Bostonist: It's Electric - UPDATE

Mac

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:07:20 -0500

I don't know, #3 - looks pretty cut and dried to me. If anything, the extended video shows how much worse the police's behavior was. Cutting the guy's mike actually ended his ramblings, yet the police decided to draw still further attention to the victim by arresting him, which was pointless. Not only did the police apparently think four of them were enough to subdue the man, but some idiot needed to taser him, too. This kind of behavior makes me wonder about the real motivations for people deciding to become police officers. It can be a noble profession, but these guys were in it for the wrong reasons. I'm also shocked at the passivity of the audience. One woman is heard protesting police behavior, but the others remain in their seats.

guest

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:10:04 -0500

The fact that this was ever considered "a cut-and-dry case of campus police over-stepping their bounds" is one of the many reasons that I don't watch US commercial TV news anymore. Note these abbreviated clips that don't show the whole story: CNN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ridSOsxuU50 MSNBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCBcOQkUNjI (especially the comment made @ 1:42)

KLeighC

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:20:30 -0500

Hey Guest - I agree with you. The campus police definitely did not handle the situation correctly, and it led to the student becoming out of control. Using a taser on someone who does not pose a physical threat to anyone has to be against protocol for the department. Furthermore, the fact that this scene took place at a political event leads to the expected questions about free-speech, especially when those rights are being compromised under the current administration. What I was trying to do with my piece was let Kerry off the hook and show that things aren't always what they seem. It's easy for the media to sensationalize something without providing all the facts. Thanks so much for your insightful comments! Best, Korri Bostonist Photo Editor

guest

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:07:45 -0500

Hi and thank you for letting me comment as a guest. To me the fact that this kid may have been obnoxious (and even intending to be such) is irrelevent to the important, yet increasingly familiar, issues this over reaction by the cops raises. Being obnoxious (even intending to be such)is protected constitutionally in almost every circumstance. It certainly was here where the student is attending a political event on public property. If the organizers of the event wanted him to leave they needed to exercise very patient good-faith strategy. That obviously did not happen before the cops seized the student's body. Even if a reasonably patient non-physical approach by the coordinators (not the cops) did take place, the eventual use of the taser by the cops was way out of bounds.