Student Tasered at Kerry Speech

[rawrtt]

http://www.comcast.net/news/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2007/09/18/766456.html

Maybe it's just me, but I thought this was waaayyy out of line. 5 officers, 1 student, and they needed a TASER?!? Because he was being a bit obnoxious to a former Presidential candidate?

Sorry, but I had a scene erupt in "my" courtroom last week involving 3 criminal defendants, 3 deputies to start off with (ended up with 10), and no one needed a taser, billy club, or anything else. What's up that these officers are getting so damn force happy? Just because you are permitted to use force doesn't mean you need to use force, and this seems a bit over-the-top to me.

[bridluc772000]

Well, the student was resisting arrest, and they told him multiple times that he would be tasered if he didn't stop, but he kept on yelling "what did I do" and struggling. If you're being arrested, it's best to keep quiet and do what they say instead of making it worse for yourself by yelling and trying to free yourself. Since this guy was acting up, you had no idea what he would do next.

[Logic]

I voted for Nader and will do it again, have no love for Kerry or the Democratic party. I've also been a student agitator and have been roughed up by campus police back in the day. Still, I have to make two points: a) according to the media accounts, the cops didn't make the decision to eject the guy, they were asked to do so by the groups sponsoring the event. You might argue that, if they were meeting in a taxpayer-funded university building, they had no right to make this decision, but one way or another it wasn't the cops' fault; b) the guy was resisting arrest and, under the circumstances, Taser was the option that posed least risk of injuring the other people who were sitting in their chairs in the audience. Pepper spray, billy clubs, etc. are less easily targeted than Tasers. Using some kind of Judo or BJJ on him might have made a better video for us on MAP to watch for training purposes, but it would have been more dangerous to everyone.

[ajsmomma103106]

I thought this was going to be that UCLA thing from about a year ago (or maybe less). While the student may have been whiny and annoying while getting arrested, it doesn't sound like there was actually any need to use a taser on him.

Tasers are marketted as "safe", and "non-lethal", and police officers seem to have the idea that they should use them whenever someone's being a little bit disruptive. The problem is, though, there have been numerous deaths associated with tasers. They're not really a "safe", "non-lethal" weapon. Most of the time, they won't kill, but they have a much higher potential to kill, or at least, do damage than most of the other means of force available to officers (physical force from 2 or more officers, handcuffs, or heck, even a night stick, as long as you don't whack the guy in the spine).

[JCone]

I have to 100% disagree. There were FIVE deputies. You're telling me it takes FIVE deputies to subdue ONE scrawny geek? Bull, I've seen worse odds in Court and no need for weapons. It is a great example of the pure laziness being exhibited by officers lately.. "oh, he's resisting, well, what's the easiest way to subdue him?" Last time I checked, not the way things work. Or it shouldn't be, anyway.

[Temmehkan]

I wonder if that is true, I'd be interested in seeing a comparison of deaths by TASER versus death by baton. I imagine they are not as different as you would think. Also whilst the risk of death may be slightly greater, lesser injuries would be fewer with TASER because there are minimal lasting effects.

[kosciap]

How dare anyone ask any questions about Skull & Bones or Bohemian Grove. How can our Power Elite like John "Marry Up" Kerry, who btw served in Vietnam if you did not know, rule us with insolent brats like this running around?

1. Kid played right into the hands of the cops. Should have left and made a brewhaha in the media after being kicked out.

2. Not sure how kosher zapping the kid with the Taser was after he was down was. Seems to me that the old nutcracker knuckle or some form of qin na would have gotten compliance without the threat of death that the Taser poses.

What I object to is that the Taser is becoming some form of electric whip against citizens. I think we have problems when the police are allowed to use it as some form of recreational torture. Very disturbing.

[warlordnipple]

based on the video, with the struggle going on in the middle of a bunch of chairs, do you think grappling him would have been less dangerous than taser?

[gpionav]

Sure. Peel off a pinky or give him the nutcracker choke.

[Mse6]

Maybe a little over the top, but not much in my view.

Shouting "Don't Taze me man!" is all well and good, but it might have been more sensible to simply stop struggling. His actions belie his "surrendering" speech.




I didn't realize you regarded resisting arrest as a right.