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Thursday, September 20, 2007

TASERED

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swg4E2FzTzE
democracynow.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkjyKDtbCcI
cnn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JHfW1zDMSQ
first advocate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awxc6Yq7YJc

dennis miller

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HikH0jjp6s

bill oreilly

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QTr-UPpqfA

hardball

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_IexfMaDXc
wolf biltzer


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QnEs7QOYE0
last advocate



Watch all the videos.

How are they different?
What does the public have to say about this event?
How does the article distributed in class differ from the videos?
What really happened?
Which of the above video clips seems to be the most accurate?

Where do we get our news from?

How are individuals supposed to express anger at the elected officials?

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

After watching all the videos, I agree most with the video from CNN. The police from Florida should be ashamed of themselves for having to tasered the student. There was a lot of cops surrounding him and the tasered him after the handcuffs where on. Even though the student was annoying he does have his right of freedom of speech. But after the tasered the student John Kerry answered his questions so the police did all that for nothing. It could of been prevented cause most likely after the student got his questions answered he would of left. And I feel we get our news from rich peoples opinion. They get to pick and chose what they show on television or write in the newspapers.

Anonymous said...

I dont think they student should of been taser he didn't do anything wrong. He was just asking a question to John Kerry and that was the purpose of the meeting. It was for people to ask John questions and for them to be answered. And plus John Kerry was going to answer the students question and he did even with the cops arresting the student. I think iindividualstoday have a good chance to talk to elected officials. You may not be able to talk to them in person but you can write about them online and express your feelings.

Anonymous said...

All of the videos about the student getting tasered have their own point of view. Some of them think it's funny/take it as a joke and some think it's serious and very sad. The public thhinks that thes tudent deserved to get tasered, which however, in my opnion, he had his own right of freedom of speech. Even the students from his college were protesting like crazy. The article distributed in class differs from the videos by that i think the article writes the incident more sarcastically than the videos. The democracynow.org video seems to be more accurate. We usually get our news by reading the newspaper or watching television? I feel like Andrew Meyer should've written a letter to John Kerry to express his anger at the elected officials. It's easier that way. better than being tasered, even though I strongly agree by what the police has done.
-TLau

Anonymous said...

The Dennis Miller video didn't have a very a very postive viewpoint on the video than the other one where the lady reporter's video we saw in class. The normal people think its not right to taser a person, because it goes against one of the amendments. The New York Times article didn't tell what really happened that's wht makes it different from the videos. John Kerry didn't do much about the situation and the article says, Kerry said, "that's all right, let me answer his question." I don't understand why John Kerry started his carrer as an activist and then how come he didn't help Andrew Meyer who was also an activist like him? I think that Kerry could have done something to stop Meyer from being tasered because he was also an activist. The first video you showed the class Mr. Brown was the most accurate of all the videos I think. An individual should show their anger at elected officals by trying to get their voce to the media. I think by doing that, people actally get a view of what is correct and what's not. (Manpreet Kaur)

dark king said...

♠♥♣ The videos above are different in many ways. They show many different points of views on the same incident. It’s funny to see how the different news stations and how the media can have so much control over what we see and how we see it. If you where to only watch one news station and not question what they say and think about how much is secured then you will just believe what they say no matter. In class we discussed about the unnecessary use of force by the campus police. We also talked about how the everyday citizen is supposed to voice their opinion to the mass majority of the people and how we are suppose to get our point across to the senators and the people that control the United States. The fact that today’s world everyone would need to own there own news station in order to express themselves to everyone. ♣♥♠
♠♥♣ The videos above are different in many ways. They show many different points of views on the same incident. It’s funny to see how the different news stations and how the media can have so much control over what we see and how we see it. If you where to only watch one news station and not question what they say and think about how much is secured then you will just believe what they say no matter. In class we discussed about the unnecessary use of force by the campus police. We also talked about how the everyday citizen is supposed to voice their opinion to the mass majority of the people and how we are suppose to get our point across to the senators and the people that control the United States. The fact that today’s world everyone would need to own there own news station in order to express themselves to everyone. ♣♥♠
Wes M.

Anonymous said...

I agree with what Samantha said. The police from Florida should be apologetic for their detestable actions. How can the police in America do such a thing? I mean the point of the meeting was so people can question John Kerry. It was very disturbing to see a young college student get tasered just because he questioned him. In my opinion they took this way to far. It was also surprising to see that John Kerry not doing anything especially when John Kerry was first known for protesting. So now I question myself… are we truly free to completely exercise our 1st amendment rights in America?

-Anta R.

W Brown said...

Anta

Thank you for bringing this back to the US Constitution. Was this a violation of his right to free speech? Was he really tasered for asking a question? Might the officers felt they were in danger? In this post 9/11 world is it possible we give up many of our "rights" to be protected?

W Brown said...

Anta

Thank you for bringing this back to the US Constitution. Was this a violation of his right to free speech? Was he really tasered for asking a question? Might the officers felt they were in danger? In this post 9/11 world is it possible we give up many of our "rights" to be protected?

Anonymous said...

the ideos are all different beacause they all had there own side and opinions of wat really happened. some of the pubilc say it was wrong for them to tase him and some said they would have tased him long before they did. the article focused more on how hes a boy that like to act silly and makes a fool of him self for his viwers on his wed page. what had really happened was he asked questions and his mike truned off because is time was up he got up set the cops came told him 2 leave he didnt they than put fouse and he cryed for help , more cops came pulled him 2 the ground they hand cuf him he said dont tase me bro and he got tased anywayz than the girl with the carmar got mad.i think cnn was more accurate than the other videos. we get our news from the tv, newspaper and the inertnet. this makes it hard for us 2 express our feels because we are not rich .so how can we be hard with out being tasered

Anonymous said...

From watching this video last class i think that in this world today we dont get to voice our opinion enough and then when something wrong does happen they want us to come together and do something about it. i do think that the student who was asking questions did have a right to be angry because of the fact that during voting time they cheated by not counting some of the black polls, but when black people dont vote its a problem and we do we dont even know if it being counted. so yes i think he had a right to be angry and i thought they should have given him more than thirty seconds but you cant change that. but i felt that this whole thing was taken out of proportion because yes the police had a right to say what they said because his thirty seconds was up but how they handled it was the issue. firsat off once you arrest someone why would you taser them when they cant do anything on the ground with there handcuffs that didnt make sense and the audacity for one cop to even laugh which in actuality was not funny at all. through watching clips from different medias some took it seriously and others joked about it this just shows how some people can be so cruel in situations when its not happening to them -Octavia Ramos

Anonymous said...

Kristen Fitz

I agree with everyone. the cops should not have tasered him and the fact that there was a cop on tape laughing at the hole thing probably made it worse for them. The student had the right to say what he wanted john Kerri was there to answer questions an the student was asking him very good questions.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Anta and Samantha. First off I dont think the cops had any right to arrest him in the first place. If they wanted him off the stage because he exceeded his time limit, they could of escorted him off, but arresting him was out of line. Also, I dont think the cops had any right to taser him. They already had him on the floor in cuffs and surrounded by 5 or 6 cops before they tasered him. There was no way he was going to get away or harm anyone, so there was no need to do what they did.

Anonymous said...

As I watch the videos more closely, I see that not only was Andrew Meyer tasered before he had the hand cuffs on, but he was also resisting arrest. When I first saw the videos in class, I was shocked on how American police officers, could take away someone’s freedom of speech, and do such a horrible thing for no reason. But as I furthered my investigation on what really happened that day in the Florida Campus, my whole view changed. So I pretty much disagree with almost every person that has posted before me, to some degree. Yes, I do feel it is wrong that things got so out of hand, and this student/jokester had to be tasered to be taken into custody. But in some ways, I think that Andrew Meyer got completely what he wanted. Now that I know he is majoring in media, I think that this was not only a stunt, but a way to fame. He sent a message to America, about how our minds could me twisted and turned by what the media says.

Mighty Mojo said...

I'm surprised that no one here really thinks that he "had it coming." This boy was a seasoned prankster and knew exactly what he was doing when began asking his questions. He was being deliberately provocative. However, was he trying to make a point? About how fascist a nation we are becoming? (As you saw in one of the videos, there is a government distributed handbook on how to weed out dissenters) or was he doing it as a prank to increase hits on his website (which I have not visited)?

Additionally, there was a comment in one of the videos in which the anchor said that he was only harming himself, which I feel is untrue. What about the reputations and even livelihoods of the several police officers who are currently "on leave" (as said in the Wolf Blitzer report) and are now going to be questioned (or brought into a lawsuit) because of their use of excessive force when they were, as evidenced by the pamphlet shown in the "Hardball" video) just doing their jobs and what they were trained to do.

Is it necessary to sacrifice people's jobs in the name of protecting free speech and trying to get the public to understand how quickly we are rolling away from our romantic ideals about democracy and toward a colder "police state" or "fascist state?" How could he have gotten his message to the public across differently? It was mentioned in the comments that he should have written Kerry a letter, but was his intention really to get something out of Kerry, or was it a broader appeal to the public? And, if so, what is he trying to get out of us?

-joanna

Anonymous said...

I have to say i agree with Alyssa. Do you really think Andrew Meyers cared that strongly about the black votes not being counted in some states during the 2004 election? He cared more about getting his fifteen minutes of fame and standing up to the "man." The anchor speaking in the CNN news clip made the statement, the student got tasered for asking John Kerry a question. This statement is not true. I'm sure there were others before Meyer who asked Kerry a question and they didn't get tasered, because they were speaking in a respectful manner and didn't come there with the intention of starting a riot. We have to remember that the media is only giving you their opinion and is always in some way biase, and just like most things in life we may never know what truly happened, or what was going on inside Meyers head. Lastly you have to try and put yourselves in the police officers shoes. They have the kind of job where they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. They were reacting in the moment, and I am sure if they had time to analyze the situation again they would not have tasered the student.

Anonymous said...

courteney richardson

the situation that happen at the university was very uncivilized. the matter should've been taking care ofinto a more civilzed matter. I believe that the authority shouldn't have never taser a student who had the right to ask questions. the guy never made a threat to no one , yes he did use foul language but it shouldn't never lead to him being tasered. I also think that the media is a definite instagator in the matter.

Anonymous said...

I disagree with the fact a. Faller said he got wat he deserve but if you look at it from a different point of view he was only trying to speak how he feel n let others know but he got out of control which he should of never did but that don't give them the right to taser him its not like he was touching them it was just his mouth being outta control n I don't understand why they taser him after the cuffs are put on wat sense does that make? where can he run when the cuffs are on nowhere so of course he has to calm down...wat made him act the way he did was after they turned his mic offf but at the same time he should of realize it was his time up because doing speeches you get a limit time...the world is a crazy place too many things are happening..I understand he was resisting his arrest but he just wanted his voice to be heard...~Kristal Atchison~

Anonymous said...

I agree with what Samantha said. It was definitely not necessary for student to get Tasered by the Florida police. He was tasered after the handcuffs were on, so there was no point because he was already handcuffed. I think the situation was ridiculous because the student had a right to speak what he feels is right, freedom of speech. Even though he was a normal middle-class student, people should've still listened to what he had to say about John Kerry because his opinion could have turned out to be right.

-Simran kaur

Anonymous said...

i was disgusted by this video. this was nothng more than a bunch of power hungry rent-a-cops that used unnescasary force to handle a situation the r not trained for. the student was simply using freedom of speech and did no wrong. although he resisted arrest there was not basis for his arrest.

Matt morrison

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with Alyssa, Vicky, and Joanna (she isn't really in the class but she makes a good point). If you look at the tape closely, you will see that they almost had the cuffs on him. They had them on one of his hands and were trying to get the other, when they couldn't they tazed him. As for why they cut off his mike, he broke the rules. If anyone has ever been to anything like this you will know that you arn't supposed to use profanity of any kind. It was kind of hard to hear in class but if you go back, to about the time when he was talking about impeaching Bush, he said something about blow jobs. That is why they cut off his mike, it wasn't because of what he was asking, it was because he broke the rules. Admitedly it was an important question to ask, what point is a democracy if not every voice is heard? But being the troublemaker type that he is, he was probably just asking for some fame.

W Brown said...

John

Sorry about the sound quality of the videos... I'm currently working on that issue.

In the future when commenting, lets try to refrain from repeating the vulgarity. There are many ways to describe a situation. Even removing letters from the word in order to mask them from the school filter would help. (eg. B*** J** , however this is even not as creative as I expect from you) I will no longer be able to use this blog if the automated filter starts flagging it.

EVERYONE CONSIDER THIS A WARNING

Anonymous said...

Durkhanai Alem
I agree with what everyone said about the videos. Watching most of these videos, they all are just showing different points of views of this situation. Some stations are making it seem like a joke, some are on his side, and some people are just against every movement of that boy. I think that what the police did was not the best way to stop him, they could have handled it in a different way.

Anonymous said...

Casey B.
I think that when the police tasered the student it was wrong, but when they had asked him to move and he refused to listen they had the right to arrest him, and when u resist arrest it only make the situation worst, which led them to take such a step towards him. But they should have at least let him listen to the answer Kerry was going to give him. I think that so far from what everyone has written that they think it was wrong for him to get tasered. Also all the videos that are shown in the links have positive and negative side to the what had happened.

Anonymous said...

Justin D

I agree with matt in this case because these cops really handled the situation bad. I think that they could have handled the situation much better by letting the student ask the two questions he wanted to ask. What was scary when I was watching the tape and in my head I was thinking do we really have the right to freedom of speech? In the videos it seems like we don’t. I think many people felt the same way the student felt towards this issue but they don’t have the strength to ask those strong questions.

Anonymous said...

i think that in this situation, both parties were somewhat in the wrong. the student shouldn't have provoked the police by using sarcasm. he had already used up the alloted time he was given to ask questions. he should have went straight to the point. on the other hand, the police really shouldn't have resorted to tasering the student because he wasn't that hard to take down. although he had resisted arrest, six taserings is too harsh of a punishment.
today's media showed two very different sides of the story. one side covered the student's pain and his supporters. the other side covered the police's side. Truthfully, it is difficult to choose a side but i will side with the student because apprehending just one person does not call for the use of a taser.-Courtney Wilson

W Brown said...

ANYTHING AFTER THIS IS A 3 WEEKs LATE

Anonymous said...

I agree with alyssa faller completly i watched those videos a couple of times and its just so weird how Andrew Meyer was had held that book up the whole time before he was handcoffed and tasered but i think john kerry could have been more louder and more out spoken with this whole situation and he should have proved to us how he is such a great leader.
Leah .M

Anonymous said...

I certainly don't think that student should've gotten tasered. I feel that was such a disrespectful way to altogether handle things. The student himself was a little bit excited yes but I dont feel he went over the line at all. He asked questions and in the video John Kerry looked to answer them. The whole situation with the cops was out of line for shore.
Bryan S.

Anonymous said...

i disagree with saying he didnt go over the line. In class Mr Brown stated that the person on mic had about 30 seconds or so to speak. This guy was on stage for a good 2 minutes going on and on, even when his time was up. I think he got the message when they cut off his mic, but he proceeded to ramble on. Now dont get me wrong, the cops that were pulling him away DID take it to the next level by tasering him and i agree 100% that this action was uneccessary. In some videos it made it seem like a this whole charade was a setup, which is what i believe, this guy is no amateur.

W Brown said...

Closed for Marking Period 1