The Rude Pundit: The UF Tazing and the Right to Be an Asshole

[meegbear]

A few observations from watching three different videos of the tasering of Andrew Meyer at the University of Florida:
1. Meyer asks two reasonable questions and one tin-foil hat one. The campus cops grab him as he is passionately, but not crazily, finishing his third question.

2. The cops are rough with Meyer from the moment they touch him. And at least part of the crowd cheers the cops.

3. The speaker, John Kerry, an actual, you know, Senator, says he wants to answer Meyer's questions.

4. Meyer at one point says he'll leave if they let him up. He keeps asking, "What did I do?" No one will tell him. Perhaps one doesn't need to actually "do" anything. Once just needs to seem as if one is doing something deemed wrong. It's the simulacrum of crime, not a real one.

5. When Meyer pulls away from the cops, they tackle him and about a half dozen lay on top of him.

6. The cops discuss whether or not to taser Meyer. As Meyer begs not to be tasered, one cop says, frighteningly calmly, "Taze him." And they do.

7. At that point, you can hear people screaming for the cops to stop. And you can hear some students laughing, like they're watching Cops or Jackass or some YouTube face-plant video.

8. As he's led away, after being tasered with 10,000 volts, Meyer's worried if the cops are going to kill him.

9. The police tell Meyer he is being arrested for inciting a riot. When Meyer was speaking, it seemed the only other people standing were mostly the cops behind him. Perhaps the riot is the indignation of some students at the tasering.

10. "Don't taze me, bro" is kind of a touching throwback to hippie days when Vietnam War protesters would try to get the cops on their side. It never worked then.

To be sure, Andrew Meyer is an asshole. You get that from his writings. And if being an asshole is all that it takes for some to think you deserve a shot of electricity, well, let's march over to Fox "news" and let the voltage flow. No, no matter how many incidents of assholery are in Meyer's life, this doesn't fly. A prostitute can be raped, you know?

Yes, he did jump to the front of the line to demand to ask Kerry a question, but Meyer was tasered because he wouldn't knuckle under to the authority of the cops. He wasn't a threat, he wasn't violent, he was trying to comply (although you try doing anything rational when you're on the ground with half a dozen cops on top of you, yelling at you and an auditorium of people yelling about, some laughing at, what's being done to you), and he still got tasered.

Our country is so devoid of actual dissent and activism, so filled with citizens cowed by cops and security of all sorts treating us like criminals, that stepping out of line in the smallest way or slightly breaking decorum now seems to deserve a smackdown. Acquiescence is not only expected. It will be enforced. And so many of us are willing to participate in the enforcement, rolling our eyes and laughing at those who would dare misbehave.

Here's a story the Rude Pundit's told before that seems apropos: The Rude Pundit was at the microphone at his university back in the day. There had been a debate about free speech between former Attorney General Edwin Meese and columnist Nat Hentoff. It was one of those speaker's bureau dog and pony shows that tours college campuses: let's get two people who disagree to disagree and see the sparks fly. Hentoff had, of course, taken Meese apart in the formal debate. And then the floor was open for Q&A. Every time Meese was critically questioned, he fell back on talking points and giving props to Reagan, never really addressing the issues. When it was his turn, the Rude Pundit asked Meese about Reagan/Bush I era policies and the Rodney King beating in Los Angeles. Meese didn't answer the question. So the Rude Pundit said, "You didn't answer my question." Meese danced again and the Rude Pundit insisted, "No, that's not what I'm asking," and he repeated himself.

Now, should the Rude Pundit have backed off at that moment, figuring that the fat bastard on stage wasn't gonna give a real answer? Perhaps. But the Rude Pundit was tired, even then, of politicians not giving a straight goddamn answer. So he had decided he was gonna get Meese to respond. The Rude Pundit thought, "I'm a citizen; he's a former public servant. Serve me, motherfucker."

Instead, though, the moderator walked over to take the microphone away, security started heading towards him, and a confrontation seemed imminent. The Rude Pundit even wondered if he should fight or flee, tensing up for being grabbed. Luckily, campus cops didn't have Tasers back then. Luckily, Hentoff, an old hand at these kinds of things, intervened and answered for Meese. Out of his deep respect and admiration for the Village Voice writer, the Rude Pundit sat back down.

http://rudepundit.blogspot.com

[BOSSHOG]

1. Mr Meyer would not have had any problem with the police

if he had cut in front of me in line.

[Warpy]

6. Same here

I'm old and arthritic, but I'm nasty. One quick side kick to the back of the knees and I'd have that mike back.

Not only that, but his first move was toward the stage, something that can be construed as a threat by jumpy cops.

This kid is a JERK. He has the right to be a jerk, but he has the responsibility of facing the consequences.

I don't think too many people here defend the overuse of tasers. I'm willing to allow IA and the courts to determine whether this was the case here, though.

[Bobbieo]

2. 'Adios' - public forums!!!!

[FormerDittoHead]

3. Exactly. Hello, invitation only "townhall meetings" from now on. Thanks Andrew. n/t

[cobalt1999]

4. He's definitely an asshole

The police over-reacted and then he over-reacted and it spiraled downward from there. If either party had calmed down and stopped, then the end result would have changed.

Bottom line: I view them both as equally at fault (although I suspect Meyer wanted it to end up in a big scene).

[rinsd]

5. This seems to be some bizarre publicity stunt and fitting Rude Pundit mentioned Youtube

[unpossibles]

7. he also had a friend of his tape him

personally, I think he set this up, although perhaps did not expect to be tasered. But maybe he did.

Did the cops over-react? Yes.

Did he provoke them? Yes.

[lips]

8. The difficulty in making a scene on American college campuses...

these days is like trying to take at McDonalds while simultaneously operating the register. F*%ing disgraceful, on all parties.

[Warpy]

9. I've watched all 3 videos, now

The kid was RANTING, not just asking questions. His "questions" were reminiscent of Gannon's tirades during WH press conferences.

There were 4 people who got up and left during his tirade. I imagine the one who alerted the cops was the first to leave, the guy in the black shirt.

His first move was toward the stage, something that could be construed as a threat to Kerry. Cops take threats to bigwigs seriously.

I love ya, Rude, but ya gotta learn how to count. There were 4 cops, not 6. The kid was HUGE and towered over all 4 of them. Big dumb kids out of control can be pretty scary.

The screaming was way out of proportion to being manhandled out of the room. He was jumping up and down and screaming "Help." Not only is he a jerk at this point, he's a fucking drama queen.

No, there was no riot in the audience. There was applause as a disruptive asshole was being frog marched toward the exit.

This is not a throwback to the 60s. Back then, he'd have gotten a billy club and ended up with broken bones. A lot of us did.

[Maribelle]

10. What an act. The rude dude can only count to three?

The OP is all over the place and not sequential according to events. Below, I have tried to follow the numbering in the OP and not the actual sequence of events.

1. I counted a minimum of six questions in his rant.

2. The cops asked Meyer to leave first.

3. Meyer's questions were ongoing when his mike was cut off. Perhaps he would have rattled out more if he didn't start screaming over his mike being cut off.

4. Meyer used his forearm to shove a female officer away before being led up the aisle by a heavyset male. As the male was leading him up the aisle, Meyer screamed and jumped and screamed and jumped like a mad man. He knew exactly what was going on. This was a pathetic act. Once at the top Meyer forced himself out of the grip of the heavyset officer and swore at him. Then began screaming "get your hands off me" repeatedly. Now, his pathetic act has turned into a crime. The officer forced Meyer to the ground with an apparent intent to arrest him and place him in handcuffs. This was the very first attempt to handcuff Meyer. While on the floor Meyer twisted around, kicked, and screamed as the officer was able to place a cuff on his right wrist. To cuff his left wrist they pulled the taser. More screams. More twists. More kicks. Watch Meyer's go from his stomach to his back, freeing his leg to kick some more.

Resisting arrest is a criminal offense. The crime had been flagrant and obviously committed before Meyers started pleading to leave.


5. On the floor by the mike were 2 cops. As the two led him away he screamed, used his forearm to shove one of the female officers away. A third went to their assistance at the bottom of the aisle. After Meyers swore at the third one, yanked himself out of his grip, and screamed some more, others joined. The reason it took about a half dozen was Meyer's fault.

6. Tasered him? Some accounts say his left shoulder. For his safety - - no accidentally broken left arm was there?

7. "At that point, you can hear people screaming for the cops to stop." Wrong. The female officer in charge was screaming and screaming at Meyer to stop.

8. As he's led away, Meyer appeared quite safe, healthy, and suddenly quiet when the cameras weren't there. No more screaming. No more yelling profanity at the officers. No more kicking, jumping. The perfect little detainee.

9. The police tell Meyer he is being arrested for ?????????????

10. "Don't taze me, bro" is an obviously stupid taunt. It's like Meyer's saying to the officer he just swore at "nah nah nah" and an insult to anyone with half a brain.

Floridians tax dollars and student's tuition money will be used to clean up the filth Meyer smeared around. I hope he is forced to pay for these expenses.

Meyer was tasered because he broke the law and resisted arrest. He was violent when he used his forearm to shove away the female officer. This caused a huge risk. How much more violent would he become was anyone's guess by this point.