GAINESVILLE - The University of Florida asked state investigators Tuesday to review campus officers’ use of a Taser during a forum with Sen. John Kerry, on a persistent questioner who is known for posting practical jokes online.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP)—A University of Florida student was Tasered and arrested after trying to ask U.S. Senator John Kerry about the 2004 election and other subjects during a campus forum.
Videos of the incident posted on several Web sites show officers pulling Andrew Meyer, 21, away from the microphone after he asks Kerry about impeaching President Bush and whether he and Bush were both members of the secret society Skull and Bones at Yale University.
“He apparently asked several questions - he went on for quite awhile - then he was asked to stop,” university spokesman Steve Orlando said. “He had used his allotted time. His microphone was cut off, then he became upset.”
It appeared more like it was all of the physical gestures and attempts to approach the front that caused a more aggressive security response. He sounded like a little kid protesting being punished for something he didn’t agree with.
Well if he upset someone, that’s one thing.. but it seems he only worked himself up. Even Kerry was telling the officers to let him answer before escorting the kid out. I think the tasering went a little too far.. it’s a college kid that offered to walk out on his own… not some criminal on the run. I think it may have been a power trip on the arresting officers’ part.
As a UF student who had several close friends at the event (notably one who was in the back about 3 feet from the tasing incident), I cannot agree more with the actions by UFPD. If you watch one of the full versions of the video feed, as opposed to the Today Show video for example, you will see Andrew Meyer making a diatribe riddled with profanity and sexual comments. This is no way to speak to a senator in a public arena. Once the officers escorted him away, he began flailing and attempting to elbow and strike UFPD. It took a third, rather large officer to finally subdue the student and wrestle him to the ground. If you listen closely to the videos, you can clearly hear the officers advising to “stop resisting” and warning him that he would be tasered.
From the personal accounts of my friend—if you watch the videos he’s the one in the navy blue shirt in front of the tasing incident—he said that the female officer who used the taser was avoiding the situation and was trembling with the taser in hand. After the other officers were continually struggling with the elbowing student, they called for the taser, and after several more moments of warning, it was deployed.
I am amazed that many media outlets are painting this as a picture of police brutality, when it was indeed merited. If you for one forcibly make your way to a questioners podium, insist on asking a question after the Q&A segment ended, and then use the podium for a diatribe, you are out of line. But then to be profane on top of that and then wrestle with police. He’s lucky that he wasn’t more seriously injured. Props to UFPD and to the unbiased coverage TBO has thus far given.
I do not agree with methods used by the police officials regarding this student, and I do not agree with the previous posters statement that “This is no way to speak to a senator in a public arena”. Let us please remember these are elected officials! They are not above the law or above answering tough questions. I don’t agree with the questions the student was asking, “Are you a member of Skull and Bones” Where the heck was he going with this line of questioning, I don’t know! Sounds to me like he might have stayed up a little late with a bong, but I digress. Nevertheless, he was simply asking questions as we are all entitled to! Of course its easy to Monday morning quarterback it to death, but I think they should have simply left it as the shut off microphone, and let Kerry answer questions to the best of his ability. He (Kerry) seemed to be handling himself okay (by trying to get the student to focus, “What is your question"). The police involvement was excessive, IMO.
To preserve order and allow many a chance to ask questions, rules are in place. People who don’t follow the rules may be asked to leave. When a police officer tells you to do something, a wise, reasonable, sane person complies. You will comply eventually. The student who was removed seems to lack one or more of those qualities.
Well, as someone who has been an active participant in public acts of civil disobedience with people who really understand the law, I’m sorry to say that this kid really effs it up almost from the git-go.
He persistently in physical fashion resists arrest which unfortunately provides the cops with reasonable cause (in today’s overly punitive leeway given to them) to both cuff him and then tase him.
His verbal hysteria (rather feigned imho) once they hit the auditorium lobby is a nice textbook example of how NOT to behave when in such a role and when he had plenty of video and audio support.
“They’re going to kill me” just moves him from the realm of rational civil disobedience into the realm of sillyness to most any even-handed viewer.
Or to put it another way - If a guy can’t get ME on his side, he’s very likely to strike out with the public at large.
Going back to his time at the microphone, I’ll note that he seems clearly a byproduct of watching way too much 21st century “news interview” programming.
To wit: The most common tactic of an unprofessional journalist (see Bill OReilly for a perfect example) is rather than ask a question (five seconds), he feels compelled to make a “preface statement” which takes 30 to 60 seconds.
IOW, he’s not truly interested in asking a question and getting an answer. Rather, he just wants to make a 60 second speech with his own opinion. That’s classic O’Reilly style.
While that can be a great method when you’re 100% in control of the microphone and format, it’s a lousy method when you are truly asked to limit yourself to asking a question or two - which I presume was the intended use of the microphone at this public event.
The young man was clearly very agitated and rantingbefore anyone asked him to conclude his question within the allotted time. The was making a statement not asking a question( something the Senator should be familiar with).
My impression of the student’s body language was that he was about to charge the stage. Freedom of speech does not include threatening behavior.
I’m not sure the rest of the people in that room should have been expected to accommodate his little tirade.
[ quote] Obviously, none of the Monday morning q-backs here have walked in a police officers shoes.
Read the news, officers face dangerous and deadly situations everyday. College campuses are no different [Viginia Tech?]. What the left leaning general media has not reported was that the Q&A forum had ended, it was over. He barged up to the mike a launched into a diatribe laced w/ profanity. This is when the PD stepped up and approached. They stood down and let the little kid finish some lenghtly questions. When he would not walk away when asked, his mike was cut off. He then PHYSICALLY resisted being led away. At this point he was advised he was under arrest. The resisting escalated. He was now going to leave on his own. TOO LATE! HE WAS WARNED NOT TO RESIST WHEN TAKEN DOWN. He was warned that he would be tased. This was a set up by this little panzy. He deserved everything that came to him. He put the whole thing in motion. The liberal crowd at the campuses would never agree. Next time your butt is in trouble, call a liberal, cry baby college kid to come help you.
This “Punk” deserved everything he got. My only regret is that I wasn’t the one doing the tasering. What an actor this kid was!! Kudos to the UF Police Department! Its a disgrace that they were put on leave for doing their job. Guess we’ll have to handle all outlaws/malcontents with kit gloves from here on.
There was absolutely no reason for the unjustified use of force.
Are you 12? The kid was being an idiot. I am not sure if you watch the news, but kids are being killed at schools, cops being killed a traffic stops.....they have the right to use force if the other party is not being reasonable...they have friends, family and kids, so why take a chance that this kid had a gun or a weapon that was going to attack the senator or someone else on the stage. The problem today, we have no idea what people are going to do, so this kid payed the price for his stupidly. Plus to me, this looked like a set-up.....the kid is a bad actor and his friends will be laughing at him for a VERY long time.
Chris Rock should come out with an amended version of “How to not get your a** kicked by the police”, for white college students.
1.The police are not like your parents. Causing a scene will not get you what you want. Unless what you want is an a**kicking followed by an electrical shock rendering you helpless.
2. When confronted with several policemen wearing guns, tazers and kevlar vests, it’s good for your overall health and well being to do what they say. If they tell you to: a. stop what you are doing, b. leave the premises, or c. shut the hell up, then common sense dictates that compliance is prudent and reasonable.
3. It doesn’t matter that your parents have enough money to resurrect Johnny Cochran from the dead, no lawyer in the history of the world, can ever unbeat your a**. And chances are, it was done publicly,since most attention whores need an audience to be..well, attention whores. So not only have you recieved a beating your parents should have given you years ago, but everbody saw you get it. And not everybody is as impressed with you as you are.
4.Those people that are telling you how cool you are, are really laughing at the way that the 5’2 170lb out of shape sweaty cop made you scream like a little girl. And they are telling everybody THEY know and THEY are laughing at you too.
5. And finally, that girl that you were trying to impress...she’s not. She used to think you’re a moron.
Your public display has erased all doubt.
