Lawyers for Kofi Adu-Brempong, the graduate student who was shot last March after a standoff with University Police, have requested that the UF Coalition for Justice Against Police Brutality remove his name and image from the group’s fliers and Facebook page.
Miami attorney David McDonald made the request in a a cease-and-desist letter sent to the coalition’s organizers Tuesday.
Using images of Adu-Brempong and the slogan “Justice for Kofi” made it appear that his client supported their coalition, McDonald said.
He said Adu-Brempong neither supports nor opposes the organization, but wanted to ensure that he is not associated with it.
“It appeared as if they were rallying people to help him when he neither wants nor needs it,” McDonald said.
The organization has since changed its Facebook name from “Justice for Kofi” to “Coalition for Justice Against Police Brutality (UF),” coalition organizer Jose Soto said.
Soto said the coalition understood Adu-Brempong’s concerns and quickly responded to McDonald’s request.
“They were very cooperative and did not want to cause any problems for Kofi,” McDonald said. “Students being civically involved is a great thing, but he’s trying to return his life to being as normal as it can be.”
The coalition’s cooperation has resolved the issue, he said.
