University of Florida Student Tased
Depot
The ModFather Join Date: 2002-11-09 Member: 7956Members
The ModFather Join Date: 2002-11-09 Member: 7956Members
in Discussions
<div class="IPBDescription">did he deserve it, or was this to much?</div>
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As many of you know a UF student was recently tased for failing to comply with police requests to refrain from disrupting a lecture being presented by John Kerry.
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/18/student.tasered.ap/" target="_blank"> Student Tasered at campus forum for Kerry</a>.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b> GAINESVILLE, Florida (AP) -- </b>A university student with a history of taping his own practical jokes was Tasered by campus police and arrested after loudly and repeatedly trying to ask U.S. Senator John Kerry questions during a campus forum.
art.taser.kid.ap.jpg
Student Andrew Meyer is surrounded by university police in Gainesville, Florida, on Monday.
Andrew Meyer, 21, spent a night in jail before his release Tuesday morning. His attorney, Robert Griscti, did not return messages seeking comment.
Videos of the Monday night incident, posted on several Web sites and played repeatedly on television news, show officers pulling Meyer 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." Video Watch I-Reporter's disturbing video of Meyer being Tasered »
As two officers take Meyer by the arms, Kerry, D-Massachusetts, can be heard saying, "That's alright, let me answer his question."
Audience members applaud, and Meyer struggles for several seconds as up to four officers try to remove him from the room. Meyer screams for help and tries to break away from officers, then is forced to the ground and officers order him to stop resisting.
As Kerry tells the audience he will answer the student's "very important question," Meyer yells at the officers to release him, crying out, "Don't Tase me, bro," just before he is shocked by the Taser. He is then led from the room, screaming, "What did I do?"
Meyer was arrested on charges of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace, according to Alachua County jail records, but the State Attorney's Office had yet to make the formal charging decision. Police recommended charges of resisting arrest with violence, a felony, and disturbing the peace and interfering with school administrative functions, a misdemeanor.
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."
Meyer was ordered released from jail Tuesday on his own recognizance.
Meyer has his own Web site and it contains several "comedy" videos that he appears in. In one, he stands in a street with a sign that says "Harry Dies" after the latest Harry Potter book was released. In another, he acts like a drunk while trying to pick up a woman in a bar.
The site also has what is called a "disorganized diatribe" attributed to Meyer that criticizes the Iraq war, the news media for not covering the conflict enough and the American public for paying too much attention to celebrity news.
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"I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption," Kerry said in a statement issued Tuesday, "but again I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention."
"I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building," Kerry's statement said. "I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Discuss.... ... .. .
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As many of you know a UF student was recently tased for failing to comply with police requests to refrain from disrupting a lecture being presented by John Kerry.
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/18/student.tasered.ap/" target="_blank"> Student Tasered at campus forum for Kerry</a>.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b> GAINESVILLE, Florida (AP) -- </b>A university student with a history of taping his own practical jokes was Tasered by campus police and arrested after loudly and repeatedly trying to ask U.S. Senator John Kerry questions during a campus forum.
art.taser.kid.ap.jpg
Student Andrew Meyer is surrounded by university police in Gainesville, Florida, on Monday.
Andrew Meyer, 21, spent a night in jail before his release Tuesday morning. His attorney, Robert Griscti, did not return messages seeking comment.
Videos of the Monday night incident, posted on several Web sites and played repeatedly on television news, show officers pulling Meyer 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." Video Watch I-Reporter's disturbing video of Meyer being Tasered »
As two officers take Meyer by the arms, Kerry, D-Massachusetts, can be heard saying, "That's alright, let me answer his question."
Audience members applaud, and Meyer struggles for several seconds as up to four officers try to remove him from the room. Meyer screams for help and tries to break away from officers, then is forced to the ground and officers order him to stop resisting.
As Kerry tells the audience he will answer the student's "very important question," Meyer yells at the officers to release him, crying out, "Don't Tase me, bro," just before he is shocked by the Taser. He is then led from the room, screaming, "What did I do?"
Meyer was arrested on charges of resisting an officer and disturbing the peace, according to Alachua County jail records, but the State Attorney's Office had yet to make the formal charging decision. Police recommended charges of resisting arrest with violence, a felony, and disturbing the peace and interfering with school administrative functions, a misdemeanor.
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."
Meyer was ordered released from jail Tuesday on his own recognizance.
Meyer has his own Web site and it contains several "comedy" videos that he appears in. In one, he stands in a street with a sign that says "Harry Dies" after the latest Harry Potter book was released. In another, he acts like a drunk while trying to pick up a woman in a bar.
The site also has what is called a "disorganized diatribe" attributed to Meyer that criticizes the Iraq war, the news media for not covering the conflict enough and the American public for paying too much attention to celebrity news.
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"I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption," Kerry said in a statement issued Tuesday, "but again I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention."
"I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building," Kerry's statement said. "I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Discuss.... ... .. .
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
This sounds like a job for <b><u>The DISCUSSION Forum!</b></u>
Dum dum de dum!
Personally, the kid was being a whiny little ######, though I don't think they should have tasered him. Neither group was in the right.
Dum dum de dum!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Report it if you think it's misplaced, ok? That's what the button's there for. No one cares about your mindless flappin' off. <img src="http://www.nsmod.org/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Videos on the tv today portrayed him as playing the camera, and it was pretty convincing. I mean, it was obvious he planed this, given he calmed down the moment the cameras were off of him, then started crying like a baby the minute they were back on him. That coupled with the 12 page police report that was just filed is probably enough to cook him.
What pisses me off to no end is the mounting evidence that he staged this whole production. It was obviously planned in advance and two or three of his friends were in on it. He was heard saying, "Are the cameras rolling?" etc. the moment the police approached him. A twelve page police report was recently released and I imagine its contents will be on the late news.
I'm not against free will, but this creep deserved everything he got.
Disobeing police orders is a crime in itself so they had all the right to taser him. I hope he learnt his lesson.
why is this even an issue - he even admits he deserved it.
so if police don't do drug raids, then drug dealers won't stock weapons and endanger people, so we should just turn a blind eye and let them do as they please - thats a sound theory lol......
I think the guy got what he deserved. The people in the video act like the officers took out a .357 and blew his knee off.
edit:
<!--QuoteBegin-"Snark"+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE("Snark")</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I don't see why the cops got involved in the first place.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Someone of the administration probably asked to have him removed. I doubt the cops themselves took action on their own "free will."
If he were to have run his own convention with the same speech and police broke in and dragged him away, he'd have a case for violation of free speech. By disrupting the peace at a convention, he had no legal right to be there.
<a href="http://www.johnkerry.com/blog" target="_blank">http://www.johnkerry.com/blog</a>
What about the wheelchair bound woman who was tasered 10 times and died shortly afterwards?
<a href="http://www.local6.com/news/14147512/detail.html" target="_blank">http://www.local6.com/news/14147512/detail.html</a>
"Within an hour of her call to 911, Delafield, a wheelchair-bound woman documented to have mental illness, was dead."
What about the Iraq Vet who was shot for following police instructions?
<a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8027854162700568157&q=ktla" target="_blank">http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=80...8157&q=ktla</a>
you think tasers are bad?
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=482560&in_page_id=1965" target="_blank">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1965</a>
This is all just part of a very worrying trend of freedom of speech erosion:
<a href="http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/19/hardball-the-assault-on-free-speech-in-america/" target="_blank">http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/09/19/h...ech-in-america/</a>
Freedom of Speech Zones? Doubleyou Tee Eff!
Unlike our esteemed colleague Depot, I don't think he nescessarily deserved what he got. Yes, he made an arse of himself, but that isn't exactly a crime. I'm sure that by the time it happened the taser was nescessary, just to diffuse the situation, but it looks to me like it was the fault of the police that it went so far. They grabbed him without saying a word and ignored both him and Kerry, the man on who's account they are presumably there. Meyer wasn't right, but neither were the cops.
And then of course, there's the question of what crime he committed that deserved being forcibly dragged away and eventually tasered. Talking loudly for too long? <i>Please</i>.
I don't see the need to drag other taser incidents into this post, as the use of tasers is based on the particular situation at the time they were used. This is like saying "guns kill".
Andrew Meyer made the mistake of resisting and became much more violent than is showed in my linked video. Two of the officers were actually in harm's way when he was tasered - he was a threat to those around him and someone would have been injured had he not been subdued.
The forum had concluded and was in the process of closing and Andrew Meyer was fully aware of this. He looked at two friends nearby when the police were approaching and asked, "Are the cameras rolling? Are you getting this?", before a hand was laid on him. His whole scene was so planned.
It's sad the free willies have to scream "freedom of speech" every time a dissident acts out in public. This guy so deserved everything he got, and I hope the prosecutor presses charges that will stick.
Right for them to ask him to leave, sure.
Right for them to agressivly remove someone who is asking a harmless question - bang out of order. There was simply no need for the police to physicly drag him out. When he resisted, I recon most people would have too. He was tazed and didnt really poze a real threat to what, 5 or 6 police officers?
If he pre-organised this all then he was a bit of a fool. But it is a worrying state of affairs if you cant ask someone in politics about whether or not the system is broken and being cheated.
The videos I watched all day yesterday show yes, a couple of the officers were indeed in harm's way, he was flailing his arms wildly and kicking like he was on drugs. It was all so obviously staged.
Andrew Meyer was afforded the opportunity to depart peacefully. He resisted and suffered the consequences.
America has clearly lost it.
<!--quoteo(post=1650674:date=Sep 20 2007, 12:42 PM:name=Depot)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Depot @ Sep 20 2007, 12:42 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1650674"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The forum had concluded and was in the process of closing and Andrew Meyer was fully aware of this. He looked at two friends nearby when the police were approaching and asked, "Are the cameras rolling? Are you getting this?", before a hand was laid on him. His whole scene was so planned.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
If you were being a victim of police brutality, wouldn't you want some video evidence of it?
To say he planned to get tasered is as stupid as saying he did something wrong.
<!--quoteo(post=1650682:date=Sep 20 2007, 01:17 PM:name=Rellix)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rellix @ Sep 20 2007, 01:17 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1650682"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But it is a worrying state of affairs if you cant ask someone in politics about whether or not the system is broken and being cheated.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
It certainly is,
If people like bush can get into power illegally, and control the most powerful country in the world?
How the hell is that democracy.
Funny how bush always talks about the importance of democracy when he or his police service don't believe in it themselves...
Can you cite your references for this?
<!--quoteo(post=1650674:date=Sep 20 2007, 12:42 PM:name=Depot)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Depot @ Sep 20 2007, 12:42 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1650674"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The forum had concluded and was in the process of closing and Andrew Meyer was fully aware of this. He looked at two friends nearby when the police were approaching and asked, "Are the cameras rolling? Are you getting this?", before a hand was laid on him. His whole scene was so planned.
It's sad the free willies have to scream "freedom of speech" every time a dissident acts out in public. This guy so deserved everything he got, and I hope the prosecutor presses charges that will stick.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'd hate to live in a country where peaceful disruptive process can be met with physical violence. I think your logic is flawed. If John Kerry was in a hurry and on a schedule, he could have just left.
You talk about 'free willies' screaming something when someone acts out, but you sir are the one who started this topic, and you are the one making apologies and justifications for brutal behaviour. You are also the one making speculative predictions about intent and orchestration, with no evidence at all.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->It's sad the free willies have to scream "freedom of speech" every time a dissident acts out in public<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
You totally misunderstand freedom of speech if you think it should not be granted to dissidents.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The police only became aggressive after he resisted, and they had already been instructed the forum was closed. Closed means no more questions, it's finished, please don't discuss any further.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Can you cite a reference for this? How can you try to close of parts of this discussion while simultaneously speculating suggestively ( e.g. like he was on drugs ).
I clearly see Kerry yield the floor to him and engage him in discussion, so your version of events doesn't stack up with what Kerry seemed to be experiencing on the day. In fact, it wasn't until he became loud and offensive ( for which there is no excuse for ) that you see the cops intervene. So your rewriting of events just does not stack up. At all. Can you please show us some of the material that has provided you with these insights?
Also, of course he preorganised this. It is not stretching the limits of our imagination to deduce that it is worthwhile to film John Kerry answering questions about the alleged theft of the presidential election. You need to attribute some kind of orchestrated conspiracy to catch police officers tasering someone to understand why someone would want to film such an interesting situation? I'd love to have heard Kerry's answer a crapload more than I'd have liked to see some guy tasered for being rude.
I shudder to think of the kind of world where an important political figure's schedule is disrupted by an idiot trying to post a funny video to the interwebs.
Seriously though, it's reasonably clear that the goal was to get video of him asking the questions being cut off, then Kerry leaving, and then make some sort of stupid video and post it to the web. instead he got hustled off by the cops, made a scene, and got tased.
Not saying the guy isn't a total moron, and I obviously haven't seen the footage of him failing about. But, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that he probably shouldn't get charged with a felony for getting tased off stage in a public forum.
I shudder to think of the kind of world where an important political figure's schedule is disrupted by an idiot trying to post a funny video to the interwebs.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Mr Kerry seems to disagree with you.
I shudder to think of a world where an important political figure is prevented from having a discussion he seems willing and able to engage in because the police are micromanaging his time.
The footage I saw where he was flailing about and kicking as if he was "on drugs" was my opinion and evidently some of the presses too. I could easily see where two officers were in danger of being harmed by his actions and this was when he was tasered.
He deserved everything he got. I can only hope he is prosecuted.
Can you cite some of them? I'd like to see them myself. If you can't submit this information to the discussion it is probably best that you leave it out of the discussion completely.
<!--quoteo(post=1650706:date=Sep 20 2007, 03:10 PM:name=Depot)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Depot @ Sep 20 2007, 03:10 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1650706"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->I also noted that John Kerry was unaware of the time frame and its relation to his upcoming schedule which is why he offered to answer Andrew Meyer's question.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
So what you are saying is that John Kerry himself has no right to answer questions asked of him just because he is on a schedule.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->His blog of course failed to mention this. I also explained that the cops were notified the forum was closed and noticed Andrew Meyers approaching the front, busting ahead of students already in line to ask questions.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The version of the story I read from a witness claims that he waiting in line and asked his question when his turn arrived. However, because this is heresay, I'm not expecting it to be taken seriously, just like I won't take your heresay seriously either.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->The footage I saw where he was flailing about and kicking as if he was "on drugs" was my opinion and evidently some of the presses too. I could easily see where two officers were in danger of being harmed by his actions and this was when he was tasered.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wait, was he flailing before or after he was man handled to the ground? Because what I see in the video simply does not match your version of events.
I'm wondering if we are watching the same footage. I see a guy resisting physical restraint and I see him lying calmly there going "don't tase me bro" and then suddenly I hear the *click*click*click* of a taser. So although the guy had resisted physical restration it is NOT the case that he was flailing wildly and threatening the police officers.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->He deserved everything he got. I can only hope he is prosecuted.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The guy is definitely an ass, but he didn't deserve to be tasered, and john Kerry deserved the chance to respond to his question, as he seemed keen to do.
The funny thing is that your suggestion of whacko nutjob conspiracies is now extended to kerry's blog - "his blog, of course, failed to mention this"
Come on man, admit it, they tasered a guy when it was not necessary to do so and now the "eat willy" camp are trying to rewrite history.
I shudder to think of a world where an important political figure is prevented from having a discussion he seems willing and able to engage in because the police are micromanaging his time.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Well you see ultimately if his schedule is interfered with a domino effect will occur. Pretty soon it not just his schedule, but the entire state of Florida's. a WEEK LATER THE WHOLE WORLD.
How are you gonna feeel when you bus is 15 minutes late because of this??
Pretty ticked off that's how.
note:
<span style='color:#000000;background:#000000'>Rampant sarcasm through out the previous two posts. Apparently, I need to be more clear that simply adding "Seriously though," to the second half. </span>
Maybe the donut shop was closing?
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Not saying the guy isn't a total moron, and I obviously haven't seen the footage of him failing about. But, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that he probably shouldn't get charged with a felony for getting tased off stage in a public forum.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
There is no video of him flailing about. The entire scene from when he started speaking to when he was first tased is available for viewing. A couple of times he broke out of a police officers grasp, so he was definitely resisting being manhandled, but HE WAS NOT BEING ARRESTED, so he was not resisting arrest. He also wasn't flailing, he was just being evasive of their grasp.
For the record, I think this guy was an ass and he was show boating and all, and I do think it would have been fair to remove him from the premises if he was disrupting kerry's schedule, but I do not think it was okay to manhandle him to the ground while Kerry seemed interested in engaging him in discussion and I certainly think it was an over-reaction to taser him for it, especially when he was already grounded by 6 ( yes SIX ) police officers. They held the taser to his chest to shut him up, and when the guy continued to make a scene they tasered him. I can't possibly know the motive, but I do not accept that it was in self defence.
The donut shops are closed at 11am. The liquor stores will be closed by five. By 9pm the bars will be closed. and by midnight the waffle house will be closed.
By 6 am society as we know if will be in ruins.
All this, because some guy threatened a schedule with delay.
On a more serious note, i should really watch that video.