Miami Herald: Student's shocking exit becomes talk of Web

[Apollo11]

The Miami Herald, Wed, Sep. 19, 2007

UF student's shocking exit becomes talk of Web

Freed without bond, a UF student Tasered during a speech dealt with becoming a cyberspace celebrity.

BY PHIL LONG, JENNIFER MOONEY PIEDRA AND MARTIN MERZER

"We hold these truths to be self-evident."
"Four score and seven years ago."
And now, add this to the lexicon of American democracy:
"Don't Tase me, bro. Don't Tase me."

Andrew Meyer, the University of Florida student from Weston who tested the limits of free speech during an address by U.S. Sen. John Kerry, walked out of jail Tuesday and into cyberspace history -- and instant, if likely fleeting, celebrity.

Video clips of his fracas with university police officers flashed around the world, viewed more than 400,000 times. Tens of thousands of people debated the issue on websites, including more than 700 people on MiamiHerald.com. The American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International USA rose to his support.

"Shocking someone who was seemingly little more than a nuisance? That belongs in the Ripley's of poor policing," said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA.

The degree to which Meyer, 21, was a nuisance or an opportunistic prankster -- and the magnitude of the police response -- stood at the center of the worldwide web of discussion as he left jail, was hugged by his father and driven away in his attorney's SUV.

The charges: resisting an officer with violence and disturbing the peace by disrupting a school activity. His attorney said he would plead not guilty.

The bail: none -- he was released on his own recognizance and made no public comment.

The reaction: immediate and wide, starting on campus and racing around the world.

UF President J. Bernard Machen described the event as "regretful" and said two officers involved were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

"We're absolutely committed to having a safe environment for our faculty and our students so that a free exchange of ideas can occur," Machen said.

About 100 UF students conducted a protest, holding signs that said: "Trust Betrayed," "Excessive Force" and, of course, "Don't Tase Me, bro."

"The nation is laughing at us," said student Benjamin Dictor. "And the nation is crying for us, too."

(...)

You can read the full article here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/548/story/242607.html