The first time I heard of this case was during my routine watching of Amy Goodman's Democracy Now! Headlines for March 17, 2010, and I saw and heard
Amy Goodman:
"University of Florida Students Protest Police Shooting of African Graduate Student"
"In Florida," the story went on "hundreds of students rallied at the University of Florida on Tuesday over the shooting of an African graduate student by campus police. The student, Kofi Adu-Brempong, has been hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot in the face by an officer in a raid on his home earlier this month. Police say they were called to the home after neighbors reported the student to be visibly distraught. According to police, Adu-Brempong tried to attack officers with a knife and a metal rod. But supporters and family members have rejected the allegations and say the rod was actually a walking cane used by Abu-Brempong as a result of a childhood bout with polio. On Tuesday, a crowd of over 300 students marched on the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees."
On the news clip explaining the rationale for their action was Fernando Figueroa, UF student:
UF Student Fernando Figueroa: “We’re demanding that all charges be dropped against Kofi, because they’re trying to do, you know, kind of something what’s called extortion. Like they’re saying, ‘Oh, we’ll drop the charges if you don’t file a lawsuit.’ And so, we’re demanding that all the charges be dropped and that more severe action be taken against the offending officer, Keith Smith.”
The officer who shot Kofi Adu-Brempong has been identified as Keith Smith. He has previously been reprimanded for an incident in which he allegedly harassed and threw eggs at African Americans while off-duty."
On the news clip explaining the rationale for their action was Fernando Figueroa, UF student:
UF Student Fernando Figueroa: “We’re demanding that all charges be dropped against Kofi, because they’re trying to do, you know, kind of something what’s called extortion. Like they’re saying, ‘Oh, we’ll drop the charges if you don’t file a lawsuit.’ And so, we’re demanding that all the charges be dropped and that more severe action be taken against the offending officer, Keith Smith.”
The officer who shot Kofi Adu-Brempong has been identified as Keith Smith. He has previously been reprimanded for an incident in which he allegedly harassed and threw eggs at African Americans while off-duty."
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Amy Goodman:
"University of Florida Students Protest Police Shooting of African Graduate Student"
"In Florida," the story went on "hundreds of students rallied at the University of Florida on Tuesday over the shooting of an African graduate student by campus police. The student, Kofi Adu-Brempong, has been hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot in the face by an officer in a raid on his home earlier this month. Police say they were called to the home after neighbors reported the student to be visibly distraught. According to police, Adu-Brempong tried to attack officers with a knife and a metal rod. But supporters and family members have rejected the allegations and say the rod was actually a walking cane used by Abu-Brempong as a result of a childhood bout with polio. On Tuesday, a crowd of over 300 students marched on the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees."
On the news clip explaining the rationale for their action was Fernando Figueroa, UF student:
UF Student Fernando Figueroa: “We’re demanding that all charges be dropped against Kofi, because they’re trying to do, you know, kind of something what’s called extortion. Like they’re saying, ‘Oh, we’ll drop the charges if you don’t file a lawsuit.’ And so, we’re demanding that all the charges be dropped and that more severe action be taken against the offending officer, Keith Smith.”
The officer who shot Kofi Adu-Brempong has been identified as Keith Smith. He has previously been reprimanded for an incident in which he allegedly harassed and threw eggs at African Americans while off-duty."
Amy Goodman:
"University of Florida Students Protest Police Shooting of African Graduate Student"
"In Florida," the story went on "hundreds of students rallied at the University of Florida on Tuesday over the shooting of an African graduate student by campus police. The student, Kofi Adu-Brempong, has been hospitalized in critical condition after he was shot in the face by an officer in a raid on his home earlier this month. Police say they were called to the home after neighbors reported the student to be visibly distraught. According to police, Adu-Brempong tried to attack officers with a knife and a metal rod. But supporters and family members have rejected the allegations and say the rod was actually a walking cane used by Abu-Brempong as a result of a childhood bout with polio. On Tuesday, a crowd of over 300 students marched on the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees."
On the news clip explaining the rationale for their action was Fernando Figueroa, UF student:
UF Student Fernando Figueroa: “We’re demanding that all charges be dropped against Kofi, because they’re trying to do, you know, kind of something what’s called extortion. Like they’re saying, ‘Oh, we’ll drop the charges if you don’t file a lawsuit.’ And so, we’re demanding that all the charges be dropped and that more severe action be taken against the offending officer, Keith Smith.”
The officer who shot Kofi Adu-Brempong has been identified as Keith Smith. He has previously been reprimanded for an incident in which he allegedly harassed and threw eggs at African Americans while off-duty."
On the news clip explaining the rationale for their action was Fernando Figueroa, UF student:
UF Student Fernando Figueroa: “We’re demanding that all charges be dropped against Kofi, because they’re trying to do, you know, kind of something what’s called extortion. Like they’re saying, ‘Oh, we’ll drop the charges if you don’t file a lawsuit.’ And so, we’re demanding that all the charges be dropped and that more severe action be taken against the offending officer, Keith Smith.”
The officer who shot Kofi Adu-Brempong has been identified as Keith Smith. He has previously been reprimanded for an incident in which he allegedly harassed and threw eggs at African Americans while off-duty."
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Attorney says grad student apparently shot in face, hand
Video may shed light on standoff with UF campus police officers.
Published: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 12:24 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at 12:24 a.m.
An attorney for the University of Florida student shot last week by campus police says his client was wounded in both the hand and face, while the student's brother says a bullet remains lodged near his spine and poses a threat for paralysis. More...
According to UPD public information officer Jeff Holcomb, all officers are prepared and trained to identify when the Baker Act needs to be enforced, or when a person can be involuntarily hospitalized after becoming a danger to themselves or others.
PLEASE, RELAX NOT JUST YET! JUSTICE CAN STILL ELUDE US!
We need to be mindful that what these criminals want is injustice. As this case progresses and it gets old, all sorts of things can happen. Just today, April 17, 2010, we read from the CNN a report By Rich Phillips, which says "Feds: No civil right charges in teen's Florida boot camp death".
"Miami, Florida (CNN) -- More than four years after the death of 14-year-old Florida boot camp inmate Martin Lee Anderson, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced no federal criminal civil rights charges will be filed against eight staff members. The announcement effectively closes the case." Apparently the Department of Justice concurs with Mr. Hoot Crawford: "There was never any intent other than to straighten this young man out," said attorney Hoot Crawford, who represents Henry Dickens, who was one of the guards.
"After a careful and thorough review, a team of experienced federal prosecutors and FBI agents determined that the evidence was insufficient to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges. Accordingly, the investigation into this incident has been closed," the Justice Department said in a news release.
"It's a slap in the face," said family attorney Benjamin Crump, who was present for the meeting. He called the meeting tense, and said that Anderson's mother, Gina Jones, and father, Robert Anderson left the meeting in disgust, but he said, he convinced them to return.
"When you have a miscarriage of justice in the deep south, and they don't do anything, who polices the police, if it's not the justice department," he told CNN.
"It was the only hope that the Anderson family had to hold these people accountable. It says the police can do anything they want," he said.
According to UPD public information officer Jeff Holcomb, all officers are prepared and trained to identify when the Baker Act needs to be enforced, or when a person can be involuntarily hospitalized after becoming a danger to themselves or others.
Was UF shooting avoidable?
Mental health experts: If police had used Baker Act, things may have ended better
Published: Monday, March 15, 2010 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 11:37 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, March 14, 2010 at 11:37 p.m.
( page 5 of 5 )
Betty Strayer, who deals with Baker Act admissions as vice president for emergency services at Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, said she sees a difference in officers who receive the training. Those officers tend to show more knowledge about the Baker Act and mental illness, she said.
PLEASE, RELAX NOT JUST YET! JUSTICE CAN STILL ELUDE US!
We need to be mindful that what these criminals want is injustice. As this case progresses and it gets old, all sorts of things can happen. Just today, April 17, 2010, we read from the CNN a report By Rich Phillips, which says "Feds: No civil right charges in teen's Florida boot camp death".
"Miami, Florida (CNN) -- More than four years after the death of 14-year-old Florida boot camp inmate Martin Lee Anderson, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced no federal criminal civil rights charges will be filed against eight staff members. The announcement effectively closes the case." Apparently the Department of Justice concurs with Mr. Hoot Crawford: "There was never any intent other than to straighten this young man out," said attorney Hoot Crawford, who represents Henry Dickens, who was one of the guards.
"After a careful and thorough review, a team of experienced federal prosecutors and FBI agents determined that the evidence was insufficient to pursue federal criminal civil rights charges. Accordingly, the investigation into this incident has been closed," the Justice Department said in a news release.
"It's a slap in the face," said family attorney Benjamin Crump, who was present for the meeting. He called the meeting tense, and said that Anderson's mother, Gina Jones, and father, Robert Anderson left the meeting in disgust, but he said, he convinced them to return.
"When you have a miscarriage of justice in the deep south, and they don't do anything, who polices the police, if it's not the justice department," he told CNN.
"It was the only hope that the Anderson family had to hold these people accountable. It says the police can do anything they want," he said.
Justice for Kofi Adu-Brempong
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Category:
Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
Description:
On March 2nd, graduate student and teaching assistant Kofi Adu-Brempong was shot in the face with an assault rifle by officers of the University Police Department. Adu-Brempong was mentally-distressed, and the police were called in response to noise coming from his apartment at Corey Village on-campus.
Adu-Brempong is 5'5'', less than 150 pounds, and severely disabled from a childhood case of polio. The shooting occurred less than a minute after the officers entered the apartment. In an interview with Adu-Brempong by the Gainesville Sun after the incident, Adu-Brempong said that the police began firing a high-powered assault weapon at him without ordering him to stand down or making an arrest. "They should have told me to put up my hands," he said. Student and community groups are calling for an independent investigation of the entire incident because of the conflicting accounts of the night given by Adu-Brempong and UPD.
When evidence emerged that the shooter was University Police Department Officer Keith Smith-who had previously been implicated in throwing eggs at African-Americans while off-duty-student groups began organizing for a rally to demand justice. The students suggest that a rigorous investigation needs to be conducted in regards to the shooting of an unarmed disabled man in his own on-campus apartment. The Coalition for Justice Against Police Brutality was formed out of groups including Students for a Democratic Society, the Student Labor Action Project, the NAACP, the African Student Union, and the Alachua County Democratic Black Caucus. Together, the Coalition is calling for another rally of students and community members on April 6th.
We of the Coalition for Justice Against Police Brutality believe that it is unacceptable that we have waited over four weeks for the investigation results to be announced. The administration and investigators are stalling in releasing the truth because there are only three weeks of spring classes left at UF. In the coming weeks, the Coalition will escalate their actions and demand that those involved in the investigation release findings immediately.
Source: http://www.modernghana.com/news/270001/1/media-advisory-april-6th.html
******************
March 24th, 2010.
We, the family and friends of Kofi Adu-Brempong, a doctoral student and teaching assistant in Geography at the University Of Florida and an alumnus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Ghana and Toledo University, Ohio, need your help to seek justice for our son, husband, father, brother, and friend.
Kofi is currently recovering from wounds he suffered on March 2, 2010 when five police officers from the University Of Florida (UPD) shot him in the face with a Bushmaster M-4 rifle at close range in his apartment. Kofi sustained several severe injuries as a result of UPD’s actions including severe damage to his face. According to doctors, bullet fragments are still lodged along his neck spine at levels that could cause his death or serious long term disability/deformity. Kofi has already undergone a 10-hour surgery and still has a breathing tube in his neck. It is anticipated he will need many more delicate surgeries in the near future. At this time it is unclear if he will be able to talk again or ever eat normally (he is currently being fed through a stomach tube).
In addition to the important concerns we have about Kofi’s health, it is also critical that we seek justice for Kofi. Kofi has currently been charged with several serious crimes. In order to get these charges dropped or dismissed, a lawyer has been retained in Gainesville, Florida to defend him. The charges levied against Kofi are serious and will require expensive legal services in order to ensure that justice is obtained in his case. We will need your help to fight these charges.
University Of Florida campus police shot Kofi in the head at a time when he needed them most. The police went to his apartment after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor about screams coming from his apartment. According to the police, they were unable to get him to answer the door and eventually broke in under the pretext of being concerned for his safety. According to the officers, they could not subdue Kofi with a Taser gun or a beanbag gun even though he was SITTING ON THE FLOOR. The Police indicate the taser probes did not attach to Kofi. Was the taser defective or the officers not properly trained to use it? Why did five trained officers have to use deadly force on Kofi, a man who walks with a cane, and who was clearly seated on the floor? The Police say Kofi threatened them with a rectangular rod. What the Police call an assault weapon was most likely Kofi’s cane that helps him walk.
Instead of owning up to their impulsive and brutal behavior that resulted in the near fatal shooting of Kofi, he has been arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault on an officer and one count of resisting an officer with violence. Interestingly enough, the State Attorney’s Office does not expect that any criminal charges will be filed against any of the five university police officers who were involved in the incident. We strongly believe that this represents a travesity of justice.
We gladly appreciate your donations, however little, to seek justice for our dear son, father, husband, brother, and friend.
Please donate to the Justice for Kofi Adu-Brempong Fund. Checks may be made out to Cynthia Agyemang (with Kofi's defense fund written on the memo line)and mailed to Cynthia Agyemang, 9371 Northwest 26th Avenue, Gainesville, Florida 32606.
For domestic wire transfer, use Bank of America A/C 898038320980 and routing number 026009593(Cynthia Agyemang with Kofi's defense fund as a memo). International transfers may need to add Swift code BOFAUS3N.
Thank you and please keep Kofi in your prayers.
Kwame Obeng (brother).
For and on behalf of Kofi's family and friends.
(read less)
On March 2nd, graduate student and teaching assistant Kofi Adu-Brempong was shot in the face with an assault rifle by officers of the University Police Department. Adu-Brempong was mentally-distressed, and the police were called in response to noise coming from his apartment at Corey Village on-campus.
Adu-Brempong is 5'5'', less than 150 pounds, and severely disabled from a childhood case of polio. The shooting occurred less than a minute after the officers entered the apartment. In an... (read more)
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* John Calvin Story
* Jeremiah Tattersall (UF)
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* Shylock Muyengwa (UF)
* Justitia Nunc Reget
* Dustin Ponder (UF)
* Justin Wooten
* Ricardo Brown-Salazar (creator)
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Feds: No civil right charges in teen's Florida boot camp death - CNN.com
8:53am Apr 17
*
Invisible Empire A New World Order Defined Full (Order it at Infowars.com)
7:32pm Apr 16
*
FDLE completes investigation into student shooting – The Chalkboard - Gainesville Sun - Gainesville,
7:24pm Apr 16
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Information
Category:
Common Interest - Beliefs & Causes
Description:
On March 2nd, graduate student and teaching assistant Kofi Adu-Brempong was shot in the face with an assault rifle by officers of the University Police Department. Adu-Brempong was mentally-distressed, and the police were called in response to noise coming from his apartment at Corey Village on-campus.
Adu-Brempong is 5'5'', less than 150 pounds, and severely disabled from a childhood case of polio. The shooting occurred less than a minute after the officers entered the apartment. In an interview with Adu-Brempong by the Gainesville Sun after the incident, Adu-Brempong said that the police began firing a high-powered assault weapon at him without ordering him to stand down or making an arrest. "They should have told me to put up my hands," he said. Student and community groups are calling for an independent investigation of the entire incident because of the conflicting accounts of the night given by Adu-Brempong and UPD.
When evidence emerged that the shooter was University Police Department Officer Keith Smith-who had previously been implicated in throwing eggs at African-Americans while off-duty-student groups began organizing for a rally to demand justice. The students suggest that a rigorous investigation needs to be conducted in regards to the shooting of an unarmed disabled man in his own on-campus apartment. The Coalition for Justice Against Police Brutality was formed out of groups including Students for a Democratic Society, the Student Labor Action Project, the NAACP, the African Student Union, and the Alachua County Democratic Black Caucus. Together, the Coalition is calling for another rally of students and community members on April 6th.
We of the Coalition for Justice Against Police Brutality believe that it is unacceptable that we have waited over four weeks for the investigation results to be announced. The administration and investigators are stalling in releasing the truth because there are only three weeks of spring classes left at UF. In the coming weeks, the Coalition will escalate their actions and demand that those involved in the investigation release findings immediately.
Source: http://www.modernghana.com/news/270001/1/media-advisory-april-6th.html
******************
March 24th, 2010.
We, the family and friends of Kofi Adu-Brempong, a doctoral student and teaching assistant in Geography at the University Of Florida and an alumnus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Ghana and Toledo University, Ohio, need your help to seek justice for our son, husband, father, brother, and friend.
Kofi is currently recovering from wounds he suffered on March 2, 2010 when five police officers from the University Of Florida (UPD) shot him in the face with a Bushmaster M-4 rifle at close range in his apartment. Kofi sustained several severe injuries as a result of UPD’s actions including severe damage to his face. According to doctors, bullet fragments are still lodged along his neck spine at levels that could cause his death or serious long term disability/deformity. Kofi has already undergone a 10-hour surgery and still has a breathing tube in his neck. It is anticipated he will need many more delicate surgeries in the near future. At this time it is unclear if he will be able to talk again or ever eat normally (he is currently being fed through a stomach tube).
In addition to the important concerns we have about Kofi’s health, it is also critical that we seek justice for Kofi. Kofi has currently been charged with several serious crimes. In order to get these charges dropped or dismissed, a lawyer has been retained in Gainesville, Florida to defend him. The charges levied against Kofi are serious and will require expensive legal services in order to ensure that justice is obtained in his case. We will need your help to fight these charges.
University Of Florida campus police shot Kofi in the head at a time when he needed them most. The police went to his apartment after receiving a 911 call from a neighbor about screams coming from his apartment. According to the police, they were unable to get him to answer the door and eventually broke in under the pretext of being concerned for his safety. According to the officers, they could not subdue Kofi with a Taser gun or a beanbag gun even though he was SITTING ON THE FLOOR. The Police indicate the taser probes did not attach to Kofi. Was the taser defective or the officers not properly trained to use it? Why did five trained officers have to use deadly force on Kofi, a man who walks with a cane, and who was clearly seated on the floor? The Police say Kofi threatened them with a rectangular rod. What the Police call an assault weapon was most likely Kofi’s cane that helps him walk.
Instead of owning up to their impulsive and brutal behavior that resulted in the near fatal shooting of Kofi, he has been arrested and charged with one count of aggravated assault on an officer and one count of resisting an officer with violence. Interestingly enough, the State Attorney’s Office does not expect that any criminal charges will be filed against any of the five university police officers who were involved in the incident. We strongly believe that this represents a travesity of justice.
We gladly appreciate your donations, however little, to seek justice for our dear son, father, husband, brother, and friend.
Please donate to the Justice for Kofi Adu-Brempong Fund. Checks may be made out to Cynthia Agyemang (with Kofi's defense fund written on the memo line)and mailed to Cynthia Agyemang, 9371 Northwest 26th Avenue, Gainesville, Florida 32606.
For domestic wire transfer, use Bank of America A/C 898038320980 and routing number 026009593(Cynthia Agyemang with Kofi's defense fund as a memo). International transfers may need to add Swift code BOFAUS3N.
Thank you and please keep Kofi in your prayers.
Kwame Obeng (brother).
For and on behalf of Kofi's family and friends.
(read less)
On March 2nd, graduate student and teaching assistant Kofi Adu-Brempong was shot in the face with an assault rifle by officers of the University Police Department. Adu-Brempong was mentally-distressed, and the police were called in response to noise coming from his apartment at Corey Village on-campus.
Adu-Brempong is 5'5'', less than 150 pounds, and severely disabled from a childhood case of polio. The shooting occurred less than a minute after the officers entered the apartment. In an... (read more)
Privacy Type:
Open: All content is public.
Admins
* John Calvin Story
* Jeremiah Tattersall (UF)
* Fernando Figueroa (UF)
* Dave Schneider (UF)
* Shylock Muyengwa (UF)
* Justitia Nunc Reget
* Dustin Ponder (UF)
* Justin Wooten
* Ricardo Brown-Salazar (creator)
Members
2,140 members See All
I
Links
3 of 80 linksSee All
*
Feds: No civil right charges in teen's Florida boot camp death - CNN.com
8:53am Apr 17
*
Invisible Empire A New World Order Defined Full (Order it at Infowars.com)
7:32pm Apr 16
*
FDLE completes investigation into student shooting – The Chalkboard - Gainesville Sun - Gainesville,
7:24pm Apr 16
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Results 1-10 of about 1,120 for Kofi Adu-Brempong (0.20 seconds)
Mar 3, 2010 ... A University of Florida graduate student described as delusional but praised by
his students remained hospitalized Wednesday after being ...
his students remained hospitalized Wednesday after being ...
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100303/ARTICLES/100309832 - -1k - Similar pages
Mar 6, 2010 ... The brother of a University of Florida student shot by police on Tuesday said
Saturday the family believes he was a victim of police ...
Saturday the family believes he was a victim of police ...
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20100306/ARTICLES/100309615 - -1k - Similar pages
Mar 24, 2010 ... On March 2nd, graduate student and teaching assistant Kofi Adu-Brempong was shot
in the face with an assault rifle by officers of the ...
in the face with an assault rifle by officers of the ...
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=wall&gid=336549896343 - 110k - Similar pages
See ratings and read comments about professor Kofi Adu-Brempong from University
of Florida in FL.
of Florida in FL.
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=932619 - 36k - Similar pages
Mar 8, 2010 ... wall post: "The inept UPD police force (who somehow still feel at liberty to
Taser anyone they want to), once again failed miserably at ...
Taser anyone they want to), once again failed miserably at ...
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-417837 - 103k - Similar pages
Mar 3, 2010 ... (Update posted at 4 pm) University of Florida police released a report from a
police visit on Monday to student and graduate assistant Kofi ...
police visit on Monday to student and graduate assistant Kofi ...
http://www.ocala.com/article/20100303/ARTICLES/100309855 - 103k - Similar pages
Mar 21, 2010 ... They presented the board with a list of demands, including dropping all charges
against Kofi Adu-Brempong. The other important demand is the ...
against Kofi Adu-Brempong. The other important demand is the ...
http://negotiationisover.com/tag/kofi-adu-brempong/ - 66k - Similar pages
Apr 7, 2010 ... Gainesville, FL - 250 people rallied here, April 6, to support Kofi Adu-Brempong
, the University of Florida student who was shot in the face ...
, the University of Florida student who was shot in the face ...
http://www.fightbacknews.org/2010/4/7/gainesville-students-d... - 37k - Similar pages
Mar 24, 2010 ... Crowd of several hundred demonstrators at the University of Florida in the
aftermath of the police shooting of Kofi Adu-Brempong, ...
aftermath of the police shooting of Kofi Adu-Brempong, ...
http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2010/03/kofi-adu-brempong... - 319k - Similar pages
Mar 17, 2010 ... Have you heard of Kofi Adu-Brempong? Well, probably not so let me fill you in on
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