UCLA Student
While perusing blogs this evening, I discovered an article that was chilling to say the least. The article was on a blog written by a New York attorney. The blow was written in regards to a recent attack on a UCLA student in Powell Library. According to the article, not only on this blog, but also on the Washington Post website, the student was in Powell, was asked for his ID, and refused. The library staff then called the campus police (UCPD), to escort the student out of the library. When the police showed up, the student was causing a commotion by asking other students to "rally to his cause." The student was then asked to leave the library, after which he was tasered once, put into handcuffs and tasered four subsequent times. Here's the video, if you can stomach it:
Now, my knowledge of police protocol is shaky, but according to a video I watched from the University of Puget Sound, it is against police protocol to taser a suspect that is handcuffed unless they continue to struggle. According to the actual video of the incident, the student was not struggling after being tasered and handcuffed, he was screaming and shouting, which I believe would be any normal person's reaction to such an event.
In the video, the student is asked repeatedly to "get up" by the officers. It should be noted that it is difficult to stand up in handcuffs, let alone after being tasered more than once. A wikipedia article outlines the effect of a taser on a person based on the duration of the shock:
According to the many sources, a shock of half a second duration will cause intense pain and muscle contractions startling most people greatly. Two to three seconds will often cause the subject to become dazed and drop to the ground, and over three seconds will usually completely disorient and drop an attacker for at least several seconds and possibly for up to fifteen minutes.
In the video, it is apparent that the duration of the shocks administered by the taser were between 2-3 seconds, which would render most people immobile.
In any case, the student's actions causing the incident should not be ruled out, however, the actions of the police that followed were unjustified. the fact of the matter is: the student should not have gone into the library without his ID, nor should he have caused such a commotion. Regardless of his action, the unnecessary use of force in this case is a big issue.
If this sort of brutal attack happened at UCLA, it is possible it could happen elsewhere, even at the University of Oregon. It is important to be aware of such events in order to protect ourselves from this sort of violence from our government. The event is terrifying, and it hits close to home. It's something we hardly think about, but as educated persons, need to concern ourselves with. What kind of policies exist at the U of O, or any school for that matter, regarding tasers? What is our administration doing to protect us?
As a student, and a citizen, this event not only enrages me, but worries me. It makes me wonder what could happen if the tables turned on me. What would I have done in a situation like this? What can I do about it? It makes me realize that I need to continue to educate myself about such incidents, and stay active in my community to be sure that this does not happen to me or anyone I know.
To close I would like to invite you to delve into this issue. There are many sources, and many different opinions on the matter. Do not consider this an isolated event, but rather, something that needs to be discussed and acted upon. Ask questions, and search for the answers accordingly.
Now, my knowledge of police protocol is shaky, but according to a video I watched from the University of Puget Sound, it is against police protocol to taser a suspect that is handcuffed unless they continue to struggle. According to the actual video of the incident, the student was not struggling after being tasered and handcuffed, he was screaming and shouting, which I believe would be any normal person's reaction to such an event.
In the video, the student is asked repeatedly to "get up" by the officers. It should be noted that it is difficult to stand up in handcuffs, let alone after being tasered more than once. A wikipedia article outlines the effect of a taser on a person based on the duration of the shock:
According to the many sources, a shock of half a second duration will cause intense pain and muscle contractions startling most people greatly. Two to three seconds will often cause the subject to become dazed and drop to the ground, and over three seconds will usually completely disorient and drop an attacker for at least several seconds and possibly for up to fifteen minutes.
In the video, it is apparent that the duration of the shocks administered by the taser were between 2-3 seconds, which would render most people immobile.
In any case, the student's actions causing the incident should not be ruled out, however, the actions of the police that followed were unjustified. the fact of the matter is: the student should not have gone into the library without his ID, nor should he have caused such a commotion. Regardless of his action, the unnecessary use of force in this case is a big issue.
If this sort of brutal attack happened at UCLA, it is possible it could happen elsewhere, even at the University of Oregon. It is important to be aware of such events in order to protect ourselves from this sort of violence from our government. The event is terrifying, and it hits close to home. It's something we hardly think about, but as educated persons, need to concern ourselves with. What kind of policies exist at the U of O, or any school for that matter, regarding tasers? What is our administration doing to protect us?
As a student, and a citizen, this event not only enrages me, but worries me. It makes me wonder what could happen if the tables turned on me. What would I have done in a situation like this? What can I do about it? It makes me realize that I need to continue to educate myself about such incidents, and stay active in my community to be sure that this does not happen to me or anyone I know.
To close I would like to invite you to delve into this issue. There are many sources, and many different opinions on the matter. Do not consider this an isolated event, but rather, something that needs to be discussed and acted upon. Ask questions, and search for the answers accordingly.
posted by Elk Hat at 2:21 AM
1 Comments:
I think it's awesome that you posted this Lexi. Apart from being disturbing, I found it very interesting and not unlike many other incidents that occur around this country. Our so called 'rights' as citizens only have meaning if we know what they are and if use that knowledge to ensure that they are upheld by those with the most power.
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