Uni rent-a-cop 1 to Uni rent-a-cop 2, set tasers to stun (assholes!)

[crlcxll]

America is a bloody police state. I hope that the student takes down the University and its police force. This is another explicit example of Bush and Company and what they have done to The United States.

 

[Sausy]

America is a bloody police state. I hope that the student takes down the University and its police force. This is another explicit example of Bush and Company and what they have done to The United States.

while I believe thast's an overstatement,this was a terrible abuse of police poowers and those involved were brutal and highly unprofessional.A minor infraction should never have resulted in him being treated as a terrorist with a weapon.They should be stripped permanently of their badges and prosecuted for offiicial misconduct...the young man had a medical condition,what if he had seizures or even worse died as a result of this completely unnecessary laser tazing?

 

[Paws]

Another older Tazer video:

 

[Theyoungman]

As if notihng worse happens outside of this country...

Anyway. The first big mistake I saw the policy make was that they let the other students get too close. BIG MISTAKE!

Also... They could've just dragged the student. Its not that hard to do...

Oh... and for the student... The dumbs ass should have gotten up or stop talking...

I say that yeah it was sort of abuse, but when you resist arrest, you are asking to get tased.They would have had to arrest him for not following their orders. I'm pretty sure their instruction were valid and clear.

I felt bad in the begginning, but then it just became stupid.

 

[FPNY]

As a retired police officer I know how easy it is to judge those who have accepted the responsibility of enforcing our laws. If you choose to disobey a lawful order given by a police office you suffer whatever consequences are coming your way while the officer makes you obey his order. These guys asked him to leave and he refused? Well, guess what happens, they make him leave. If they didn't want him to be removed they shouldn't have called the police. As for those of you who think we are living in a police state, next time you need help call a social worker. Being a cop is hard job you run into all kinds of people who are hell bent on doing whatever illegal activity it is they want to do. It would be acold day when I would let some kid ignore my order to leave a building he was apparently trespassing in. I tell you to leave, you leave, or I carry you out one way or the other.

Thats my two cents.

 

[FPNY]

If what you are all saying is true. I wonder then why did they call the campus police to have him removed?

 

[Soilwork]

I've known very few of those rent-a-cops who couldn't get on a real police force who weren't just desperate to force their authority on anyone they could.

hope the fuckers get fired, sued and sent to county lock up with the rest of the thugs.

 

[Soilwork]

I should also say I don't believe a word the "cops" say.

They saw their chance to play with their taser guns walking out the door and they went for it.

 

[crlcxll]

There is no argument here. The cops did the wrong thing. You DO NOT taser a person for not leaving. There were many witnesses who saw him leaving. I usually do not wish anything bad on a person, but these cops need to be fired and never hired again. This is stupid. And, yes, America has become a police state in many ways. Why don't you Americans read the Patriot Act and see just what it says.

 

[crlcxll]

I have read the Patriot Act, and it is very frightening. I would be willing to bet everything that I have that not one person on this forum has ever read the Act nor knows what it is really about......

 

[ryankeith]

If what you are all saying is true. I wonder then why did they call the campus police to have him removed?

They did not call the campus Police to have him removed...it was a random ID request they do every night.

 

[Soilwork]

Soilwork, there are no rent-a-cops involved. There are legitimate sworn police officers and CSO's.

Good.

so they lose their pensions, too.

I'm sorry, but there's just NO need to taser someone for not leaving a library fast enough.

Go ahead and defend out-of-control cops all you want. It doesn't change the fact that Tasers should be used to subdue violent people in an effort to stop someone form getting hurt.

Not to hurt someone who doesnt' jump high enough or for not leaving the library fast enough. Or hurt them for kicks, which is probably what went on here.

 

[HarryPotterHimself]

I understand he was resisting arrest, but he was leaving. On top of this, they were using the tazers like a dog's shock collar. "Get up or be tazed. ZAP!!! Good boy." That's just bullshit, they used the tazers excessively, especially since the kid was on the fucking ground, offering no physical threat, just laying there. I hope the kid wins a lawsuit or something. I understand cops lives are in danger at all times, but he was on the ground for Christ sake, I think they were making an example of him to keep the other students at bay.

 

[Soilwork]

Probably jealous that they weren't smart enough to get into college.

OK, look, I'm not anti cop.

I'm Anti out-of-control cop.

Yes, Harry, I too hope he wins a lawsuit... he probably will. I would assume he's getting phone calls from just about every lawyer going.

 

[Soilwork]

Yeah, I dig how the Republican has no problem with a student with brown skin being attacked by police over and over again, even as he lies incapacitated on the floor.

Sorry, but there's NEVER a reason to use force like that on an unarmed studetn in a library. I don't care if he called them "pigs".

I'd probably cheer if he did, now.

 

[trawler69]

Those standing up for the cops in this saga are themselves cops or ex cops and they question the evidence. I think the evidence is clear by the other peoples reactions to the incident in the video, on the sound track and in the press.

The police in the press reported the victim to have encouraged others to join in the resistance. There was no audio evidence of this. There were no cuts in the video footage so no editing. Also there were 50+ witnesses. Taking all this into account they were way out of order, appear to have no social skills and are basically sadistic bullies excercising powers they don't deserve to hold.

They should be locked up for assault and abuse of power. For fucks sake they taser him, inducing paralysis and then yell at him to stand up or the'll do it again.
They are as bad as terrorists and I thought there was a war on that at the moment, perhaps a spell in Guantanamo Bay would be appropriate.

 

[Leidian]

This story is deeply disturbing. I generally like to think that in America of all places shit like this doesn't happen. That justice prevails and our protectors do not become our aggressors. I hope those cops are stripped of their badges for failing to do their duties. Isn't there some kind of oath of decency?

Anyone know anything about how the protest went?

 

[Leidian]

To answer my own question.....here is the protest:

[Online Exclusive]: UCLA community gathers to protest Taser incident, campus violence
Protesters demand additional investigation be made into officers' actions by an outside organization with help of students


By Julia Erlandson and Anthony Pesce
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
jerlandson@media.ucla.edu
apesce@media.ucla.edu

Meyerhoff Park was electric Friday afternoon when more than 400 students, faculty, staff, parents and community members gathered to protest the use of a Taser multiple times on a UCLA student in Powell Library on Tuesday night.

Student leaders stood on the steps of Kerckhoff Hall, leading the crowd in chants that included "One, two, three, don't Taser me," and "U-C-P-D, you disgust me." After about an hour, students began marching to the university police station, where about 200 students gathered in front of the building.

More than 50 student organizations sponsored the rally, during which students demanded that an independent investigation be conducted into the officers' actions.

According to a statement released Wednesday by UCPD, the incident in which Mostafa Tabatabainejad was stunned with a Taser several times for failing to produce his BruinCard or leave the library upon request is currently under internal review.

SLIDESHOWClick here to see a slideshow
of photos from the student protest.
But students at the rally said they wanted an additional investigation to be conducted by an outside organization, adding that they wanted students to be involved with the investigation as well.

"The chancellor should appoint students who will be able to make sure the investigation is transparent," said Combiz Abdolrahimi, chairman of the National Iranian-American Council at UCLA, which helped organize the event. "We're also calling for a temporary suspension of the officers."

Affad Shaikh, civil rights coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also demanded to be provided with UCPD's policies governing the use of Taser guns.

ANDREW HSIEH/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Interim Chancellor Norman Abrams (right) and Police Chief Karl Ross hold a joint press conference to announce there will be an independent investigation into the Powell Library incident.

"Something went wrong and the community demands some answers," he said.

At a separate press conference later in the afternoon, Police Chief Karl Ross announced that UCPD is planning to conduct an independent investigation into the incident, in addition to their internal investigation.

During the same press conference, Interim Chancellor Norman Abrams said a number of eyewitnesses have already come forward to participate in the investigation.

"I am confident that the review process that is being undertaken will allow us to reach a fair, appropriate and just conclusion," Abrams said.

Several eyewitnesses also spoke to the crowd during the rally, though some declined to give their names.

UCPD has maintained that the UCPD officers could not have known at the time that the student was not a threat; Ross said the officers used force because they felt they were in danger.

But some witnesses said the response seemed to be inappropriate for the situation.

Protestors listen to one of the multiple students, community members and activists who spoke during the rally.

"I personally couldn't sleep that night," one speaker said. "This was majorly excessive. There was no reason for (police) to do this once they had complete control of the situation."

Organizers repeatedly stressed that the rally was in response to violence on campus in general.

"These police were way out of bounds," said Samer Araabi, a general representative on the Undergraduate Students Association Council. "Do you feel protected by the police?"

The crowd roared back with a resounding "No."

After the rally was over, just before 1 p.m., protesters began marching to UCPD's station on Westwood Boulevard, though organizers had said at the beginning of the rally that they had no plans to do so.

Organizers asked the crowd to remain peaceful as they marched, still chanting, to the station.

"Let's stay nonviolent, because we are marching against violence," said Sabiha Ameen, president of the Muslim Students Association and a rally organizer.

Click here for a pdf version of UCPD's Taser policy.
Protesters gathered on UCPD's front lawn, chanting that they wanted to see the chief of police.

By the time students arrived at the station, the front door of the station was locked and most of the lights downstairs were turned off. Berky Nelson, director of the UCLA Center for Student Programming, said the chief of police was not available to speak with protesters because he was meeting with the chancellor.

As a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter circled briefly overhead, the crowd refused to disperse.

"Hell no, we won't go," they chanted.

After students had been at the station for over 45 minutes, they left voluntarily.

Nelson said police would listen to student input.

"There will be student input," he said. "Their voice was heard, and they were received with all due respect."

Though the crowd was overwhelmingly opposed to the police officers' actions, a few students in attendance questioned the student's actions as well.

"If you've been told to leave, you need to comply," said Christo Rose, a fourth-year computer science student. "(Police) have no choice but to respond."

But Rose added that he believes the use of force in the situation was excessive.