Talking about the Skull and Bones will get you tasered.

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applesanity

New member
Florida campus cops on leave after Taser incident

Student heckler goes off on a diatribe during a John Kerry Q&A at U. Florida . Talks about Skull and Bones. And some other stuff. Gets dragged out by 5-0. Won't go quietly, but (watch the video) it's not like he's fighting back. Just being an annoying %&#@. Then gets tasered. He then screams like a baby.

So, which is it? 1) Free speech issues, 2) taser-happy cops, 3) bad behavior dealt appropriately, or a 4) botched conspiracy orchestrated by the Skulls ampersand Bones?

My money is on 4). Them crazy Skulls.

250px-Bones_logo.jpg
 
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divemedic

New member
1 He was interfering with someone else's speech.
2 He was asked to leave.
3 He was given a lawful order to leave by a police officer.
4 He refused.
5 He would not comply with the officer's attempts to remove him.
5 Appropriate force was used.

He was not tazed because of what he said, he was tazed for refusing to leave when instructed to do so. It wasn't his right to take over Sen Kerry's meeting.

Contrary to popular belief, refusing to comply is still resisting arrest.
 
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STAGE 2

New member
Refusing to comply may be resisting arrest, however he was non violent and thus the tasing was wholly unnecessary. There where some 4-5 officers there. As such they could have easily escorted him out, in cuffs if need be. There was no justification here for a tasing. Especially considering he was on the ground being subdued when they did actually tase him. Me sees a large lawsuit coming.
 
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Slugthrower

New member
He asked the wrong questions, his time was up, and it was tazer time. :rolleyes:

That's what you get when you mess with the Heinz Foundation.:D
 
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JuanCarlos

New member
however he was non violent and thus the tasing was wholly unnecessary.
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Have you seen the entire video? He was actually pretty physically resistive during the time that was cut out of the linked one. Having seen it from a few different angles, I'd say that this instance was far less abusive than, say, the one at UCLA a year or so ago.

Interestingly, at least from what I saw, Kerry had little problem letting the kid do his thing and was willing to answer whatever ludicrous questions he asked. I'm not entirely sure the police (who, IIRC, were acting on orders from a school official) should have dragged him off when they did...it looked like he was about wound down.

Also, if it's taking five or six officers to keep him on the ground, he's probably still actively resisting and the use of the Taser isn't necessarily inappropriate. Especially since it looked they they only used it once.

If you're looking for Taser abuse, or just general abuse by police, this video is not the Holy Grail. It's like a 5 out of 10 on my ***-O-Meter(TM).
 
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BerettaCougar

New member
5 out of 10?

It's at most a 2 on mine....
Once he was asked to leave, he was no longer supposed to be there, he refused to leave in peace, this has nothing to do with freedom of speech, it has all to do with knowing when to stfu.
 
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JuanCarlos

New member
Most of that 5 involves them removing him in the first place, not the actual Taser use. The Taser part probably comes in at like a 1.5 at most.

Especially if you've seen the entire video. He may not have taken a swing at any officers, but IIRC he actually pushed a couple and was generally physically resisting like a mo-fo.

Also, in fairness my meter is a bit sensitive. ;)
 
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divemedic

New member
You wanna know why Tazers get used? Two words- Rodney King.

If a person refuses to comply with police, they have to force compliance. What are they supposed to do? Ask pretty please? Beat him with an Asp Baton?

776.05 Law enforcement officers; use of force in making an arrest.--A law enforcement officer, or any person whom the officer has summoned or directed to assist him or her, need not retreat or desist from efforts to make a lawful arrest because of resistance or threatened resistance to the arrest.

776.051 Use of force in resisting or making an arrest; prohibition.--

(1) A person is not justified in the use of force to resist an arrest by a law enforcement officer who is known, or reasonably appears, to be a law enforcement officer.
 
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divemedic

New member
Because he wasn't asking a question, he was making a speech. He was disrupting the rights of others, and he was creating a breach of the peace. He's a typical activist: loud, obnoxious, and completely unconcerned with the requirements of civil debate. He wasn't asking Kerry a question so much as LECTURING him. Then, when asked to leave, he starts behaving like a baby, and even actively resisted an officer's lawful attempt at escorting him from the venue.
 
S

STAGE 2

New member
Lets be real here. While there was no question that this guy was trying to instigate something with the good senator from Mass, he was on the ground and cuffed when they tased him. Thats a no no in my book.

We arent talking about some potentially violent felon or someone who has comitted a crime. We are talking about someone who was being an ass during Q and A. If they had enough officers to bring him down and cuff him, with two standing there to watch him being cuffed, then they had ample resources to simply remove him.

Does he deserve to be forcibly removed, sure. Tased, no way. Not by a long shot.
 
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galavanter

New member
The answer is one, two, and four. The kid was a dork, but the campus "cops" went too far. That kind of nonsense is not what America is about.
 
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Hkmp5sd

New member
He was on the ground, cuffed and still fighting. He was tazed because he would not comply. His fault.

How much uproar would there be if he was in the hospital with dislocated shoulders because the officers continued to fight and didn't taze him? All the guy had to do is walk out the door.


Read the rest of the story...the guy was only fighting when cameras were around and says the cops only did their job.


Police report student told them: 'You didn't do anything wrong'

 
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DonR101395

New member
I'll take door number 3. It was a no win for the cops. Doing nothing wasn't an option, if they dog piled the knucklehead they would be accused of being JBTs, if they tazed him they would be accused of being tazer happy thugs, shooting him wasn't an option.
The kid actively resisted and payed for his lack of judgment. Too bad Kerry wasn't the one showing his hiney.
 
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BillCA

New member
According to sources I've read, an official with the school and running the program under which Kerry was presented, told the officers to remove him. The kid's name is Meyer. According to two reports, he pushed to front of the line and essentially took over the microphone. The program director cut off his microphone but the kid didn't want to leave, so officers were directed to remove him.

When he's being escorted out, he breaks away from officers several times, pushes back against them with his body (refusing to go with them). At one point near the door you hear his threat of "stay away from me, man!" At that point it appears he ends up on the floor near some seats and officers attempt to handcuff him by putting him on the floor.

Lets be real here. While there was no question that this guy was trying to instigate something with the good senator from Mass, he was on the ground and cuffed when they tased him. Thats a no no in my book.
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Not true. Most of the videos are less than perfect, but you can distinctly hear commands being given for him to put his hands behind his back. Repeatedly. And he was squirming around and actively resisting. Officers were trying to handcuff him and he refused to put one of his hands behind his back.

According to police reports, once outside he calmed down until he saw cameras, at which point he started acting up again, saying that "they're turning me over to the government!" and "Tell people to look for me. I think they're going to kill me!" This is confirmed on other videos.

From what I've seen and read, this pinhead is another one of the types who believe "Bush stole the election" in 2000 & 2004 and wanted to make his point. I think the cops showed reasonable restraint in trying to get him out with a minimal fuss and a single taser jolt to a tall, athletic 20-something (over 6') who is resisting is not JBT activity in my book.
 
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Thunderhawk88

Moderator
While there was no question that this guy was trying to instigate something with the good senator from Mass, he was on the ground and cuffed when they tased him.
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But I bet he now has a few new dance steps!
 
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