The next couple of days in the media are going to be dominated by the story of the University of Florida student who was tazered at a Q and A with Senator John Kerry.

I am a strong freedom of speech advocate.

I am strongly opposed to the escalating powers of the "Police State".

THIS guy, though, was just a complete fucktard.

I highly suggest you watch one of the many YouTube videos of the incident:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CheY0jYXJjY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE&NR=1

For me, this was enough to determine:

1) He was trying to cause a scene.
2) He was asked to leave and did not. When police tried to escort him away, he broke away and rushed towards the senator.
3) Police took hold of him and herded him towards the exit.
4) He continued to struggle and started to break away again.
5) Police brought him to the ground and tried to restrain him and handcuff him.
6) He continued to struggle and turned on to his back, flailing around and preventing the police from cuffing him.

At this point the police have to options:
a) Employ greater physical force to restrain him, using pressure points, joint locks, and other strong-arm techniques.
b) Use a low-powered tazer strike to stun him for a few seconds.

Using raw physical force - even with 4-6 officers trying to restrain - is extremely risky to the officers and the person being restrained. It takes very little pressure in the wrong place for a wrist to snap while cuffs are being applied, and it's impossible to tell if someone has a small knife or even a needle hidden on their body to use as a weapon ---- or if they'll decide to grab an officer's gun.

As for the tazer, you can tell it was low-powered because the guy continued to shout through it, instead of being outright knocked senseless for a minute or two.

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If the videos are not enough to convince you that the police acted in a fairly reasonable manner, read one of the eyewitness accounts of the event:

"I was at the Kerry speech today, sitting 2 rows away from all the action. I'll let you know how it really went down.

The forum was going to be over at 2 pm, and Kerry spoke for so long that the Q and A portion had to be shortened. He only got through about 7 of the 50 people who were waiting to ask questions. While the final question was being read, some douchebag ran down the aisle, grabbed the mic from the other side of the room, interrupted the kid who was talking, and started yelling at Kerry, demanding that his questions be heard. He started ranting about how Kerry talks in circles or something, and everyone was getting annoyed. The cops are all over him in no time and try to escort him out, but he starts yelling and resisting. Kerry insists that they let him stay and even agrees to answer his question.

After the interrupted guy's question was answered, Kerry keeps his promise and lets the angry guy talk. This is the point where people started taking their cameras and phones out. All the videos floating around youtube start around here. You can see in the videos that his questioning gets kind of inappropriate, so somebody cut his mic. Instead of shutting up, he starts yelling and making an even bigger scene."

Continued here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/18/10649/5334


As seen on slashdot.org:

1. He wasn't asking questions. He was making rhetorical statements. He was preaching. He was robbing other people of the chance to actually ask Kerry questions. What is the punishment for that? Simple, they take the mic away from you and give it to someone with something constructive to say. No taser involved.

2. When security (and others) politely asked him to yield the mic, he acted impolitely and continued to monopolize the event. What is the punishment for that? Simple, they escort him away from the venue. Still no taser involved. But look who made the choice to go from 1 to 2 - it's him. OK, he made his stupid little rhetorical statements. If he had just sat his privileged little ass down, that would be the end of it. But no, **he choose** to escalate from 1 to 2.

3. When security took him by the arm and gently began to escort him from the venue, he began pitching an absolute hissy fit. ok, now we're into interesting territory. You are not allowed to shout fire in a crowded theater, because that insights panic. And you are not allowed be hysterical in an auditorium for the same reason. He was shouting and waving his arms and running around the auditorium. That is completely out of line. He does not have the right to do that. What is the punishment? Simple, the police are going to restrain him for everyone's safety and forcibly remove him. Still no taser involved. And once again, it was his choice to go to step 3. When the police put their hands on him, he could have walked out of the venue and that would be the end of it. But no, he choose to escalate to 3.

4. The police get him to the back of the auditorium and the whole thing is about 10 seconds from being over and then einstein breaks free from the police and tries to run back down the isle. I'm sorry, but at that point, the consequences of all of his actions have reached the level where a taser is appropriate. The police had a duty to subdue and restrain this asshat and get him outside.