University of Florida student Tasered at Kerry forum

University of Florida student Andrew Meyer is Tasered and arrested after causing a disturbance at a town hall forum, which featured Senator John Kerry, at the UF Auditorium on Sept. 17, 2007.

See a longer version here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7Qef8oPmag

Read more about the incident from a local source at
http://www.gainesvillesun.com/taser

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Taser
• tasered
• kerry
• UF
• University
• of
• Florida
• student
• college
• arrest
• police
• violence

[FLSHBK1]

@KingThracian Certainly we can. But we can't create disturbances while doing so. Meyer jumped the line, seized the mic, used vulgarities toward the Senator, talked-over Kerry when he tried to answer, refused to leave (twice), returned once, then ranted & raved when they shut his mic off. When police told him to leave he refused. When they physically escorted him out, he resisted them. Shame on UofF for not expelling this idiot. Even his friends agree he was bonkers.

[FLSHBK1]

@killzone158 Yeah? And you would have been subdued, arrested and jailed, just like this idiot was. Before you begin thinking this is a "nazi suppression of citizens' rights to free speech", remember every RIGHT has RESPONSIBILITIES. You can't yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater (unless there is one). Meyer cut the line, aggressively yelled rapid-fire questions at Kerry, using vulgarity, and refused to let the Senator answer. Told to leave he returned, becoming more disruptive. Meyer was WRONG.

[FLSHBK1]

Meyer was a University of Florida television production communications major, studying sensationalism in broadcasting at the time of this incident.

[FLSHBK1]

"Meyer made arrangements to have himself filmed. The incident may have been a stunt. Being escorted down stairs with no cameras in sight, he remained quiet. Once the cameras were present he started screaming and yelling again." Meyer was "laughing and lighthearted in the car off-camera saying "I'm not mad at you guys, you didn't do anything wrong, you were just trying to do your job."

Florida declared cops' actions justified and the cops on paid administrative leave have been fully reinstated.

[FLSHBK1]

"Meyer was arrested for inciting a riot and charged with resisting arrest with violence, and interfering with school administrative functions. Meyer spent one night in Jail and was released. Meyer later issued a public apology for his "failure to act calmly", stating that he "stepped out of line".

[FLSHBK1]

This idiot A-hole was either stoned or he planned this 'demonstration' (or both?). He was simply there to disrupt the meeting and get his 15 minutes of fame and sympathy from an audience (us) who are supposed to believe he was "tased to suppress his 1st Amendment rights". He refused police orders and resisted arrest. He was warned to comply or be tased. He made the choice, the officers simply obliged. If he's reached college age & really doesn't know "what he did", he's beyond hope of maturity.

[KatzInABowl]

@candybell27 What the fuck are you saying? It's hard to understand gibberish.

[LeeChen1991]

"Come and see the violence inherent in the system. Help! Help! I'm being repressed! "

[mamacornettesmoney]

@ipv4 "I think they could of asked him to leave/shut of his mic and then if he refused , threaten to arrest him if he did not cooperate"

But that is exactly what happened. He was only being made to leave at first, and this is the 2nd time that day where he was told to leave, but fought & pretended to be arrested instead. They eventually did arrest him, but were merely making him leave at first. They even allowed him 3 times what others got at the mic despite already being told to leave.