New Jersey Police Take Student Down Over Question Posed to Ann Coulter

The student has seen no legal or college disciplinary action, and although he is politically active, has never been known to stage a violent protest.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Mike Tracey, a student at the College of New Jersey, attended an Ann Coulter lecture on Wednesday, February 18, and spoke out against what he calls an unfair and inappropriate arrest.

He claims that after Ann Coulter had finished her question and answer session, he attempted to ask her the same question he had asked during the forum.

"Since you said Democrats are sympathetic to terrorists because the president has Hussein as a middle name, are you saying that all people with Muslim sounding names are sympathetic to terrorists?" Mike Tracey asked.

Once she began to do book signings, Tracey went to ask her the question again, but was stopped by an officer.

Not to be deterred from getting an answer, Tracey avoided the officer and went to Mrs. Coulter's table, where she "jumped back in shock."

Tracey began to ask the question again, but he says, three words later, he found himself on the ground.

Officers had tackled him, and restrained him with what he calls excessive force.

"I had bruises but I didn't use any violence at all." He said. "They never even read me my Miranda rights, but they arrested me and charged me."

Assuming his statements are true, it would seem that not only is the case invalid, but there are some serious questions that need to be answered about just what New Jersey officers are calling an appropriate response.

When asked for a quote on the situation, the campus security office refused to give a comment.

Or, actually, Officer 76 refused to comment. We gave this officer this name because he not only refused to give a comment, but actually refused to give his name.

Officer 76 is not alone in his refusal to comment. The president's office at the university also declined to comment, as did the officer who made the arrest.

But Tracey is not refusing to comment, and neither are his 234 face book supporters.

If there are doubts as to how he expects those concerned to respond to the situation, he says this: "I ask that everyone supportive of me please refrain from making this into a partisan political issue. Victims of physical and verbal abuse do not know an ideology. They know only that they have been wronged and degraded. I hope my conservative and Republican friends, of whom I have many, will take just as forceful a stand on this issue as would anyone of any other political persuasion."

Matthew Golden, the Executive Director of Public Relations and Communications for the campus commented on the situation.

"Unfortunately, we have an incident where one individual behaved in a manner that was not appropriate. He was directed to cease his behavior, and directed to leave the facility. He did not comply and unfortunately after continuing the behavior, had to be restrained and eventually was arrested. He was released and informed that he would get a citation." He said.

Golden also said that he did not witness the event happen, but after speaking with the campus police and the arresting officer, he concluded that only enough force to solve the problem was used.

"It was the absolute minimum for what the situation called for, is my understanding." He said.

"As this incident goes through both judicial and campus judicial systems, we will make assessments as to his disciplinary action. But to speculate on what will happen at this point really isn't useful to anyone," Golden said.

But Tracey says otherwise. And the information seems to give his argument some credence.

Tracey has never been convicted of a crime, has never faced campus disciplinary action, and although he is politically active, has never been known to stage a violent protest.

But for now, until more questions can be answered, all we have is the evidence from one side.

And with the police playing the silent game, we can only imagine what answers will come out through investigation, and what questions will still be left unanswered.

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Witness April 7, 2009 5:20 pm (Pacific time)

So Cody The Reporter, will you report that Mike Tracey has refused to cooperate with the investigation of his alledged abuse? The College President brought in an independent expert to conduct an investigation and Mister "Open and Honest" takes a powder. He's also gotten his disorderly conduct hearing postponed twice. Come on Cody The Reporter, report why. You reported he has no record, but what other than your bias prevents you from asking what prior contact Tracey had with College Police? What other than your bias prevents you from sharing his response to that question? Come on Mister Editor do you job and get Cody's butt in gear and get us that information. The public has a right to know.

Cody, Try and Understand Reality March 2, 2009 7:46 am (Pacific time)

Knock off the "open and honest" BS. It is very open and honest. That you don't understand the process is no excuse. There's a police report. That is the record. If Mikiey wants to file a complaint, that'll be his record. And if there is video in the car and holding area, guess what, Mikiey is entitled to it. He can get it. Question is, is he a man or a mouse? Can he do it himself or have mommy do it? And that's not just an insult. Read his account of hiding behind Mommy. His lawyer can get anything you'd claim to be available if they were "open and honest". You don't get to decide, a Judge does. And guess what, if the police don't abide by the rules, the same rules you'd call "open and honest", the perp walks. Your childish posturing and the "Children of the Corn" bonding amongst your radical clique are frightening. Frightening because you're so quick to endorse a fundmentally totalitarian response.

Another Witness March 2, 2009 7:38 am (Pacific time)

I didn't see the arrest, but I did speak to someone who did and have read the Trenton Times articles, which are probabaly the most informative. The TCNJ Signal has a few, but the reporters weren't very probing, nor did they include much from the police report. The police can't say much because their case is pending, but that police report is a public record anyone can request and read. And then there is the campus TV interview he Tracey gave. Now that's all about the arrest. What I can say is that Tracey's public remarks wander and morph over time. That's going to bad for him in court. That's probabaly why he wants to try and get TCNJ to drop the charge of disorderly conduct. You have to meet certain elements to be charged and convicted. I'm not a lawyer, but I can apply facts to a set of rules (elements) and for my money, I'd say he's guilty. Note well that Tracey will be afforded his day in court. And with all the other things that he's said that are obviously wrong about the law, I'm surprised that he's not demanding a jury trial. As it's only the equivalent of a traffic ticket, you're not owed a jury trial. I did see the QandA back and forth. Tracey was very disrespectful to the other students. He was above "the rules" and on a mission from God (or Allah). He started to lecture. Kindly, Coulter gave him a chance to ask a question instead of sending him packing for lecturing. That's not an uncommon thing for host organizations to do with boring, self-absorbed nimrods. But Mikiey is special, so Mickiey asked THREE questions. Coulter said, "One" and she answered his first one. "I can't believe you're that stupid" was a fair answer to the question he asked, since it was not a real question but a disguised insult on his part. But be it known, and it is a fact, she did go on to explain again for only Tracey's benefit the point of her dialogue about middle names. Mikiey was a time and microphone hog, insensitive to the fact that there were many other students on line repsectfully waiting their turn. His response was aggitated, angry and aggressive. And I doubt he mellowed as the event progressed. The signs of aggression and anger was what the police noticed about him entering the stage (see Trento Times reports). He's told a lot of stories about the police, but guess what. I don't know this for sure, but it does seem that modern police procedure is for the police car camera to run when suspects are in custody, as well as to have video in holding areas. I strongly believe that Tracey's decision to not file a complaint is based on the fact that he does not want to exposed as a lair. His childish reacts that night, his childish behavior afterwards and his parents' uber-protective hovering all point to a narcasistic personality disorder. This may be his last chance to rectify that fault with a Judge's help. A good Judge will not indulge young Master Tracey in his fantasy world but rather introduce him to a totally new concept, "reality". Here's wishing the best for his future. A misdemeanor record and the ability to view the world from an adult prespective. That would be good for him.

Make that hippie shave February 28, 2009 4:12 am (Pacific time)

Look, I hate Coulter as much as the next person, be he got exactly what he deserved. There was no excessive force used at all. Watch the video and you'll see how ridiculous he was acting. GET OFF MY HEAD!!!!!!

Starlet February 26, 2009 8:21 pm (Pacific time)

http://gawker.com/5160776/on-police-brutality Gawker.com had the best take on this story!

Gemma February 25, 2009 7:13 pm (Pacific time)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w3bWHOdCA8

Henry Ruark February 22, 2009 11:43 am (Pacific time)

To all: Good to see Editor and Cody point up most pertinent fact re Witness: Use of pseudonym in place of true identity, even if still only name-to-start. Trust (read: credibility) is always first step in accepting as fact any statement-made, anywhere, anytime, by anyone, for any purpose. When ID is concealed or obscured, wise reader discards statement rapidly, until and unless further dialog contains the missing trust-building ID needed for responsibility, and accountability --and thus the essential trust. See upcoming Op Ed for more detail on this, with guiding statement from wise editor and Oregon Governor Sprague.

Conservative February 22, 2009 12:40 pm (Pacific time)

Coulter in not a neo-conservative, she is a true blue highly principled no-nonsense conservative that relects the views of millions of people, just look at her book sales. All of her books have been best sellers, how many liberal authors can compare to her sales volume over and over? She has the audience, to the chagrin of millions no doubt. Many of you may not like her, but try to imagine how little she cares? Ann Coulter is also an attorney who has no doubt learned to invest her money better than most others of similar background. As far as "officer 76", is he bound by employment protocol not to respond to queries?

Cody February 22, 2009 1:38 am (Pacific time)

Note to Witness: If you want a story that has everyone's side, then petition your police force to be more open and more honest. If they want to be silent, and play games with reporters who just want the facts, then they run the risk of a story coming of biased against them. I specifically exhausted all sources for this story, and not once, not until it is done, did you volunteer any information. So my advice to you is to contact us with your side of the story, rather than put on a tirade about the bias of said story. Furthermore, you are no better than officer 76. List your name, or be taken as a ridiculous source. In news, we can only use the words of people we verify. And, I specifically listed over and over that this is what Tracey SAID. Learn to read please. Otherwise, just look at the pretty pictures.

Witness February 21, 2009 9:08 pm (Pacific time)

This article describing the events is completely biased towards Tracey's side of the story, which many witnesses such as myself have found to be grossly exaggerated. "Since you said Democrats are sympathetic to terrorists because the president has Hussein as a middle name, are you saying that all people with Muslim sounding names are sympathetic to terrorists?" Mike Tracey asked. Ann Coulter replied, "You can't possibly be that stupid." She then avoided his question, and went on to finish the session. This is reported as fact, when it's really Tracey's opinion. She did use the phrase "you cannot possibly be that stupid", but she also had to for the second time explain to Tracey what her point was, which was that liberals thought it was fine to make fun of Dan Quayle's middle name, (Danforth) but when conservatives thought the name Hussein was funny, it becomes this taboo thing... "You can't say Barack Hussein Obama, that's racist." This whole notion plays into the point of Ann's book which is that anytime a Liberal has a chance, they try to play the victim, when in fact they are the victimizers. Furthermore, Tracey neglects to mention the part where he lunged at Ann during the book signing despite the fact that he didn't have a book, then proceeded to go on a tirade off stage before he was taken to the ground and handcuffed.

Editor: If you really want people to take your word as credible, why do you elect to not use your name? I find that most of the time people who don't identify themselves are often shills working for the GOP; spending their days looking for articles that they can post their own innuendo and propaganda on. This site's comments are monitored by human beings. As far as lunging goes, it sure would have been nice if the taxpayer-paid police would have done their job and talked to our reporter. It sure doesn't make them look good or honest or anything else. Victimizer? That is especially interesting. We reported that he has no record.

Dorsett Bennett February 21, 2009 5:57 pm (Pacific time)

The following comment was published under the name Anonymous. Since I don't think I typed Anonymous in the name line, I guess a copy editor at a bad time. :-): The use of the moniker uberchrist33 is interesting, and even more interesting is the alleged potential disownment of his/her daughter, should she date an individual asking a legitimate question of the far right neoconservative entertainer Ann Coulter. The use of uberchrist33 implies the writer is a Christian. If that person is a Christian, then I would make an ideal center for the NBA. At my best height as a young man, I was 5 feet 9 1/2 inches tall, but in the last 10 years I have been in a wheelchair, with no ability to stand. I am not saying that the individual uberchrist33 might not either attend or actually be a member of a church. But an individual going to church does not make them a Christian any more than going to a McDonald's makes you a hamburger. It is a matter of a change of heart, faith, and accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior. I was a registered Republican from 1971 to 2004, am a political moderate, and have also been a born-again Christian since 1974. So I am not going to make the typical liberal response about what a gentle forgiving God would do. No, I am going to bring up a phrase commonly used by conservative Christians such as myself: WWJD--What Would Jesus Do? Even if Ann Coulter was not a such a vile, lying, screaming, offensive, spokesperson for the extreme right wing lunatic fringe; WWJD if his daughter were to date such a young man. Probably not the same action proposed by uberchrist33. I am not particularly smart, and yet so many of you 'silly' folks make it like shooting fish in a barrel to discredit! Shame on you! :-)

Anonymous February 20, 2009 8:46 pm (Pacific time)

The use of the moniker uberchrist33 is interesting, and even more interesting is the alleged potential disownment of his/her daughter, should she date an individual asking a legitimate question of the far right neoconservative entertainer Ann Coulter. The use of uberchrist33 implies the writer is a Christian. If that person is a Christian, then I would make an ideal center for the NBA. At my best height as a young man, I was 5 feet 9 1/2 inches tall, but in the last 10 years I have been in a wheelchair, with no ability to stand. I am not saying that the individual uberchrist33 might not either attend or actually be a member of a church. But an individual going to church does not make them a Christian any more than going to a McDonald's makes you a hamburger. It is a matter of a change of heart, faith, and accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior. I was a registered Republican from 1971 to 2004, am a political moderate, and have also been a born-again Christian since 1974. So I am not going to make the typical liberal response about what a gentle forgiving God would do. No, I am going to bring up a phrase commonly used by conservative Christians such as myself: WWJD--What Would Jesus Do? Even if Ann Coulter was not a such a vile, lying, screaming, offensive, spokesperson for the extreme right wing lunatic fringe; WWJD if his daughter were to date such a young man. Probably not the same action proposed by uberchrist33. I am not particularly smart, and yet so many of you 'silly' folks make it like shooting fish in a barrel to discredit! Shame on you! :-)

Cody February 20, 2009 7:38 pm (Pacific time)

Uberchrist33, that's ridiculous. Your comment shows the hate and disregard for human emotions and relationships that has become all to common in radical belief systems. I hope your daughter has a more moderate father. Otherwise, I feel very sorry for her.

John February 20, 2009 3:41 pm (Pacific time)

By evading the officers and quickly advancing toward someone being protected the student showed a disregard for her safety and made himself look like an attacker. Should the officers have waited for him to assault Ms. Coulter until they responded to his aggressive behavior?

Cody February 20, 2009 2:27 pm (Pacific time)

I cant believe officer 76... :) But his name will forever be Officer 76 ^__^

uberchrist33 February 20, 2009 1:38 pm (Pacific time)

Ann's right, conservatives should only mate with conservatives. If my daugher ever dated a guy like this, I would have to disown her.

ChrisJones February 20, 2009 12:20 pm (Pacific time)

If you like to see New World Order minions being confronted on their crimes against humanity I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you see the movie 911 Chronicles: Truth Rising link to movie @ http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6558849874454763730andei=ZRCfSa2aE6L-qAOQwt3DDAandq=911+chroniclesandhl=en

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