Police 'Tase' UCLA student apparently without cause [VIDEO]

Disclaimer: please do not watch the linked video if you are faint of heart. The video (which you can find at the top of the linked page below) is hard to make out, however there were several witnesses, as you can tell by watching, who have verified what happened during this shocking incident.

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/

I only hope for those that do watch this video - and check sources to find out more about it - that you question the current role of police and security officers in our (or in this case, American) society.

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Recently, there's been debate at the provincial level of government as to whether or not universities (such as Western) should retain their right to have police officers on campus. I wonder if our MPs became aware of this incident if it might spark some more I’d imagine.

I know a few people in London, many who frequent this site, who've experienced the Ministry of Love's sacred touch. I also have met with several officers of the law that do appear to be honest, well-intentioned people.

In much of the developing role, police are viewed as protectors of the status quo, hardly those willing to truely help out the poor slums like those in Rio de Janeiro. Do you feel similarly about the police insitution in Canada or do you feel that the situation here is drastically different?

So let’s open the can o’ worms: a dialogue about security culture, about the permission or entitlement we give people in service, militarily or civilly, and correspondingly what responsibility you think they ought to have to us.

yours, 

Thomas Cermak