It sure looked like a steamin' pile of guano(thanks Shell) to me!
Did ya'll see that?
It sure looked like a steamin' pile of guano(thanks Shell) to me!
It sure looked like a steamin' pile of guano(thanks Shell) to me!
Edited
Replies
58
SoWal Insider
His punishment for being a poly-sci major.
SoWal Expert
So far (because we never get all the info right away) my opinion is that the campus police overreacted and played right into his hands - he's supposedly got a history as a troublemaker. Due to his past behavior/antics they were trying to keep him from doing something that would embarrass the school - whoops!
The video clips I saw didn't show the entire thing, just one of him being verbally confrontational and an officer verbally trying to get him from the microphone/yield the floor, then another of him on the ground being tasered (and making sure he called attention to it while a friend videotaped it) after he was removed from the room. Another clip (from his own website) showed him standing on a street corner pre-release of the final Harry Potter book w/ a giant placard reading "Harry dies" and recording people's reactions.
Tasering still seems a bit extreme considering they already had him on the ground (is this standard procedure?) but from what I've seen of him they might have just seen their opportunity to teach a thorn in their side a lesson.
The video clips I saw didn't show the entire thing, just one of him being verbally confrontational and an officer verbally trying to get him from the microphone/yield the floor, then another of him on the ground being tasered (and making sure he called attention to it while a friend videotaped it) after he was removed from the room. Another clip (from his own website) showed him standing on a street corner pre-release of the final Harry Potter book w/ a giant placard reading "Harry dies" and recording people's reactions.
Tasering still seems a bit extreme considering they already had him on the ground (is this standard procedure?) but from what I've seen of him they might have just seen their opportunity to teach a thorn in their side a lesson.
beats on hood
We got this email from Bernie Machen, the President of UF:
To students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends:
I have received a great deal of communication and input last night and this morning regarding the incident that occurred Monday at the conclusion of a town hall forum being held by Sen. John Kerry. The incident resulted in a student being tasered.
We are interested in learning what happened and are taking the following immediate steps to ensure the university utilizes best practice protocols:
University of Florida Police Chief Linda Stump has requested the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conduct a formal investigation into the arrest of UF student Andrew Meyer. An independent review such as this will make sure the results are objective and impartial. Chief Stump’s priority is to ensure that the public remains confident in the department’s ability to keep the campus safe.
Two officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
We plan to assemble a panel of faculty and students to review our police protocols, our management practices and the FDLE report to come up with a series of recommendations for the university.
Administrators and police officials plan to analyze the incident and conduct an internal review and will consider changing protocols in response to this incident, if necessary.
Finally, as is standard procedure, the State Attorney’s Office will review the charges brought against Mr. Meyer. We have communicated with the State Attorney and understand he plans to expedite his review.
I will talk about the incident and answer questions at a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. in Emerson Alumni Hall.
Bernard Machen
To students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends:
I have received a great deal of communication and input last night and this morning regarding the incident that occurred Monday at the conclusion of a town hall forum being held by Sen. John Kerry. The incident resulted in a student being tasered.
We are interested in learning what happened and are taking the following immediate steps to ensure the university utilizes best practice protocols:
University of Florida Police Chief Linda Stump has requested the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conduct a formal investigation into the arrest of UF student Andrew Meyer. An independent review such as this will make sure the results are objective and impartial. Chief Stump’s priority is to ensure that the public remains confident in the department’s ability to keep the campus safe.
Two officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
We plan to assemble a panel of faculty and students to review our police protocols, our management practices and the FDLE report to come up with a series of recommendations for the university.
Administrators and police officials plan to analyze the incident and conduct an internal review and will consider changing protocols in response to this incident, if necessary.
Finally, as is standard procedure, the State Attorney’s Office will review the charges brought against Mr. Meyer. We have communicated with the State Attorney and understand he plans to expedite his review.
I will talk about the incident and answer questions at a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. in Emerson Alumni Hall.
Bernard Machen
Edited
Beach Fanatic
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaiWCS10C5s"]YouTube - UF Police Taser Student During Kerry Forum[/ame]
hmmmm....:scratch:
hmmmm....:scratch:
Beach Fanatic
A smart-ass student goes out of his way to antagonize the police officers and cries foul when he gets tazed.
Shock his durn fool arse again.
Shock his durn fool arse again.
Edited
Beach Fanatic
does anyone remember what a Yippie stood for? 
Meow
I think it is shocking that people went to go hear John Kerry speak!
SoWal Expert
I think it is shocking that people went to go hear John Kerry speak!
Taser Boy probably added a little excitement to that room.:roll:
Meow
Taser Boy probably added a little excitement to that room.:roll:
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...owwwwwwwwww!
Beach FanaticAuthor
smart-a$$?=50,000volts 
At least he thanked the senator for his time and it was an open forum question time, wasn't it? One might expect a college student to question the establishment, no, especially during war time? Maybe he's been affected. I belive he was asking to stand up when she had the taser on him. It looked like anyhow. :roll:Beach Fanatic
I think it is shocking that people went to go hear John Kerry speak!
Agreed. I was going to make a "typical smart ass gator" joke until I realized he was frigging with John Kerry. Go Gators!
Beach Fanatic
A smart-ass student goes out of his way to antagonize the police officers and cries foul when he gets tazed.
Shock his durn fool arse again.
:funn: :rofl: Dumbarss Gatorboy, I recommend a full cavity search!!!!
SoWal Insider
I think it is shocking that people went to go hear John Kerry speak!John Kerry voted for tasering before he voted against tasering.
beats on hood
John Kerry voted for tasering before he voted against tasering.
Meow
John Kerry voted for tasering before he voted against tasering.
..But, remember....Al Gore invented tasering. 
Beach Fanatic
That tasering is causing all this global warming
beats on hood
... and the Internet. That guy is a freakin' genious (JK)! They should just carve his face into Mount McKinley before he gets too big that there's no room for him.He is just too smug.
hmmmm......can't remember
5 policeman. One average-sized, unarmed college kid in handcuffs. ("Call the cops! He's brandishing a paperback book!") Call me a bleeding heart, niave, whatever, but that seems way off to me.
God Bless America, where we Taser our crazy students on YouTube instead of taking them out behind the building and shooting them like the uncivilized countries.
God Bless America, where we Taser our crazy students on YouTube instead of taking them out behind the building and shooting them like the uncivilized countries.
SoWal Expert
He was hogging the question time w/ questions about why Kerry conceded the 2004 election instead of contesting the results, Kerry and Bush being in a secret society together at Yale, impeaching Bush etc. He wasn't questioning current policy, Iraq, or making a political statement, just being an arse, which is why at the point at which they start showing you video footage they had already turned off his microphone.
Beach Lover
As a retired police officer I have to wade in on this. I do not believe that tasers or pepper spray should be equipment carried. We also should not hire weak out of shape people to police us. They resort to force way out of scale to soon and to often. A police officer should be able to diffuse disturbances without violence, and that ability needs to be encouraged. If violence is necessary, then the cop should be able to stand and fight...... thats the job! Can't do it? Don't take the job.
SoWal Insider
As a retired police officer I have to wade in on this. I do not believe that tasers or pepper spray should be equipment carried. We also should not hire weak out of shape people to police us. They resort to force way out of scale to soon and to often. A police officer should be able to diffuse disturbances without violence, and that ability needs to be encouraged. If violence is necessary, then the cop should be able to stand and fight...... thats the job! Can't do it? Don't take the job.
Good points.
And what happened to freedom of speech??
SoWal Insider
Good points.There was no fight. Just a guy needing to be carried away from the room. Universities don't need prison guard types on campus. That would be an open invitation to lawsuits from interacting with obnoxious students. What they need is to take away the tasers from the Barney Fifes, and call Gainesville police if they need 20 officers to rescue the treed kitty.
And what happened to freedom of speech??
SoWal Expert
As a retired police officer I have to wade in on this. I do not believe that tasers or pepper spray should be equipment carried. We also should not hire weak out of shape people to police us. They resort to force way out of scale to soon and to often. A police officer should be able to diffuse disturbances without violence, and that ability needs to be encouraged. If violence is necessary, then the cop should be able to stand and fight...... thats the job! Can't do it? Don't take the job.
I am most definitely for high fitness standards for the police! My mother was convinced an old lady with a walker could escape one of our hometown cops because he was so out of shape.
Did they have tasers because they were campus police and didn't have guns (not advocating gun use, just wondered what their equipment is)? Or because tasers etc is the current standard for subduing someone?
I think the issue is that they tasered someone, not that anyone's free speech right was being violated.
SoWal Expert
There was no fight. Just a guy needing to be carried away from the room. Universities don't need prison guard types on campus. That would be an open invitation to lawsuits from interacting with obnoxious students. What they need is to take away the tasers from the Barney Fifes, and call Gainesville police if they need 20 officers to rescue the treed kitty.
You would be amazed at the law enforcement needs of a college campus these days - it's not all directing traffic on football weekends. My campus was policed by a real police department, not rent-a-cops. Does UF have rent-a-cops or real cops?
SoWal Insider
Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary....You would need a forklift to remove him from a room.
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