.Student Zapped With Taser Caught On Tape
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A University of Florida student was Tasered and arrested after trying to ask U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., 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 George W. 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."
As two officers take Meyer by the arms, Kerry is heard to say, "That's alright, let me answer his question." Audience members applaud, and Meyer struggles to escape for several seconds as up to four officers try to remove him from the room.
Meyer screams for help and asks "What did I do?" as he tries to break away from officers. He is forced to the ground and officers order him to stop resisting. Meyer says he will walk out if the officers let him go.
As Kerry tells the audience he will answer the student's "very important question," Meyer struggles on the ground and yells at the officers to release him, crying out, "Don't Tase me, bro," just before he is Tasered. He is then led from the room, screaming, "What did I do?"
Meyer was charged with resisting an officer and disturbing the peace, according to Alachua County jail records. No bond had been set. Meyer was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning, a jail official said.
It was not known if Meyer had an attorney.
Orlando said university police would conduct an internal investigation.
"The police department does have a standard procedure for when they use force, including when they use a Taser," Orlando said. "That is what the internal investigation would address -- whether the proper procedures were followed, whether the officers acted appropriately."
Local 10
On the web: The Andrew Meyer.com
Absolutely discussing behavior on the part of the university police. When did speaking out of turn become a capital offence. They should all be charged and tried for violations of the guys civil rights and given 20 year prison sentences. They should be fired and put on a list of people that can never work in law enforcement anywhere in the country, and their names and addresses should be put up on billboards.
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 George W. 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."
As two officers take Meyer by the arms, Kerry is heard to say, "That's alright, let me answer his question." Audience members applaud, and Meyer struggles to escape for several seconds as up to four officers try to remove him from the room.
Meyer screams for help and asks "What did I do?" as he tries to break away from officers. He is forced to the ground and officers order him to stop resisting. Meyer says he will walk out if the officers let him go.
As Kerry tells the audience he will answer the student's "very important question," Meyer struggles on the ground and yells at the officers to release him, crying out, "Don't Tase me, bro," just before he is Tasered. He is then led from the room, screaming, "What did I do?"
Meyer was charged with resisting an officer and disturbing the peace, according to Alachua County jail records. No bond had been set. Meyer was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning, a jail official said.
It was not known if Meyer had an attorney.
Orlando said university police would conduct an internal investigation.
"The police department does have a standard procedure for when they use force, including when they use a Taser," Orlando said. "That is what the internal investigation would address -- whether the proper procedures were followed, whether the officers acted appropriately."
Local 10
On the web: The Andrew Meyer.com
Absolutely discussing behavior on the part of the university police. When did speaking out of turn become a capital offence. They should all be charged and tried for violations of the guys civil rights and given 20 year prison sentences. They should be fired and put on a list of people that can never work in law enforcement anywhere in the country, and their names and addresses should be put up on billboards.
posted by madtom at 11:21 AM
10 Comments:
We should ban tasers and go back to the tried and true chokehold. Tasers just make little bitches like this joker scream. He was out to make a name for himself and will no doubt soon come out with his own line of clothing called 'Don't Tase Me Bro!' Tasing is not a big deal--and I know--- and has much more temporary effects than the alternatives. Yeah, sure, we should let people make complete asses of themselves as if they have the unalienable right to intrude on others. Where is that in the bill of Rights?
But what did he do to deserve a "chokehold", what law did he break?
"Tasing is not a big deal"
7 people have died from Tasing, he could have been killed. Maybe they should have the riot guns, or the water cannon?
Or maybe no one should dare stand up and ask hard questions of our elite class the elected official.
Had they just left him alone, Kerry would have handle the situation, answered his questions, just as he has done a million times.
Why should we as a people accept this type of belligerence from the police. Police should be there to keep the peace not the politics of the situation. If you ask me, it's the rightwing police of northern Florida that made a show to try to discredit and embarrass Kerry. They should be taught a lesson.
Yeah--- right wing campus cop conspiracy. Kid was intentionally provoking an incident for fun and profit. They use tasers today because it appears less violent than clubs or holds and exposes them to less danger. I'm a conservative and prefer clubs just like in the 68 Dem convention.
The more I think about it, I oughta reserve the line 'don't tase me bro!' and print some t-shirts. That is just a funny line.
Tasing hasn't killed anybody--- people have died after being tased, but that isn't what killed them. Show one documented death soley due to tasing. There isn't one. There are four coroner ruled deaths which included tasing as a contributing factor, and meth was part of the scenario.
You get a tweaked out violent guy, he is a prime candidate for a taser and a heart attack. Tasing is often the least injurious way to subdue someone who is out of control. I used to use prods to work cattle that were more powerful than the standard taser, and I was buzzed by them more than once. Hurts like hell, but passes quickly--- does focus ones attention, though.
Side stepped the issue.
We are not cattle to be prodded at your whim.
Thank god it's not 68 anymore, or maybe you would like to return to the "good ol days".
"You get a tweaked out violent guy,"
He was armed only with a book. I think that is what scared them the most, weren't quite sure what it was, or what to make of it..
Unfortunately you just might be on to something, maybe northern Florida, like Jena Mississippi are still living in the past, and refusing at all cost to live in the today.
I did this search killed by taser and it would seem that there are many incidents that had nothing to do with meth, and even if someone is on drugs, many of witch could be prescription drugs, like viagra, it's not an excuse to go around randomly tasing people, much less once they are already being held down by six guys.
Boy was I wrong. from the first return of that search
"In a report released in March, international human rights group Amnesty International said it had logged at least 156 deaths across the country in the previous five years related to police stun guns."
Deep Thought
Seems like yelling has in fact been deemed a capital offence punishable by instant death
Bear killed by taser
Who said I or anyone else was 'randomly' tasering people? I did several searches of my own, Madone, and found zero deaths solely attributable to stun gun use. Of course, I limited my search to actual legal cases and not biased groups seeking to raise money. I would bet that there is a study somewhere, or could be, that shows that deaths and injuries related to the act of law enforcement subduing out of control suspects is much lower when stun guns are used, that is their reason for being. I have no doubt they are abused just like any other method, but that doesn't make their use bad in all cases. In this case it was bad because it didn't render the little prick unconscious. Would have been better to just grab him by the ankles and drag him out quickly. Once out of camera range, he reportedly became very calm and cooperative, but he got what he wanted, so why waste all the concern?
"found zero deaths solely attributable to stun gun use."
Great, you just discovered that no death is ever "solely" attributable to any one thing. Probably true for 99.9% of deaths.
"so why waste all the concern?"
Several concerns,
one, the increase in belligerent police that think that they are judge, jury and executioner, and legislator.
Two, the chilling effect of that display on people that might think twice before they stand up and ask a question.
Three, the great propaganda provided free of charge to our enemies.
Four, the slippery slide of our civil rights when police can just arrest you for....nothing anyone can see.
Five, the danger form people that think that a taser is a safe weapon. Bears apparently are easy to kill.
Six, police making up stories about what a suspect had to say after the arrest, to justify the arrest in the first place. It's a new standard, probable cause after the fact.
Using this new standard, we are all guilty till proven innocent...
I happen to notice today that the TV news was running good cop stories full of police pulling people out of burning cars, and saving kittens stuck in trees, the whole nine yards.
They must be feeling the heat and trying to rescue their reputations.
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