Video you should see

Alright I just saw the Powell gets tazered video on Youtube and want to argue about it cause I'm pissed off. I know alot of people resent arguments online but I think as long as you keep it civil and intelligent there's no reason why it can't act as a forum for debate. in fact I think it acts well as one because of the opportunities for diversity that it offers.

So this is what happened:

http://dailybruin.com/news/articles.asp?id=38960

The article is pretty biased but there is some info in their you can glean, particularly the eye witness quotes. The video doesn't really show clearly what happened to start it all but the article gives a description, whether its 100% accurate is up for questioning, however it is the only source for info so...

I think everyone should know about this so go read and watch, and then say what you think here. BTW, the video could be seen as slightly disturbing, for anyone who is may not want to see it. But the article gives you the gist.

This kinda thing happens more often than anyone knows. I myself had an incident with an overly aggressive officer when I was younger. I ended up with a seperated shoulder and he ended up getting his ass handed to him by some more unruly citizens sometime later. He has since left this town. Again affirming my belief that what goes around comes around.

I heard about this video and story a few times today. When I heard the newsclip synopsis, I assessed the cops were probably in the right and gave them the benefit of the doubt. Late night hours, college campus, and unknown guy who's uncooperative. But after reading that and watching, I'm definitely leaning towards abuse. I'm not calling for a lynch mob on the cops in question just yet though...I still can't say from one article and a video that captured more audio than pertinent video (and none of the preliminary situation) that I know who's wrong. But yeah...zapping him 5 times does seem excessive and unnecessary. Definitely warrants the thorough investigation, and if needed prosecution.

Tazing a guy who is on the floor and posing no risk.... How can that be acceptable? No matter what he is shouting at them, that's not called for. Tazed when handcuffed.... let's see them defend their actions there, especially if the Tazer charge was strong enough to disable the guy. They're screaming at him to get up and its their fault he can't.

It's the same the world over as far as I can tell... it takes a particular type of guy to want a uniform, and once he's got the uniform and been given a gun, it goes to his head... a$$holes... there may be exceptions that prove the rule, but I've yet to meet one.

Wasn't there another incident recently where a guy cuffed in the back of a patrol car got pepper sprayed? Magic is right, this probably happens all the time, it's just that now it's starting to get filmed by bystanders...

**EDIT**

I found the police report here which doesn't say alot but puts in print that the tazer will incapacitate someone temporarily, which will make it hard for them to explain why tazing someone for refusing to get up is a valid tactic I would think...

Is the US becoming the police state it appears to be from outside?

Tabatabainejad was also stunned with the Taser when he was already handcuffed, said Carlos Zaragoza, a third-year English and history student who witnessed the incident.

I this is true, it automatically voids any excuse the cops may use. Kind of interesting how it started from a kid who wouldn't leave a library.

It is biased, to create a news story, and i can't say i know the whole story, but it sounds alot like cops abusing their power for kicks. I have no argument with police using force to bring people down, if neccessary.

Yeah, a lot of people are using the argument that he couldn't have stood after the tazer zaps, however this may not be true and is irrelevant anyways. The cops should not be using the tazer, or any means that causes pain to et people to do what they want that is called torture. There were at least three or four cops there that would have been plenty to carry him out. The cops usig the tazer to try and convince him to stand is a clear and sick abuse, there was a cop I heard comment on this that said he would have done the same thing, rather than risk throwing out his back carrying the kid out. This in my opinion is exactly the kind of attitude that almost every cop I have ever met has. They don't treat people as if they were people and they think just cause they have a badge and the other guy is "breaking the law" that they can o anything they want. Well they tortured that kid in order to get him to shut up and walk out with them man handling him. According to the article he was leaving and the cops grabbed him (in order to "escort" him out) this would obviously be humiliating to anyone so Tabatabainejad became pissed off and told them to let go of him and that he was leaving. he probably tried to jerk his arm away and walk out and this is when they tazed him. As far as I can tell he had not fallen to the ground before they tazed him but even if he had it makes no difference. As soon as they tazed before it had even stopped they were screaming at him to get up and when the camera finally gets there you can see two cops jerking him around.

This is what I've been able to compile from the info thats out there.

Also the fact that this is not an isolated instance is no reason to shrug it off. Thats exactly how **** like this continues to happen, and people aren't just getting tazed. Cops are given the benefit of the doubt and I have met very few in my life who wouldn't take advantage of that fact if given the opportunity.

It's true that uniforms tend to attract people who want to abuse them, and this isn't just police, the military is much worse, if you think how our own government treats us here sucks just think about the way Iraqis are being treated by the troops acting as police over there. Now, ver there it's a little different I'll give you that, but the military also attracts the bottom of the barrel as far as potential and morals. When you have people joining up solely because they want to kill some one you have a broken system. And we let these ppl in because no one else wants to join. What I'm talking about is mainly the infantry, the bottom of the barrel. there are decent ppl who join the military but they all do something else which is fine, but talk to any of them, talk to anyone who has ever been in the army or marines and they all say the same thing. My whole family before me has served in the Army so I'm not just talking out of my ass, I've heard some pretty sick stories.

I'm in favor of mandatory service, and personality test to weed out ppl looking for trouble. I would serve if I didn't expect it to be exactly what my brother went through.

Originally Posted by: ren...Is the US becoming the police state it appears to be from outside?

You somewhat answered your own question there...it "appears to be". The media loves stories that initiate an emotional response. Stories of routine arrests by "good" cops just don't make good news, at least nationally like this. Or consider if they had just run his name, and let him go (which probably happens everyday elsewhere). That wouldn't even make the school newsletter. They (the media) want to find corruption or abuse, and rightly so, but these are the exceptions to the rule in my opinion.
I see the valid point raised that a uniform attracts certain individuals, but I'm not so cynical to believe they are the majority. It's that very perspective that gives me the skeptical pause with these stories, and to not take every word of every witness, or reporter for that matter. I too have had family/friends in the military, and have known police officers. These are some of the best people you'll meet.
So all in all I think we're all on the same page with this story to some degree. It definitely looks like unwarranted abuse. But I won't throw this blanket on all, or even most servicemen of any type.

The way it pretty much works is that a city (or township) will either have cops that are pretty cool about things, or cops that are real jerks. For instance, when I was pulled over for throwing fireworks out the window, the cop said "I know you did it, cmon, I used to do the same **** when I was your age, just admit it." And the time me and my brother got pulled over because I was shooting my bb gun out the window and someone thought it was a hostage situation, the cops were laughing their asses off after they went through a whole fiasco and realized i was playing with a toy gun, they said, "This is gonna make a great bbq story for you guys!"

Now, both those times i was let go without a ticket or anything, but If I was pulled over 2 townships over, I woud have been taken in and hit with everything possible. There was an incident in a nearby town a few months ago where the cops arrested a whole band because they're were playing a gig in a park. The show was completely legal and they had their permits, but the cops arrested them anyway, one of the kids was even in the Big Brother program and does a lot of community service (by choice not from troube with cops.)

More often than not, we hear about incident like these in the news and it really pisses me off, mostly because the people don't fight back. I'm not talking about punchhing the cop in the face, but if you had 20 kids behind and 3 cops in front of you, you have a great opportunity to make the cops aware of your rights. If worst comes to worst and the cops start trouble, I can hoestly say I would defend myself and my rights. If I had to be taken in and be charged, so be it. I still wait for the day the cops try to break up a local show around here, everyone knows everyone, and theres not nearly enough cops to shut us down.

What those university cops did was wrong, and this kind of thing needs to be stopped. The only way it will is if people stand up.