Student at a Kerry event is Tasered:

[Praxius]

John Kerry says he tried to prevent a riot at Fla. event before police used Taser on student - The Boston Globe

Senator John F. Kerry thought he was pacifying a potentially volatile situation when he allowed Andrew Meyer to approach the microphone Monday afternoon, even though the time allotted to Kerry's speech at the University of Florida had already run out. "His first words were, 'Senator Kerry, they're trying to arrest me,' " Kerry said in an interview yesterday. "I tried to calm him down and I stopped them from arresting him. I began to answer his question." Meyer never got to complete his questions, but did help to create a series of video clips that yesterday became YouTube hits. In the videos, campus police are seen attempting to separate Meyer, a 21-year-old telecommunications major, from the microphone as he asked Kerry why he conceded the 2004 presidential election despite claims of vote fraud. As Meyer refused to yield, officers eventually pulled him to the back of the auditorium and shot him with a Taser, a gun that releases an electrical current of up to 50,000 volts. While Meyer shrieked repeatedly for officers to stop, saying "Why are they arresting me?" and "Don't Tase me, bro." Kerry could be heard in the background from the stage. "I want to answer his question," the senator said, adding, "Unfortunately, he's not available to come up here and swear me in as president." In the interview, Kerry, who said he was unable to see police use the Taser on the man from his position and did not know about it until he had left the university, declined to comment on the police's actions. "I was trying not to have a riot started," he said. "I thought it was important to keep the place contained, I guess would be the best way to put it." Allegations of police brutality triggered campus protests, while Kerry's conduct during the incident drew scrutiny elsewhere. "His behavior here is pathetic," wrote Nick Antosca, a blogger at The Huffington Post. "Listen to him droning sonorously on in the background as a guy is dragged down the aisles and pinned to the ground." Meyer, who has a history of chronicling his public hijinks, was released yesterday following a night in jail on charges of disturbing the peace and resisting an officer. In a press conference, university president J. Bernard Machen described the incident as regrettable and announced that two officers involved had been placed on paid administrative leave. In addition, agents of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrived on campus to review the use of force at the university's request. A spokesman for Kerry said he did not expect the senator to be interviewed as part of the investigation. Throughout the day yesterday, new perspectives on the encounter became public. One cable-news network appeared to combine footage from five camera angles. At one point, three different recordings of the encounter appeared on YouTube's list of the day's 20 most-viewed videos. They joined selections featuring actress Sally Field's Emmy remarks, a pair of flamboyant Spanish-soccer highlights, and something entitled "Let Me Borrow That Top." In addition to footage shot by two local news cameras and what appear to be a variety of individual camera-phones, Meyer apparently contributed to the thorough documentation of his dramatic arrest. "The student who was Tasered had handed a camera to another person who was with him before he went up to speak," said Steve Orlando, director of the university's news bureau. In addition to raising the issue of vote fraud in 2004, Meyer asked Kerry about the possibility of impeaching President Bush and whether the two former opponents were members of the secret Yale University society Skull and Bones. Meyer said his questions were based on Greg Palast's book "Armed Madhouse," a year-old muckraking anti-Bush bestseller that Meyer waved wildly as he was being subdued by police. "Those are good questions. I would have liked to have finished answering the questions," Kerry said in his interview. "I have the book; I have it at home. It has an important chapter in it on the election." That the event generated such attention appeared to puzzle Kerry yesterday, yet he acknowledged that even after a presidential campaign and numerous antiwar demonstrations he had not previously witnessed such a startling end to an otherwise civil speaking engagement. "In all of the Vietnam protests and everything I've ever done where emotions were charged, I've never seen anything like it," he said. Kerry, known in the Vietnam era for his gutsy confrontations with senators, noted a difference between Meyer's style and his own at a similar age. "He barged to the head of the line," Kerry said. "This wasn't someone who waited patiently for his turn and asked a question."

So much for your dam freedom of speech!

He asked a ligitamate question, and posed no threat to Kerry, and yet as soon as he said Skull and Bones, they jumped on him and tried to arrest him, and then taser him.

The video in which you can view them arresting him can be located here:

YouTube - University of Florida student Tasered at Kerry forum

He didn't disturb the peace until they attempted to arrest him, for no apparent reason..... and if Kerry was willing to answer his question, then why the fok was he arrested like this and treated like a friggin animal?

Who gave the go ahead to take him down?

[Thanatos]

Cops love their toys...

[Dieval]

Has anyone heard the recording of this guy? HIs run-on question went on and on and on and finally ended with the skull and bones question when he was asked to leave....he then proceeds to go completely ape-shit causing all sorts of havoc, yelling and screaming about why he's being arrested and make it sound like they're torturing him....

[Thanatos]

Quote by: Dieval Has anyone heard the recording of this guy? HIs run-on question went on and on and on and finally ended with the skull and bones question when he was asked to leave....he then proceeds to go completely ape-shit causing all sorts of havoc, yelling and screaming about why he's being arrested and make it sound like they're torturing him....

Why Dieval, I never thought I'd hear you defend Kerry. What the phuc is wrong with you today?

[RVonse]

VDARE.com: 09/18/07 - The Meaning Of That Kerry Fracas In Florida

Quote by: Paul Craig Roberts The question we should all ask is why did a United States Senator just stand there while Gestapo goons violated the constitutional rights of a student participating in a public event, brutalized him in full view of everyone, and then took him off to jail on phony charges? Kerry’s meekness not only in the face of electoral fraud, not only in the face of Bush’s wars that are crimes under the Nuremberg standard, but also in the face of police goons trampling the constitutional rights of American citizens makes it completely clear that he was not fit to be president, and he is not fit to be a US senator. Usually when police violate constitutional rights and commit acts of police brutality they do it when they believe no one is watching, not in front of a large audience. Clearly, the police have become more audacious in their abuse of rights and citizens. What explains the new fearlessness of police to violate rights and brutalize citizens without cause? The answer is that police, most of whom have authoritarian personalities, have seen that constitutional rights are no longer protected. President Bush does not protect our constitutional rights. Neither does Vice President Cheney, nor the Attorney General, nor the US Congress. Just as Kerry allowed Meyer’s rights to be tasered out of him, Congress has enabled Bush to strip people, including American citizens, of constitutional protection and incarcerate them without presenting evidence.

[/quote]

[RVonse]

You wanna know the irony in this. It's that every so often one of you like Osborn will post here and observe how we don't have enough passion and gumption to stand up and tell all these politicians to go fuck themselves.

And when you do everybody is in agreement with you. That we're a nation of pansies and pussies and we let these buttholes do with us what they want.

The irony is that if only 10% of us got loud and boisterous and in their faces like this guy did then we could bring this fucked up government to it's knees and this war would end tomorrow.

No maybe this guy wasn't saying what we want to hear. But he was saying it in the manner that gets attention.
If very many of us were to get up the guts to do what he was doing and we are saying what needs to be heard, I hope you won't call us "attention whores" and say you want the cops to taser us.

[Dieval]

Quote by: Thanatos Why Dieval, I never thought I'd hear you defend Kerry. What the phuc is wrong with you today?

Haha, I'm not defending Kerry...I just think the guy asking the question is a nut. They come in all flavors...

[ruksak]

I think they should have added some pepper spray for good measure. You don't fight the cops. Its stupid. You grab the bulls by its horns, you might get poked.

[callous]

The kid thinks he's gonna present the entire raft of progressive beefs with this administration in 5 minutes and change the world.

Thats called a college student.

More than that, this is a great example of the over-juiced egos given to law enforcement after 9/11. He should never have been tazered. Strong armed maybe, not tazered.

[The Decider]

An interesting pair of ideas in one post:

Quote by: ruksak I think they should have added some pepper spray for good measure. You don't fight the cops. Its stupid. You grab the bulls by its horns, you might get poked.

Quote by: ruksak's siggy "An unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man".~Thomas Jefferson

[ruksak]

Quote by: The Decider An interesting pair of ideas in one post:

I'm not sure what you're driving at?

[callous]

it's the journey not the destination

[Chaossaber314]

Quote by: Callous More than that, this is a great example of the over-juiced egos given to law enforcement after 9/11. He should never have been tazered. Strong armed maybe, not tazered.

Would you prefer they used their asps or 10 years ago their night sticks so that he would have had some real injuries and some that may be permanent?

The fact of the matter is that a University is still private property. You can't go onto private property, be disruptive and rude and then make a scene when they demand you leave. Also, once you start shoving and elbowing cops, you can expect them to use force back.

And let's be honest, he wasn't trying to get questions answered, he was trying to give a disruptive presentation. Him asking "Is it true that you are part of Skull and Bones, the same organization as George W. Bush?" is about the equivalent of FoxNews having a tag like "Do Democrats hate America?" They're statements with question marks tacked on to keep from taking responsibility for saying what they're thinking.

Clearly he believes Kerry is a member of Skull and Bones, otherwise he wouldn't have asked it in the first place. Those students were at THIS presentation to hear Kerry speak, not this douche bag.

Had they tased him before he started shoving the cops and throwing elbows I would share some of the negative sentiment but once he started that, all bets were off.

[The Decider]

Quote by: Praxius He asked a ligitamate question

I watched several videos of this event and I counted no less than three questions after a lengthy preamble. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think each questioner at the event was supposed to limit remarks to one question. The university authorities then cut the microphone. At that point the student started to shout, another violation of forum rules.

I don't see where the kid's freedom of speech rights were violated. In fact, it seemed that he got more speech than anyone else at the event. What happened after the police stepped in is open for debate, but not the "freedom of speech" issue IMO.

Quote by: Praxius and posed no threat to Kerry

Irrelevant. Disrupting the event violated school rules. Whether or not Kerry felt threatened or wanted to talk more with the student makes no difference.

Quote by: Praxius and yet as soon as he said Skull and Bones, they jumped on him and tried to arrest him, and then taser him.

Not quite. Only after the microphone was cut following the Skull and Bones question (his third one) and the student's loud shouts did the police step in.

The taser issue is another matter. The university has suspended two of the officers pending an investigation. I don't know if tasing the student violated the law or not, but it certainly turned many students at UF against the cops. Many of those same students were applauding the arrest of the kid moments earlier. So I see two events--pre-tase and post-tase.

[Suburbanite]

"school rules?" Are you kidding dude? Are you going to go through your life being a bitch to random authorities. His BODY WAS HARMED for breaking "School rules". Come on, dude. Thats sick.

[Suburbanite]

Quote by: ruksak I think they should have added some pepper spray for good measure. You don't fight the cops. Its stupid. You grab the bulls by its horns, you might get poked.

cops are humans in monkey suit. you're a pathetic slave to random authorities.

[Suburbanite]

Quote by: RVonse You wanna know the irony in this. It's that every so often one of you like Osborn will post here and observe how we don't have enough passion and gumption to stand up and tell all these politicians to go fuck themselves. And when you do everybody is in agreement with you. That we're a nation of pansies and pussies and we let these buttholes do with us what they want. The irony is that if only 10% of us got loud and boisterous and in their faces like this guy did then we could bring this fucked up government to it's knees and this war would end tomorrow. No maybe this guy wasn't saying what we want to hear. But he was saying it in the manner that gets attention. If very many of us were to get up the guts to do what he was doing and we are saying what needs to be heard, I hope you won't call us "attention whores" and say you want the cops to taser us.

genius. great point.

[ruksak]

Quote by: Suburbanite cops are humans in monkey suit. you're a pathetic slave to random authorities.

I question authority when appropriate. However in this case, the kid was just being a disruptive loud mouth idiot. Whats more is the bastard fought the cops at the end by making an aggressive move to pull away. They have no idea what hes thinking. He could pull a gun, one of theirs perhaps, a knife. They simply don't know.

Quote by: RVonse You wanna know the irony in this. It's that every so often one of you like Osborn will post here and observe how we don't have enough passion and gumption to stand up and tell all these politicians to go fuck themselves. And when you do everybody is in agreement with you. That we're a nation of pansies and pussies and we let these buttholes do with us what they want. The irony is that if only 10% of us got loud and boisterous and in their faces like this guy did then we could bring this fucked up government to it's knees and this war would end tomorrow. No maybe this guy wasn't saying what we want to hear. But he was saying it in the manner that gets attention. If very many of us were to get up the guts to do what he was doing and we are saying what needs to be heard, I hope you won't call us "attention whores" and say you want the cops to taser us.

Bravo Bravo. Great speech. Hes a f**king obnoxious college kid that thinks he can change the world in 5 minutes of loud disruptive behavior. What he had to say was made irrelevant by way of his aggressive actions.

He was asked to sit down several times.
He did not
He was asked to be quite several times as he hijacked way more time on the floor than anyone else in the room.
He did not.
He was then forcefully removed from the floor.
He resisted even this.

BZZZZZZZ

problem solved.

[Praxius]

Quote by: The Decider I watched several videos of this event and I counted no less than three questions after a lengthy preamble.

So what? If Kerry didn't answer any of his first questions, then he should be able to ask a damn question until he gets an answer..... that's Kerry's job..... to answer the publics questions and do what they need with the authority given to him by the same people he allowed to get tasered.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think each questioner at the event was supposed to limit remarks to one question. The university authorities then cut the microphone. At that point the student started to shout, another violation of forum rules.

So someone shouts and tries to use their voice to get a point across after the mic was cut to prevent him from using his freedom of speach and to avoid answering his questions, to get a response, to ask a question and expect an answer.... and you feel they were right to jump him and taser him?

All that was needed was for an officer to just guide his loud mouth away from the podium and warn him about the disturbance. He would have probably walked away eventually with a little smirk that he got his attention. It also didn't help that he continued to get mixed messages from Kerry, as the cops surrounded him to stop him from asking questions, Kerry continued to promote him into asking the questions..... so if he was doing what Kerry didn't mind, and the cops were jumping him..... if it were me, I'd be a little confused and pissed off as well.

I don't see where the kid's freedom of speech rights were violated. In fact, it seemed that he got more speech than anyone else at the event. What happened after the police stepped in is open for debate, but not the "freedom of speech" issue IMO.

Kerry was even quoted in saying he has never seen the police act like that towards an incident like this, even back in Veitnam..... yet you think it was justified?

I've seen reporters and other politicians on TV do the same thing, where they ask more then one question or go past the given time for asking a question, and I've also seen them get pretty irate.... yet no security or police jumped and tasered them.

Irrelevant. Disrupting the event violated school rules. Whether or not Kerry felt threatened or wanted to talk more with the student makes no difference.

It violated school rules now did it? Now, whenever you seen someone making a foolish disturbance in your school or university, or just trying to get attention, did you ever see several cops come to haul you away and taser you?

Normally, I'd see a teacher or the principle come along and drag them away and that's all that's needed, because they know they're in shit.

And besides.... it was at a University..... a post secondary educational facility that he put his own dam money into, and a lot I might add, and therefore he should have as much right to use his own dam rights of freedom of speech to say whatever he wants, so long as it's not to promote hate and violence.

Where do the majority of protestors and such come from anyways?

Universities and Colleges and most of these places actually promote you to think for yourself and use the education that's given to you, as well as express and use your rights that are given to you.

Not quite. Only after the microphone was cut following the Skull and Bones question (his third one) and the student's loud shouts did the police step in.

If the jerk didn't answer any of my previous questions, then yeah, I'd continue until I got an answer for something..... and if my mic was cut, I would have done the same thing.

But I know dam well I would have attempted to put up more of a fight then he did, and I would be quite vocal about what rights and freedoms were currently being violated and you dam right I would have encited a riot without regret.

The taser issue is another matter. The university has suspended two of the officers pending an investigation. I don't know if tasing the student violated the law or not, but it certainly turned many students at UF against the cops. Many of those same students were applauding the arrest of the kid moments earlier. So I see two events--pre-tase and post-tase.

The thing I have always noticed about US cops, is that they really love to just come up and try and slap handcuffs on you and arrest you, prior to even explaining why they are doing it..... and all I seen them do was come up behind him and attempt to arrest him without explination, and I would have resisted and fought back until I was explained why I was being arrested. They didn't follow proceedure, therefore I sure won't.

And besides, just how many of you think Kerry told the police to do what they did?

*Tough question asked which is contraversial*

*I nod my head*

*Mic is cut*

*He begins to shout the questions which are contraversial*

*I nod my head*

*Cops grab the guy*

"Oh wait! I want to answer his question, let him go"

*Cops taser the guy*

"Wait, I want to give him a hug!"

*Cops shoot the guy*

It all seemed more PR then anything, where Kerry didn't want to look like the bad guy, and yet wanted to get out of the questions, and at the same time not to damage his future votes as best as possible.

I could only relate the guys disturbance as an 8 year old kid trying to get attention. Sure he may have just been up there to be a shit disturber, but then maybe he also wanted to actually get a point across.... regardless, having several police officers take out this skinny little guy with a book and then taser him was excessive, unessicary, and they halted / infringed apon his right to speak out and/or protest, plain and simple.

Whether or not you're a fan of this guy, or just think he was some little punk is irrelevent.... what happened, happened..... and if they can trample over him for speaking out, what's stopping them from doing this to you next time, or someone you care about?

This expresses the vision of where the US is heading, and unless more do what he has, and what RVonse spoke of, it will just continue and continue until you realize you really can't speak out about anything that opposes the current regiem's views without getting arrested.

[Praxius]

Quote by: ruksak Bravo Bravo. Great speech. Hes a f**king obnoxious college kid that thinks he can change the world in 5 minutes of loud disruptive behavior. What he had to say was made irrelevant by way of his aggressive actions.

How somebody carries themselves when trying to get a point across, does not alter the message or the point.... he may have been an obnoxious college kid, but it was obnoxious college kids in the 60's who stood up to the government and help make a cultural revolution in the Americas...... kids like him can and will change the world if they so wish.

You can't change the world by sitting behind a computer screen and complaining about the world around you. You can getting out there and getting the attention of those who think they are in power. Organize, raise the questions needed to be raised, get people behind you.... show for once in your life that you won't just sit in front of the TV watching the news, hear them screw your life up more and just shrug it off.

He was asked to sit down several times. He did not

Did he answer any of his questions?

He was asked to be quite several times as he hijacked way more time on the floor than anyone else in the room. He did not.

Darn..... he used up a couple extra minutes of everyone's precious little lives.... let's jump him.

He was then forcefully removed from the floor. He resisted even this. BZZZZZZZ problem solved.

When you are being arrested, are you not supposed to be explained why you are being arrested?

Something like:

"You are under arrest for the charges of disturbing the peace" ~ As they handcuff him..... and that was the only charge they could give him at that point.

Oh..... but they never explained why they were arresting him, they just did..... and I would fight back too until I was explained why they are going to arrest me. And there is no way they could charge me for resisting arrest, considdering they did not announce that they were arresting me, let alone explain why. Regardless if the reasons were obvious, they have to read your rights and explain why you are being arrested.

If they explained the actions in which they were about to take on him, I can almost bet he would have shut his mouth and would have been much easier to remove without force.

The didn't do this, they just Gooned him.