blather?
Sep 18, 2007 - 7:41 pm Internet Style Police:Please refrain from the use of all caps.
Sep 18, 2007 - 10:37 pm Pat Berry:People who type in all caps should be tasered.
Sep 18, 2007 - 11:23 pm Tony Ryan:Wow, so much fuss over nothing. The obnoxious spoilt baby deserved a reprimand. It’ll be something for the kids to get all riled up about but its a non-event.
Personally I would also have overlooked a few slaps and the odd kick from the police but thats just me.
Sep 19, 2007 - 4:33 am Herr Morgenholz:He deserved to be dragged kicking and screaming in a head-lock straight to jail. My objection is far more general. The Taser was meant to be a non-lethal alternative to the firearm. Now it’s used as a torture device for “contempt of cop”. Nutjob presented no actual danger to anyone, but he was tased to “teach him who’s boss”. That’s dangerous, unacceptable, and incredibly common. Says more about the minds of the gung-ho kids we turn loose as police officers than about political discourse.
Sep 19, 2007 - 4:46 am Patrick:If this guy had something positive to do with his life instead of asking stupid questions of a fool like Kerry, none of this would have happened.
Sep 19, 2007 - 5:10 am lvg:for another take on this story, check out this blog:
http://lvgaldieri.blogspot.com/2007/09/john-kerry-has-left-room.html
Sep 20, 2007 - 9:48 am Leland:I think the first mistake is thinking that tasers are an alternative to firearms. They are not. They are non-lethal solutions to get people to comply. They are provided instead of batons, tear gas, and rubber bullets as a means of getting people to comply. Most officers I know carry tasers and firearms. If you don’t understand my point, ask yourself this question: Would a taser have stopped the VTech gunman?
TheAndrewMeyer asked his question. He didn’t like not getting an answer, so he asked more questions. When he realized no one cared to listen to his questions, he then demanded to be heard. The first Amendment doesn’t protect the right to be heard.
Sep 20, 2007 - 12:25 pm bee:The police had NO cause to treat this student in the manner they did. There should be an investigation on what motivated the actions they took. The avoiding arrest or not cooperating argument assumes they had a right/duty to act and there is NO evidence the student acted in an unlawful manner. The police have NO right to intervene unless material cause exists.
To label this individual a “nut job” is also not excusable. The venue in which this occurred is NOT known for its sacred traditions of speech and decorum. If he was off target in his delivery, he should not be treated as a criminal. This was a university setting. Good taste is not defined in the Constitution and thus not enforceable by the constitution. To label him a “nut job” and say he brought upon himself is frightening. In summary, this student was abused and there is no excuse for it.
Sep 22, 2007 - 11:29 am Manuel:Well, this guy wasn’t that smart insisting and shouting as he did, but the police completely overreacted tasering him. The responsible officer should be fired immediately. If he reacts on a small issue like this, I don’t want to know what he does with people who get a parking ticket.
The student didn’t do anything harmful, he didn’t attack anyone. Especially a university should be a place of open discussion. Is that the kind of free speech the US is proud of?
Sep 22, 2007 - 3:40 pm Carol:I saw 4-6 officers and they couldn’t drag that kid out of there kicking and screaming? I don’t know who was more pathetic, the kid or the officers. The officers just came across as too lazy to do their jobs. It was easier just to taser the guy. Pitiful, just pitiful.
Sep 23, 2007 - 9:43 am