More Kids Than Cops
In the good old days—and everyone over 40 or 50 will agree with me, I'm sure—if two or three cops repeatedly tasered a student in a college library in front of twenty or thirty other students, for no reason, the other students would have beat the crap out of the cops. No question that that would have been true in the sixties. So what's going on now at UCLA? (And—thank god for cell phones that do video, no matter how much I hate cell phones generally.) Imagine that you're one of those who watched, or who recorded the incident for posterity. You see some kid, some completely innocent kid, that you know is innocent, being tasered repeatedly. Some sort of weird assault morphed with a rape. Right in front of you. But you don't do anything about it. For the rest of your damn life you're going to be messed up from guilt.
Because you were scared. Scared of the police. Scared of having your 'career' ruined. Scared of the Patriot Act. Scared of authority. And yet you allowed one of your peers to be tortured and humiliated right in front of your eyes—screaming for help, help which wasn't forthcoming from your peers who were only a few feet away—by police who were obviously totally out of control. By Los Angeles police (campus, whatever, that's where they're from), who have a history.
Take a moment to put yourself in the place of those kids who watched this and didn't do anything to stop it. It's a life changing experience. It's a memory they'll never be able to shake.
For the sake of all the rest of us, I hope those kiddie college cops are charged with criminal assault, convicted, and sentenced to many years in the big house. And I hope that UCLA is forced to pay millions in damages. Because if that doesn't happen, the rights of the rest of us are very, very much open to question.
This is the most disturbing news item I've seen in a long time and it shouldn't be forgotten amidst every other bad thing.
Posted by George Kenney on November 18, 2006 5:55 AM 
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Comments
I agree totally with your take on this George. It is indeed scary, and another indication that we are developing into a police state (if we're not already there).
Posted by: Judy Truett | November 18, 2006 7:23 PM
George, your insight is remarkable, as you have put into words a feeling and perception I have tried to verbalize these past 10 years. As a 53 year old male who grew up in the 60’s, I have always felt something was missing / wrong / not-right whatever with today’s college population. Until today. Until I read your post I was not able to clearly see it. Those “poor” kids who stood by, please let us all recognize they are also victims, and their lives will be changed for the worst. Shocked, scared, frozen or whatever other human frailty prevented their action, Yes they too are victims of this assault. I agree 100% these cops have to face the same Federal Prosecution as the cops in the Rodney King Case!! They have to get Real-Time in a Real Prison as any other predator/rapist who destroys another person’s security and sense of worth. Yes, the assault on the young man physically tasered by these thugs is an open and shut case of a criminal attack. AND Yes let that rotten, disgusting, administration of ucla be made an example of in civil court. I think Caliglula Himself would be the perfect Judge and Jury when the $100,000,000.00 award is finally made. Let them go bankrupt, let them become whores or whatever, but yes they too must be brought to task, I hope and pray the same attorneys that skillfully defeated the Tobacco Trust come in and take ucla for every rotten dollar they have!
Posted by: mike C | November 19, 2006 3:15 PM
Good point George. It was enraging to watch this neutered mob. Still, I believe if just one student had initiated a firmer opposition, the others would've followed suit. Well, I hope...
Posted by: Marc | November 19, 2006 6:51 PM