We’ve all experienced it. Driving along the highway, suddenly a police cruiser flies past you at 90-100 mph only to pull into a McDonalds. The haunting sense of fairness enters your mind and asks, “Why aren’t they subject to the same laws I am?”

While police officers perform a thankless job of dangerous work and should be commended for their sacrifice, this sacrifice does not exempt them from the law and grant them freedom to harm citizens.

A University of Florida student was tasered Monday by campus police at a speaking event by Sen. John Kerry. While the student was both loud and obnoxious, he presented no threat to anyone in the forum to justify the officer’s actions. He was in a public place, at a public event, speaking at an open microphone.

After making a sexually explicit remark, his microphone was cut off by members of student government. Suddenly, two police officers grabbed his arms from behind and attempted to escort him out of the hall. When he demanded an explanation for the police officers’ actions, he was helplessly pinned to the ground by six officers and tasered. Apparently six officers were not enough to subdue the student, it also required painful electric shock.

Watching the video footage is simply disturbing. If the officers were attempting to place the student under arrest he should have been informed of the reason. If they wished the student to leave, they should simply have asked instead of immediately resorting to force.

The University of Florida student exercising his First Amendment rights presented no harm to anyone, was coerced by police officers and was provided with no explanation as to why he was being cruelly tortured into submission.

We are unlikely to see the University of Florida officers suffer appropriate consequences for their actions, despite recklessly attacking a student whose questions Mr. Kerry stated multiple times he was more than happy to answer. If I chose to suddenly taser another person, I would likely go to jail for assault. Where is equality before the law?

Increasingly people no longer look to the police force as an institution of protection, but one of violence and fear. University of Georgia students prove this all the time.

Enjoying yourself downtown on a Saturday night, suddenly you see a police officer. What runs through your mind? Do you think the police officer is there to protect you, or do you avoid the police officer despite having done nothing wrong? There is something terribly wrong with this.

While we should thank officers for the job they do, they should also be reminded of the oath of allegiance they took to the United States Constitution.

Police officers exist to protect our constitutional rights, not to harm us when we exercise them.

- J. Patrick Rhamey is a graduate student from Athens studying political science.