By Giselle Mazur, October 2007

Disclaimer: I have known Meyer since tenth grade, and he writes at a publication (not this one) for which I am the managing editor. I have done my best to correctly and accurately present the information in this story. I welcome responses to what I have written at Editor@satellitemag.com.

The Incident:By now we all know the story. On Sept. 17, Sen. John Kerry spoke at the University of Florida and then opened the floor for questions. One student, Andrew Meyer, made his way to the microphone after waiting in line to ask his question and subsequently had his microphone turned off, was grabbed by police and after resisting, wrestled to the ground and TASERed. The videos of the incident have spread across the internet like wildfire, inspiring protests, online groups and investigations into the University Police Department.

According to Accent, the Student Government’s speaker’s bureau, Meyer’s microphone was initially turned off because he used profanity. He said the word “blowjob,” in reference to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. Police also accused Meyer of badgering the speaker and said that he did not ask any specific question. It was then that police took action.

According to the police report made available by UPD, there was an open forum for questions at the end of Kerry’s speech. Meyer waited in line, but Kerry ended the session before Meyer had his turn at the microphone. It was then that Meyer pushed his way up to the microphone and began “screaming and yelling obscenities” and Accent Director Max Tyroler asked that he be removed.

But if you watch the video on YouTube, Meyer clearly asked three questions, albeit he did not practice the best social conduct in doing so. His questions included asking Kerry why he conceded the 2004 presidential election despite the fact that many scholars and voters felt the election was rightfully his; why Bush has not been impeached for his actions; and if Kerry was a member of the same secret society President Bush was in college. An interesting thing to note is that while all reports say Meyer was cut off due to his use of profanity, you can clearly see that he was not cut off when he said “blowjob,” but a full question later. You can also hear Kerry tell the police that he is willing to answer these questions, yet the police still grab Meyer and forcibly remove him from the scene.

According to the report, Meyer resisted, asking why he was being arrested and flailing around to escape the grip of the officers. He lifted up Officer Nicole Mallo and pushed past Officer William Wise. Then Sgt. Eddie King grabbed Meyer and began escorting him down the isle, but Meyer continued to resist, struggling against the officer and screaming out to the crowd. At that point three other officers, Officer Samuel Sexton, Officer Pablo De Jesus and Officer Jeffry Lamb assisted in restraining Meyer while three other officers stood close by for support. Meyer continued to struggle and would not allow the officers to place him in handcuffs, so they threatened to TASE him if he did not comply. When he kept struggling, Officer Mallo issued one contact TASE to Meyer’s left shoulder at the command of Sgt. King. Meyer was then escorted out of the building as he continued to cry for help.

In the video, you can hear Meyer offer to leave peacefully if the offers will let him up off the ground and, through the scuffle, those famous last words, “Don’t TASE me bro.”

On TASERs:
Captain Jeff Holcomb said the University Police Department began issuing the TASER X26 Electronic Control Device in the summer of 2001. Since then, officers have utilized TASERs a total of 17 times on the field. The issue was not departmental but rather worked on a tiered system, with the highest-ranking officers receiving the first stun guns. As the department strengthened its training programs, more officers were allowed to carry the weapon.

Any officer who carries a TASER must pass an initial training course that consists of a four hour overview of the weapon, its capabilities and how it is used. Officers also have to pass a test to prove their proficiency hitting a target, and pass a regulatory one-hour review once a year.

But what is a TASER? According to the TASER International Web site, the TASER was invented by John H. Cover, former chief scientist of North American Aerospace’s Apollo Moon Landing Program. The name TASER is an acronym stemming from Cover’s favorite science fiction character Tom Swift, and stands for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle.

The TASER X26 is the standard police issued TASER. It works by using a replaceable cartridge containing compressed nitrogen to deploy two small probes that are attached to the weapon by insulated conductive wires with a maximum distance of 35 feet. Firing the gun transmits electrical pulses along the wires and into the body, which inhibit the sensory and motor functions of the peripheral nervous system. A standard cycle pulses 19 times per second over a five second interval, and at its peak can send up to 50,000 volts of electricity into the body. The energy can penetrate up to 2 inches of clothing and is considered a humane and less-lethal alternative to guns.

TASERs also come equipped with a built-in dataport microchip system that provides the exact time, date and duration of field uses of the weapon, aiding in officer accountability.

According to Amnesty International, the use of TASERs on victims under the influence of drugs or in high stress situations can be linked to more than 150 deaths in the United States since 2001. Most of those who died were also exposed to multiple or prolonged electro-shocks. Seven thousand of the 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. now carry stun guns.

The Response:
Meyer was arrested and charged with a third-degree felony for resisting an officer with violence and a second-degree misdemeanor for disturbing the peace and interfering with a school administration function. The maximum penalty for the felony is five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. The maximum for the misdemeanor is 60 days in prison and a $500 fine.

According to a Press Release from UF President Bernard Machen, two of the officers involved, Eddie King and Nicole Mallo, were placed on paid administrative leave. UF Police Chief Linda Stump requested that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement conduct a formal investigation in addition to the UPD’s own investigation. The State Attorney’s Office will review all information concerning Meyer before making final judgment of the criminal charges against him. Machen also stated that Meyer did not pose a threat to other students and was not banned from campus.

Sen. Kerry released a formal statement that said, “I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but again I do not know what warnings or other exchanges transpired between the young man and the police prior to his barging to the front of the line and their intervention.” He ended the statement by expressing his regret that the discussion was interrupted.

The incident caused a community backlash, and the following week was filled with students protesting for the charges to be dropped and for the officers involved to be fired. They also demanded the discontinuation of the use of TASERs by UFPD. Facebook groups sprang up with names like, “Don’t Taser Me, Bro (5,806 members),” “Gators for Andrew Meyer” (3,090 members), “Gators for the Tasing of Andrew Meyer” (614 members) and even “Andrew Meyer; the cops should have used rubber bullets” (9 members). The video clip of Meyer’s arrest could be seen on the likes of “CNN,” “Fox News” and “The Daily Show.”