Tasered in Gainesville: A Free Speech Issue or a Personal Conduct Problem?

TV newscasts yesterday and today have been filled with video of University of Florida journalism student Andrew Meyer getting wrestled to the ground and tasered after asking questions during an appearance by former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. See the AP story here.

Meyer's Web site is filled with links to the video and an exhortation to join a protest at noon today on the UF campus. But after watching the video, I'm wondering why folks are rallying to protect a guy who refused to obey the format of the Q&A session and then physically resisted police when they tried to escort him from the building?

The motto of this encounter, if you ask me, is you better do what the cops say if four of them are sitting on top of you with a taser (the motto for the cops is, don't taser a guy in front of dozens of people if you already have him subdued).

UPDATE: After seeing how fast this video has spread across the news media, I have a new motto for Meyer -- don't be afraid to get tasered if it can turn you into a national media figure. Like the weirdos who dress in costume for an American Idol audition, Meyer and his antics have earned attention on all the local newscasts here, CNN, the Today show and AOL's homepage, just to name a few outlets now featuring his video. I'm now thinking University of Florida police played into his hands and Meyer is the greatest diabolical genius since Dr. Evil.

It reminds me of the androgenous, oddball Britney fan "Chris Crocker" whose rant about Britney's performance at MTV's awards on youTube got so many hits he landed on newscasts and Jimmy Kimmel Live. We're seeing a new type of celebrity emerge before our eyes -- fed by TV and blogs' hunger for compelling video footage --and the only real question left may be how far some people are willing to go in tappnig this attention.

What do you guys think? Fair protest or unruly disruptor?

Comments

[tony begg]

this incident demonstrates kerry's impotence in the face of oppression, whether from the lawless bush administration or a bunch of untrained security cops who feel entitled to use violence against anyone concerned about our loss of civil liberties and human rights.

[Tim A]

Freedom of speech will soon be a thing of the past in this country. Neo-conservativism is a prelude to full blown facism. Both Democrats and Republicans have bought into New World Order politics. Sure, this kid that got tasered was a little dramatic, but damn Kerry for not letting the kid ask the questions and damn him for letting that fiasco ever getting that far. I'm sure the police was instructed by higher authority "to go get him."

The fact is John Kerry and both George Bush's are members of a secret society (Skull and Bones) who have the same logo as the Nazi SS(a skull and cross bones) with a number 322 nested beneath it. People should have done their home-work before ever electing phonie Christian creep Bush.

Wake up America!

[Senor T]

Go Gators. Believe me, LSU fans make this guy look like a Saint.

[Kristen]

Regardless of whether or not there was a "format", there is freedom of speech. When you're asked to leave because your question doesn't conform to others standards, then that freedom of speech is being violated. The too big for their britches "cops" with their tasers need to be fired, not put on "paid leave". Ridiculous.
Wow. It must be GREAT to be a Florida Gator...ha.

[lew]

They are cops! don't need a reason to use force! Thank GOD we live in the good ole USA!!

[Yeah]

This is pretty sad, Doesn't matter if he was rude in in questions. He did nothing wrong. The police have no right to man handle someone simply asking a question. Give me a freaking break. Stupid POLICE. I love how democrats can act a fool where they want and bash Bush or who ever, but once a democrat gets a HARD QUESTIOn he arrests someone.

BRILLIANT~

[Excelsior]

Seems like everyone needs a lesson in Free Speech. Here it is: Amendment 1 -
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
How is this a First Amendment/freedom of speech issue? The Federal government is nowhere involved in this issue. This was a private forum with a defined agenda. Reportedly he had been warned not to ask his questions. He chose to do so and he was excorted from the premises (speaks to his position as a known agitator).
He then chose to escalate the situation (bad decision) with his yelling and resisting and the police tasered him (exceptionally bad decision).
Unfortunately the police are paralysed by fear of Rodney King and the like videos and rather than in the old days (contrary to popular opinion espoused here much worse than today) when he would have gotten a knee to the groin or a black jack to the upper arm, he was tasered and led away with minimal harm done. Still a poor choice by the police who could have led him outside and arrested him since they were able to get him on the ground.

[James]

Spare me, this guy wanted to come across as some radical freedom fighter making a difference. He came across like some nutjob conspiracy theorist. He went in there with the intention of shaking things up and making a scene and putting on a show.

When you ignore the cops, and then physically resist them when they're trying to restrain you, then don't be surprised when you receive harsh treatment.

[Pink]

My mistake earlier for not noticing this was a blog. I got to this article this morning by a direct link under the "Headlines" section on the newspaper's home page. That's another Boo to the St. Pete Times.

After watching another video of the incident I am flummoxed as to why the kid was arrested in the first place. What exactly was the format of the Q&A? The kid was asked to stop speaking 31 seconds into his questions. He was arrested at he concluded his three questions, 90 seconds after he got to the microphone. And Senator Kerry was willing to respond to Meyer's questions.

And this is not "some other person's forum." The kid is a student at that university. The forum, the university, even the kid's subsidized education, - all paid for by me, the taxpayer. Now the taxpayers will also pay for the undoubtedly huge legal bureaucracy resulting from this incident, so Boo to all the people involved in the overreaction to some kooky college student.

And yes, free speech laws should give a student the right to ask questions of a public servant during a question and answer session at a function sponsored by the university which the student attends. So Boo to Mr. Deegans for taking such a narrow view of the freedom of speech. The kid wasn't shouting "Fire" in that auditorium after all.

[Patrick]

Jeez. This guy isn't Rosa Parks. Yes the police acted pretty brutally but that's the chance you take these days when you don't do exactly what they say, when they say it. I don't agree with their actions but that's the world we live in. Also, freedom of speech does allow you to say what you want. What it does not do is give you complete immunity from your actions. He had his chance to ask tough questions, Kerry had his chance to answer them (and didn't), and that's that.

Everybody needs to just calm down and take the reactions of all involved as indicators of their character.

[Fred]

So is he updating his website from jail?
And, yes, fighting "the man" does make you more of a man or woman or mixed gender (like that Britney Spears guy) or whatever you want to call standing up for what you believe in.
Saying, "He got what he deserved" doesn't say much, does it?

When and where? Read the article again and go to his page. Maybe go to the rally for this "injustice". If you can't figure it out there, give up.

If being an arrogant little twit who just happens to be tasered makes him more of a man, well, that doesn't say much does it?

Eric:
Who cares if he is a "known provocateur"? The police have certain obligations related to the use of force, especially at a political forum. His history is irrelevant, from a legal standpoint, to their conduct. The only argument you could make along those lines is if he had a known history of violent conduct -- while giving way the ending to Harry Potter might incite a riot in some circles, that hardly qualifies.

What they did was wrong, and they should all have been immediately suspended pending the conclusion of an investigation.

[Fred]

I'm going to stop calling Andrew Meyer a "kid". He's more of a man than you or I.

[Fred]

When and where did he claim to be a martyr for free speech?
The kid is in jail right now.

No, the kid likely thought "If I try to ask one too many questions, he'll either avoid them or the audience will get so tired of me I will eventually be removed from the audience. At minimum, I have something to blog about on my personal website, maybe even enough to write in the Independent Alligator."

One overzealous taser later and the kid is ready to proclaim himself a martyr for free speech.

[Fred]

Do you really think the kid thought, "How can I get national attention? I know, if I ask John Kerry one too many questions, hopefully 6 cops will hold me down and taser me. I'll put video of the tasering on my website and then, when people get tired of the androgynous Britney Spears guy on youtube, they'll watch my video. Then I'll be a national sensation!!!!!!"???

This is a blog, not an editorial. He's entitled to whatever opinion he desires.

This kid cares more about airtime and getting his 15 minutes - he couldn't give a damn about free speech and this stunt was likely planned well in advance. Dance to his tune at your own risk.

To Jim and Pasadena Hag - worry about your own Would-Be Emperor With No Clothes and quit trying to make this a political issue. I know times are hard for you and your lot, but feel free not to try so hard sometimes.

Besides, Kerry was more than willing to keep going until this annoying little prat wanted to make a spectacle of himself.

And if you think Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the like have never had protesters (or any citizen asking a tough question for that matter) forcibly removed, you're more naive than I thought.

Mr. Deggans:
Your editor needs to yank you off this beat posthaste and ship you to the Poynter institute for some intensive training in the value of the First Amendment. Your comments are almost as horrifying as the actions of those officers.

For a journalist at a respected paper to say "I'm wondering why folks are rallying to protect a guy who refused to obey the format of the Q&A session and then physically resisted police when they tried to escort him from the building?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Your credentials as a member of the 4th Estate should be revoked.

Do you honestly believe that refusing to follow the format of the debate merited multiple police officers taking physical action in the first place? Particularly since the speaker was saying "No, I'll answer the question." And comparing a college student asking questions about whether the President should be impeached to American Idol fans suggests that you are either too young and inexperience to have this job, or that you ought to be moved permanently to the pop culture beat and no longer allowed to report real news. It is an understatement to say that your powers of reasoning and discernment are flawed, or underdeveloped at best.

Contrary to your unbelievably inappropriate editorial opinions (which I can't imagine the ed board of the SP Times would agree with) I hope this young man files a lawsuit against he GPD and gets a huge settlement. Might make them think twice next time.

[Fred]

Toby, not to speak for Jeff, (I would never speak for Jeff) but I think he's saying that this country was built by true patriots who questioned authority.
Not by guys who shout "GOD BLESS AMERICA" over and over till it loses it's meaning.

[Fred]

Toby, not to speak for Jeff, (I would never speak for Jeff) but I think he's saying that this country was built by true patriots who questioned authority.
Not by guys who shout "GOD BLESS AMERICA" over and over till it loses it's meaning.

[toby]

Jeff what are you trying to say? Are you retarded?

[Fred]

To bad no one at the SP Times had the guts to ask our political leaders those kind of questions.

[Jeff]

Ah! Free Speech. Seems everyone forgets this country was built on free speech. Remember the Boston Tea Party? NO? Well, the gestapo over reacted as usual. All I ever hear is republican crybabies. Take ur bats and balls and move to Iraq you like it so much

[John K]

What a complete jerk.

[Fred]

How dare those black teenagers try and eat at a diner when the law says they can't. They deserved to have the police dogs attack them.
Of course, they probably wanted to get attacked so they could be see themselves on Walter Cronkite.

[Eric Deggans]

Well, first off, the St. Petersburg Times isn't saying anything. I'm saying it.

Secondly, I didn't say he should be arrested for not following the format of a Q&A. He should be arrested for resisting police when they followed the wishes of the format presenters and asked him to leave the microphone.

I know it's not particularly cool to note this, but free speech laws do not guarantee you the right to grab a microphone at a forum arranged by someone else and say whatever you want for however long you want. And if police ask you to let go of the mike and leave, if you don't follow their request without getting agitated, you're going to get arrested.

Which, frankly, I think is exactly what Meyer wanted.

[Jim]

The guy had plenty of opportunity to cooperate and he chose to fight the cops, always a bad choice. He got was he should get. Just another Gator baby.

[Pink]

Boo. This stinks. The cops told the kid that he was being arrested for "inciting a riot," but he appears to be a riot of one. What was his crime, really? Is it against the law to be a conspiracy theorist nerd? I don't agree with what he was saying, but don't forget about those pesky constitutional rights which protect all Americans regardless of kookiness. A big Boo to UF (my alma mater) for not being a protector of free speech. And a big Boo to the St. Pete Times for saying that a citizen should be violently arrested because he "did not follow the format of the Q&A session." Liberty, indeed.

[Gene]

This is exactly why I can't stand Florida Gators.

[Julie]

Typical Gator pain in the butt. They should have shot the idiot.

[Betty]

Harbinger???? An over zealous young man with a political book in hand and questions on his lips is brutally silenced... What next has to happen for us to be outraged & stand up for the rights our forefathers fought so hard for??? WAKE UP AMERICA

[Ray of Sunshine]

Did the guy ask valid questions? Yes.
Did the guy act rude and over-hyped? Yes.
Did the police overreact in cutting off his mike, dragging him away before Kerry could answer, physically subdueing him and tasering him while he was down with 5 cops on top of him? Definitely.

[Eric Deggans]

It seems the guy was a bit of a known provacateur -- Today show had footage of him holding up a sign revealing the supposed end to the last Harry Potter book at a busy highway intersection.

But the Gainesville cops played into his hands, creating a video clip i have now seen on every local newscast, the Today show, CNN and AOL's homepage, to name a few places...

[John]

This idiot got what he deserved. I am sick and tired of people using "free speech" as an excuse for their pathetic behavior. There is a time and place for everything. I doubt Kerry was there to discuss the 2004 election. Instead, this jerk decided to derail the Q&A and ramble on about old news. Bush won, for better or worse, now get over it. When he was asked to stop he should have complied. When the police showed up he should have just went with them peacefully. They probably would have let him go outside. He chose to resist instead. That is why he was given the shock treatment.

[elaine]

can we say showboat? i mean, i am all for free speech, but it was pretty obvious this guy went into the forum looking for drama. how many hits did his website get today? coincidence? i think not...

[A Little 'ol Lady from Pasadena]

Ha-Ha!

The man who would be King suffers yet another embarrassment when he tries to be public.

When is the last time you saw a protestor of the evil Bush get tasered?

Bush just let's those imbeciles show themselves to middle America for what they are.(Rosie, Streisand, Franken, Murtha, Kennedy, Gore, Kanye, MoveOn.org, et al....)

And, my dear LibTurd DemoCraps........

The vote battle IS for middle America, who can recognize absurdity, and will vote for decency and self control.

See ya' in '08

[Gretchen]

Good morning Eric- I can't hear the clip b/c I'm @ work but it "appears" he was being rather rude w/ his questioning. Does this warrant him getting tasered? I'm not sure. Guess I'll have to listen to get the full extent.

Eric- I know this isn't the forum for this...but would you PLEASE do a post on Jena 6??? It should be media-worthy by now since Oprah's taking heed, don't ya think? (Sorry, I would have emailed this but I wasn't able to from the above link)

[SS]

Whatever........this guy was waaaaay out of line. He got what he had coming to him

[Freedom]

This is unbelievable, yet quite believable.

[Jim]

So much for free speech. It appears that this student was punished for asking Kerry to be forthright. Which his cronies obviously ended with a taser.

Cops are far too reliant on using their new toys. All they had to do was drag the kid outside and arrest him. Instead they went straight for the taser. Oh well. This is the way things are going today.