It’s becoming increasingly difficult to be a progressive on North American university campuses. During an talk yesterday by former US presidential candidate John Kerry at the University of Florida in Gainesville, five campus police officers tackled and tasered UF student Andrew Meyer, who exceeded the one minute quote alloted for asking a question. Sure, he was grilling Kerry with some tough questions, but isn’t a democracy supposed to require and encourage such vigorous criticism? Not in the eyes of Kerry’s Keystone Cops, apparently, as they took this student out as if he had explosives in his running shoes.
Journalist Greg Palast—whose research Meyer based his questions upon—has a transcript of the encounter on his website, along with some background to the questions Kerry left unanswered.
The university president, James Machen, has responded via UF’s website, calling for an inquiry into the incident. After something this grave, however, heads should roll, and I suggest contacting him directly to voice your concern:
President James Bernard Machen
Tel: (352) 392-1311
president@ufl.edu
Photo: Andrew Stanfill
6 Comments
The worst part of this was the way that the other students, like tame little sheep, just sat in their seats and let the fascist cops brutalize this kid.
I don’t think a Q & A situation usually permits speechifying. (Other clips of this event show that Andrew Meyer was at the mic for a considerable time.) By taking more time at the mic than his share, this jerk was denying others of their right to ask questions within a reasonably-alloted time. This jerk also resisted arrest as he was being escorted out of the room while disturbing the peace. This jerk was obviously looking for trouble and he found it. If he could only had mastered the skill of artfully asking a question or two, he could have relinquished the mic and waited for his answer, he could have embarrassed Kerry, and there would have been no problem.
According to John Kerry, the student was merely engaging him in a “good healthy discussion”. Although Kerry is likely primarily concerned with doing whatever he can to disassociate himself with the police takedown, it doesn’t undermine that fact that resorting to police brutality to stop someone at the mic is a tad totalitarian.
this made me so very very very angry and scared. why isnt anyone confronting the cops from the start? sterotypes of progressives and fear of jumping in (beacuse fo the fear of cops), and that we dotn know what do to legally, what our rights are..) in situations like this is what kills democracy…man, i was witness to a few acts of violence in public, and no one was doign anything…jsut watching. . i was the only one who reacted, treid stopping the attacker and callign cops…everyone else was just too insecure to get out of their social bubble. . . fuck! plus, theyre cherring the cops on for takign him away??? woa man….totalitarian all the way… kerry asshole
First of all Kerry was not in a position of authority at the event, he was a guest. The moderator asked to have the punk removed when he crossed the line of acceptable behavior. You failed to mention that the little trouble maker was not invited (yes, it was invitation only), that he planned to disrupt the event, that he expected a response from police (he said so to the person he asked to record the whole thing), that he butted in line, that he spoke over an invited student, and that his questions were more of a far leftist political statement than an actual inquiry. It was not up to Kerry to forgive this nut job. The moderator and police had a responsibility to protect Kerry and other students from a situation that could have spun out of control or been a distraction for some type of real crime to be committed. Nobody’s rights were violated except the right of the other students to ask real questions of a national figure without incident.
Should the taser have been used? That’s a judgement call. The police gave this clown several warnings and, say what you will, the brief use of that taser settled the moron down and allowed the event to close peaceably.
As a victim of police brutality myself, I am admittedly biased against them. But in my mind, this video shows Andrew Meyer as the primary if not sole person responsible for the escalation in this conflict. He seems intelligent enough to have asked his questions effectively within the protocol of the forum. But it appears that he did not want to. What he wanted was likely very close to what happened. I would bet that he was fairly pleased with his performance.