Here is a longer version of the video, picking up where the police confront the student:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7NWukZhsiBw&NR=1
After asking several more times why he is being arrested, he is finally informed by a police officer that he is being arrested for "inciting a riot".
WTF? I am not defending the kids stupid attitude/behavior, but c'mon - "inciting a riot"?!?
He was later charged with something entirely different, indicating that the police themselves didn't have a good answer at the time, to his question as to why he was being arrested - which begs the question, if they did not know why they were arresting him, why were they arresting him?
If you go back and watch the first video posted, when the student is asking questions, you can see a few students walk out, and most students are sitting looking at him, many with smiles on their face or laughing. I certainly didn't see a riot developing, just a person excercing their free speech rights in a rather ridiculous manner.
I also noted in viewing the first video a second time, that a big police officer grabbed the kid in a bear hug and carried him most of the way to the exit (the kid was not putting up much resistance, just waving his book and continuing to ask why he is being arrested).
There are much more effective ways, that law enforcement is trained for, to remove people that are non-violently resisting arrest than what was shown on the tapes.
The student was overly emotional, but if you simply listen to the words in his questions, he was not inciting a riot.
I should note that he was ultimately charged with disturbing a public function and resisting arrest with force.
Quote:
John Kerry released this statement on the incident: "In 37 years of public appearances, through wars, protests and highly emotional events, I have never had a dialogue end this way.
I believe I could have handled the situation without interruption, but 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.
I asked the police to allow me to answer the question and was in the process of responding when he was taken into custody. I was not aware that a taser was used until after I left the building.
I hope that neither the student nor any of the police were injured. I regret enormously that a good healthy discussion was interrupted."
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ADG