Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Andrew Meyer, Florida Student, "tased" - necessary or excessive force? By Michael E. Chionopoulos
The main video, and some alternative videos of Andrew Meyer being tased at the University of Florida can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJbh2MlNHug&mode=related&search There was an in depth discussion of the issues involved here on this page. Moreover, you were asked to vote. 87% of those that voted stated that the University Police used "necessary", as opposed to excessive, force! While it is true that immediately following the incident some media sensationalists made ludicrious statements comparing the University Police actions to the human rights violation of Sadaam Hussain's reighn of terror, once people had the "facts" (and not media, objective-driven, spin) 87% determined for themselves that the force used was reasonable and necessary.
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6 comments:
Andrew Meyers should have obeyed the rules. Not that he got "what he deserved", but officers did not have any choice but to bring him under control for the safety of all involved. It is unfortunate that officers are often "blamed" for doing their job. If they had not brougth him under control people would have blamed the officers for failing to protect the crowd.
Interesting and not uncommon that this incident caused such a stir in the public eye. After watching numerous videos, I find that law enforcement acted very appropriately. From the onset of Andrew Myers' resistance to cooperate, the first comment that he made was, "Excuse me, what are you arresting me for?" Unfortunately, it is inaudible if "you are under arrest" was the first comment that came from the law officers. Within seconds, his next overly dramatic screech was "Is anybody watching this?" Did he not realize he was at an open forum with plenty of spectators? With that comment in mind, I immediately got the feeling that this was premeditated to see how far his actions could be taken. HE WAS CLEARLY SEEKING ATTENTION, which he got, and didn't have enough pre-rehearsed lines to deal with what consequences his actions were receiving. In my opinion, this was probably a dare; and I wouldn't be suprised if the college student is joking with his buddies, over a beer, marking it in the record books 'first guy to get tasered.'
It appears Mr. Meyers was afforded his freedom of speech and that he succeeded in drawing attention to his concerns over the election. Freedom of speech, however, is not freedom to cause mayhem. His resistance seemed intentional and his cries staged. In any event he did not heed repeated requests and warnings by police. While it is true everyone seems paranoid these days about the impact of a single person's actions, one cannot say it's without cause. Unless being tasered is determined to be excessive force in and of itself, it does not appear any force was excessive.
It is clear that freedom of speech gives any individual the right to voice their own opinions, however the proper procedures for the microphone debate he undoubtably violated. The individual was infact given his alotted time to present his opinions to the the speaker. When he refused to abide by the rules and regulations numerous times in the room he subjected himself to face the necessary consequences. If the individual complied to any of the consequences prior to being tased the force would have never been implemented. He also pleaded for tasing to not be used as a necessary force. By Andrew acknowledging tasing to be an option for his consequence shows that he was fully coherent and aware that the proper procedures were followed and his actions were unjust.
It appears the college student pre-planned his agenda to create a disturbance well before entering the forum and had no intent to engage in any meaningful debate regarding the subject with Mr. Kerry. The student wanted confrontation with the police and was obviously not going to comply with any of their demands, in spite of the police's repeated instructions that he do so. The college student achieved his goal and began a national debate. Unfortunately, the officers, who were merely attempting to control him, are now being scrutinized for their actions and unfairly criticized.
Andrew Meyers reads book, hilarity insues...
Now, I'm not going to bullshit you, I haven't read the book Mr. Meyers was referring to, and yes, I know what they say about people who assume. But it sounds to me like it is one of those "one sided, Michael Moore style, investigative journalism" reads. Correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't had the chance to check it out.
Now, if someone’s going to be quick to point a finger here, they better have two hands ready. There were multiple mistakes here, made by multiple parties, and in some cases a lack of information to make a sound determination of proper judgment. Let’s identify these in chronological order.
First of all, if you’re going to act arrogant, you better have the ability to maintain an alpha position of those around you, or someone’s going to let you know your place. I believe he could have asked the same question, like an adult, and no one would have intervened. When interrupted, he should have simply looked at Mr. Kerry and calmly asked to continue, instead of saying "I will ask my question." How could you say no to that?
Secondly, and here's where I believe we need more information, was it appropriate to interrupt his line of questions? Were there pre-established rules governing length and numbers of questions? Also, what was the initial reason for the arrest? At the time he was first apprehended, what had he done other than asking questions?
Now, do to their dangerous position, you have to grant police officers a certain amount respect when dealing with them. Police officers are humans, some good, some can be bad, and some can make honest mistakes. We have emplaced certain measures in our legal system to counter balance this inevitable complication.
Now, I have been in a similar situation as Mr. Meyers, were I felt I was being wrongly persecuted by the legal system. However, I handled it as diplomatically as possible, and this was possibly my saving grace, along with the support of those who believed in doing right in our system (they're out there).
If you are wrongly taken into custody, by force, you will have a chance to explain yourself. That time is not while you are being apprehended. Come on, we've all seen cops, how many times during a struggle have you seen them stop and say "You know what? I think this guy just might be right."
The point is, once they start to arrest you, you can remain innocent. That is until you resist arrest. After that, what initiated the arrest no longer matters until legal proceedings start. Resisting is resisting and that is a separate offense.
As far as the tasing goes, you can hear him yell an audible "Get the Fuck off Me!" prior to getting tased. In one view, you can see the arresting officers trying to get his hands into position to apply hand cuffs, and he was definitely not being compliant. Now, I’m not a cop, but, I would of tased his ass.
Long story short, common sense, street smarts, and the ability to properly interact with your fellow human beings can not be found in any book. You must think rationally, present yourself like an adult, or be a cool enough mother fucker people leave you alone when they disagree with your behavior.
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