Kid gets tasered in UCLA library...for no reason

[Mickey Brausch]

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The reason why it got ugly is cause they were zapping an idiot who was handcuffed and posing no physical threat.

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I will agree with you about him being an idiot but your statement is incorrect in two ways:
1- He was not handcuffed while the taser was used.
2- He was trying to start a disturbance in the library.
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Tabatabainejad shouted, 'Am I the only martyr?'"
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“UCLA said the police decided to use the Taser to incapacitate Tabatabainejad only after the student urged other library patrons to join his resistance.”

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Do you all realize what is happening here? It's not just that the police are getting away with it, but peers (in age, background, etc) of the guy who got the treatment, people who should be empathizing, are mostly applauding and approving the police action!

Here is what is being said:

*He was an idiot -- as if that justifies tasing him.
*He was shouting in a place of quiet, i.e. the library -- as if that justifies tasing him.
*He asked his fellow students to protest what he perceived to be an injustice --as if that justifies tasing him.
*He engaged in passive, non-violent resistance and would not get up from the floor -- so the police were right to prod him like cattle.

They are taking away not just your liberties but your critical faculties, as well, folks.

Protecting free speech is not only about protecting the right of Hustler to publish beaver. It's also about protecting the right of people to be loud, dissenting and obnoxious. If you can't handle that, you can't handle freedom.

Mickey Brausch

[AngusThermopyle]

Also, for everybody who thought he was Tasered before going limp:

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As Tabatabainejad was leaving the room, he was approached by two officers, one of whom grabbed the student"s arm. When officers did not let go of his arm, Tabatabainejad fell limp to the floor, Yagman said.


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Daily Bruin article

[John Kilduff]

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OF COURSE how bad it is is an issue, its the only issue we are debating over! excessive force! my argument is that it is NOT excessive force. Two reasons:

1. tasing in the fashion is not really that bad. plus, some sort of physical intervention was needed, whether that was to forcefully carry out the 200 lb kid (who was either passively or defensively resisting), or have comply using pain measures.

2. According to the regulations set forth, using a taser set on drive stun is perfectly acceptable in this situation. i think I will trust the people who spent hours making those judgements then some random dude who doesnt even know what its like to be tasered (once again, on DRIVE STUN)

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Maybe those regulations are what need to be changed, then.

In my opinion, police should not be allowed to use "pain compliance measures" under any circumstances even if those measures are "not really that bad".

There was no need for the use of the taser in this library incident.

Also, I see no need for police to have the option to use "pain compliance measures". Maybe someone can convince me otherwise, but right now I don't see reason why police might need ever to resort to inflicting physical pain in order to gain compliance. If the subject is not following orders but presents no threat to the officers or to others, the police can certainly deal with it without inflicting pain, especially when they have him so outnumbered as in the library incident. I think allowing "pain compliance measures" opens the door to potential abuse.

[PokerBob]

here's an idea: STAND UP WHEN THE COPS TELL YOU TO.


When I was in school at UW-Madison and the cops were removing someone from a football game, we didn't ask for badge numbers. The crowd would instead chant "Use your gun!". Such wimps on the west cost.

[The once and future king]

Whats great is how the police officers used there profesional training and street smarts to diffuse the situation and stoped it escalating into a potentialy diificult and ugly conforontaton.

Oh wait.....

I find it incrdible that adult human beings can accept this level of knuckle headed one dimensional idiocy and brutality from their police forces. In fact I dont think they can.

Only someone with an innate hard on for authority could find the policemens behaviour acceptable in this case. Not because of the level of violence, but becasue there was violence at all.

Anyone but a knuckleheaded idiot or someone with a desire to get there taser wet could have resolved this scenario without any violence.

[OrangeCat]

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Here is what is being said:

*He was an idiot -- as if that justifies tasing him.
*He was shouting in a place of quiet, i.e. the library -- as if that justifies tasing him.
*He asked his fellow students to protest what he perceived to be an injustice --as if that justifies tasing him.
*He engaged in passive, non-violent resistance and would not get up from the floor -- so the police were right to prod him like cattle.

They are taking away not just your liberties but your critical faculties, as well, folks.

Protecting free speech is not only about protecting the right of Hustler to publish beaver. It's also about protecting the right of people to be loud, dissenting and obnoxious. If you can't handle that, you can't handle freedom.

Mickey Brausch

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This is not a free speech issue at all. This is not Gandhi style civil disobedience we are talking about here and Tabatabainejad is no Rosa Parks.

The guy was obviously trying to encourage the onlookers to help him escape after he realized he was not going to be able to just walk away after being a total jerk. A rather cowardly act I think. Then he makes the highly inflammatory martyr comment.

If Tabatabainejad wanted to protest racial profiling, he certainly has the right to do so. But that is not what happened. He did not have the balls to go through with this act of defiance. If he really believed in what he was doing, he would have walked into jail with his head held high. Instead he whines like a baby, tries unsuccessfully to drag bystanders into the fray, apparently to help him escape, and then hires an attorney to help him get money from UCLA for "brutality."

Summary: Tabatabainejad tried to be a badass, chickened out and is now crying to his mommy.

[Meech]

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*He was an idiot -- as if that justifies tasing him.


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I said hes an idiot because based on the video he appears to be an idiot. If being an idiot were enough cause to be tased, well over half of our country should be tased... Nonstop.

[Meech]

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Whats great is how the police officers used there profesional training and street smarts to diffuse the situation and stoped it escalating into a potentialy diificult and ugly conforontaton.

Oh wait.....

I find it incrdible that adult human beings can accept this level of knuckle headed one dimensional idiocy and brutality from their police forces. In fact I dont think they can.

Only someone with an innate hard on for authority could find the policemens behaviour acceptable in this case. Not because of the level of violence, but becasue there was violence at all.

Anyone but a knuckleheaded idiot or someone with a desire to get there taser wet could have resolved this scenario without any violence.

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QFT

[John Kilduff]

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Here is what is being said:

*He was an idiot -- as if that justifies tasing him.
*He was shouting in a place of quiet, i.e. the library -- as if that justifies tasing him.
*He asked his fellow students to protest what he perceived to be an injustice --as if that justifies tasing him.
*He engaged in passive, non-violent resistance and would not get up from the floor -- so the police were right to prod him like cattle.

They are taking away not just your liberties but your critical faculties, as well, folks.

Protecting free speech is not only about protecting the right of Hustler to publish beaver. It's also about protecting the right of people to be loud, dissenting and obnoxious. If you can't handle that, you can't handle freedom.

Mickey Brausch

[/ QUOTE ]

This is not a free speech issue at all. This is not Gandhi style civil disobedience we are talking about here and Tabatabainejad is no Rosa Parks.

The guy was obviously trying to encourage the onlookers to help him escape after he realized he was not going to be able to just walk away after being a total jerk. A rather cowardly act I think. Then he makes the highly inflammatory martyr comment.

If Tabatabainejad wanted to protest racial profiling, he certainly has the right to do so. But that is not what happened. He did not have the balls to go through with this act of defiance. If he really believed in what he was doing, he would have walked into jail with his head held high. Instead he whines like a baby, tries unsuccessfully to drag bystanders into the fray, apparently to help him escape, and then hires an attorney to help him get money from UCLA for "brutality."

Summary: Tabatabainejad tried to be a badass, chickened out and is now crying to his mommy.

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My guess is that your analysis is probably right but in my mind that still does not justify tasing (or threat of tasing).

[Mickey Brausch]

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This is not Gandhi style civil disobedience we are talking about here and Tabatabainejad is no Rosa Parks.

[/ QUOTE ] So the man gets tased for not being a very skinny Indian or a black woman. Right?

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The guy was obviously trying to encourage the onlookers to help him escape after he realized he was not going to be able to just walk away after being a total jerk.

[/ QUOTE ]As soon as one discards the color commentary, one sees the episode right away for the civil disobedience act that it was.

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Then he makes the highly inflammatory martyr comment.

[/ QUOTE ]In what way is that exactly inflammatory? Was it a call for violence or rioting? (Please realize that if you're saying one time he was a jerk, I'm saying it three times. Being a jerk is your right in a free society in the sens that police have no right to punish you for being a jerk.)

More to the point, were the officers ever in any danger from his "inflammatory comments"?

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If Tabatabainejad wanted to protest racial profiling, he certainly has the right to do so. But that is not what happened. He did not have the balls to go through with this act of defiance.

[/ QUOTE ]So you're saying that those who want to protest but chicken out are supposed to get tased?

See, I'm trying to see the reason behind the character assassination. Because, for me, the guy could have heen a royal ass -- it still wouldn't matter. He still should not have been tased.

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...whines like a baby, tries to drag bystanders into the fray ... tried to be a badass, chickened out and is now crying to his mommy.

[/ QUOTE ]Such disgust for the behavior of an ordinary human being.

Mickey Brausch