Ya know, I don't understand WHAT the cops' problem was... I watched all 3 videos and not one of them showed me WHY they pounced him. They kept interrupting him for apparently "taking too long" with his "question." Well, TOO BAD there, police... The guy is ENTITLED to USE HIS FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS and if it takes a little longer than some assinine "time limit" or if he isn't conforming to what YOU think he should be, that doesn't matter - to interfere with him while utilizing his CONSTITUTIONALLY PROVIDED RIGHTS TO FREE SPEECH is a VIOLATION of that right plain and simple!!!! Now, perhaps he too overreacted, but once he realized that they were going to go the route they did, it's understandable for him to "freak out" a little bit. If they would've BACKED OFF a little, surely he would've calmed down too. I cannot BELIEVE they were charging him with "inciting a riot!" That CHARGE should've done it... The fact that they TASERED HIM should've done it!! I may not agree with his language, or what he had to say, but he had the RIGHT to be there and say what was on his mind - or does the CONSTITUTION not APPLY on college campuses???!!! He could've reacted differently to the police's actions, but when people are stressed or in total disbelief, he reacted in a completely normal manner to that disbelief. He should NOT have jerked away from the cops, but they SHOULD NOT have been pawing at him in the FIRST PLACE!!! He only starting acting stupid when they started screwing with him... And there was NO GOOD REASON for them to screw with him in the FIRST PLACE. They were too busy throwing their weight around to hear John Kerry tell everyone to just settle down and he was going to answer the question. Everyone had to escalate the situation to a FAR WORSE LEVEL than it ever should have been. It truly saddens me that people feel it necessary to do such things. This kid should NOT have had to apologize - the COPS should have - at the very least the cops should have had to apologize IN ADDITION to this kid! The kid could and should very well have settled down and not acted the way he did. He should have just shut up and left or at the very least let them make their little collar and then he could've sued them for false arrest.

But for the FDLE to say there was "no wrong doing" or whatever is a crock. I know how this is going to sound, and I honestly hate to bring up this issue on yet ANOTHER story, but we all know it's the truth: If this had been a BLACK kid, you better BELIEVE the cops would've been the ones to apologize and the kid's family would've GOTTEN PAID. Not trying to be "racist" but it is a well-known fact in this country that whether or not a person is right, wrong or indifferent, if they're black and something like this happens, Jesse Jackson, the NAACP, and about a thousand others jump on it and claim some kind of discrimination, racism, the KKK or SOMETHING ELSE was involved. So, where are Jesse and his cohorts now? Injustice is injustice - I thought he was all about "human rights" and all that garbage... I guess it's just the black community he and his posse care about, huh? It just goes to show that "whites" suffer injustice too, but it's OK because they're white. This is just a sickening story and it's stories like this that make me ashamed to be an American!  

The police were clearly wrong, and this is yet another example of how free speech is being restrained at political events by overly aggressive police using force to subdue political dissent.  Anyone who doesn't ask softball questions is quickly dragged from the event and arrested.  Are our politicians so fragile that they cannot handle dissent?  This man was not violent.  He posed no threat to either Kerry or the audience.  Yes, he resisted arrest, but the arrest was unjust and unnecessary.  Dragging him away, zapping him with electricity and charging him with inciting a riot is a breach of all our rights, and a dangerous sign of what happens to you if you disagree with the pablum our current crop of politicians are producing.

The other camera views show nothing different than the first view, only that he resisted arrest, but offer no insight into why the police initiated the arrest in the first place.

If our politicians don't want free speech to occur at their speaking engagements and want to be protected from difficult questions by police who abuse their powers, then perhaps they should hold their events at closed door sessions where only hand-picked docile invitees can attend so as not to embarass them with questions to which we would all like to hear the answers.

I agree with the questioner.  If Kerry is so opposed to the Iraq war, where the hell has he been for the last four years as 4K of our soldeirs were killed and 20K maimed for a war about WMD that never existed.  Now we're told they're dying for Iraqi freedom.  Our sons are dying needlessly to line the pockets of Bush and Cheney's friends who own the companies that are providing billions of dollars of private services in Iraq.

It's disgusting and shameless, and someone needs to ask our politicians, especially the Democrats, when they plan on getting off their lazy asses and doing something about the Bush administration.

He was so much larger than the woman police officer who first tried to remove him from the microphone and his violent arm swings were threatening to her.  He had no business resisting.  He got exactly what he deserved.  Obviously, this young man was never disciplined by authority figures when he was growing up.  He apparently did not understand the meaining of the word "NO".

It seems like the taser has become the torture device of choice, the easy option rather than the last resort.  Did he have a weapon? Did he violently assault people in an out of control rage? No. So why the taser? It's use has gone down the slippery slope from danger of uncontrollable physical violence to dangerously uncomortable speech we don't want to listen to.  There's nothing more silencing to speech than an electronic jolt.

Why don't you get a clue-our Freedom of speech and right to dissent is under fire. Since George Bush has taken office in 2000-our very freedoms are being crushed!!!This is evidence, that some day freedom of speech will be gone and will be an offense you will be tried and convicted and jailed on. Wake up people!

Of course the police were exonerated. Did we exspect anything less?

Both sides went too far, and the actions of each side do not negate the others.
The security personnel should not have shocked him after seeing his reaction to the sight of the taser, and doing it in the middle of the crowd like that was a poor choice.
The kid should not have resisted being removed, and certainly should not have fought back so vigorously. Authority needs to be respected; even if he thought that they were enforcing a stupid policy, the people doing the enforcing aren't the ones to be arguing with. If shoving them away worked, there wouldn't be any purpose to their presence. He should have known that physically resisting was going to have negative consequences. If he had just walked away when asked, everything would have been fine.

It is unthinkable that a student asking questions - even uncomfortable ones - at a college forum would be drug off by armed agents, let alone subjected to tasing (when he was already on the ground and being held down and surrounded) in a "free" country. Amerika has become a police state.  Notice how they grabbed him from behind when he said "skull and bones" (that's a group we should all be worried about). He told them he would leave, but they insisted on putting him under arrest. Many people die in cutody in Florida under dubious circumstances and charges are rarely filed against police - oh yeah, they investigate themselves! The juries they pick almost always acquit if they are charged (remember the 14 yr old who was beaten to death on tape?)so police brutality is rampant.  Wake up, sheep!! What liberty are our soldiers dying for? What happened to protect and serve?  Who was protected? He wasn't a threat to anyone, except the Skull and Bones crowd that are running our political system!

A similar event occurred during a talk by G. Gordon Liddy @ Northern Illinois University in Dekalb IL in the 1980's. Myself and friends controlled the demonstrators on our own in order to to hear the discussion. The Unicops backed off. The talk went on as scheduled. It was a great day for free speech.

This is just a typical example of liberal colleges who indoctrinate their students and impose their elitist wills on anyone that disagrees with them.

Our colleges are teaching our children to be pansies.  What if we had another World War II?  Are our pansy college kids going to roll over and let us lose?  I'd bet they would.  It's time we take back our country from the enemy within.

"A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known, and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very hall of government itself. For the traitor appears no traitor. He speaks in the accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their garments, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in hearts of men. He rots the soul of a nation. He works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city. He infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A Murderer Is Less To Be Feared." Cicero, 42 B.C.

Free speach must be able to include and even welcome perspectives outside of what others may see as correct, or comfortable; this also includes the delivery of the speach.  Delivery in terms of tone, character, volume, and especially content.  Personally, I view the actions of the police as crossing the line from peace officers to enforcers of eti-quite.  I do not like what I saw in the least, either in the bahavior of the young man or the officers involved.  Dude, you never fight the police - they win by definition. I have the greatest respect for police (all law enforcement) as they do an impossible job with passion and uncommon professionalsim in todays world.  Perhaps that is why this bothers me as it does.  I don't care in the least about the issues the young man raised, the fact that he was quited via force in my view looses grip with the constitution.  The many laws which the police do a gret job of enforcing are balanced against the constitution - that balance is as vital as the law itself.  Without the balance and its protections, the laws can not help from become repressive by our progressively more stringent interpretations of reality and consequence to fit the situations we find ourselvs in. OK there may not be a bright line, but I think to error in being overly protective of free speach would be able to tolerate a young man on a mission.  I am only suggesting a somewhat more frequent reminder about the content and meaning of the constitution to everyone in our nation.  I think this would be a good thing to assist us all in making decisions in uncomfortable stuations like these.    

I just want to say that I disagree with you about Clinton.

Yeah, so what? Is it likely that a jack-a** like Kerry had anything worth interrupting?

Failure to obey a policeman acting in the line of duty is bad form

Well, why should he say "I'm sorry?"

I'll tell you what I don't see in these videos.  I don't see Kerry being a leader.  I don't see him stopping the police from taking away someone who was asking a question that might have been unpleasant for Kerry.  I don't see Kerry even merely asking the police to simply escort the young man out of the building.  I don't see Kerry leading.

I'm 42, well-respected in my community...... and observing.  And I vote. I can't hear you Kerry...Do you have something to say?

Bonnie

PUT A TASER GUN CAMERA ON ALL TASER WEAPONS AND THEN SEE  WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE IN CUSTODY INDIVIDUAL,ANDREW MEYER.

Meyer took more time than a questioner would be expected to take.  He used the time to lecture more than ask a question.  But, he did get three questions out and appeared to be near the end of his speech when he was arrested.  Cutting off his mike and then pressuring him to listen to Kerry's answer would have been appropriate and likely successful.  Even the speaker, Kerry seemed to be saying that Meyer was not so disruptive that he needed to be hauled away.  Police overreacted by intervening.  Meyer compounded that by resisting when they did intervene. A taser is a device that has caused serious or fatal injury in some cases.  It should only be used when an officer would consider drawing his/her weapon.

So much for the open minded, tolerant, peaceful party.  If you don't agree with us we will taze you Bro.  

Has Mr. Kerry responded or is he likely to respond to the questions posed by Mr. Meyers?  He's not likely to be any more effective than Mr. Bush at being a true "representative" of the people of this nation.  The police were doing their job, but Mr. Kerry might have been truer to himself if he had intervened on the young man's behalf.  After all, he has certainly voiced his opinions, objections, criticisms and queries with much less consequence it might be noted...

He apologized?
Pathetic!
Stand up for your rights or they will continue to take them away. Why didn't this student hire a lawyer? All these witnesses and he says he is sorry... for what? Using his freedom of speech in a forum? I can't believe this happened in this country, even if it was in the inbred state of Florida. First Jeb takes our vote away, now these so-called keepers of the peace take away our freedom of speech. Deplorable... all the officers involved make me sick.

I see nothing different in the other angles.  Just the gestapo suppressing a citizen exercising his right to free speech.

I don't understand your point. You appear to see, what, three different incidents? Looks like one incident to me. This guy tried to ask Kerry legitimate questions -- and was overly excited, perhaps -- and was dragged down by police and electrocuted while the crowd cheered and laughed and finally one girl screamed.

Perhaps it has something to do with taking place in Florida.

The question, again, is why was this guy dragged out police instead of Kerry answering his questions.

I don't blame him for his response. His First Amendment rights are being violated.

Wrong, wrong just dead wrong.  That was abuse if I ever saw any.  Kerry should have stop that crap!!!!  I watch all the videos and my opinion remained the same.  I didn't see it anyway but WRONG!!!  What in the hell is wrong with this country?  The police were eronerated? Give me a break!  Who bought their way out of that one?  It just made me sick.  I hope the young man never utters one apology.

Hmmmm, kind of makes you wonder about our wonderful government doesn't it? Granted, the police officers had their orders to follow, my question is, what exactly were those orders? Our government obviously dictates WHAT is allowed to be aksked, WHEN it's allowed to be asked, and HOW it's allowed to be asked. This is exactly the kind of thing we used to see in communist countries. Whatever happened to a government BY the people, FOR the people. In all appearances, and reality, our government dictates everything we can do, including our guaranteed right to free speech found in our constitution. A constitution that is continuously misrepresented, and illegally used. President Bush and his cabinet are THE most embarassing, corrupt of any that I can remember. Nevermind the American people, let's just activate our own agenda's!

This young man, in ALL of the video sequences did NOTHING other than ask logical questions to Kerry, albeit, embarassing for Kerry.
This was an absolute travesty, and it VERY remeniscent of the Berlin Wall era.

Meyer asked an important question which aims at the heart of the political will of the democratic party to assume the responsibility of governing, even when their candidates for the top executive office in the nation clearly have reason and voter mandate to mount a substaintial challenge to election results.  Another case in point is the meager challenge mounted by Gore's elect campaign in Florida.  All of the votes in Florida should have been counted, not just those in certain precincts.  This tactic was doomed to fail to the challenge by the elect bush campaign when the elect Bush legal team sought recourse through application of equal protection standards.  This was the obvious move by the Bush team and any junior partner in a back water law firm would have anticipated it.  Gore's legal team played a hand which they knew was too weak to win because Gore didn't want to lead the nation.  Neither did kerry but both Kerry and Gore had no problem blamming Ralph Nader for their shortfalls in leadership.  Thank the democratic party for another slide into facism because they sure do know how to grease the tracks.

It's hard to say.

On one hand, you have a college student aiming to bring attention to himself.

On the other hand, you have a college student aiming to prove a point that police are beginning to overreact more and more in today's world.

I don't see the point of tasing him with six police officers, two of which appear to be large males, on top of him.  The officers are beyond rude to him, he is asking a question and wants a response.  Are citizens not allowed to be informed of why they are being escorted away or arrested?  How do you know you are being arrested until informed?  Are you even resisting arrest until they specifically state, "You're under arrest"?

I wish the crowd would have intervened to stop this from happening.  This is edging towards police brutality, which appears all too often anymore.

On top of that, you have John Kerry standing on the stage making the remark, "It's an important question, I just wish there was a more civilized approach."  As if you're that great.

Most despicable thing I have seen all year.  I remember when the police at UF were easy going, bright, professional level headed cops.  Thats gone.  They had no reason to tazer him and they had no reason to arrest him.  That looked like some police state, not UF.  What a disgrace.

What a crock. I guess your not allowed to ask a question at a "question and answer meeting" or you'll get tased for asking. The guy didnt pose a threat until the crap cops decided they didnt like what he asked. Im sorry but its not up to them. Typical cops abusing their power and i wasnt surprised that the department of law enforcemnt who investigated employees of the department of law enforcement found no wrong doing. Mr. Kerry himself was willing to answer the question if you listen and even tried to tell the B.W.B. (bullies with badges) to calm down and he would answer. So apparently they didnt respond because Mr. Kerry thought he was in danger, if Mr.Kerry thought he was in danger he wouldnt have said he'll answer the question. If you listen closely he said it was a really good question. But i guess now really good questions will get you tased. Probably right after they all split the latest drug bust money.

UHM what?

Of course he deserved it. He didn't ask a question expecting an answer, his "preface" and "three questions" were simply inflammatory. He was there only to be disruptive, not to engage in some dialogue. They tried to politely ask him to step away, then cut the mic, but he still persisted in being disruptive so they tried to escort him out and he CLEARLY resisted. The only way to control his exit was to handcuff him and even with 4 officers holding him on the ground, they had difficulty placing the cuffs, so they tasered him to get the cuffs on. He's lucky they were gracious enough to not use any other force.

I think that the police were totally out of line!
The student was simply asking a couple of questions, yeah maybe he got a little too loud about it but he didn't deserve to get arrested for it, let alone shocked with a taser gun. Kerry was answering his question, and he wanted to stay and listen. So why not let him?
I was struck by the fact that when he yelled for help, no one could help him. Who could help against the police, when they are the ones who are supposed to "protect and serve"? I think this incident is frightening in that respect, things could just get worse and worse (a snowball effect) and we, as citizens, will be left helpless.

His actions were at the level of what is called resisting arrest, but without active aggression towards officers. The use of force model that is followed by practically every law enforcement agency in the US, is the one plus one model. In other words, one level of force above that being used by the arrestee. For his type of resistance, the force that is normally used is empty hand control(pain compliance with joint locks or pressure points), or soft intermediate weapon, i.e. pepper spray or taser. IN the crowded enviroment they were in, it would have been inappropriate for the officers to use pepper spray, and since empty hand control was not working, the taser was used. Unfortunately, people who know absolutely nothing about law enforcement, or their use of force training, were running around wringing their hands over this very minimal use of force.

Not only is this guy a fool, but he's a fool with a mental problem.  He needs counselling, at the least.  

None of these camera angles suggest brutality.  If anything, they show that the officers were far more tame than they could have been given that he was resisting arrest.  They should be given credit for their cool handling of the situation.

Clearly this guy was disturbing the peace. He was inciting something, maybe not necessarily a riot but he did respond in a very irresponsible and disrespectful manner. The police did their job correctly. They did not use unnecesary force and they were quite professional and patient, a little too patient if you ask me. This guy was being a jerk!

They have yet to explain why campus police are even allowed to carry tasers.  It is my understanding that most universities do not allow convicted felons to attend classes or live on campus.  Tasers seem to be an excessive way to detain students in any situation.

I see the same thing each time. Maybe he was obnoxious, but he wasn't doing anything wrong? I'm absolutely surprised by the lack of response from liberals at this suppression of speech. If this happened at a Bush speech, they'd be livid.

Hey,
The guy set everyone up . . . and a lot of folks fell for it.  I'm not a cop, but have a lot of good friends who are.  I have spend many hours on patrol as a "ride along".  So, with that said, when I saw this go down - I knew the guy was a dog from the start!

i think the police shouldn't be tazing people for asking questions.  exactly whom were they serving or protecting in the above scenario?

It didn't look or sound like the student was a threat to anyone. For a police officer to place their hands on anyone for simply failing to stop TALKING is abuse of power. Period.

I watched all three angles and I think the tazer was unnecessary.  I am a RN and I have had to deal with many violent individuals and I have never seen a tazer used yet the individuals were always subdued.

I question whether he should have been arrested in the first place "for inciting a riot" simply because his question was lengthy or because he asked three questions rather than one.

It's another case of someone in authority not liking what he was saying and s/he/they sent the officers in to shut him up. The officers were/are given too much "power", acting as if they can forcefully remove anyone who does not comply with the status quo.
The young man was not causing any harm prior to being forcefully removed. The officers and and the person(s) who instructed them to remove the student need to be charged with violation of Constitutional Rights and for almost inciting a riot (if they had not done anything at all, there would not have been an incident).
He did not comply with the orders of those in charge, but since he was not endagering anybody's life, they had no legal right to require him to be quit. It appears he fully intended to cause a commotion, but not one that would endanger life or limb, therefore he was acting within his Constitutional Rights.
The use of the taser was excessive force. There were at least 6 officers on him. If they could not "handle" him, then they need better physical training, or find another line of work. After he was handcuffed, to of the male officers had no trouble walking him around.
If the forum is not going to open to Fredom of Speech, then don't allow general public access. If those in charge want to censor the questions being asked, then hold a closed forum and select the people to ask the questions and give them the question to be asked. At the start of such a forum, make sure all those attending understand that it is being conducted as a dictatorship, not as a free society.

UM.. You were being escorted off of the property for not relinquishing the microphone after you began harrassing the guest speaker... Then you topped it off by throwing a temper tantrum when you were asked to leave..  That turned into resisting arrest when you wouldn't leave willingly, and continued to disobey and fight with the guys with who had badges..  That's what you did.  I'm sorry that they tazed you bro, but you sorta acted like a 4 year old that couldn't get his way..  to the police.  Not Smart.

What do I think?  The police used excessive force.  The guy said he would leave, at which point the police tackled him and tased him.  I don't know what he is apologizing for, or why his charges were dropped conditional upon an apology.  He asked Kerry a reasonable question, one which Kerry should have had the guts to answer.  Mark Crispin Miller, professor at NYU and author of Fooled Again said that he talked to Kerry sometime after the election (theft) and that Kerry acknowledged to him that he knows the election in Ohio was manipulated.  Of course, Kerry won't admit that in public, but I believe Miller (read Cruel and Unusual: Bush/Cheney's Nerw World Order by MCM) and think that the way Kerry rolled over in 2004 was pathetic.  Ask John Edwards what he thinks about it.

Bottom line: Meyer asked a reasonable question in a public forum.  Kerry not only shamefully dodged it, but proceeded to ignore the fact that police brutality was occuring before his very eyes.  And the rest of the people in that forum - shame on you also.  I hope Meyer decides to sue the UF police.

Mr. Sanders, I don't really understand what you mean about what the students saw compared to what we see in the videos, because you didn't say what you meant.  Also, I don't see anything different among the three videos.  I get a horrible feeling every time I watch any of them, because of the injustice committed by the police.  It is scary, because although they are making individual decisions, it is kind of symbolic of what we all fear could someday be perpetuated at the highest levels of government.  Obviously this guy is obnoxious, but he did not deserve to be censored, and he certainly did not deserve to be forcibly removed and tased.  This guy should be apologized to at the very least, not the other way around.

Another person "apologizes" after having their civil liberties impeded.

He was probably threatened with a long term jail sentence, and he made a plea.

Please People stand up for yourselves, or this country isn't going to make it.

Stand up for your rights.

Just curious, but does this kid have a history of mental illness? He is either not playing with a full deck, or he is really trying to get on television... either way, he looks and sounds pretty unbalanced.

You've got to feel sorry for the boys parents.

Andrew, how does one get back constitutional rights that we still have a right to, yet are being denied, in practice, by this abuse of power that silences and frightens us more each day either by force or subterfuge?

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