The Skull and Bones Conspiracy Zaps My Alma Mater
Brian Doherty | September 18, 2007, 12:14pm
UF student tasered for asking John Kerry about Skull and Bones. (And not going quietly when cops tried to escort him out.) Kerry was trying to answer the "very important" question as cops dragged than tasered Andrew Meyer.
While anyone who has had to deal with monomaniacal blowhards at public question sessions feels a forbidden tug of sympathy for the cops, I hope all of us who aren't pawns of the Skull and Bones conspiracy can agree the tasering was an overreaction.
Previous bits by me on the scintillating topic of tasers here and here.
UPDATE: Here's the video, to save you all a few seconds of searching. Man, it's like all of life is a TV show....
whit | September 19, 2007, 4:26am | #
"It was a public forum at a public university."
correct. the forum was put on by the U of F, and they had the right to set rules. just because it was public (in the regards of being sponsored by a state university) does not mean they cannot set rules.
for example, what if the guy got up and started yelling continuously, in the middle of kerry's speech... would the organizers have the right to ask him to leave? of course.
the fact is the guy ran down the aisle and cut in line to get to the mic. then, he was allowed to speak even though he cut in front of several people. he ranted on in his question, and a rep from the university (outlined in the report i read) gave the "cut the mike" signal (this was witnessed by several there)at which point the mike was cut.
THEN, he continued on sans microphone. accoridng to witness accounts, he claimed to already (prior to his speaking) been engaged in some sort of "discussion" with the campus police (details are sketchy).
regardless, after all that occurred, this professional "scene maker" (refer to his website for his proud list of heckling accomplishments- ken griffey. etc) was requested to leave by campus police, AGAIN acting on the authority of the university who was putting on the forum. sorry, but they DO have the right to eject people.
and if he had agreed to leave, no problemo. except he didn't. started pushing, leaping, swinging his arms, etc. the wild rumpus thus ensued. it was when he refused (by actions and words) to LEAVE, that he committed a crime.
if you operate on the premise that the U of F does not have the right to eject people who they deem disorderly, then you accept that anybody can stand up during any speech by anybody and rant on endlessly and nobody can say stop OR ELSE. you gotta have an 'or else'
i don't know about U of F's use of force policy in re: tasers nor can i tell enough details from the video to tell if the tasering was justified.
i can tell, based on model use of force policies, etc. that other than that, the force was reasonable and appropriate and lawful, as far as i can tell.
actually, they were pretty restrained.
whit | September 19, 2007, 4:42am | #
"Okay, so the guy was being disruptive. Big deal. Walk him out of the room, and don't let him back in."
the cops TRIED that. it obviously DID NOT WORK
" Are the cops so ineffective that two or three of them couldn't escort him out of the room professionally, on his feet?"
apparently so. no comments on the two women cops and the fat male cop, though :)
but it is not as easy as it looks on TJ hooker.
"Most of the criticism is for tasering the guy without any reason, after he was pinned,"
you are assuming (begging the question) "without any reason".
" but why did he need to be wrestled to the floor in the first place? He was unarmed and no threat to anyone."
that he was unarmed was not clear until AFTER he was handcuffed AND searched.
that he was no threat is also not known. his actions were certainly indicative of a highly agitated, aggressive person and he did NOT submit. he resisted. that escalated the situation. if the cops hadn't pinned him (after ineffectually trying to escort him out) and he had run for the stage, would he had been a threat. furthermore, UNTIL they pinned him, this one idiot monopolized several officer's attention, such that they could not provide generalized security. iow, the faster they got him under control, the faster they could return to providing security for the entire room, and not just histrionics-boy (tm).
i don't KNOW (do you ) what the position of his hands were when he was tased. IF he was handcuffed behind the back BEFORE being tased, i would have serious issues with the tasing aspect. from what i could see in the video, i couldn't tell
whit | September 19, 2007, 4:48am | #
excerpts from the report follow. as i suspected, they did NOT have him handcuffed when tased. they had the handcuff on one hand and were trying to get the other hand close enough to cuff them together. not sure where his other hand was. if under the body and holding on to a belt loop, this can be very difficult to overcome. many people receive rather serious injuries (sprains, breaks, etc.) when officers try to wrench their arms together in situations like this fwiw
confirming that (among other things), "At that point, police reported that ACCENT Director Max Tyroler turned off Meyer's microphone and asked police to escort him out of the auditorium, saying, "He had said enough," according to Officer Mallo's report."
GAINESVILLE - Police have released the incident report detailing the Tasering of a University of Florida student during a campus forum with Sen. John Kerry Monday, and the officer who actually Tasered Andrew Meyer wrote in the report that Meyer later told police, "You didn't do anything wrong."
In the 12-page report, which gives accounts of the incident from the perspective of eight different officers who were present Monday afternoon, Officer Nicole Mallo writes that Meyer would only resist officers when cameras were present.
"As (Meyer) was escorted down stairs (at the University Auditorium) with no cameras in sight, he remained quiet, but once the cameras made their way down stairs he started screaming and yelling again," Mallo wrote.
Mallo was one of two officers who actually rode in the vehicle as Meyer was escorted to the Alachua County jail, and she said said he told them during the ride: "I am not mad at you guys, you didn't do anything wrong, you were just trying to do your job," according to Mallo's account.
Mallo also wrote in her report that he asked, at one point, if cameras would be present at the jail.
The report details the events leading up to Meyer's arrest, saying that Meyer was in line to ask a question of Sen. Kerry when it was decided that no more questions would be allowed.
Meyer continued down the aisle toward Sen. Kerry angrily, according to police, saying he wanted the senator to answer his question because he had been waiting for two hours.
Though Sen. Kerry directed that Meyer be allowed to ask his question, police reported that Meyer did not ask any specific question and instead "badgered" the senator, and at one point said something about President Clinton being impeached over a sexual act.
At that point, police reported that ACCENT Director Max Tyroler turned off Meyer's microphone and asked police to escort him out of the auditorium, saying, "He had said enough," according to Officer Mallo's report.
Officers then proceeded to attempt to remove Meyer from the room, but when he resisted, they placed him on the ground and tried to handcuff him. The six officers who actually took part in holding Meyer down while he was being handcuffed reported that they were only able to get a handcuff on his right hand because he was squirming so much.
The supervising officer, Sgt. Eddie King, attempted to Taser Meyer on his chest, but he reported that his Taser would not deploy. He then instructed Mallo to Taser Meyer, and she Tasered him on his shoulder, according to one of the officer's report.
The officers were then able to fully handcuff Meyer and escort him from the building. Each of the six officers reported that Meyer yelled things like, "They're going to kill me," and, "They are giving me to the government," while he was being taken from the room.
Friends say student arrest not a stunt
6:37 p.m.
Despite humorous videos, pictures and acts attributed to Andrew Meyer online, friends of the University of Florida student insist his arrest Monday at an appearance by Sen. John Kerry was not any sort of publicity stunt.
"I think he just got scared," said Jon Levy, who identified himself as a student and a friend of Meyer's. "He is a funny person, but he is a funny person who really wants political change.
"He went there to ask some tough questions," Levy said.
Another friend and UF student, Michael Goldman, said he didn't believe Meyer intended for anything unusual to happen.
However, one of the many videos circulating of the incident was shot with Meyer's own camera.
Clarissa Jessup, who was standing near Meyer just before UF Police Tasered him and took him into custody, said Meyer asked her to film him asking Kerry a question just before he approached the microphone.
That has given rise to rumors that Meyer, who aspires to work in the national media, was hoping to get arrested or videotaped as part of some sort of elaborate stunt. But Jessup, who says she never met Meyer prior to the forum, says she thinks he simply wanted a video of himself talking to Kerry.
"I don't even know this kid," said Jessup, rebuffing any notion that she'd collaborated with Meyer to film an incident he knew would escalate.
Additionally, some content on Meyer's Web site, TheAndrewMeyer.com, suggests that Meyer is a bit of a prankster.
For example, one post written by Meyer recounts a time that he wore a funny hat and a blue tank top to a nice restaurant. He said his friends should have been, "accustomed and expecting of my uncanny ways." The post also says: "There is no wiggle room in the world these days for the dancing jester. There are specific social mores that must be upheld no matter how silly the place, the rules must be followed."
A video titled "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" features a man dressed in drag who becomes an attractive blonde after a few drinks.
Friends said Meyer didn't create all of the movies on the site and weren't sure which ones he had.
One of the posts on his Web site is a described as a "disorganized diatribe."
It criticizes media content, especially about the Iraq War.
A major theme in the post is lack of media coverage of important issues like the War in Iraq and the media's focus on entertainment issues.
One excerpt from that article reads: "The news is designed to keep viewers watching and sedated and not thinking bad thoughts about America, because that would be bad for the economy. Stories about a severely unbalanced budget are out, train wrecks like Paris and Anna are in. A train wreck may be senseless and pointless, but Americans sure do love to watch."
Levy said that he feels most news media are missing the issue that Meyer's incident should have brought up.
"The issue he was trying to get at was getting people to be more informed and willing to ask questions," Levy said, adding that he had talked to Meyer earlier Tuesday.
He mentioned what he called the irony that Meyer was asking a question when the scuffle with University Police began.
Meyer was a student writer at one time for the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. A description on the Sun-Sentinel Web site written by Meyer says: "Andrew tries to write mostly whimsical nonsense columns about nothing in particular, yet occasionally finds himself angry enough to rain down fire and brimstone on an unsuspecting politician or celebrity."
He also expresses his disdain for referring to himself in the third person, yet in most of his posts and on his Facebook.com profile he refers to himself as The Andrew Meyer.
-- Megan Rolland/The Gainesville Sun
Machen: 'We want to have civil discourse'
2:40 p.m.
GAINESVILLE - University of Florida President Bernie Machen told members of the media assembled at a campus news conference that UF officials will take a number of steps following Monday's incident in which student Andrew Meyer was Tasered during an on-campus speech by Sen. John Kerry.
"This is a university, and we want to have civil discourse," Machen said. "The fact that it didn't occur is as troubling to me as it is to our students."
Meyer was restrained by several University Police Department officers after he refused to leave the microphone during a question-and-answer session following Kerry's talk.
When he continued to struggle while being removed from the auditorium, he was subdued with a Taser.
Machen said that two UPD officers involved have been put on paid administrative leave pending an investigation.
He also said he has asked the State Attorney's Office to "act expeditiously" in deciding whether to bring any charges in the incident.
Machen said that he did not see the incident and will wait for a full report before making any further decisions.
"We will make our decisions based on the external review," he said.
-- Diane Chun/The Gainesville Sun
Tasered student videotaped by own camera
5:24 p.m.
One of the many videos circulating of a University of Florida student being Tasered by police was shot with the student's own camera.
Clarissa Jessup, who was standing near Adam Meyer just before UF Police took him into custody during U.S. Sen. John Kerry's speech at UF, said Meyer asked her to film him asking Kerry a question just before he approached the microphone.
That fact has given rise to rumors that Meyer, who aspires to work in national media, was performing an elaborate stunt. But Jessup, who says she never met Meyer prior to the forum, says she thinks he simply wanted a video of himself talking to Kerry.
"I don't even know this kid," said Jessup, rebuffing any notion that she'd collaborated with Meyer to film an incident he knew would escalate.
-- Jack Stripling/The Gainesville Sun
UF identifies two officers placed on leave
4:30 p.m.
The University of Florida identified two officers placed on administrative leave with pay after a student was shot with a Taser and arrested during a speech Monday by U.S. Sen. John Kerry.
Sgt. Eddie King and Officer Nicole Mallo have been placed on leave, said UF spokesman Steve Orlando Tuesday afternoon.
The two officers were identified as the supervising officer who had ordered that the Taser be used and the officer who used it.
Additional information about how long the two have been with the department was not immediately available.
Suspending the officers was one of several steps taken by the university after the arrest of UF student Andrew W. Meyer on Monday.
UF Police Chief Linda Stump has requested that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conduct the formal investigation into Meyer's arrest. The officers' suspension is pending the outcome of the investigation.
The university also is planning to assemble a panel of faculty and students to review police protocols, management practices and the FDLE report and come up with recommendations for the university.
-- Lise Fisher/The Gainesville Sun
whit | September 19, 2007, 7:15pm | #
first of all, feel free to look up any use of force policy in regards to taser's. for example, the UCLA library tasering incident (report available), many claimed part of the problem was that the UCLA policy was much more "liberal" than the LAPD and neighboring agencies.
many use of force continuums allow tasering for active resistance. clearly, whatever this guy was, he was actively resistant. note that actively resistant is a step above passive resistance (think gandhi) and a step below assaultive.
the taser is never justified when a cops authoritah is disrespected. it IS justifiable in SOME use of force policies to gain "compliance" such as when a person has been actively resistant and (as in the instant case) refuses to be handcuffed. again, i am not saying the tasering was justified. i am saying it MAY be. i have not read U of F's use of force policy. so, i can't say one way or the other. i do know that if somebody has an arm locked underneath them, and the other is cuffed, and he had been actively resistant, that this is justifiable, especially when verbal admonishments are given (as was the case here). again, depends on the UOF policy.
as for your second paragraph. ALL actively resistant suspects are threats. less of a threat than an armed man pointing a gun at you, more of a threat than a passively resistant subject. again, you need to understand force de-escalation and escalation goes along with these concepts. no threat has been NEUTRALIZED until (at a minimum) the person has been handcuffed. he was NOT. the "cooperation" they were looking for was for him to place his other hand to be handcuffed.
as for restrained, APART from the tasering, they were "pretty restrained". in fact, their lack of physical skills and excess restraint, that ALLOWED him to escalate, ultimately might not have happened if they had been less restrained initially. when he refused to leave and started jumping around and waving his arms, numerous ineffectual attempts were made to restrain him, he became more emboldened, more agitated, etc.
im not particularly impressed by these cops physical prowess.
part of the reason why tasers are used is that when a cop is wrestling and trying to handcuff somebody is the single most dangerous time. over 70% of officer assaults happen DURING the handcuffing or attempted handcuffing.
numerous suspects are injured (sprained/broken wrists, etc.) when trying to handcuff somebody who just does not want to be handcuffed.
personally, i think many tasering policies are TOO liberal (iow, there should be a higher threshold to use them). but the issue in this case, given the fact pattern as i understand it is ... what is the U of F use of force policy.
the threat assessment (secret service, cops etc. are taught this) is elastic and dynamic. there are reports that the cops already had had some sort of incident with this guy before he ran to the mic (mentioned in some narratives by students), and it was his increasingly resistant behavior that escalated (as it should) their perception of threat. it's a continuum, not a binary thang.
when somebody refuses lawful orders, starts flailing around, swinging his arms and yelling and screaming, the threat assessment is escalated vs. somebody who is compliant and/or passively resistant.
he escalated the situation.
