why were the police officers allowed to use a taser against this student?

Question

he was only asking a question and the cops came and arrested him, he shouldn't have resisted arrest but...

isn't this a free country? he gets arrested for asking a question?? is this what the american government is coming too, they are going to stop us from asking questions.......??

is an fbi agent going to walk through my door right now and taser me for asking this question?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/18/student.tasered/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

there is a video of the student being tasered, i think this is wrong...


personally, if a cop ever tasered me.....well....they would have a lot worse things coming to them once i got out of jail...

Answer 1

He wasn't tasered for asking a question. He was tasered for resisting arrest.

The situation unfolded as such:

Kerry was speaking to Florida University students on a number of topics, none of which included the 2004 elections. Students were allowed to ask questions after the main speech was finished but were restricted on time and instructed to ask a question and sit for the response so others could ask questions.

The student in question, the part you don't see, never asked a question, rather he started on a rant about the 2004 elections and kept going and going. The camera only came on once officers were told by event staff that they would like the student removed as he was being disruptive.

The student was given a number of chances to remove himself from the situation and sit down. When he failed to comply with the orders of the officers to sit down he was committing disorderly conduct.

When the officers attempted to remove the student he became combative and resisted arrest, at that point the officers had both the right and the authorization to taser him.

If you watch the entire video I'm sure you can tell that the student has mental health issues as he believes that he is going to be hauled away and murdered.

Answer 2

At first glance it looks like the officers acted wrongly. I notice that there's some information missing in what we saw, however. It seems the young man at the microphone was getting long-winded - perhaps the person off camera was asking him to get to the point or let someone else have a turn. I couldn't hear what was asked. The young man showed an immediate violent reaction, yelling at the person off-camera. That seemed inappropriate on his part. We also don't know what happened next, because the video cuts out. Perhaps he tried to deck the person who was talking to him? The next scene shows the police restraining him, and him violently resisting. Perhaps they had reason? We don't know. Then there's some more missing from the video, and we can only see the security people and hear the young man shouting in a highly emotional and hostile manner. Was the use of a taser justified? Probably not - it's supposed to be used to subdue a suspect from a distance when it's dangerous to approach him directly. It looks like he was already on the ground and surrounded, but I can't say for sure. The young man is not even visible until after the taser discharge. That's why they're having an independent investigation.

Answer 3

I think you are incorrect on your basic premise, the student was not tasered for asking the question. From what I can gather in regards to the video, he was acting quite obnoxious (causing a public disturbance or something is the offical term), and therefore the campus guards attempted to escort him out of the building. He physically resisted the officers attempts, and I believe that is the reason for which he was tasered. And no, an FBI agent will not walk through your door right now and taser you for asking the question (as far as I know).

Answer 4

You have to ask yourself some questions. Was he doing anything wrong. Was he just exercising his 1st ammendment rights? Was he asked to leave? Were the police justified in their actions by removing him from the podium? This is the big question, becuse if they were not justified, everything that happens afterwards is the result of an illegal arrest. Contrary to popular belief, you do have the right to defend yourself against an illegal arrest (at least in Texas). This law keeps the police in check.
I agree there are too many "breaks" in the film to know what really happened so to comment on this video would be unjustified until the full video of his words and actions are viewed.

Answer 5

Well, the guy kinda lost his cool, and became obnoxious, and then would not leave. He had asked a question, but then refused to stop when asked. Then he started yelling and flailing away. He was making a scene, and the security guards decided to remove him. Unfortunately, he refused to comply, so I believe he contributed greatly to this situation.

A taser is commonly used to regain control of subjects who are not cooperating.

I would have probably just continued to drag him out, but I wasn't there, and don't know how difficult it would be.

It is unfortunate that he got tasered, but he kinda brought it on himself by acting like an idiot when he was asked to stop.

Answer 6

He wasn't tasered for asking a question, he was tasered for resisting arrest. Either you are too simple to see the difference or are a troll, which is it?

As for your last statement...I hear threats like that every day of my life. The difference being that least the scum who say it to me aren't hiding behind a keyboard. And if any of them want to follow up on their threats, they can go ahead and try it....thats why I carry off-duty and my state has the death penalty.

Answer 7

Even if the student had been creating a disturbance, the police had no need to use a taser on the student. The police had the student on the ground and under control. The student did not present any real harm to anyone. The police did indeed abuse their power.

Answer 8

In this country, you have a lot of freedoms, you are free to be stupid, you are free to say ridiculous things, you are free to work, you are free to not work, you can do just about anything you want in the right place. You cannot exercise your freedom of speech standing in the middle of the expressway, even though it is public property. You cannot exercise your freedom of speech in a park unless you have permission to do that. When your permission to be there expires and you do not leave, and resist arrest, then you get zapped. Not for exercising your freedom of speech or any other constitutionally guaranteed civil rights, but for your freedom to be stupid.

Answer 9

I was very disturbed by the actions of the police. Whatever this person did, he could have been handled without the violence and "tazering".

Please understand that I am no bleeding heart. I played duck and run with the Blackhorse along the Cambodian border in 1969. I understand very well that violence is sometimes necessary. I also have a son who is a vet of the Iraq war and a police officer. I would be very disappointed in my son if he were not able to have handled that adolescent boy with a lower level of violence and definitely without "tazering" him.

I wrote the Gainesville Police Department and recommended that their Professional Ethics Department review the actions of these officers because I felt they used excessive violence in this situation.

Answer 10

I doubt quite highly that we have the whole story here. Let's not forget that the last time security was lax around a politician, he got his head blown off.

No, an FBI agent won't be coming through your door for asking a question, but, for the threat that you expressed....maybe, and rightly so.