‘Don’t Tase Me Bro:’ Student Tasered at Kerry Town Hall Meeting

By Anastacia Mott Austin

Students attending a town hall meeting at the University of Florida on Monday received more than they bargained for: a lesson in civics, including the parameters of free speech, the role of law enforcement on college campuses, and the role of media in modern day political discourse.

And of course, the entire incident was recorded and immediately broadcast on Youtube.

Set up as an open dialogue between United States Senator John Kerry and University of Florida students, the question-and-answer event was proceeding smoothly when 21-year-old UF student Andrew Meyer stepped up to the microphone. Meyer began peppering Kerry with a series of rapid questions, including why Kerry had conceded the 2004 Presidential election, why he had not moved to impeach President Bush, and whether or not he was involved in the same secret society at Yale (lu) as George Bush. When he used an expletive to describe sex acts (during a question about the Clinton White House), the event organizers turned off the microphone he was using.

Meyer had begun to leave the microphone area when campus police officers approached and told him he needed to leave the event, upon which Meyer became upset, waving his arms, and yelling, "What did I do?" repeatedly. A scuffle ensued, and Meyer was partially handcuffed, yelling "They’re arresting me!" About six officers had him pinned to the ground and Meyer can be heard on the videotape shouting, "Don’t tase me, bro!" before the officers did just that. He was then escorted out of the building, while Kerry can be heard in the background saying, "That’s all right, I’d like to answer his question, it’s a very important question."

The incident may have received little or no media attention, had it not been for the fact that Meyer himself handed his camera phone to the person standing behind him and asked her to tape him before he asked his questions.

The woman in question did record the event, and promptly posted it to Youtube, where it received thousands of hits and ignited a firestorm of protests at the university and a debate about the use of police force on college campuses.

University of Florida students staged a protest, carrying banners saying "Don’t Tase Me, Bro," and demanded that university police be stripped of their standard-issue tasers.

Students who witnessed the event were upset about what they saw as abuse of authority. "For a question to be met with arrest, not to mention physical violence, is completely unacceptable in the United States, especially in the halls of education," said fellow UF student Benjamin Dictor.

University of Florida president Bernie Machen would seem to agree. "I hate it. I hate it. I hate it," said Machen during a phone interview with Florida’s Herald Tribune."I hate a U.S. senator not being able to have a full and open dialogue."

Machen added that the officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the matter. In addition, a panel has been scheduled at the university to discuss whether campus police should be allowed to continue carrying tasers.

Even Senator Kerry stated that he felt the incident could have been handled differently. "In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way. I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption," said Kerry to the press.

Although the majority of the responses to the arrest, especially the tasering, of student Meyer, have protested the use of what seems to them like excessive force, some feel that Meyer engineered the entire incident.

Meyer had a history of public pranks which he often videotaped, and some see his handing a camera to someone right before his questions as suspicious.

In addition, the arresting officers told reporters that Meyer’s demeanor immediately changed to quiet and friendly once there were no cameras present.

At any rate, the incident proves a compelling case study in our modern age, akin to the proverbial tree falling alone in the forest: if it didn’t get posted to Youtube, it didn’t happen.