posted
For those who are interested, asked about it, or otherwise didnt get bombarded by it through their local media...
Apparantly, he was already working in the computer lab (and thus had shown his ID when he came in, to get a computer), these two campus cops randomly asked him for his ID. He refused, feeling singled out as the sole Iranian in the room at the moment. He asked the cops to randomly ID some of the white people in the room, to assuage his fears of being profiled. They refused, and repeated their demand to see his ID. He closed down the paper he was working on and opted instead to leave the library. One of the cops took his arm. He told the cop to not touch him. When the cop maintained his grip, he went limp, presuming that if he didn't fight them, they wouldn't escalate the situation further.
--Jonah
-------------------- "That's what I like about these high school girls, I keep getting older, they stay the same age."
--David "Woody" Wooderson, Dazed and Confused
Registered: Feb 2001
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
Bush's very own useful idiots.
Registered: Nov 1999
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quote:Originally posted by AndrewR: They showed it on the news last night.
Yes...it was truly buzzworthy.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
The CNN web-piece said that the guy managed to garner support from the crowd in the room before the police stunned him. The article seemed to angle it that the police stunned him because he got support from the bystanders.
And the school chancellor only commented "the security of this school is of the utmost importance". Carte blanche, madames et messieurs.
Registered: Aug 1999
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posted
Finally got to watch this at work (stupid home dial-up). It made me sick.
The cops looked like campus security to me, not police officers. The uniforms they had on didn't look like police unis. Were they police, I don't think they would've futzed around with threatening to taze the student who started getting in their face. I think they would have just arrested him. Though they seemed to be getting pretty nervous towards the end, like they were about to get mobbed. And from the look of things, they WERE about to get mobbed.
posted
Right, but I'm saying, they don't look like actual police officers who would be empowered with alot more authority than private security. The other students around continuously ask for the officers' badge numbers and tell them they're acting beyond their authority. It doesn't sound like the students think they're anything more than security guards. Police also don't generally tell people under arrest to get up. They tell them to stay down.
My point is, if they're private security, and not police officers, they tortured this kid based on nothing more than a perceived breaking of university policy. And to make matters worse, it looked like the student was already cuffed. How could they possibly justify tazing someone who is already in custody? If he's on the ground and restrained, he's obviously not a threat.
I could be wrong about how much authority security guards have, but I can't imagine they would have full police powers without having to undergo training and without being held just as responsible as a police officer would be.
posted
At my college (much, much smaller than UCLA) there was a bonafide police department. It was small, but it was clear these were full fledged police officers and not just renta-thugs with tazers. This was in idyllic and peaceful California and so maybe is relevant.
But these UCLA guys escalating the situation to the use of force is just ridiculous. Their actions are appalling and offensive. I'm glad YouTube gives us a medium (unthrottled by those in power) by which to see this and to feel this way.
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Serves him right for choosing to be Iranian. I mean, what was he thinking?
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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