When University of Florida police Tasered student Andrew Meyer on Sept. 17 at an event featuring Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., it was another reminder that we live in a different era than the 1960s. Gone are the days of police using pepper spray to subdue an unruly crowd; now officers are using a more deadly force. In the widely-circulated videos on YouTube.com and other video-sharing Web sites, Meyer is seen persistently questioning Kerry, then he is forcibly removed from the microphone by UF police officers. Meyer struggles with the police officers, crying out “What have I done?” The most disturbing part of the video occurs when, after several officers pin Meyer to the ground, one officer uses a Taser to subdue Meyer. Meyer screams in pain as an unidentified female in the background pleads with officers to stop Tasering him.
I am not trying to defend Meyer’s actions completely. In the past week, it has been discovered by many major news outlets that he is a prankster who does publicity stunts for his Web site. According to CNN, several eyewitnesses have confirmed Meyer acted obnoxiously by forcing his way to the front of the line and refusing to leave the microphone after his allotted time was up. This behavior certainly was not as peaceful or respectful as it should have been.
However, Kerry can be heard offering to answer Meyer’s questions to avoid the conflict between police and Meyer. Would it have been that difficult for police to have allowed Kerry to answer his questions and then use force only after Kerry dismissed Meyer? It could have prevented the entire conflict from occurring.
It is very disturbing to me that university police were so quick to use a Taser to subdue Meyer. University officials are hypersensitive in this post-Virginia Tech world, and rightfully so, but since when did it become acceptable for law enforcement to use electronic volts that could have killed Meyer in order to stifle his free speech?
Even Kerry, who attended college during the tumultuous times of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, said, “In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way.”
LSU police officers have the duty to protect the LSU community, but all officials have the responsibility to ensure that free speech is protected and encouraged on college campuses. College is the time for people to expand their views on important issues and truly listen to other people’s opinions. Students should be passionate about their viewpoints, no matter how unconventional they are.
It is because our generation often lacks the passion of our parents’ that our country does not take us seriously. If we care more about Paris Hilton’s release from jail than the ongoing genocide in Sudan, what does that say about us and our priorities?
Meyer may have been clamoring for attention rather than trying to make a stand, but his activism and the police’s response should be a wake-up call to our country. A university is one of the few places left in our society where free speech is typically considered sacred. Why then were UF police officers so quick to use force to remove Meyer from the auditorium? Meyer’s grandmother Lucy Meyer told The Miami Herald her grandson is not a troublemaker. She also said, “He gets very, very overcome with passion for whatever he is feeling. Maybe the passion took over.”
Passion over relevant issues in our country should not be suffocated by university officials, but it should be applauded when carried out in an appropriate manner – it is already too hard to find in our generation. The reaction of the UF police officers raises frightening questions about what could happen on our own campus. If an LSU student would have demanded answers from Vice President Dick Cheney about his administration’s actions when he spoke at the Spring 2006 Convocation, could the student have been Tasered? Should access to a Taser, especially on a college campus, be so freely given to law enforcement? Fortunately, LSUPD say they do not allow their officers to carry Tasers because of these risks. However, any policy can be changed, especially in these hypervigilant times. It is for this reason why it is important for LSUPD to continue to enforce this policy.
Whether Meyer acted in an appropriate manner is yet to be determined, but the overriding message from UF officials should be one of acceptance of free speech. A student may not feel comfortable sharing his or her opinion if an incident similar to Meyer’s is possible at this university. When a student is unable to express his or herself, it prohibits the exchange of ideas that could positively impact our community. Students should not have to fear repercussions for simply speaking their minds. When the right to free speech is denied, we all lose because, to borrow a phrase from Kerry, “good, healthy discussion[s] are interrupted.”
It is only when we are open to others’ opinions that we can strengthen our intelligence and well-being as a whole.
—-Contact Laura Bratcher at [email protected]