Below is the letter I have composed and am sending to UCLA Chancellor Abrams in regards to the recent attack by thugs in uniform posing as UCLA Police. I am requesting you either write your own letter or copy the one below and sign your name to it, and send it to Chancellor Abrams as soon as possible:
UCLA, Norman Abrams
4101 Law Bldg
Los Angeles, CA 90095
To UCLA Chancellor Norman Abrams:
I just reviewed a video depicting a UCLA Police squad abusing a suspect by using tazer weaponry in an unwarranted and downright violent manner. An independent investigation is not enough. You need to put your personal influence, and the influence of UCLA into the prosecution of these villains. Even if the first tazer attack was used in accordance to policy, all subsequent tazer attacks, which were caught on video, were a clear violation of human and civil rights. There were more than 4 officers, all substantial in size, who could have very easily extricated the man with one officer each arm and one officer on each leg, without the use of weaponry.
As a citizen of California, and the United States, whose tax money pays your salary, and as a defender of the Constitution, I demand you use your substantial influence to pursue the conviction and imprisonment of each and every one of these officers for felony assault and battery with special circumstances under hate crime statutes. I also demand you assist in every way possible any civil action brought against the men in uniform who so blatantly abused their power.
Tags:
tazer
ucla
ucla+cop
ucla tazer
Rants to get discussion started 
I support the cops.
Comment by rich — November 21, 2006 @ 6:11 pm
Cry me a river that kid should have just complied instead of showing his ass. I have had several run-ins with cops and never got tasered because I don’t act like an idiot and do as they ask.
Comment by woot — November 21, 2006 @ 10:32 pm
You can’t stand up after being tazered.
Comment by Field — November 22, 2006 @ 3:05 am
You can stand up right after being tazed, a tazer is at the same level on the use of force scale as pepper spray
ASK THEM, TELL THEM, TAKE THEM
Comment by Tommy hte Policeman — November 22, 2006 @ 3:09 am
I saw the footage as well and think it is disgusting. Those security guards were absolute nazi thugs – the kids a Uni student for christ sake! WTF are they walking around campus halls with Tazers anyway?!?
Comment by Sam — November 22, 2006 @ 3:41 am
People have died from being tasered so they should never be used unless the person was a threat, in which they are a safer alternative to say shooting with a gun. Witnesses said this man was leaving and the policemen reconfronted him. Just because he disobeyed their order doesn’t mean he should be tasered. He did nothing threatening. As of was he able to stand. Maybe some can stand, but some die. He said he had a medical condition, how do you know what he could do or not. This is a cop on a power trip at its finest. I hope he never gets his badge back. Just because you did cop training does not mean you can do anything you want to. 103 deaths have resulted from tasers. The manuel police officers should read even says that repeated tazering can stop breathing. There are many medical studies on causes for this, but harming someone for refusing to cooperate with police officers after already starting to relieve is absurd. If they just let him walk out this wouldn’t have happened. he basically got tasered for being disrespectful. I Have no respect for those officers. that one officer has been repeatedly accused of abusive things on the campus. I thus have no respect for him. This man was right for sticking up for himself.
Comment by kate — November 22, 2006 @ 5:27 am
that video was disgusting. It was clearly excessive force on behalf of the police officers. The officers responsible deserve to have assault with a deadly weapon charges braught against them along with stripping of there badges.
Comment by ken — November 22, 2006 @ 7:44 am
You kiddin me? At the very end when the officer threatens to tazer another student for asking for his badge and info?? That right there is illegal on all levels. Cops HAVE to provide their badge and names when asked….and this officer threatens to tazer him instead? What a joke and thats comming from a law enforcement student, that officer needs to work security at toys-R-us for now on.
Comment by Joe — November 22, 2006 @ 8:01 am
The moron got what he had coming to him for being uncooperative when asked for his credentials. “Leaving” when asked to produce ID by the police is not the brightest thing one can do, and saying that “the guy was leaving and was assaulted without provocation” is just about as stupid.
As for the tazers, if you think that they are a bad idea petition your local politiciants to ban them. Has any of you “professors” done such thing, or does your obligation end with the incoherent yapping of “police brutality?”
-M-
Comment by Mike — November 22, 2006 @ 8:11 pm
Sorry man, but even if the police over-reacted, and that’s debatable, the ultimate cause of this was the student for not following the rules, and on top of that, not complying with direction from the authorities. Even if the police were wrong to ask for ID, or for him to leave, had the student simply done so, this wouldn’t be an issue right now. He could then have complained, filed grievances, sued them, whatever. But no, he had to be about as uncooperative as he could be, and scream about the patriot act. Ultimately, it is the student that could have avoided this whole situation.
Comment by Laz — November 23, 2006 @ 2:27 am
That video was absolutely disgusting and horrifying… I can’t believe there are people on this post that would defend those cops… You would think there would be more important things for the cops to be doing in LA rather than tazering a freaking studying college student… I am not saying that the student was right to be so non-compliant with the officers orders… He should have left when the officers asked him to… Regardless, the force used was blatantly excessive. And to “Tommy another ignorant Policeman” who states a tazer is on the same “level on the use of force scale as pepper spray” – Have you ever been sprayed with that stuff? You can not breath or see for moments after it hits you, and you are in pain for an hour or more after. And just as with pepper spray, when you are tazed I would imagine you can’t just hop up and walk away! These officers are sick! Get up **ZAP** Get Up **ZAP**… give me a break. Pepper spray or a tazer is COMPLETELY uncalled for in this situation… This is a freaking tired, disgruntled, and perhaps annoying college student – not exactly a freaking threat to society! These cops, and those with a similarly violent mentality who are in a position of authority but don’t refrain from using violence as tactic when it is obviously not necessary, ARE a threat to society.
Comment by Sara — November 23, 2006 @ 4:01 am
Our society is in a sadder state of affairs than I suspected. I would like to see those of you defending the actions of these uniformed thugs rot in jail right along with them. I hold my ground, there was no action to provoke the use of a weapon. When there is a less violent alternative the cops must use it.
Tommy, if you really are a police man, you disgust me. I hope you lose your job before you hurt someone like your thug cohorts.
Comment by aapriori — November 23, 2006 @ 7:12 am
You have to be moron to say that kid acted like an idiot. Don’t know if you watched the same video as I did. How can you possibly say that kid was acting such? The least to say that the thugs who were supposedly dressed as COP want to bees were the ones out of line. Y in the fu**** world would you tazer a student like that. People really need to wake up n stop saying that since he did this n he deserves to be tazered. Who n the fu***** died n made you judges. Who da hell are you to say that he deserved that. based on what just cuz he didn’t show is ID card. Or maybe since he is Middle Eastern they thought maybe he is a terrorist?? Hell we have the Patriot Act, so anything could be done to anybody under the suspicion of that person being a terrorist.
Comment by salman — November 23, 2006 @ 7:15 am
The video is absolutely disgusting and horrifying…
Comment by Nasir — November 23, 2006 @ 10:00 am
Uh, salman, who died and made YOU a judge? We all saw the same video, apparently you concluded from it that the police were out of line and should be punished, whereas many of us believe the student was out of line and got what he deserved. We’re all exercising our JUDGEMENT on what we saw, so, um, shut up??
He didn’t get tazed because he didn’t have his ID card, for fk’s sake. He got tazed because he refused to leave when asked, refused to cooperate at every opportunity, deliberately caused a disturbence, and basically acted like a complete ass, who needed to be removed somehow from the library, to restore peace. After being threatened several times with physical force, he still refused to cooperate. After being tazed, he again chose to remain a nuisance rather than cooperate. He had every chance to leave peacefully, he chose his own fate at every turn.
Comment by Bonemesh — November 23, 2006 @ 1:51 pm
Bonemesh, I would say it was common sense that died where you are concerned and salman is far more capable to pass judgement than you. The biggest ass in the world doesn’t deserve to have a weapon used against them unless they also pose a threat. I hope you fall off your high horse and get kicked in the head by it.
Comment by aapriori — November 24, 2006 @ 12:05 am
I don’t care if this kid pulled a gun on the police. You tazer him once, take the gun, drag him out of the building, throw him in the back of your patrol car, and haul his ass to jail. You don’t have to tazer the kid five times and keep demanding that he stand up and walk out. Anybody who doesn’t see abuse in this video is blind. Good thing the cops didn’t have real guns or we’d have another Kent State here.
Comment by Jeff — November 24, 2006 @ 8:23 am
“Those security guards were absolute nazi thugs …” — Sam
They weren’t security guards. Security guards would have probably been arrested by now.
‘The moron got what he had coming to him for being uncooperative when asked for his credentials.’ — Mike
Your papers, please.
‘“Leaving” when asked to produce ID by the police is not the brightest thing one can do …’ — Mike
Yea, how dare he off and leave for, you no, refusing to do whatever the police officer demands he do, regardless of how illegal it is.
‘… and saying that “the guy was leaving and was assaulted without provocation” is just about as stupid.’ — Mike
Again, so true. It’s like that time when I asked that chick her number and when she started to leave I pepper sprayed her and looked around in her purse for her number. I mean, I’m not a cop, but clearly she deserved it.
‘As for the tazers, if you think that they are a bad idea petition your local politiciants to ban them.’ — Mike
Like how we should ban guns because there are people who misuse them. Yea, that’s a nifty idea. And while we’re at it, let’s ban knives and lead pipes and scissors. My, I feel so much safer banning things than merely holding people accountable that abuse them.
‘Has any of you “professors” done such thing, or does your obligation end with the incoherent yapping of “police brutality?”’ — Mike
Totally incoherent. I mean, zapping someone fives times with a tazer is the most joyful of experiences. Great to see that the police are so incapable of subduing one individual and dragging them off for trespassing that they have to tazer them five times. Oh wait, I’m sorry. They’re just lazy fucks* who’d rather tazer a person into submission than to bust their ass and carry the guy to the police car. Yea, that was totally worth tazering the guy.
*I don’t think all cops are lazy. But these were, seeing how they were bitching that he was dragging his feet; they should have just picked him up fully. At worst case, they’d call for more cops to carry him. Being incapable of lifting a person doesn’t mean they’re resisting you. If it did, Ghandi would be the master of resisting arrest.
“Sorry man, but even if the police over-reacted, and that’s debatable, the ultimate cause of this was the student for not following the rules, and on top of that, not complying with direction from the authorities.” — Laz
So true. It’s like when there was that guy who was jaywalking and I tazered him 5 times. If he hadn’t broken the rules.. And then there was the woman who didn’t properly sort her recylables. That was 10 tazers. Oh, and then there was the guy who was going one MPH over the speed limit. Hell, that was a whole night of tazering. If they just followed the rules, they wouldn’t have to risk being tazered.
Perhaps it was a stupid thing to act like an ass, what with all the people who will side with the cop regardless of how retarded the whole situation is, but there’s simply no justification for tazering him once, let alone 5 times.
‘We all saw the same video, apparently you concluded from it that the police were out of line and should be punished, whereas many of us believe the student was out of line and got what he deserved. We’re all exercising our JUDGEMENT on what we saw, so, um, shut up??’ — Bonemesh
I won’t tell you to shut up, but I will call your a moron and a hypocrite. If you and others have the right to express your judgment, it follows that others do as well. That extends as far as calling others morons or stupid for reaching a different conclusion than they do. I don’t see why you feel compelled as ask another to shut up.
‘He got tazed because he refused to leave when asked, refused to cooperate at every opportunity, deliberately caused a disturbence, and basically acted like a complete ass, who needed to be removed somehow from the library, to restore peace.’ — Bonemesh
Here’s an idea. How about they cuff him and drag him off? I know it’s a radical new approach and all, but it might just work. Just because the cops got a new tazer to play with doesn’t mean it’s a hammer and every problem is a nail.
‘After being threatened several times with physical force, he still refused to cooperate.’ — Bonemesh
Why was he threatened with physical force? Last I knew, threats of physical force were a crime. Or were you trying to say he was threatened with physical force if he didn’t leave? Hmm.. Unless that physical force involved arresting him, I’m not sure how that’s particularly relevant.
‘After being tazed, he again chose to remain a nuisance rather than cooperate.’ — Bonemesh
That bastard. How dare he still refuse to cooperate after being illegally tazered. Why, it’s like the time I, as a cop, shot that person in the leg and they still refused to cooperate. Oh, sure, I could have just arrested them and carried them off. But they were dragging their feet! That’s resisting! If they kept dragging their feet, why, I might have had to carry them fully! I figured shooting them, they’d just comply with whatever I said because of fear. Fear me, peasant!
‘He had every chance to leave peacefully, he chose his own fate at every turn.’ — Bonemesh
So true. Nothing says “deserved to be tazered” like “being ornery” and being non-compliant. If you don’t comply with the police, you get to be their toy. So long as it doesn’t leave a permanent mark, it’s okay, right? They police should have given him a couple swirlies or pinned him down and emptied some pepper spray on him. Once you stop cooperating, it’s okay to torture a person, so long as it doesn’t leave a permanent mark. It’s not like there’s any sort of procedure on when, exactly, tazers are supposed to be actually used. You know, those cases where a police officer is actually threatened.
Comment by kuwanger — November 25, 2006 @ 5:42 am
TO: the person who wrote the suggested letter to Mr. Abrahms, (I didn’t see a name attached)
I made sure to send a letter stating disagreeing with your suggested letter. What IS UNJUSTIFIED, is making ANY judgement as to the actions of the officers is until the investigation is complete. As a taxpayer, I would appreciate Mr. Abrahams waiting until all the facts are in before taking ANY action. I am disgusted with knee-jerk emotional response by so many individuals on BOTH sides. Name calling without knowing ALL the facts, may make one feel better but does not solve any problems, nor give credence to one’s opinion – in fact I’d argue it weakens the argument.
Based on Mostafa’s lawyers account, on other eyewitensses accounts who were there at the beginning of the confrontation, and my basic belief that the I’ve hired the police to act in the interest of EVERYONE’s safety (including their own perhaps), that the police MAY have a justification for their actions. I don’t believe that ANYONE “deserves” tazering. However, I’m willing to accept that this may have been a reasonable action, even if not the best action in hindsight. At least I am thinking rationally instead of emotionally by acknowledging that there is another side the “story”, and that until I have LISTENED to BOTH of them, “demanding” Mr. Abrahms to take action is emotional and ridiculous. I’m willing to read the investigation with an open mind. Why do I get the impression that YOU aren’t??
Comment by Johnny — November 27, 2006 @ 1:51 am
Well Johnny, I am the owner of this blog and the one who suggested the letter. I stand behind the letter, and the demand. I also believe my demand is justified given what I saw and what I have read about the incident. The information available at the time I wrote this letter, and to date, indicates the worst offense by the victim of these thugs was disobedience. Sure he was an ass but as I have stated time and again in this post there was enough muscle power available to simply carry him out. He had no weapon. There was no assault, simply disobedience, and that never justifies the use of a weapon. Your brand of open mindedness is as repulsive to me as those actually defending the thugs.
Comment by aapriori — November 27, 2006 @ 3:25 am
Police brutality my ass. Stand up when they tell you too. Leave when instructed. Shut your damn mouth and do what you are told. I hope they tasered him again outside for good measure. Bunch of whiners from the “entitlement generation” getting your panties in a knot.
Comment by Ghengis — November 27, 2006 @ 6:23 am
Ghengis, I’m guessing you support Bush and the war in Irag too. It’s a sad fact that the world would be a better place without you and those who think like you.
BTW, I’ll be 40 in February so I am far from being part of the “entitlement generation” you speak of.
Comment by aapriori — November 27, 2006 @ 6:27 am
its impossible to stand up after being tazered, and u are only meant to tazer someone for 3 seconds they were doing it for 5 seconds plus. whoever says that you can stand up after bing tazered is an idiot as it sends your body into shock and u cannot do anything. the kid was co-operating but the police cuffed him as he was goin out, u can tell form the other students reactions to the whole incident that the kid hadnt done anything wrong and was being treated unfairly
Comment by Barnabus — November 27, 2006 @ 1:50 pm
After reading all of this, I wish I had a Tazer. *cough*
Comment by LANopticx — November 28, 2006 @ 1:55 am
I think this fits the definition of torture. I think both the President of the University AND the Chief of Campus Police should lose their job over this.
I think anyone that does not stay awake at night enraged over this is unamerican, and I think those that think it justified and would do well to volunteer themselves for military service in Iraq, where they need people like that.
CNN reported that one of the primary officers had an incident in 2003 where he shot a homeless man.
Campus Police are not well-respected within the Law Enforcement community. This is where “wanna-be’s” that cannot make the standard in real Police Departments find employment.
Personally I am very disappointed on a variety of level. Primarily the lack of media attention, and also it seems the inability of people to percieve the enormity of what took place. For all the attention that was given to Rodney King he was a large man who was intoxicated while resisting arrest. And that incident took place “in the dark” where the officers may have believed they had no witnesses.
This incident took place in broad daylight, in full view of many people, and “passive” resistance is not the same thing as taking swings at officers after you are pulled over for drunken driving. Nor were there any “security” concerns, no matter what the pretext of state-sponsored paranoia may be.
I believe these Officers were able to do what they did because they did not regard the student witnesses as being a credible “threat” to their ability to torture one of their own, and unfortunately in some situations one must balance the threat of violance with another threat of violance. These student witnesses stood passive and feeble while this incident dragged on and to my thinking, this was the most horrific circumstance, as history placed a situation where a great wrong was taking place right in their midst, and not one of them was able to defend the victim.
I would hate to have to live with myself as one of these witnesses, having failed so miserably to act in a time when there was such a dire need of action.
So the net effect is fear. Fear of the Police, fear of action, fear of doing anything for fear of even greater horror. This is the dynamic opporessive states strive for, as both Machiavelli and the New Republicans have concluded it is more economical to govern by these methods.
Comment by Little Johnny — December 3, 2006 @ 9:19 am
It’s interesting how quick the emotional response to this whole situation got out of hand, and how the media chose to portray it before more details came to light. In this situation, the student in question was in the library late at night, where there is a posted policy to limit facilities to students and staff after 10 (hence ask for ID). When asked by security to show his ID, he refused (11:12 PM). Told to leave, he did not comply, Security could have laid hands at this point, but did not. Because of continued non compliance, security calls the police department, and they arrive on site (11:32 PM). At this point he’s broken the law (Security has the authority to ‘trespass’ any person on their property), and says he’ll leave but doesn’t actually leave (it’s easy to say you will do something, not doing it really demonstrates the intention). Rather, he becomes loud, combative, and refuses ID or leave commands until he is first tazed (11:41 PM). After being tazed (remember, EVERY law enforcement official is tazed during training at least once, they know what it feels like and how you recover from it), he continues to refuse orders, and demonstrates both passive resistance (collapse) and active resistance (exaggerated yelling, profanity, kicking legs). I think if people had to sit through a FULL video of him refusing polite commands from security and then ‘leave’ commands from them for 20 minutes, and then another 10 minutes of non-cooperation with the police, they would have much less sympathy for him than the video of the physical confrontation alone gives.
Comment by Alex — December 8, 2006 @ 10:56 pm
Alex, you and those who share your view disturb me deeply. I am finding my anger grows with the posts on this board. The fact is he could have been carried from the premises but instead the thugs chose to use a weapon. This is wrong no matter how disruptive or non-cooperative the person was.
You disgust me.
Comment by aapriori — December 9, 2006 @ 2:45 am
For a reality check see the website below where cops openly joke and brag about tazering people. It seems to be a kick for them, like the car chases and chasing criminals. They mostly are adrenalin junkies, too lame to play a professional sport, so they get their jollies hurting people when allowed. I have known good cops, but thugs like the ones tazering the kid repeatedly need to be removed, and maybe castrated to make sure they don’t reproduce. I doubt the rules governing tazering allows them to tazer the guy until he can’t even stand at all, that is just sick. Cops go thru tazering training where they themselves get tazered, so they have no excuse for not just carrying him out after he was tazered. If you look at the following website, you’ll see why they do it, for the fun of it. http://forums.officer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46964&page=4
Comment by stardust — January 16, 2007 @ 3:04 pm
I HAVE BEEN A FEDERAL AGENT FOR 6 YEARS. I DEAL WITH HARD CRIMINALS. REGARDLESS IF THE KID WAS ACTING LIKE A CHILD, REGARDLESS IF HE WAS TRUS PASSING, WHAT EVER THE SITUATION WAS, HE WAS SIMPLY A”WHAT WE CALL IN THE REAL LAW ENFORCEMENT WORLD A “PASSIVE RESISTOR” WHICH SIMPLY MEANS HE WAS NOT FOLLOWING THE COMMANDS OF THE OFFICERS, BUT HE WAS NOT TRYING TO HARM THEM. FOR A PASSIVE RESISTANT SUBJECT, THEY SHOULD NOT USED A LEVEL FOUR TACTIC. THE OFFICERS SHOULD HAVE GAVE HIM A TASK DIRECTION IN THE FORM OF A VERBAL COMMAND FOR INSTANCE”SIR YOU NEED TO SHOW US YOUR ID, OR YOU HAVE TO LEAVE THE CAMPUS” IF THIS DID NOT WORK THE NEXT STEP SHOULD HAVE BEEN “SIR YOU NEED TO LEAVE OR I AND MY TEAM WILL REMOVE YOU’ IF THE SUBJECT WAS STILL A PASSIVE RESISTOR THEY SHOULD HAVE TAKEN HIM DOWN THE GROUND USING LEVEL TWO TAKE DOWN TACTICS WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY EASY FOR THREE OFFICERS TO GET HIM TO THE GROUND AND PUT HIM IN CUFFS AND THEN REMOVED HIM FROM THE LIBRARY FOR FURTHER QUESTIONING. FOR THOSE OFFICERS TO JUST START GRABBING HIM AND TRYING TO PHISICALY MOVE HIM AND THEN JUMP TO A HIGH LEVEL OF FORCE LIKE THAT, WAS UNPROFESIONAL AND UNCALLED FOR. IF THEY WANTED THE KID TO LEAVE THEY SHOULD HAVE GROWN SOME BALLS, TAKEN HIM DOWN TO THE GROUND AND PUT HIM IN CUFFS, AND THEN REMOVED HIM. THOSE OFFICERS GIVE REAL OFFICERS AND AGENTS A BAD RAP AND I HOPE THEY SERVE HARD TIME. THEY ARE A BUCNCH OF RENT A COPS ANYWAY, THEY HAD THREE OFFICERS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REMOVE HIM NO PROBLEM. THIS GOES TO SHOW THAT THEY DIDNT KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING. I HOPE THAT KID SUES FOR MILLIONS.
Comment by ANDREW HOEL — January 21, 2007 @ 7:30 am
thanks to Andrew for providing a perspective from a law enforcement agent. It is clear to anyone who viewed the video that it was excessive force.
Comment by ed — January 30, 2007 @ 9:48 am
I dont like cops, I particularly dont like Feds but this guy is obviously objective enough to see the facts and as far as i am concerned the last word, so its clear, it was excessive and abusive and just wrong, end of story, and thats from a fed point of view, so case closed, whatever this kid did or was doing did not warrant this
Comment by Jackal — February 19, 2007 @ 11:36 am
I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE NOT USED THE TAZER! THEY SHOULD HAVE JUST BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HIM THE WAY THEY USE TOO. THE TAZER SAVED HIM A COUNTRY ASS WHIPPING.
Comment by tim — October 2, 2007 @ 3:43 am
Well it seems that in an ordered society, people need to follow some semblance of order. Yes it was a little excessive use of force, but if we go down the path that says everyone has a right to anything and everything they please this will lead to a total breakdown of society. So I say who will be yelling the loudest when they can’t just go buy a soda or a loaf of bread or someone takes something from them just because someone else wanted it and thought they had a right to it. Aka I big you small I take.
Comment by sam — December 11, 2007 @ 5:37 am