Comments | petercastro: Police State America. Love it or leave it, woohoo!!!!

petercastro

Police State America. Love it or leave it, woohoo!!!!

Sep 18, 2007 17:47

Footage of the University of Florida Police Department using excessive force on a student asking a question of Senator Kerry. The student's name is Andrew Meyers and he was arrested on September 17, 2007 for disturbing a public educational function and resisting arrest. The police did not inform him that he was under arrest and did not mirandize ( Read more... )

Comments 2

halfeatenloaf September 19 2007, 03:58:55 UTC

I would like to be the one to say that this situation was complete BS. Merely a publicity stunt (he was a journalism major) and he was known to be quiet and agreeable when the cameras were not around, only to freak back out once cameras fell back on him. He even had himself recorded by someone. He behaved hysterically and irrationally. He's also been known to do this sort of stunt quite often.

The police were told to remove him by the Accent coordinator (the guy in charge of this speaking engagement). The guy burst into the room abruptly, noisily, and demanding that Kerry answer his questions. He was warned to control himself. After his stint at the mic, he was escorted out of the premises...until he decided to completely resist the cops.

He was warned several times to be still, and the taser was used because he kept wriggling when the cops tried to handcuff him.

Although I don't hate you or anything, I'm a bit sick and tired today of people who don't consider all the surrounding aspects of what happened.

petercastro September 19 2007, 09:11:54 UTC

I disagree. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the incident, film doesn't lie. He asked three questions in a Q&A to Senator Kerry, two of which should have been answered. He hadn't even got out about two sentences when it was demanded that he step away from the mic.

When the mic was cut so he could not speak anymore, the cops grabbed him without informing him of why. If they were just there to escort him out of the building, they should have told him before they physically touched him.

Also, he was never informed that he was under arrest and his rights were not told to him. Both violations of his rights.

The cops overreacted to a person asking questions to Senator Kerry, who was there to only take softball questions. That was the crime committed. How dare someone ask tough questions to a representative of the people!