Unrestrained ego can be an unfortunate character trait. Such was the case for Andrew Meyer, the journalism student tasered by University of Florida police (UPD) at Monday's speech by Senator John Kerry.
This was not a case of his freedom of speech being denied. This was a case of a young man pissed off because he had the misfortune of being at the end of the line waiting to ask a question when time ran out.
This was not a case of UPD acting inappropriately. This was a case of a hot headed college student who refused to follow the rules of civility despite the reasonable and repeated requests for him to do so.
The sad thing is that everyone is talking about how this 21 year old student got tasered, not about all the important, insightful and profound issues Senator Kerry discussed with the audience.
I don't want to take sides but I am concerned that the truth be told. The way the media is portraying this incident is off the mark. I want to provide a critical perspective of the truth and can do so since I was there and was sitting three feet away from where the entire incident erupted.
Let me set the stage: As is the tradition in these kinds of events, the guest speaker is given a set amount of time to talk. In this case the Senator spoke for about 30 or 40 minutes. Then the moderator, Dennis Jett, asked several questions which Senator Kerry answered. Again, another 30 minutes or so passed. It was then announced that two microphones were placed midway in the auditorium and there would be time for only six or seven questions. People were to line up behind the mikes to wait to be called on. We were also instructed to please keep our questions very brief.
After six or seven audience members had their questions answered the moderator said they had time for one more question. As that last questioner began, Andrew Meyer grabbed the other mike and began shouting that he wanted to have his turn to ask a question, that he'd been listening to Kerry speak for two hours and that it was his turn...
He was flailing his arms and waving a book in one hand. Meyer was clearly playing to the cameras that predictably turned toward him. As the sound of shutters clicking increased he puffed out his chest, turning and smiling at the photographers. Ahhh, the spotlight!
Emboldened by the attention, Meyer escalated things from there. There were calls from the moderator, Senator Kerry and the audience for Meyer to stop, to be quiet and sit down. UPD, whose duty and responsibility it is to ensure security - especially since there was a U.S. Senator in the room - began moving toward Meyer, asking him to stop, to let go of the mike and leave the premises.
Meyer had control of the room and he knew it! How exhilarating, that must have been for him! He dashed here & there to make it difficult for the officers to get a hold of him. He was waving his arms wildly, shouting and made clear he had no intention of cooperating with anyone.
Remember, there's a U.S. Senator a short distance away from where all this is happening. UPD is charged with, among other things, protecting the safety of the Senator. Meyer is a big guy, about six feet tall, and using all of his 200 lbs or so to shake off the officers' grips on his arms. Meyer was not complying to their (now) more forceful commands to stop and to leave the premises.
Even when they agreed to allow Meyer to ask the Senator his question it quickly became clear Meyer only wanted to rant on about a litany of things. He seemed to not even care if Senator Kerry answered at all. That's right Andrew, it's all about you, isn't it?
Seeing that this guy was not going to be reasonable and would rant on for as long as permitted, they cut the mike. Meyer's arm-flailing and shouting resumed and the camera shutters clicked even more wildly than before. What fun it is to command attention from a roomful of people and a U.S. Senator to boot!
Ok, so I am taking sides. But I have to be honest; after raising two children I've had my fill of little Napoleans and temper tantrums and was glad when they dragged Meyer to the back of the room towards the exit. He more than deserved to be put in "time out."
By then Meyer was on the floor, and I was not able to see him directly from where I was sitting. I could not tell if they tasered him before he was cuffed, during the process of being cuffed, or after he was cuffed. The investigation will reveal that detail and there were plenty of witnesses right there to provide testimony. But from the voices and the scuffling sounds I heard Meyer was not giving up and continued to resist.
I did feel sorry for him when I heard the zapping sound of the taser; I know that had to hurt. But he had many, many opportunities to keep it from happening. The control he had of the room included the ability to control the outcome of the fracas he was causing. He had been repeatedly warned but made a bad decision nonetheless.
And the truly unfortunate result was that people seemed to forget what they had heard and learned from the guest speaker, Senator John Kerry. Let's just hope the audience, mostly college students, learned something about civility from Andrew Meyer.
Another Buck Naked Politics' post has a video clip.
RELATED BN-POLITICS POST
Disruptive Student Tasered at John Kerry Event: What Really Happened?
Unlike WMD, I wasn't present at the event. Like WMD, I don't find it possible to determine---or to comment on---what happened between the student and the police once they began were removing him from the room. It's certainly not clear from the video.
As for the student's conduct prior to that point, I've heard a range of opinion on that score. Given the nature of the event (a political discussion) was he sufficiently out of order /disruptive to deserve to be escorted from the room? WMD thinks yes; others may hold other views.
I WOULD argue that the video does seem to show that Senator Kerry--whom I should note I like well enough but perhaps not as much as WMD---was in no way involved in the decision to remove him from the room. I'm sorry to see the way some people who don't care for his views have rushed to blame him for what occurred.
The BN-Politics posting linked above has been updated to include his remarks as well as those of the president of the University.
Posted by: Damozel | September 19, 2007 at 07:47 AM
The question is, "...Was he sufficiently out of order/disruptive to deserve to be escorted from the room"?
Absolutely and all the videos and first hand accounts confirm this.
Had he simply asked his question and allowed the Senator to answer that would have been the end of it.
The blame directed at him has nothing to do with his political views and everything with how he conducted himself.
His behavior was such that causing a disruption and garnering the full attention of anyone with a camera was his main goal.
Is this why he gave a friend his video camera and asked her to record him just before he took the mike? Was his purpose all along to post it on YouTube for his 15 mintues of internet fame?
If so, I have to admit, he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.
The Gainesville Sun had an article today titled, "Police: Meyer a lot calmer with the camera off" (http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20070919/NEWS/709190335/1002/NEWS )
It's worth a read.
Posted by: WMD | September 19, 2007 at 02:29 PM