Police Tazer UCLA student for not showing ID

jumpenjuhosaphat · 04-09-2007, 01:33 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g7zlJx9u2E

It disgusts me when I hear people say that this is justifiable. This isn't ever justifiable, and I wish that those college students would have taken every one of them cops tazers and turned it on them.

Zap · 04-09-2007, 06:31 AM

Reading over some of the comments left at Youtube, there are an awful lot of people who seem to think that disobeying a rule is justification for tazering someone.

I'll have to get me one of them tazers for when I'm stuck in traffic.

Ferre · 04-09-2007, 08:48 AM

That student was already handcuffed and got tasered a couple of times more just for not wanting to stand up. I think that's a gross example of power abuse, in fact it's a kind of torture in my view.

**John Scott** · 04-09-2007, 09:01 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_nlvk9J-lE

More details.

And no, use of a Taser is not justified, IMO. He posed no threat to anybody.

**South** · 04-09-2007, 01:03 PM

We didn't get to see how it got to that point. The video picks up after the police arrive, meaning the guy has been disruptive enough for the staff to hand it over to security, security to hand it over to the police. Even with the police there he was determined to be as disruptive as possible. These video clips always show just the part that makes the police look abusive, never the part leading up to why they're using force. As many tazer hits as he was willing to take by refusing to stand I'm pretty sure drugs were in the mix somewhere.

Brian · 04-09-2007, 01:11 PM

The pigs strike again

**John Scott** · 04-09-2007, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by South

We didn't get to see how it got to that point. The video picks up after the police arrive, meaning the guy has been disruptive enough for the staff to hand it over to security, security to hand it over to the police. Even with the police there he was determined to be as disruptive as possible. These video clips always show just the part that makes the police look abusive, never the part leading up to why they're using force. As many tazer hits as he was willing to take by refusing to stand I'm pretty sure drugs were in the mix somewhere.

Refusing to stand? Tasered a total of 5 times, and four of those while being handcuffed. Tassers are meant to immobilize, and prevent people from standing. I don't know if it was refusal or inability to to stand, but either way that does not pose a threat to anybody and as long as he is posing no threat he shouldn't be tasered.

jumpenjuhosaphat · 04-09-2007, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by South

We didn't get to see how it got to that point. The video picks up after the police arrive, meaning the guy has been disruptive enough for the staff to hand it over to security, security to hand it over to the police. Even with the police there he was determined to be as disruptive as possible. These video clips always show just the part that makes the police look abusive, never the part leading up to why they're using force. As many tazer hits as he was willing to take by refusing to stand I'm pretty sure drugs were in the mix somewhere.

The justification might have been there for the first time that they tazered the guy. But watching the video, it's painfully obvious that just because someone refuses to stand up(with good reason I might add), it doesn't justify being tazed. Just because someone might have been disruptive doesn't hand the police the right to do what they want to the guy.

The tazer wasn't placed into the hands of the cops to be used as a means by which to force a person to stand, or to prevent resistance, it's a tool given to them as an alternative to using lethal force, and to protect them when it's absolutely necessary. That guy wasn't posing any dangers to the police, himself, or bystanders by refusing to stand.

Zap · 04-09-2007, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by South

We didn't get to see how it got to that point. The video picks up after the police arrive, meaning the guy has been disruptive enough for the staff to hand it over to security, security to hand it over to the police. Even with the police there he was determined to be as disruptive as possible. These video clips always show just the part that makes the police look abusive, never the part leading up to why they're using force. As many tazer hits as he was willing to take by refusing to stand I'm pretty sure drugs were in the mix somewhere.

So... You're willing to assume that he posed some sort of danger during the time that the camera was off. And, you're willing to assume that the guy was on drugs. But, you are not willing to accept the events that unfolded on the video, right before your eyes?

For your sake, I hope that the cops you ever run into show more restraint than these ones and the human beings that hear of your experience (should you have a horrible one) display more objectivity than you.

EmpJoy · 04-09-2007, 07:58 PM

The reply by the University of Puget Sound about the incident included more info. UCLA says that after 11:30 Pm students must show id to be in their library the guy refused to show one and that was the start, it was also stated in the police report as the start and his refusing to leave. Not sure what this bodes for the future. I guess we'll see.

Hoping for the best,
EmpJoy

jumpenjuhosaphat · 04-09-2007, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EmpJoy

The reply by the University of Puget Sound about the incident included more info. UCLA says that after 11:30 Pm students must show id to be in their library the guy refused to show one and that was the start, it was also stated in the police report as the start and his refusing to leave. Not sure what this bodes for the future. I guess we'll see.

Hoping for the best,
EmpJoy

Even still, there was no justification for what they did to that fellow. Taze me once, shame on me.....Okay, that's a bit corny, but you get what I'm saying?

EmpJoy · 04-10-2007, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumpenjuhosaphat

Even still, there was no justification for what they did to that fellow. Taze me once, shame on me.....Okay, that's a bit corny, but you get what I'm saying?

Yes

I wasn't agreeing I was actually trying to show that it was worse because there was no violence from the student, and the police report backed that up. Sorry if I gave that impression. There was no reason to taze if there were four men (from my count) against one student. Especially as he was handcuffed from after the first raze. It was horrible.

EmpJoy

**South** · 04-10-2007, 07:54 AM

Wow, a lot of negative from my comment. I'm not saying the police were right, I'm only saying that video doesn't supply enough information to know what was going on. In fact, we're assuming from the audio that "not standing" was the only thing he was doing, we can't actually see what was going on.

I know cops who brag about beating people, and I know cops that are disgusted by that. Most cops that do bad things usually don't do them in front of a room full of educated people asking for badge numbers (Yes, I know about Kent State...I said usually). That leads me to think that there's more happening than what we can tell from a short video shot from behind a crowd of people that offers mostly just audio. Outrage spawned by too little information has caused many hangings.

Quote:

For your sake, I hope that the cops you ever run into show more restraint than these ones and the human beings that hear of your experience (should you have a horrible one) display more objectivity than you.

Objectivity is my point exactly. Objectivity requires information, and this video by itself provides very little. If the incident is what it seems to be from the tape, then I say pull the badges and press assault charges. I don't know these officers and have no reason to defend them, and I certainly don't condone the use of violence where it's not warranted. I'd just like to know more than this video tells to crucify the officers. That's all.

Quote:

the police report backed that up

I haven't seen the police report

jumpenjuhosaphat · 04-10-2007, 01:08 PM

The audio is enough. An officer is clearly heard saying "If you don't stand up, I am going to taze you again". Clearly, that statement speaks for itself. Coupled with that are the screams of the victim(assailant) when the officer actually does indeed do exactly as he says, it can only be assumed that the reasoning behind it was for the reason the officer gave the victim, because he wouldn't stand up. I've never personally experienced being tazed, but I've heard that it causes slight temporary paralysis. It would be difficult to stand only a moment after being tazed, not to mention that he was tazed several times.

**South** · 04-10-2007, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumpenjuhosaphat

it can only be assumed

Exactly right. It can only be assumed. I'm not willing to conclude on what can only be assumed. I wasn't there and there was no visual.

Again, if that's how it went down I'm all with you. Fire them. Convict them if they broke the law. I think cops are way too quick to go to the taser, but on that same note there are way too many tapes that get spliced up to only show the part that make police look bad. I don't hate cops. Sorry.