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So, this student went over his allotted time asking a question of John Kerry. The University of Florida campus police cut his microphone and Meyer got loud with them. He was dragged out of the room, but did not cooperate. The police charged him with resisting. The video of it does not show much resistance. It appears that the police, who now surrounded him five to one, handcuffed and then while handcuffed tased Meyer. If he was handcuffed (like it appears in the video) did the police go overboard? Is this kind of act what we as a "demockratik" nation should tolerate from our law enforcement when we ask our politicians touchy questions? Watch the video. I don't entirely agree with the direction that the kid is going, but for fuck's sake, let him finish and leave the tasers to actual criminals.

Kerry didn't seem to stressed over the questions, but apparently the police felt it was time the kid shut up.

Video

You know, I've asked before why Americans seem to feel their country is somehow more "free" than everyone elses. Yov's response was that we banned Manhunt 2 and the US didn't.

This would not have happened in Ireland. Guaranteed.

Hurray for the land of the free. But they didn't ban Manhunt, so its ok...

I don't get it.

Gee, Al, misrepresenting me a bit, no?
What I had tried to say was that the US does at least still have very strong support for freedom of speech, stronger than most other countries from what I can tell. The Manhunt thing was just a small example we'd been talking about at the time but that doesn't make freedom of speech (or its suppression) a trivial matter.


None of which means I support stuff like TED's story. It pisses me off and it has become a concern of mine that our police has gained too much authority. If this wouldn't have happened in Ireland, than kudos to your country for sure.

One of the advantages of the prevalence of video cameras everywhere, is that when these things occur, it's getting harder to deny. If it weren't for that video (which I haven't watched, I'm too squeamish ), the police would undoubtedly claim the whole thing never happened.

I'm hearing more and more reports of unnecessary tasering. I know that they were supposed to be an alternative to lethal force (or so the Taser company would like to have us believe), but has there actually been any studies as to whether lives have been saved as a result of having tasers?

The taser isn't so much a substitute for the gun as it is for the nightstick. It's chief advantages are that it requires no effort and doesn't produce a lot of photogenic bloody faces.

The kid was pretty obviously trying to create a stunt (he has a website with other videos of himself doing crazy things), and the police came through in spades.

The question is, and it's a real one, is getting tased the correct punishment for being a publicity-seeking jerk? Is it correct for merely being surly when confronted by the police?

No, certainly not.

My sense is that someone may deserve on some level to be tased, but that doesn't make it correct procedure or legal treatment.

Every single one of those police people should be taken off the force immediately. That sort of abuse of power is disgusting. Until they tasered him, I was just thinking "Come and see the violence inherent in the system", but that was disgusting what they did.

ETA and it would definitely not have happened in Ireland.

I think it's hard to understand what it's like to be police officer day in and day out. We only really see when they "abuse" their power but if they are issued tasers it's probably because they need them. I'm sure they see a lot of crazy behavior that would warrant using the taser.

In this case I think it was excessive as the guy didn't seem to be posing a threat he was just loud and as far as I know being loud isn't a punishable offense and certainly not one that should require being zapped.

I've met plenty of cops that are on ego trips and it really pisses me off but not all cops are on that trip. I had a cop come into my store and he asked to use the restroom. I told him it wasn't for public use and he told me he wasn't the public. Yeah he was a douche bag.

So did he end up using the restroom?

He did because I didn't want to have a huge argument with a cop who thought he was better than the rest.

You should have locked him in...

if I could have...

Don't get me wrong my mind was screaming "JUST SAY NO!" but I had to pick my battles and decided this was not going to be one of them.

Yeah well what about Northeast Dublin, at night, after the bars close?


And screw the police, I want my own taser. Now that would be fun.

Well, first off, police here don't carry guns or tazers, so it couldn't happen anyway.

Yov, I wasn't trying to be flippant. When I posed the question, that was your response. Again, I really don't understand why most of America seems to think they're more free than the rest of us...

Back to the issue at hand. The kid was loud and obnoxious. Was he saying things that were justified? He seemed to think so, but what were they trying to arrest him for to begin with? Going over his time? They started trying to boot him 45 seconds into the video. Exactly how little time do people have?

It's hard to hear over him, but I can't hear the officers say what he is being cuffed for. Sure it's nice to say "well, you don't know what cops deal with day in day out, bladdi blah" but this case is not day in day out. The cops start arresting, and he obnoxiously (but rightfully so) wants to know why. They give him no audible answer on the video (which may be a fault in the video) and tase him. I'm all for suspensions of these officers.

Alatar wrote:

Well, first off, police here don't carry guns or tazers, so it couldn't happen anyway.

Yov, I wasn't trying to be flippant. When I posed the question, that was your response. Again, I really don't understand why most of America seems to think they're more free than the rest of us...

Does Ireland have a gun problem like the US? (serious question)

It's not that the US is more free but we did set up our country based on freedom. A lot American's abuse their freedoms which is where the real problem lies.

TM,

The US sucks eggs, most horrible country ever in the entire universe. People only come here because of the money trees.

Anyway I haven't wanted to get into this discussion simply because Andrew Meyer is a jerk. He is the person who, during a robbery investigation, asked the police why they were parked in a no parking zone. He is also the person who hinders firefighters during emergencys. He knew what the cops were going to do, and sadly the cops played right into his hands. He always has friends taping him when he does this stuff so he can prove just how screwed up the cops, firefighters and rescue people are. Nevermind that he provokes most it. Nevermind that when he is told that if he is going to protest something to do it on the sidewalk and not in the middle of the street blocking traffic.

I have no sympothy for this idiot. I am sad the police handled it the way they did. But he is not protesting his amendment rights and probably doesn't give two craps about them really, he is simply looking for attention to build his own ego.