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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tasers are still a hot topic for the 40 or so people who attended a panel Tuesday night called "When Free Speech & Tasers Meet."

Glenn M. Katon, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Central Region chapter, said the event was in response to media attention on free speech and use of force.

"We thought there was probably enough interest among college students to have a big discussion on it," he said.

The discussion wasn't intended to be a play-by-play of September's incident in which Andrew Meyer, a UF telecommunication senior, was Tasered at a forum with Sen. John Kerry, although the panel did discuss Meyer.

"We wanted it to be about the broader topic," he said.

Free speech and use of force are some of the most important issues in society to the ACLU, he said.

The discussion covered free speech, use of force, and the advantages and disadvantages of Tasers.

Panelists were Gary Edinger, a First Amendment attorney; Lyrissa Lidsky, an associate dean of the Levin College of Law; Lorie Fridell, a University of South Florida criminology professor and Thomas Luka, an attorney and Taser expert from Orlando.

After offering information on free speech and Tasers, they opened the floor to the audience, who asked questions such as how Tasers could have affected the shootings at Virginia Tech and why police officers in England don't carry guns.

UF political science senior Delaney Rohan said with so many conflicting views on campus, it was good to hear a voice of authority - even if the panelists disagreed on whether university police should carry Tasers.

"I'm not really sure if it's more of a free speech issue or more an excessive use of force issue, and I was hoping some of the ACLU lawyers could clear that up for me," he said.

The event was sponsored by the ACLU of Florida and three UF student organizations: the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, Amnesty International and Students for a Democratic Society.

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Chelsea Solmo, a UF neuroscience sophomore, said the discussion was not old news.

"It's a current issue because Tasers are still on campus," said Solmo, a committee member of the Progressive Caucus.

The Progressive Caucus is a group of 19 organizations founded after Meyer was Tasered.

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