More responses to the UF police brutality
From Barbara O’Brien, the initial response was, like mine, rather lukewarm initially. Kyle Moore was also tepid.
Kerry’s online communications director explained what the Senator witnessed. So perhaps Kerry was not remiss in not intervening inn the police brutality. But then his OCD added his own thoughts, which I vehemently disagreed with.
I think Becky at Preemptive Karma, Will Bunch, Melissa McEwan and Jon Swift really covered it best, from the outset. So did Pam Spaulding who also reported a Tasering of a NYPD veteran’s son.
And I hope every student org in the country votes to censure the police for stealing the man’s rights and adding brutality.
And giving credit where it’s due, righty Neptunus Lex correctly condemned it for what it was: creeping tyranny.
By early afternoon, Steve Benen weighed in denouncing the police violence. Nick Antosca at Huffington Post and Brad Friedman were way more outraged, but I think Jon Robin Baitz’s words are standouts that everyone should read.
September 18th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
While I admit that tasering was ‘over the line’, it was not WAY ‘over the line’.
I have watched that video several times now and one thing I can’t get past; As the student steps back from the officers he keeps ’swiping’ his arms to remove the officers grip(s), sometimes even against officers bodies and faces. I don’t know where you come from but in San Diego you do that you are asking for it. It’s called assault.
Put it this way, when you give your children ‘life lessons’ on how to deal with police is this one of the methods you tell them to use to deal with them?
Some of your links attempt to make a connection between the present ‘mood’ in the country towards dissent and how to then expect such police reactions. I was born in the early fifties and I can think of NO time where such actions would not get SOME violent response from the police. I would think a taser is the least you could expect these days, and a life threatening neck restraint or billy club upside the head in the past.
He was lucky. Some other place/time they would have shot him.
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September 19th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I wouldn’t be so quick to condemn the police. Meyer was a real jackass and didn’t give them much choice. Worse, he’s got a history. The whole thing may very well have been a stunt designed to do exactly what it did. Look at the deliberate slaps at police trying to restrain him - Warren’s right, that’s assault - and who in their right mind would do that over being pulled away from a microphone?
The whole thing smells like yesterday’s flounder left out in the sun.
September 19th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
The Police don’t have the right to abuse their power. Assault? Hell, the kid was just trying to defend himself from Gestapo-style brutal force and censoring. Total F%cking bullsh*t. You folks don’t have a clue about history or the laws in our country. The Constitution gives people certain rights and protections (which are being trashed everyday in the name of security). and mainly puts limitations on govt. I would not expect this kind of brutality except in a totalitarian country (which the USA pretty much is becoming FAST) like Stalinist Russia or Nazi Germany. And the reaction of the lame-ass Kerry supporters shows the kind of F%cks they really are. Kerry is a pussy and a lame ass and he really showed it during this event.
So why don’t you go and join the neo nazis Warren. I’m sure they will love you wanting to crack kids’ skulls for exercising free speach. Put the kid in a coma for the rest of his life for asking a couple of questions. People like you are the f*cking problem in this count