The move comes hours after a protest march by more than 200 students.
This is the lead story in the L.A. Times this morning, with a big photo of the protest in the print edition front page.
The person chosen to head the probe, Merrick Bobo, probe is seasoned and has done other investigations into police misconduct, including the Rodney King beating.
Hey:
Can you post a link on your blog to this online petition to ban the use of taser guns by UCPD + have a transparent and independent investigation of the UCLA tasering?
Here’s the link:
To read and sign petition, go to: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stoptasersUCPD/
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, several UCPD officers arrested, handcuffed, and repeatedly electrocuted a UCLA student with a taser gun in a UCLA library because he did not show police officers his UCLA ID card and refused to leave the library.
For a video of the incident, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3CdNgoC0cE
The incident shocked those who witnessed the abuse (as can be clearly seen in the video) and those who have seen the video. What happened to this student clearly shows how taser guns lend themselves to police abuse.
Taser guns are dangerous and cruel. Up until this day, over 189 people in the US have died as a result of being shot with a taser gun. In addition, taser guns cause great pain and muscular paralysis on those shot.
Imagine if UC police stopped and tasered every student who forgot to carry around their UC id!
If you are outraged about this incident and would like to do something to improve our UC communities, you can start by signing this petition addressed to UC President Robert Dynes, the UC Regents, and the UC chancellors asking the university administration to do the following:
1. Permanently ban the use of taser guns by the University of California Police Department.
2. Form an independent review board that will investigate the tasering of UCLA student Mostafa Tabatabainejad at Powell Library on Tuesday, November 14, 2006.
3. This independent review board should also review and recommend changes to policies regarding verification of student status by UCPD officers.
4. Consider setting independent review boards in every UC campus with the assigned role of independently investigating serious allegations of police abuse.
5. Extend a formal apology to UCLA student Mostafa Tabatabainejad for the physical and emotional harm done to him that evening.
Please join us in supporting these demands by:
1) Signing the online petition.
Again, to read and sign petition, go to: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stoptasersUCPD/
2) Forwarding this email to as many people in the UC community as you can.
Thank you for joining our call. Together, we can make our UC campuses safer and more peaceful communties.