12.28.2007

Taser Fest

Xmas is over. Tasers are still hot.

Unofficial plasticblog southern correspondent Jay has sent up another nugget on taser incidents. In April of 2006, in Clay County, Florida, a wheelchair bound and schizophrenic and African American women was tased to death. The woman, who's sister called 911, was threatening her sister with two knives and a hammer. The police tased the women 10 times for just under 3 minutes resulting in her death. The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. The attorney for the women's family summed up the absurdity of the whole situation quite succinctly,

"One, she's in a wheelchair. Two, she's schizophrenic. Three, they're using a Taser on a person that's in a wheelchair, and then four is that they tasered her 10 times for a period of like two minutes."

It should be noted that the police around the country (and beyond) seem to have made it their mission to tase people in all walks of life, across gender and race, and involving people in all states of mental well being. Just off the top of my head there has been stories of tasings of college students, a pregnant woman, white males, a black female schizophrenic in a wheelchair, the mentally ill, and a polish man. All that's left is a baby on crutches, an old man flying a kite, and Canadians.

3 comments:

AJ said...

Taser is the new tear gas.

Anonymous said...

I was in a restaurant the other day waiting for my take-out, and I witnessed this exchange:

A uniformed police officer and another gentleman are also waiting for their food. The guy notices something on the cop's utility belt and points to it: "is that a taser?" he asks. The cop responds, "it sure is." "Oh...are they very effective?" (cop nods) "I was thinking about getting one for home protection, you know...because it seems a little safer than a handgun." The cop replies: "I prefer the gun."

I really appreciate our civil servants doing their part to curtail this country's gun lust.

plastic said...

That's interesting and sad especially in light of this story I found via CNN..

"NATCHEZ, Miss. -- A Natchez man shot and killed his wife when he mistook her for an intruder in their home, according to police.

Police Chief Mike Mullins said Glenn and Deborah Mizell awoke around 4 a.m. Tuesday to the sound of their barking dog. Mullins said Glenn Mizell went to investigate, taking a pistol with him.

Mullins said Glenn Mizell began checking through the house and was unaware his wife had left the bedroom and gone into the kitchen. Mullins said when Mizell saw her figure in the dark, he fired his gun once."