Police taser student at Kerry speech

I watched this a couple of times and not sure how I feel. The first time I saw it, I just thought obviously excessive force. They had him subdued on the floor and could cuff him and haul him away, if indeed he violated any laws. He wasn’t really yelling at the podium nor was he protesting. He was actually asking valid questions that seemed to peeve the police officers for some reason. John Kerry was just impatient that the question had a long preface but seemed willing to answer the question; and did so while the college student was being subdued and tasered. I guess I have mixed feelings because the college kid is yelling “Don’t taser me, bro.” I heard there might be rumors that he is a prankster and this was a set up. The use of those specific words are just weird to hear for some reason. My friend thinks it was warranted, but really could not give me a good argument why he thought that type of force was necessary. I am not sure but it looks like they may have even tasered him twice in this particular video clip. It didn’t seem necessary to taser him even once. Please comment and tell me what you think.

2 Comments

Subscribe to the Comments

Goldenboy, September 19, 2007:

The part I find interesting is that people are mad that the police violated his freedom of speech and should’ve let him speak. I hate to say it, but the fuss isn’t about freedom of speech, or excessive force. It is about excessive force used on a college student who happens to be white. I’m not one of those people who yell racism all the time, but I find it amusing that this is getting so much pub. This kind of “excessive force” has been going on for a long time in the so called “hood”. Now it doesn’t make it right for the officers to use excessive force, but if you were to ask someone who grew up in the neighborhood, or is a minority, if this is an outrage. They would probably laugh and ask you where you have been hiding? The truth is, that if you are a minority in this country, their is a 90% chance you have witnessed police using excessive force, or know someone who has experienced it themselves. I would’ve kept tasering that kid, just so I could keep hearing him say, “Don’t taser me bro”…lol
CHESSNOID, September 19, 2007:

Hi Goldenboy,

Thanks for the comment. You make a good point. I have to imagine that the victim in this case would be more focused on the excessive force and his freedom of speech being violated. In this particular video I posted, you even hear someone say Rodney King! Police Brutality!