Mostafa Tabatabainejad, UCLA’s Angry Campus Activist
There’s a new controversy brewing, but the answer is quite simple: It’s called resisting arrest.
So let’s break it down: If someone enters a library or computer lab, [Updated 11/20: sits around but, when asked about his identity at 11:30pm according to school policy*, he refuses to show his ID, he refuses to leave, waits for police to arrive and then] he starts screaming and carrying-on like a maniac, you’d fully expect the authorities to control the situation. You’d want him to be removed from the premises. Right?
*Note: Tabatabainejad failed to produce his BruinCard during a random check after 11:00 p.m., a university policy intended to ensure that only UCLA students, faculty and staff can use the facility late at night.
So, when this individual was asked to leave, threatened to be tasered but continued to rant, he suffered the consequences. This isn’t about inappopriate action by the police, it’s about inappropriate behavior by a vitriolic student who was all worked up and yelling anti-establishment rhetoric like he just finished reading the DailyKos or DemocraticUnderground.
For all those crying boo-hoo, you’re missing the point. Here’s another real-life example of why laws without enforcement, why threats without consequence, don’t work. If a police officer or other authority never uses his or her weapon, they will cease to have any effect. They will not be taken seriously. Like the U.N. Maybe this guy was counting on that. Maybe he believed that he could “act up” and proceed with civil disobedience, and the officers would just stand by and take his antics. Wrong.
Among his liberal use of vulgar epithets, Mr. Tabatabainejad said something that stands out to us and is worth repeating. In a fit of drama, he screamed: “Yes, I’m leaving. I’m leaving this godforesaken place.”
Now, was he talking about the UCLA campus? Or America in general? Either way, we’d be happy to see him take his hostility elsewhere. Evidently, taxpayer-funded public education is a waste of resources on him. We’re sure someone else would gladly take his spot. Or maybe next time, he’ll just pull out a gun and start shooting people before the officers taser him, because they’re too afraid of public reprimand.
Michelle Malkin has extended coverage.
UPDATE: (11/18)
Mustafa alters his FaceBook profile (Verrry interesting…)
HotAir: “UCLA Students Demonstrate…”
Patterico notes: “Cha-ching! The student is looking to cash in on his tasing” (Who would’ve guessed?)
Jay Stephenson wonders, “why people make such a big deal out of tasers.”
(It’s always something. If they hosed Tabatabainejad down with ice-water, some people would still be complaining)
November 17th, 2006 at 4:51 pm
“starts screaming and carrying-on like a maniac”
He didn’t start yelling until after the police told him to leave for not showing his bruin card. That’s understandable - I would be pissed too if I were told to leave the library and had my studies interrupted for some trivial rule. I worked in the student union at UCLA. We had the same rule about carrying your bruin card… but we only used it to force homeless people out of the building late at night, not people who were clearly students (this guy was 20 years old and had a backpack and books).
“So, when this individual was asked to leave, threatened to be tasered but continued to rant”
In my student union job we kicked tons of homeless people out at night who went on even worse tirades and were more dangerous. We never once had to taser them or use such violent force. They should have just carried him out - he was a skinny scrawny kid they had a ton of huge cops there… using a taser at all was clearly excessive use of force.
“yelling anti-establishment rhetoric like he just finished read the DailyKos or DemocraticUnderground.”
I agree, the whole “this is your patriot act” stuff he was saying was pretty bogus.
“Here’s another real-life example of why laws without enforcement, why threats without consequence, don’t work.”
1. They could have just dragged him out without tasering him.
2. They didn’t have to taser him FIVE times. After the first time he clearly said he was going to leave and he tried to pick up his backpack and then they tasered him 4 more times.
This is pretty obvious excessive use of force by the police officers. I have worked in the DA’s office for the last 6 months and the only case I ever saw where the cops had to use their tasers was with a 6″6 280 pound guy who was on PCP and took 10 officers to bring down. This was just a scrawny student, who was not on drugs, who was not using violence against the cops, who they easily could have dragged out if they wanted to. You have got some MAJOR blinders on if you can’t see that.
November 18th, 2006 at 12:08 am
FWIW, even the most stridently liberal people I know are saying he was practically begging for it. Part of me thinks it was a set up, though I’m not entirely convinced. Somebody ‘happened’ to refuse to show ID and someone ‘happened’ to whip out their cellphone cam at the right time and someone ‘happened’ to have some pithy sound bite for the camera about the Patriot Act. Smells fishy to me.
November 18th, 2006 at 8:57 am
I want JUSTICE for Mostafa Tabatabainejad !
November 18th, 2006 at 10:36 am
So, Michael, you’re a law student as evidenced by your blog. A quick review of your recent posts (e.g. “Rabid Right Wing Attack Monkeys Join in the UCLA Taser Debate”) shows your inherent bias. Fair enough. It’s America. And you have the freedom to be biased — especially in San Francisco and when it’s against conservatives. As you say, critics like us are “predictably sid[ing] with the officers”. But let’s consider your ‘opening statement’ shall we, counselor.
“That’s understandable - I would be pissed too if I were told to leave the library and had my studies interrupted for some trivial rule.”
Trivial rule? Is that so. What if this punk had come to the computer lab/library, refused to show ID but was still allowed to enter, and then proceeded to start shooting at others, would you still call the rule “trivial?” Parents of dead and wounded kids certainly wouldn’t. And who would they blame? Who would you blame?
We live in dangerous times. We may not be as bad off as the Middle East, but with some of our schools requiring metal detectors because kids be packin’ heat to be gangsta cool, it’s clear that random acts of violence can happen anywhere, any time. Hence, we need to enforce our “checkpoints.” What if Mustafa pulled this stunt at the airport?
Facts are: He *refused* to show his ID, he *resisted* arrest, he was tasered (as they warned him), and he *STILL* didn’t give up. That’s why he was tasered more than once. And yet we should blame the authorities for not exercising restraint? Riiight. Oh, have people forgetten that insulting officers is also against the law? It’s called disorderly conduct. Even the ACLU won’t fight that, but we’ll give it time.
“…the only case I ever saw where the cops had to use their tasers was with a 6″6 280 pound guy who was on PCP and took 10 officers to bring down.”
Is Rodney King still kicking around? Funny you should use this example.
What if Mostafa Tabatabainejad was on PCP? Like Rodney. Do we know? Would the officers know? What if he has AIDs and bites one of the officers? It’s quite simple: being a good citizen means respecting authority. Mostafa was simply asked to show his ID, but he decided to escalate it into a barrage of vulgarity and violent outburst. He brought the consequences upon himself.
If we keep blaming police for every controversial arrest, maybe they’ll just learn to ignore these calls to duty. Why bother? Move on and stick to things less political. Forget arresting “people of color” who will always cry foul and the media will be there to sensationalize, putting the police on trial. Insteads, cops could just get cats down from trees or issue traffic tickets for moving violations. Good, clean and safe policing.
Finally, you conclude with: “You have got some MAJOR blinders on if you can’t see that.”
Our vision is clear, but it appears that you may be suffering from myopia. Or perhaps you’ve already started practicing the law. Namely, it’s never called lying. Instead, you’re merely “presenting your client in the most favorable light possible” — regardless of actual guilt. Is that 1st or 2nd year law? People like Mustafa are glad to have people like you on retainer.
November 18th, 2006 at 11:04 am
I`m sure you are kidding with me and your readers!
you even dont know where the point is. the point is here that the police officers could dragged him out without excessive use of force. it`s not about asking about ID its about human rights mostafa tasered for 6times if u could just hear the scream of him then you would become to understand that IT IS THE EXACT MEAN OF EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE.
he said that he would leave but he tasered again and just after being tasered and his muscles had been locked because of the affect of the tasering police officers forced him to stand up and then tasered him again.
I completely agree with michael and I think you just closed your eyes and dont want to see something that is as obvious as sun.
dont you want to hang mostafa because he has forgotten his bruincard?
or dont you want to congratulate to UCDP for tasering a student for 6times?
is that what you want?!
November 18th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
Wow.. the Iranian Government wants to get involved I just read. They have yet to answer for violation US Sovereignty during their vile US embassy hostage-taking.
Sorry.. in light of that one all i can say here is Big Deal!
November 18th, 2006 at 2:44 pm
“if u could just hear the scream of him then you would become to understand that IT IS THE EXACT MEAN OF EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE.”
Are you Borat? For the benefit of make good jihad at American campus at UCLA? … If you’re a college student, you need remedial writing and that is where point is.
In light of everything, all I can say is…
Malahalalalalhahlalhalhalhalhalhalha!!!
November 18th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
HE DID NOT HAVE RIGHT TO YELLING AND NOT RESPECT COPS, EVERYBODY SHOULD UNDERSTAND TO RESPECT LAWS, I BELIEVE HE GOT WHAT HE DESERVE.
PUT THIS WORD IN YOU HEAD, LAWS, LAWS, LAWS, LAWS, LAWS, LAWS, LAWS,
ANYWAY I AM IRANIAN, BUT I LOVE EVERYBODY WHO JUST RESPECT TO OTHERS WHETHER IRANINA OR ANY OTHER PLACE AROUND THE WORLD
November 18th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
Amen.
November 18th, 2006 at 10:03 pm
This is not partisan in anyway.
The student was abused. He said eh was leaving and was tasered again and again.
Watch the video and look at the immediate reaction of the students.
Get your head out of the sand.
An abuse of powers must be challenged.
Seriously, a lesson in civics would do this country some good.
November 18th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
November 19th, 2006 at 12:29 am
Wow! so thats it! everybody yelled at a cop should tasered for 6times.
you are making this case more complicated than it is.
I agree with all of you he should not yelled ok now I ask you just one question!
is his act deserved to tasered for 6times?
I just want you first of all see the film then you can complaint me
I dont believe in jahad or such a thing my friend KazakStan and I promise to work more on my writing but let`s review again.
where is the point?
I say! dont worry;) the point is here he was leaving and he tasered again and again he said that he would leave and he dont want to fight and he tasered again and again remember he was a student not a homless he had payed for the UCPD to protect him and his classmates not to tasered them
just think he is a human he is a citizen of USA
now just imagine 11:30pm you are doing your research and a police officer comes to you and want you to show your card or immediately leave the library you would be angry I`m sure you would and imagine again just when you are leaving another police officer comes and try to get your hand in order to escort you out. you would become mory angry I`m sure you become
police offucer should be more patient students pay them to protect them NOT TO TASERED THEM.
now please forget about iranian government forget about his religion and even forget about his second nationality(iranian) just think about have the police officers had this right to tasered him 6times just after he was leaving?!?!?!?!
November 19th, 2006 at 1:39 am
No one has the right to torture a human being ! The authorities could have ask a psychologist to deal the matter !
November 19th, 2006 at 9:16 am
Hi losserrrrrrrrrr
You are saying “next time, he’ll just pull out a gun and start shooting people before the officers taser him, because they’re too afraid of public reprimand” It’s better you use your brain if he was like that he wouldn’t stay there at 11:30 and study.
It’s better you know that they push him by force and abusing their power that’s why he was screaming “I am leaving”, they push his arm!!! he had physical problem but still they forced him and using treaser!!!not only one 6 times for what??? Do you want he smile???
By the way this is his country and his campus, he pays for school and school accepted him as student and he is respectful as a part of student community and as a educate person for society so there is no need your suggestion or anyone else about”Either way, we’d be happy to see him take his hostility elsewhere. Evidently, taxpayer-funded public education is a waste of resources on him. We’re sure someone else would gladly take his spot”. No body can take his spot because he showed that he doesn’t alow anyone to provent his right even stupid police even with force. He is storng and I proud of him and now I suggest you find your spot with this kind of your judgment…
November 19th, 2006 at 9:49 am
What did you just say? I swear this post is bringing out Borats and Mustafas everywhere.
“authorities could have ask a psychologist to deal the matter” - what world on you living on? All pyschologists are busy trying to resolve problems for benefit of make good Middle East. Doesn’t seem to be working though - as crazy people need restraint before treatment … or before getting “treasered” [sic]. LoL.
November 19th, 2006 at 10:26 am
I love people who call themselves “American” but clearly don’t care for the Constitution. The Second Amendment excluded, of course…
Freedom of Speech. Anyone should have the right to speak as the wish and rebel against enforcement through speech. This young man posed no threat. Perhaps if the UCPD felt he did *the video is not entirely clear* wouldn’t one shot to restrain him been enough?
This is not an issue of race (but you made it one–indicating your own fear and prejudices; read: xenophobia, a characteristic common to “conservatives”) but rather an issue of abuse of power, use of excessive force, and a human rights violation.
This is what makes America great- debate and discussion without the fear that one of us will be tasered for saying our system is flawed.
In America, we look out for the poor and the weak–the people in the world who need the most protection.
At least that’s the way it was supposed to be.
November 19th, 2006 at 10:54 am
congratulation! you are showing who you are KazakStan
if you can please answer the questions what are you talking about?
are we talking about middle east?
are we talking about an middle eastern person?
MOSTAFA IS A AMERICAN PERSON he was born in USA
ok now you can continue your stupid words kazakstan
people can judge about our words
November 19th, 2006 at 11:17 am
“If someone enters a library or computer lab, starts screaming and carrying-on like a maniac, you’d fully expect the authorities to control the situation. You’d want him to be removed from the premises. Right?”
Well yes, if someone was just being a dumbass carrying on in the library when you’re trying to study, you probably would hope someone would get the person out of there. However, no one at all would be hoping the person would get TAZERED of all things! Besides that, he wasn’t even carrying on and yelling so much until AFTER they tazed him. I think I’d be yelling and crying and mad too if someone had just tazed me.
It goes on to say “So, when this individual was asked to leave, threatened to be tasered but continued to rant, he suffered the consequences. This isn’t about inappopriate action by the police, it’s about inappropriate behavior by a vitriolic student who was all worked up and yelling anti-establishment rhetoric…”
Now watch the video again closely…
In the first few seconds of it…
You hear them asking him to leave and get up
You hear him yelling “don’t touch me”
You hear them saying again to “get up”
Then they taze him and he starts screaming
…It then sounds like he sort of yell-mumbles something about that he has “a medical condition”… I’m not sure what that’s about since no articles about the whole incident have touched on that particular point heard in the tape.
But anyway, he doesn’t start yelling about the patriot act and what not until after he’s been tazed…
Now it does seem silly if he didn’t opt to show his ID when they asked to see it, he was kind of inviting trouble. But the question I have, which the news articles aren’t making entirely clear, is whether or not he even had his ID on him, and how much time did they even give him to present it, explain his situation, or try to get up and leave before they tazed him? Could it be his ID was out in his car or something and he could have gone and gotten it? Could it be he could have presented a drivers license or some other form of ID and the library staff could have double-checked his name in their system and proven he was a student? There’s so many other ways how the whole situation could have been dealt with. The whole “tazer” thing just seems so quicky a knee jerk reaction… especially to all the people who witnessed the event
.
If, as some articles have reported, he was causing “resistence” by going limp when they tried to get him to leave… why could they not have just used “force” in the sense of grabbing him and dragging him out, like bouncers do at clubs and such? Surely those 4 or 5 big policemen could handle a 23 year old college student?
Also there are some arguing that it was all a setup conspiracy somehow to bring in race relations and lawsuits and essentially frame the police and so forth….. but even if some students had masterminded that they were going to upset the police by not showing a library ID card and then videotape what would happen next… tazing the guy, (and not only that but doing it repeatedly!) pretty much has the cops framing themselves! I doubt even students masterminding some test of trying to see how the police might act to an unidentified middle eastern guy in the library could have anticipated he’d get hurt with such a weapon in the process.
Bottom line is regardless of whether it was the student being stubborn and inviting trouble or not… the use of a tazer so quickly and so many times was undoubtably excessive and an overuse(abuse) of power/force on the cop’s part!
November 19th, 2006 at 11:28 am
this article is very one sided. have you watched the video? you can’t even quote it correctly. whatever mostafa might have said in the heat of the moment does not warrant any analysis of any deeper implications.
keep in mind that he was tasered repeatedly even after yelling that he would leave AND while he was in handcuffs. was not really necessary? tasering him while he was in handcuffs, posing no threat to anyone including the police?
“If a police officer or other authority never uses his or her weapon, they will cease to have any effect. They will not be taken seriously.”
consider using a taser gun on stopping a rapist or an assaulter. but not on a student who forgot his id.
November 19th, 2006 at 1:27 pm
We watched the video. Twice. Furthermore, we gratiously provided it on this post so that everyone else can watch it, too. It speaks for itself.
(Nightclub bouncers? Great idea! If this punk would try this stunt in an LA nightclub, some places they’d throw him down a flight of stairs, head first. Maybe that would’ve been better?)
To someone’s earlier comment:
(a) We didn’t make it the issue; Mostafa did. By suing on the basis of race. And let’s not forget about CAIR.
Patterico also notes, “Cha-ching! The student is looking to cash in on his tasing”
(b) This remark belies your own prejudice against conservatives.
Finally, the irony to all of this, which further validates the argument: While some people are blowing smoke by saying ‘we don’t know all the facts’, for some reason the critics are always quick to judge against the police, despite knowing all the facts. Why don’t they ever get the benefit of the doubt?
Rage against the machine, children.
P.S. We’ve added a few “updates” to the post. Please keep your comments coming, and thanks for your loyal readership.
November 19th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Troublemaking Muslim student gets tasered, police-…
The UCLA had a Muslim student who defied campus police, refused to show an ID, and shreiked instead of just leaving a library laboratory cooperatively when the time came. You can see this video to find out just what happened (via Michelle Malkin), an…..
November 19th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
Your examination of the situation is a perfect example of the right-wing perversion pervading the US. Smack your head against the wall a few times, remind yourself what your country is all about, and then reassess. There may be hope for you yet.
November 19th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
Is this site a joke, have a missed some massive layer of sarcasm and irony in this post?
If not then lets as you say “break it down”
“If someone enters a library or computer lab, starts screaming and carrying-on like a maniac, you’d fully expect the authorities to control the situation. You’d want him to be removed from the premises. Right?”
Correct I would, however, there is no evidence that this is what happened here. All the reports have stated that Mr. Tabatabainejad was working in the lab when he was asked by a community support officer for his Bruins ID card. He refused to present one and so the CSO then called the police. The exact amount of time that passes between this point and the arrival of the police is unclear, but there are no reports of him “carrying-on like a maniac”.
What you have tried to do here is what is known as a “straw-man” argument. You have created an obviously false premise, that does not reflect the true situation and then shown it to be false, hoping to make your readers associate it with reality and believe that you are therefore correct in other assertions. A truer reflection of your feelings would be:
“If someone works in a library but does not have the correct ID you want the police to give them several massive electric shocks and shout at him before carting him off to custody. Right?”
Next point:
“When this individual was asked to leave, threatened to be tasered but continued to rant, he suffered the consequences.”
This is pure fabrication, or perhaps journalistic license, on your part. All the reports show that when the police arrived, Mr. Tabatabainejad was leaving. There has been no evidence to suggest that he began ranting prior to the first taser attack. Of course the term ranting is perhaps slightly disingenuous, all he shouts on the video that he has a medical condition, he is leaving and that he believes the electric shocks he is receiving to be an abuse of power linked with the patriot acts overall imposition of a police state on America. While the latter part could be a rant, he only mentions it once in the entire 6 minutes. The part about leaving is repeated several times.
Finally
“Here’s another real-life example of why laws without enforcement, why threats without consequence, don’t work. If a police officer or other authority never uses his or her weapon, they will cease to have any effect.”
This is the most truthful thing written here. It is an example of police offices thinking and acting as if they are above or outside the law. Threatening or attacking someone with a weapon such as a taser is aggravated assault. This is the crime committed here and that should be punished otherwise it is law without enforcement and the threat against police who do not conduct themselves in a fashion befitting their badge has no consequence. If this becomes the norm you may as well live under Sharia law or in North Korea for al your freedoms.
November 19th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
how can you stand in front of these comments?
I think its time to change your attitude. or at least answer to our questions.
there are many unanswered questions among these comments.
I like to know that what you would do if he was your son,
what would you do with these facts?
you think that because of your conservative view you should approve whatever is related to government but you are wrong! you should see a mountain from diffrent angles and thats where you can succeed in your way.
think about this matter again and then watch that video for third time.
and think about humanity and what we are sayin in these comments
November 19th, 2006 at 4:12 pm
what you would do if he was your son,
what would you do with these facts?
Our son wouldn’t be caught in this position because he was raised to respect authority. In contrast, this “losserrrrrr” (to borrow your phrase) would *never* have encountered any problems had he politely complied with the officers’ request. Quite frankly, if he would’ve either showed his ID or left to get it, the police would never have been called in. Instead, Mostafa Tabatabainejad was grandstanding.
As we said before, try this stunt at an airport Mostafa and see what they’ll do. Maybe bring out the batons for a good beating. Or would that be wrong?
Back to your question, our son would never behave with such disorderly conduct, and certainly not yelling (profanities or otherwise) at the police. And if he did, he’d spend the night in lockup to think about it. Keep watching the video. It gets better every time.
Especially the reference to “Here’s your Patriot Act”…
(no chip on Mustafa’s shoulder, eh?)
November 19th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
“you should see a mountain from diffrent angles and thats where you can succeed in your way”
Wow. That’s deep. Can I get it on a t-shirt?
November 19th, 2006 at 10:12 pm
California Conservative, you aparently didn’t watch the video or read any of the reports on the situation. A student was in the library minding his own business, studying, and generally NOT causing any issues. When asked for ID, he didn’t present it, and therefore breaking a campus rule (not exactly commiting a federal offense or anything here). The police arrived as the student was leaving. Isn’t that what they wanted in the first place? If the kid was complying, why did officers touch him? That was their first mistake. They interfered with a person complying with requests, contradicting themselves completely.
The student (and I say “student” because that is exactly what he is. nothing more, nothing less) explicitly said he was leaving when police told him he was resiting them. Can you explain to me how that is resistance?
Also, you can CLEARLY hear police officers threaten to taze individuals in the mass of students who were requesting badge information and identification. I scoured the LAPD website searching for information on protocall for providing badge information and was unable to find anything other than this: http://lapdcms.lacity.org/cmsForm.cfm
That form implies a right to know an officer’s badge number. “Names, badge numbers or serial numbers of employees involved (Accused, if known, or write “Department”).” Clearly it is out of line to threaten to taze an individual making a legitimate request for information so they could follow up and make a legitimate complaint.
To be honest, I think the kid screwed up from the start. The officers involved didn’t screw up, they committed a crime. They should be stripped of their badges and serve their time for committing:
1. assault
2. (not sure what this falls under) tasing a restrained individual
3. (not sure what this falls under) tasing of an individual who screams that he has a medical issue without further investigating said claim. (NOTE: The taser has been known to kill a healthy 250lbs man, let alone somebody who is sick and scrawny)
4. (not sure what this falls under) threatening to taze an individual well within the law.
You gentlemen (and I use that word begrudgingly) clearly need to re-evaluate what you think this country was founded on. People are supposed to be able to come here for oppourtunity, let alone those born within our borders. This is clearly a case of brutality to an extreme.
Also note that I could just as easilly film anything spur of the moment, such as this, with my cell phone video camera. To all of those that think this was set up, remove your head from your rectum and realize that video capturing devices are carried in thousands of pockets in every city.
I’d personally like to know your rebuttle to my arguement. I forsee if falling far short of a good explination justifying the actions of those police officers, much like your original article.
November 19th, 2006 at 10:12 pm
Mostafa refused to show his ID to officials because he was being racially profiled and randomly asked for proof that he was a student. He was ONLY working on a paper (as said by his lawyer) at his university. I would resist too if I were asked to leave after being racially profiled for no reason. Was he being disorderly while completing his paper? Evidence says no. While leaving, an officer grabbed his arm and that’s when Mostafa began to yell and passively resist the officers. If I were tasered for doing that, and my body was left momentarily paralyzed and limp, how would I get up and leave? How dare the officers continue to taser him for not having any control over his body?
This is a disgusting abuse of power and has PROVEN that American authorities are no different than our “uncivilized” foreign counterparts. This is nothing more than a disgusting display of prejudice, profiling, and abuse of power. As a former applicant of UCLA graduate school, I am withdrawing my application from the university and refuse to financially contribute to a city of barbarians.
November 19th, 2006 at 10:19 pm
For the record, I’m an 18 year-old student of PSU. If I can form a well thought out sentence, you folks should be able to. Please take a minute and think before you spit out something incoherent.
Unlike a lot of these comments, I can understand a malformed sentence if English is your second language. Feel free to continue posting your concerns no matter how broken your English might be. We don’t have a national language in this country (at least not yet). These people can learn to deal with it and get over their prejudices. That is what America is about. Get along with people and quit your whining.
November 19th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
One more thing I noticed.
Evidently, taxpayer-funded public education is a waste of resources on him.
Last time I checked, you had to pay to go to UCLA unless you happened to be a good enough student to go solely on scholarships, in which case the university itself is funding your academics, NOT taxpayers
Again, please think before you say something.
November 19th, 2006 at 10:50 pm
Re #26 and #29
I would encourage the Concerned Student to do likewise.
If he has studied the video coverage of this incident with any amount of attention to detail, he would note that the police agency involved is the University of California (Los Angeles) Police, and thus scouring the net for the “protocall” (sic) on what LAPD officers are required to provide to the public when confronted by citizens has absolutely no bearing on this issue, save to attempt to conflate this issue with the aftermath of Rodney King.
Of course, if that is the Concerned Student’s intent, well….
One other thing for our Concerned Student:
Are you aware of the different types of taser weaponry, or the different levels of energy imparted? And since you were obviously there front-and-center (evidently on leave from that fine institution of learning known as PSU), and not observing this incident on YouTube, as 99.999% of us are as well, I’m sure you are down in Westwood providing the authorities with first-hand knowledge of what happened. Right?
Unless you are prepared to cite which (if any) penal sections (if any) have been violated by the officers, then don’t you think it’s a bit premature to be handing out sentences?
You know, innocent until convicted by a jury of your peers and all that?
Or are such trivialities above someone as Wise and August as the Concerned Student?
Back at ya, bud.
November 19th, 2006 at 11:22 pm
“Feel free to continue posting your concerns no matter how broken your English might be.”
Yes, for make benefit of glorious political correct academia. Let every peasant rise in revolt. Dumber fight harder. For like in my country, we no care how you speak well. Soon too in America, grading will be basted like turkey, all gravy no stuffing.
November 20th, 2006 at 1:41 am
“Our son wouldn’t be caught in this position because he was raised to respect authority.”
you again answer to your own question not my question! I asked with htese facts! anyway you want to tell me that your son never forget his ID and never get angry. sounds good congratulation!!!
“Quite frankly, if he would’ve either showed his ID or left to get it, the police would never have been called in.”
this is our common point but I still say that why he should tasered when he was leaving not once but 6times just when he was in handcuff and there were about three officers?! why plice officers refuse to show their ID or badge number in your view and because they were threee they should tasered fo 18times!!!!
“if he did, he’d spend the night in lockup to think about it”
inlock up?! thats a good punish I agree but please not taser him!!!
November 20th, 2006 at 1:47 am
“KazakStan”
yes you can do it.
get it on your T-shirt just above your FREE AMERICA!:P
November 20th, 2006 at 4:58 am
Do the majority of people whom we unfortunately interact with on a daily basis lack brains? The issue isn’t what goddamn country he is from or what color skin he has! its about the UNNECESSARY USE OF FORCE by those idiot cops. That’s the goddamn point!!!!
Interestingly enough now we know that threat is when a person says “I would leave” along with some patriot act comments!! People have got to get involved with conversations/things they can comprehend better (e.g. farting) they would come across a lot more intelligent that way. this definitely includes you california conservative!
Weapons, power and force is recommended and necessary in a case where authorities feel threatened (Note: the word is THREATENED) now if those huge cops were threatened by a tiny UCLA student who was clearly studying at 11:30pm then I would suggest that they leave their job and find something they can better perform namely, farting. Lets for the sake of argument assume that the little UCLA student posed some sort of a threat to those huge cops! wouldn’t you think a pair of handcuffs and one time use of taser could have had that situation under control? Apparently some of the genius comments on this site didn’t think so. Therefore as I suggested earlier they too should take up other things that they can understand better: Farting :)
For those of you who might be confused, when one gets tasered it causes temporary muscle contraction. For those of you who will merely be taking up farting, simply put (THAT MEANS YOU CAN NOT FUCKING STAND UP ON YOUR TWO FUCKING FEET AFTER BEING TASERED!!!) therefore no amount of “STAND UP” will change the state of muscle contraction after being tasered.
November 20th, 2006 at 7:57 am
Let`s sort our unanswered questions:
1- they could have just dragged him out because they were three and he was a tiny UCLA student why didnt they do that?!
2- did they have to tasered him for 6times just when he was in handcuff and he couldn`t do anything?
3- why they tasered him again and again just after he said he would leave and he was leaving or when he said that he has a medical condition?!
November 20th, 2006 at 8:47 am
You’re just like those frat boys in the Borat film and that guy at the rodeo. Conservatives like you (It’s pretty obvious that you don’t have a law degree and if you did, I don’t know what unaccredited internet law school it came from) is that you guys immediately jump to the conservative side without understanding the legality of the situation or weighing the other guys’s perspective. And I detect the undertones of racial bias in your little rant as well. He is a young guy and he is inexperienced with law enforcement.
On a side note, thank God he raised his voice. This is an excellent example of why people should yell if they are being assaulted or abused, so there can be witnesses. Thank God someone thought to capture it on their cameraphone.
Had Mostafa Tabatabainejad had a heart murmur or problem, he could have died.
I realize you don’t think much of us, as the American born sons and daughters of immigrants, but we have a right to be in this country and be treated as fairly as anyone.
I imagine that it’s very easy to attack this young Iranian-American student, but had it been a blond quarterback from Kentucky, well, you’d be as heartbroken over this as the rest of us.
November 20th, 2006 at 10:55 am
[…] UCLA: Students or Political Activists? » Charles Rangel Wants to Reinstitute the Draft » Indonesian Muslims Protest AgainstBush, America and Israel » How the Dems Won » Stop War ™ » Study: Gay Diversity Good for Business » Missouri and Iran Agree on the Unborn » Beck’s Strong Finish » America Alone » OJ Simpson’s Hypothetical Cell Mate Writes Book About How He Would Hypothetically Rape Him » The Extremist’s System, Part II » Mostafa Tabatabainejad, UCLA’s Angry Campus Activist » Senator Clinton’s Empty Rhetoric » Kissinger Debunks Dem War Rhetoric » Murtha Claims Military Leaders Want Out of Iraq » Election Aftermath: Picking Up The Pieces » Who Is Against The JROTC? (Vote) » The Extremist System » San Francisco: Past and Present — A Reader’s Retrospective » Why the U.S. Cannot Timetable Iraq List all posts » […]
November 20th, 2006 at 11:57 am
Tasers are used to put someone down not get them up and yet the cops kept demanding he “get up”
Ya’ see?
military empire invades all parts of the brown-skinned world and is shocked I tell ya’ shocked when it’s domestic army aka police beats the crap outta brown-skinned folks.
Ya’ see?
November 20th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
To JD
The term “aggravated felony”has the meaning given the term in 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a), whichstates in the applicable part:
(43) The term “aggravated felony” means— (F) a crime of violence (as defined in section 16of Title 18, but not including a purely politicaloffense) for which the term of imprisonment [is] atleast one year.
Title 18, Section 16 provides: The term “crime of violence” means
(a) an offense that has as an element the use,attempted use, or threatened use of physical forceagainst the person or property of another, or
(b) any other offense that is a felony and that, byits nature, involves a substantial risk that physicalforce against the person or property of another maybe used in the course of committing the offense.
Seems pretty clear to me.
November 20th, 2006 at 3:58 pm
How’s this for free speech? I think EVERY one of those fucking college cops should be lined up together; handcuffed, tased, and then be repeatedly told to “get up, pussy”, while they are tased again and again. Then if they refuse to get up, they should blow their head off and fucking kill em all. And that’s me being nice. Then cut of their small pricks and stick them in each of the other cops’ mouths and send the pictures to their mothers… oh won’t they be happy then that their little fucking boys abused their powers. NO MERCY. COPS ABUSE THEIR POWER ANY TIME THEY GET THE CHANCE.
November 20th, 2006 at 4:14 pm
alas, another fine example of public education. Did you take Middle Eastern studies at UCLA, or are you still in high school working on creative writing?
November 20th, 2006 at 7:15 pm
I dated a cop once and he told me that whenever he would get the chance he would bit the crap out of someone even if he didn’t have much of a reason to do so, then later he would put in his report that the person resisted arrest. Needless to say I dumped that mafuker!! For me this incident simply backed up what that cop had told me and from looking at the video those asswhole cops were trying the same thing but apparently they had bigger balls cause they did it in front of a mob of students. We should do to them exactly as OnePissed_Off_WhiteGuy explained except I would also line up all those mafucking racist bastards that are posting on this site along with them AND I am being nice as well.
November 20th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
#38
Quoting the U.S. Code is great (and once again tries to bring in the specter of Rodney King), but this incident happened at the University of California at Los Angeles, and thus falls under the aegis of the California Penal Code.
Again, because we were and are not there, we do not know ALL of what happened. All we see is the YouTube version, with most of the audible commentary coming from the peanut gallery. If you are going to try and convict these police officers based on YouTube, then you’d better make damn sure that you don’t ever retaliate for something, for as any sports fan knows, it’s the retaliation that always gets caught, and not the initial offense.
Call me weird, but I’m willing to let the witnesses come forth, and let all the evidence be placed on the table before judge and jury, before pronouncing sentence on these police officers, or the entire profession.
Obviously, some here are not, and would rather take an “Eff the Cops” approach to life. To those individuals, I would recommend not calling 911 the next time some goblin is breaking into your house to kill your kid or rape your wife.
Unless and until you are able to look beyond the shock value of YouTube, clarity is beyond your ken.
November 20th, 2006 at 8:28 pm
[…] That student who was tased at the UCLA library has changed his FaceBook profile, according to blogger BruinPied, who has screenshots. (Hat tip: California Conservative.) […]
November 21st, 2006 at 1:40 am
OnePissed_Off_WhiteGuy I like your comment but dont forget they were 3 and we should taser them for 18times(3*6=18) not only because what they did but also because they refused to introduce themselves and their badge numbers and also they threatend people who asked their badge numbers angrily! isnt it the same thing that mostafa had done?!?!?!
and I think we should taser california conservatives too because they refused to answer our question!!!!
November 21st, 2006 at 2:17 am
[…] The Weak After: UCLA Shock, Kramer, And The Orgasm For Peace » The Worst AG in History? » UCLA: Students or Political Activists? » CharlesRangel Wants to Reinstitute the Draft » Indonesian Muslims Protest Against Bush, America and Israel » How the Dems Won » Stop War ™ » Study: Gay Diversity Good for Business » Missouri and Iran Agree on the Unborn » Beck’s Strong Finish » America Alone » OJ Simpson’s Hypothetical Cell Mate Writes Book About How He Would Hypothetically Rape Him » The Extremist’s System, Part II » Mostafa Tabatabainejad, UCLA’s Angry Campus Activist » Senator Clinton’s Empty Rhetoric » Kissinger Debunks Dem War Rhetoric » Murtha Claims Military Leaders Want Out of Iraq » Election Aftermath: Picking Up The Pieces » Who Is Against The JROTC? (Vote) » The Extremist System List all posts » […]
November 21st, 2006 at 9:24 pm
The real question, once everything is said and done… How many students are going to be in the UCLA library at night without an ID? :)
November 22nd, 2006 at 12:03 pm
As a university student, I think this police action was apparently extreme and racist. I often study at the campus library past its I.D. time, studying for exams that ecide my future, so I am very deep in thought. If someone were to come up to me asking for identification, I would be flustered and annoyed. If I were a minority student, of course I would assume the offcier singled me out because I looked different compared to the other students.Racism is everywhere, and even if these police officers are not racist, you must admit you notice people who look different first in a room. If I was already flustered, deprived of sleep, and it was past 12pm, I might be a litle rude to an officer. Now who is to say I won’t get tazered too? Of course I won’t, because I am a harmless white girl in a library. But if I were a Iranian-american man, I might look a little harmless. Why shouldn’t Tabatabainejad have thought these police had this thought process on him and called them out? Is a typical American way to think about people who look different from us. So please, review you article. It is ridicously biased. If someone tazered your daughter why she was studying for finals because she did not want to show ID, you might think differently. But because it is someone who is different from you, and unattached from you way of living, it is somehow alright? Please explain this to me, it seems a bit unhuman. I am sure it makes sense to you, but I just hope you can also see my side of the arguement. Thank you.
November 22nd, 2006 at 12:20 pm
…so I am very deep in thought. If someone were to come up to me asking for identification, I would be flustered and annoyed.
If you are “deep in thought” and run a stop light, you’re still going to get a ticket if an officer sees you. The law is the law.
If I were a minority student, of course I would assume the offcier singled me out because I looked different compared to the other students.
Well, it appears that’s what they teach in school these days. But according to the DailyBruin, checking for ID after 11pm was a standard and commonly practiced school policy. For your safety and others.
…you must admit you notice people who look different first in a room.
If a white person was wearing a clone nose, we’d notice him first, too. Or if a white girl were studying topless, we’d definitely notice her first. It’s simply human nature that gives us the ability to be cognizant of our surroundings, which includes noticing all differences. That doesn’t mean everyone is racist.
If I was already flustered, deprived of sleep, and it was past 12pm, I might be a litle rude to an officer.
Yes, but would you resist arrest and go into a political rant including vulgarities? Furthermore, before the police were called in, it was a library official that asked for ID, and Mr. Tabatabainejihad refused to show it and refused to leave. Would you do that, too?
Is a typical American way to think about people who look different from us.
Really? And y’think we’re biased? And who is generalizing?
Are you really in college?
December 3rd, 2006 at 12:43 pm
Just wanted to say THANK YOU and finally a site that says the truth about this whole silly incident. I can’t believe how many people actually believe this guy’s obvious attention-seeking rant. After watching the video, my reaction was kudos to those police officers for staying so calm and collected in the midst of that kid’s show. Whether or not a taser should be allowed usage in getting someone to move can be up for debate. But the fact of the matter is that it is that police department’s policy and those officers were strictly following procedure. If you want to take up the issue of tasers I can understand that, but to point fingers at police officers who did not make the policy and were simply following what their training instructed is ridiculous. All that student had to do was show his ID or get up and leave. Those officers obviously did not want to tase him seeing how they kept warning him before doing it. He refused to comply…and so they did what they were taught to do. Kudos to men who do their duty even when it is not the popular thing to do. And yeah, imagine the controversy if the officers had simply let some unknown person stay in the lab without showing ID and that person had ended up having a bomb and blowing up the building. Somehow I don’t think even the most liberal person would then be saying “well, it sucks all those people got killed, but at least no one’s personal rights were infringed upon.”
December 4th, 2006 at 4:55 am
Amy you are simply stupid. Suggestion: read people’s comments again, or just start farting instead of voicing your ludicrous opinion.
December 4th, 2006 at 10:17 am
I think you lack the basic of wisdome.
For those commented to him. You are waisting your time with his stone brain.
December 4th, 2006 at 10:19 am
Amy, thanks for your comments. You’re not alone in the sea of mediocrity that is now called public education and political correctness. We’re standing on dry land here.
Evidently, this post is being vigilantly watched by people (see comment #41) who consider themselves ‘liberal’ and, therefore, don’t have to respect other opinions or care about freedom of speech.
Either you agree with them (what little they have), or you’re called “stupid” and attacked.
As demonstrated above and kind of like this example. Guess it’s what they learn in school these daze. It’s the new wisdome [sic]
December 6th, 2006 at 9:10 am
I read somewhere theres something called passively resisting arrest, and aggressively resisting arrest.
Passively would be similar to a sit in, similar to the ones that Martin Luther King and his followers made famous.. Peacefully protesting.
[LEGAL]
Aggressively would be in comparison to Malcolm X encouraging everyone to rebel, rebel, rebel, destruct, fight, win.
[ILLEGAL]
This kid was CLEARLY passively resisting arrest even though he was doing a fair share of yelling, he never once threatened the officers physically or verbally.
If you watch the video, he was tazed about a total of 5 times for long intervals. He also mentioned he had a medical condition. Whether or not the medical condition is true, tazing someone for a long period of time CAN cause up to 15 minutes of parallelization. It has been known for 168 deaths since the mid 90’s. On top of that, the cop that tazed him was an ex-marine who had been removed from city police force, and had a history of violence. For all of you that believe that a “tazing” isn’t painful, well, everybody reacts differently to the gun.
Bet you didn’t know - Taser Guns in “Drive Stun” mode are usually not used on even Police Cadets in training because they could damage the heart and cause cardiac arrest.
THIS KID WAS TASED 5 TIMES ON DRIVE STUN.
FURTHERMORE - If you watch the video, you distinctly hear the cop threaten to tase a student after he asked him for his badge number.
A Police Force’s job is to maintain the peace. Clearly there was havoc in the hallways of that school. Clearly they could of handcuffed the boy, arrested him, and carried him out without causing a ridiculous scene. Possibly even gave him the chance to regain his composure after being tazed multiple times to walk and get out.
It has been made clear by witnesses, the student had his bag-pack on and was walking out of the building when the cop grabbed his arm, and the student screamed ‘LET GO’.
Passively, PASSIVELY, PASSIVELY, he resisted and dropped.
You cant compare a University Police Officer to an Military Officers because we’re working with CIVILIANS. COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE CIVILIANS.
You’re argument is one sided, but I’m sure you could see mine as one sided also.
What happened in that library may be tolerated in the Marine Corps, but not in the American Civil World.
What, you think you could leave out the Officers history of violence? How many times he was tased? How he sat there, and never actively physically resisted the cops? How he said he was going to leave but was stopped, tased?
Or do those facts oppose your argument a little too much?
Check it out, it’s been well documented on the Wikipedia, Democracy Now, CBS, as well ass many RELIABLE sources about this incident. See if you think the numbers add up, and please, please please please - Don’t trust outside sources like these until you’ve gotten the full scoop.
He’s prosecuting, and you know what, I hope he wins. No 23 year old civilian student trying to study should ever be put through the horror he was put through just to have him removed from a library.
December 9th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
Christina, are we talking about the same incident? The UCLA tasing video clearly shows this student encouraging others to join in his crusade. He says things like “Am I the only martyr here?” I think that fits your definition of aggressive resistance by encouraging other to rebel.
The policy to check ID is there to protect students at night. All this kid had to do was produce ID or leave and he had plenty of chances to do so before getting tased. What about the real issue of girls getting raped on this campus because of lax enforcement of a policy like this for checking ID.
December 14th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
Police officers are not there to punish people for not complying with laws. I know this is hard to believe. Again, police officers don’t exists for the purpose of punishing people for engaging in wrongdoing. Their role is extremely limited in enforcing laws. The legislature decides what the law should be; the high echelons of law enforcement decides what resources should be dedicated to catching people who violate those laws; the prosecutor decides if those people should be prosecuted and to what extent; and the courts decide the appropriate punishment. These officers conveniently consolidated all these powers and punished this guy, and some of you–supposedly small government, individual rights people–think it was right. It wasn’t. All the police officers were entitled to do–and had to do–was to arrest this guy. You can do that without electrocuting someone.
January 7th, 2007 at 1:29 am
Whatever happened to objective journalism??
I respect every person’s view on this very controversial situation, but is there a need for readers and the California Conservative to be so crude in their writings? Is there a need for fellow Americans to demean each other by personally attacking “writing abilities”, age, and education levels?
That’s going a bit immature to me.
Whether or not Tabatabainejad deserved the tasering, we should all have some sympathy towards the aftermath. Even if the student “deserved” it, I don’t see how it would be easy to “stand up” on command after having been tasered so many times. The pain would seem to be so excrutiating that the last thing a person could do is “stand up”. I do feel that though the police might be doing their job, that kind of treatment on a student is unnecessary. I especially don’t like the way the police reacted to students requesting their badge numbers.
There is, of course, always two sides to a story, and in any argument or controversy, both sides are wrong in some way.
Let’s just be true Americans and show love and compassion for all.
May 18th, 2007 at 8:27 am
[…] RELATED: Mostafa Tabatabainejad, UCLA’s Angry Campus Activist These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. […]
June 12th, 2007 at 8:07 am
This is a nothing story about a kid who thought he’d get lippy with some police. This story so moved me to boredom I wrote a song about it. It’s called The Tubes Are Full and it’s posted on my myspace page. Enjoy.
http://www.myspace.com/continuousaggravation
June 14th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
The main thing alot of people are missing is that they tased him repeatedly because he did not “stand up” at the police request. He has a medical condition and not only that.. pls read below and count the amount of seconds within that went by as they repeatedly asked him to “stand” a taser affects you for up to 15 minutes so he could NOT STAND.
This was not only abuse of power but complete ignorance on the part of the abusive/control happy police.
STUN GUN EFFECT - TASERS
http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/electronicdevic_sdbf.htm
Stun guns have the power to deliver 100,000 to 300,000 volts and up to 3 amperes (amps) to the human body. The effect can range from causing a bit of pain to causing the person to collapse in a heap unable to move for up to 15 minutes.
Even though the voltage sounds like it could cause death. The amperage of the charge is what controls the strength and 3 amps delivered by the gun is sufficient to cause temporary problems.
June 17th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
It’s unexpected when events like this can happen.
It can happen anywhere. Infamous footage caught on camera, by a student in the Powell Library, is something that we don’t normally see, but footage caught from any type of device can be graffic and viewer discretion is always advised. I would like to thank the guy who caught this footage, and in case I go to college in the future one of these days, and if I bring a cell phone, but when something happens, I am concerned with how I will turn it in. How do you suppose he submitted the incident footage? Police do their job no matter what, and students feel outraged and overcome with shock by this manner. It would almost be like the time christ carried the cross and how weak he got from carrying it up the hill and how many times he was wipped. It’s similar, but not fully complete in similarity. People need to follow officer’s instructions no matter what. This one didn’t.
May 21st, 2008 at 11:30 am
The guy who wrote this article is obviously uneducated. Please don’t write articles if you did not graduate from high school. Thank you in advance.
July 21st, 2008 at 1:23 pm
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