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Sometimes, no matter what you do, you can hardly win. And this fact seems to ring more true each day as our society is increasingly subject to violent acts at home, school and in the workplace.

Such seems to be the case of Andrew Meyer, the University of Florida student who was Tasered and arrested after trying to ask U.S. Senator John Kerry about the 2004 election and other subjects during a campus forum yesterday.

This is a case where the behavior of everyone involved in the situation added enormous fuel to a simple and seemingly harmless spark and the result was a destructive explosion. Context (often ignored when you see a random video) is important.

From U of Florida student Tyler Antar who was at the Kerry forum to register students to vote:

“Eventually it was announced that there would only be a few more questions answered. Since Meyer and I were both in the back of each line, it did not seem likely that our questions would be answered. However, while Senator Kerry was responding to a student’s question, all of a sudden Meyer rushed to the microphone with cops in pursuit. At that point no one knew what was going on. Could he have a gun, a bomb? Immediately, Meyer began yelling into the microphone that he had been waiting in line forever and that Senator Kerry should ‘spend time to answer everyone’s questions!’ Senator Kerry tried to calm the student down by telling him that he would ‘stay here as long as it takes to get the questions answered.’

From The Gainsville Sun:

Toward the conclusion of Kerry’s UF forum, Meyer approached an open microphone at the University Auditorium and demanded Kerry answer his questions.  The student claimed that University Police Department officers had already threatened to arrest him, and then proceeded to question Kerry about why he didn’t contest the 2004 presidential election and why there had been no moves to impeach President Bush.

If you haven’t seen the video, it warrants your attention. There is more than one video and the perspective of each is different. The first shows Meyer’s exuberance and disruptiveness and his hysteric pleas for help. The second video picks up when the police remove him from the mic and also shows him being escorted out of the room post the Taser.

Several factors led to the escalation of this occurrence from a simple campus political forum to police brutality and violation of civil rights. I worry that at the core of this incendiary situation is our acute awareness of and concern about safety that has been sharpened since events such as 9-11, Columbine and Virginia Tech froze us. The answers are not simple or easy.

The memories of these tragedies are not easily forgotten and their lasting impression often spills into situations that at first glance may appear to have such violent potential. As a police officer or campus official, how do you anticipate what turns deadly? The Virginia Tech Review Panel, a state-appointed body assigned to review of the Virginia Tech incident, criticized Virginia Tech administrators for failing to take action that may have reduced the number of casualties.

So what was wrong with this picture?

Andrew Meyer – accounts from people that were at the rally indicate he was disruptive, taunted the University of Florida police officers and in an outburst expressed his annoyance that the forum ended before he could ask his question. Cause for arrest and taser? No. He was granted the opportunity to ask his question by Senator Kerry but asked several questions and went beyond his allotted time. Cause for arrest and taser? No. He was not uncooperative initially but was demanding of police to know why he was being removed. At the back of the room he briefly escaped the hold of two of the officers and attempted to break away from the remaining officer. Cause for arrest and taser? No, but at this point, his attempted escape and continual yelling at police took the encounter to another level. How would this situation been different if he would have walked out with the police? Arrest and Taser? No. Was his main concern asking questions of Kerry or bringing attention to himself and his casue?

U of Florida Campus Police – Most law enforcement have strict policies for use of force and weapons. In the case of a Taser, U of Florida police chief  Holcomb said

“there would be an investigation into whether the officers used force appropriately, adding that employing a Taser gun would only be justified in a case where there was a threat of physical harm to officers."

I saw no threat of physical harm to officers but I saw an uncooperative and aggressive student. On the other hand, I did see the woman officer repeatedly, respectfully and calmly ask Meyer to cooperate and calm down. A Taser was not necessary and other means to remove Meyer should have been attempted. There were four attending officers.

John Kerry – Kerry seemed to be accommodating to the concerns and requests of Meyer yet ignored the situation and continued to address the crowd while Meyer was on the ground screaming at the back of the auditorium. He and campus officials were in a position to settle the ruckus peacefully. They could have made the call. Perhaps they have been trained to leave such disturbances to the police but it is a strange feeling to hear the screams on one hand and the political droning of Kerry on the other.

Audience – Some have criticized the audience for apathetically watching the police Taser Meyer. That is another difficult situation. What if 10 large students came to the rescue of Meyer and pulled police off him? Would that have improved the situation? Would more deadly weapons have been drawn – according to policy – if the police felt threatened? How many would have been hurt if that had occurred? The audience had the least power to affect a change in the situation. However, you can see quite a few students laughing as Meyer was dragged out, as if it was somehow an entertaining reality TV show.

Anyone given the responsibility to assure safety at an event is burdened with a complex task with little upside. Jeffrey Feldman of the Huffington Post, offers several questions that require attention and analysis

“How can campus police be prepared to distinguish between an angry protester and an angry threat to a room? What is the best way to quiet a protest on campus?  How should police respond to civil disobedience on campus without causing physical harm or worse to students?

Unfortunately, these important topics have yet to be discussed in any real way since the tragedy at Virginia Tech this past April.  The horrific event of that morning have undoubtedly left campus police in a heightened state of alert--not to mention the students.  In the shadow of that day, it is likely much more difficult on a college campus to make the difficult distinction between threatening actions and angry, but safe expression--and yet, the ability to quickly make this distinction is crucial to maintaining a healthy university community.”

Feldman’s solution, bring students, campus leaders and campus police together. “More talk, less Taser.” It is hard to disagree.