Student Tasered at Kerry Speech

[lizaa]

Here's a link to the vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaiWCS10C5s&mode=related&search=

Hmmm...

The kid asked for it. Obviously he resisted arrest. The police on the scene had no way of knowing who he was or what he was about... he was ordered to comply and when he didn't they carried out their job. It's not an issue of free speech. But rather of some knuckle head college kid not knowing when to use common sense.

I think had he not been tazed it'd have been much worse for him. Despite what some have posted... he wasn't exactly a pencil neck geek. Someone his size amped on a bit of adrenalin and fear could become a real problem and inadvertently hurt people in the crowd, himself or the police officers.

The cops did what was best for everyone. Christ... didn't think I'd ever be saying that.

I suspect the real questions should be asked to organizers of the event as to what the rules of this sort forum are. Is debate allowed? Is it a one way speech? Where is the line drawn on what can and can't be said at this sort of event?

Starting about 1:50 into that clip is where he blows it.... he clearly resisted arrest. He clearly played right into police hands here. Dumb guy.

[skategrinder95]

I don't think their attempt to arrest him had a solid lawful basis, personally.



I've seen a hell of a lot worse than that in open Court, Snorri. A lot less compliant, a lot more violent, and a lot more crowded. So the answer is "grappling would have been less dangerous and more apporpriate". I agree with El Tejon, tasers are quickly becoming electric whips used to keep the public in line needlessly.




I've seen small female officers take down aggressive defendants twice their size. At 5-1 odds, they went overboard.

[truthgiver]

Dom, doesn't Floriduh have some goofy "Disrupting an Assembly" statute or some such thing? I think that was what numbnuts was arrested for initially.

I don't like the cops using Tasers like cattle pods. Someone told me today that BICE cannot use Tasers against illegal alien detainees. However, they are used freely against citizens--something's very wrong. The War on the Citizenry needs to be stopped.

[scarletm]

Big deal. It doesn't matter that some female deputy somewhere did that or will do it again. He resisted arrest and got tazed for his efforts. It's not a contest to see how few officers can take down a resisting problem. Its an issue of stopping a disturbance in short order.

I think had one of them locked this guy up with a come along or a wrist lock then he'd have ended up in more pain than just getting tazed. And yes FWIW I've been tazed... it's painful... but not the end of the world. I've ended up with far more pain from seemingly less painful come-alongs and wrists locks.

The entire point is that the police were there to keep order. This person was there to disrupt the event.... by resisting arrest or the efforts to move him out during the middle of it all he enacted his right to be tazed.

Did they say they were arresting him? I don't think I heard that...at least not initially when they started to move him out... I think he overreacted massively and got his sorry ass zapped. I suspect he was on what would be considered private property (but not entirely sure) so it's not going to be an issue of free speech or his right to act like a nimrod.

A classic case that illustrates it's not so much what you ask... but how you ask it... obviously he hasn't figured this out.

[music_is_life]

Kid sounds like a self righteous jackass. He mocked someone, and kudos for the joke, he then proceeded to be wrestled to the floor where he continued being a jackass and was warned of the consequences. (says 4 officers in the news story) He deserved what he got for what he did and he knew what was coming and continued to do the same things.

[Shalissat]

It wasn't the cops' decision to throw him out. All they could have done was to eject him with reasonable force, which they obviously tried to do. He resisted this and they arrested him. The issue is whether the force they used in the arrest was reasonable.

There is also a question of whether the sponsors were violating free speech or academic freedom by asking to have someone ejected from a public forum in a state university building on grounds that he was long winded and mildly disruptive. Back in my days as a student radical, I would have been incensed about that. Today, I'm not sure what I think of it.

[DavidA]

They have it coming, they brought it on themselves. Well, well, well, hang the Banners High!

Wow, we need to save this thread the next time there is a disorderly conduct arrest at a Republican rally.

[tsafemevas]

Those statutes, despite what the courts say, are so vague, open-ended, and overly broad as to be uttelry pointless. Disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, etc. All worthless IMO.



Yes, it is relevant. I've watched the reactions of cops, deputies, probation officers, and youth correctional officers. I've seen worse defendants than that (just last week, as a matter of fact), and none of them have even been zapped. Especially not when it was 5-1! Based on my experinece and knowledge, I find the idea that a taser was necessary in this case to be ludicrous.



I am relatively familiar with use of force standards. I don't believe this was necessary. Although not compliant, he was, for the most part subdued. It wouldn't take a whole lot of effort to dump him on his tummy and cuff him IMO.



I disagree. Being a jackass doesn't give the cops (or rent-a-cops) the right to go overboard.



As usual, the line between "arrest" and "we're escorting you out of the building" is blurry at best (not uncommon, admittedly).

[Ala]

PS


Sounds like my kind of girl. Get her on MAP!

[AtiqueS]

His five seconds of fame were electrifying.