Proper dialogue can put safety concerns to rest

As fourth-year English student Cameron Aroz sat studying in an armchair in Powell Library on the evening of Nov. 14, 2006, he suddenly sensed something happening in the atrium outside of the reading room.

Soon thereafter, UCLA student Mostafa Tabatabainejad, who failed to show a BruinCard to a community service officer when asked at about 11:30 p.m., was stunned multiple times with a Taser by university police officers after refusing to leave the library’s computing commons.

“The incident definitely caught me off guard. I wasn’t outraged but shocked,” Aroz said. “I didn’t expect them to Taser him … it seemed unnecessary.”

Captured by a student with a cell-phone camera, the incident would ultimately go on to obtain much national publicity and discussion. But 372 days, millions of YouTube hits and one pending lawsuit later, much of the hostility and confusion ignited that night remains alive.

And unless a profound attitude change takes place to foster further dialogue and cooperation between students and officers, such incidents will almost inevitably take place again, resulting in further antagonistic feelings within the UCLA community.

First of all, though students have had the chance to participate in dialogue with each other (and to a limited extent, with officers) about the event, both in class and at on-campus protests, university police have failed to respond with an announcement of concrete policy changes a year later.

That university police officers overstepped their boundaries when restraining Tabatabainejad seems virtually indisputable. In a 117-page independent investigation report on the incident released Aug. 1, investigators found that police officers used excessive force by repeatedly using a Taser on Tabatabainejad, even after he had been restrained with handcuffs.

UCLA spokesman Phil Hampton said the university police department is in the process of reviewing the criticisms outlined by the report and that an announcement of policy changes is expected soon.

But they’ve missed their chance to capitalize on the interest immediately following the event, reducing the likelihood that such measures will be as effective in connecting with students.

Even if such policies are able to reassure students that officers are concerned for their safety, simply training an officer how and when to use a type of weapon, for example, is insufficient.

Authority figures taking advantage of subordinates as a result of their societal position seems something that’s not learned but rather psychologically prescribed.

This phenomenon was illustrated in the famous 1971 Stanford prison experiment, in which students were randomly assigned to roles as prison guards or prisoners. The study had to be ended early because the results were so drastic; despite careful instructions not to abuse the prisoners, the guards soon overstepped their boundaries and compromised the safety of study participants.

Examples of such behavior are also numerous throughout history and in the news. Just in the last year, such abuses have arisen, specifically pertaining to the use of Tasers.

Last month, a Polish immigrant died at Vancouver International Airport after being stunned twice with a Taser. Robert Dziekanski, who did not speak English, had failed to comply with police orders, and the Taser was used on him as he turned to walk away.

“He wasn’t acting violent in any way. That’s what is most disturbing,” said Paul Pritchard, who caught the incident on tape.

Yet when scrutinizing abuse of power and the psychology behind why it exists, we must not neglect to realize that students play just as big a role in contributing to such antagonism.

In showing disrespect to the officers as Tabatabainejad clearly did last November, he undoubtedly violated library policy, which aims to protect the safety of all students. “Mistakes were made on both sides,” said Dianne Tanjuaquio, Undergraduate Student Association Council internal vice president. “An incident like that, while bad, could have been mitigated in some respect.”

In reflecting back on the Taser incident a year later, rather than focusing only on implementing policy changes, students and the UCPD should do everything in their power to put their frustrations aside and focus on how they can achieve true understanding of one another.

E-mail Noble at bnoble@media.ucla.edu.

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