I feel the public is ignoring one side of the graduate student shooting incident, probably because it is easier to identify with the student and not with the police officers. People say things like “I feel like this could happen to me,” or “This should have been handled by mental health professionals,” without really thinking about the situation.
I’m tired of everyone standing up for Kofi. You only have a problem because he is a student like you. You have no reason to defend him. In case you didn’t know, he had been sending e-mails to staff accusing them of wanting to kill him. He was also under the impression he was going to be kidnapped and taken to Africa and slain. He was either on drugs or completely insane. The police officers who broke into his apartment were in the right. They did exactly what they were trained to do. There is no such thing as police brutality. The police are trained to do whatever it takes to subdue a problem. People just blow it out of proportion. Stop defending Kofi, and stop trying to fight the police officers.
I am writing to lodge a complaint against Tommy Maple and Ryan Spencer. A column is an opportunity to make people think about ideas and issues in a way that other sections of the newspaper can’t. I believe the two of you often squander this opportunity in an effort to sound humorous and smart. As an avid reader of The New Yorker, where high-brow, and often convoluted language ultimately serves as a flourish to a more important point, I encourage Maple and Spencer to have a little more respect for their readers. I often finish one of their columns and find that thought-provoking substance occupies a marginal space, and the remainder is a weekly exercise in the stringing together of forced metaphors. Now, I know that these columns are supposed to be humorous, and I think they both have a talent for humor. I only ask that if you’re going to write a column with a subject matter of importance, that the subject matter get a little more airtime next to the humor.
Get excited, people – the end of the semester is on the horizon. But beware because there’s something else lurking on the surface of the calm waters. And that something has taken the form of an exams-project-and-paper iceberg that will take that optimistic steamboat of yours down if you’re not careful.
Author Jeff Johnson will be speaking Friday night in the Reitz Union Grand Ballroom in an event co-sponsored by Accent and the Black Student Union.
TutoringZone, Grooveshark and Satchel’s Pizza represent innovation. Ask any entrepreneur.
I would like to compliment the Animal Activists of Alachua (AAA) for once again hosting a successful VegFest event (“500 Try Vegan Pizza, Ice Cream at VegFest,” Thursday).
Race relations in the United States are not perfect, nor will they ever be. Since the election of Barack Obama, the problems seem to be increasing.
Students will have food for thought when UF hosts the first Florida Food Summit next week.
Col. Ann Wright has 15 reasons to speak out against the government — one for about every time she’s been arrested.
In an effort to attract more young voters, Florida Attorney General candidate Dave Aronberg will be paying a visit to Gainesville today and Saturday.
Five student organizers of Tuesday’s rally for Kofi Adu-Brempong, the graduate student recently shot by the University Police Department, met with President Bernie Machen and other administrators Thursday afternoon to discuss what the university can do to help meet protesters’ demands.
Activists Among Us: The Gainesville's Women's Movement Across Generations panel discussed civil and women's rights a the Matheson Museum.
In his journey to become Florida’s newest senator, Congressman Kendrick Meek made a pit stop in Gainesville Wednesday night to listen to and talk with students.
This is the second segment of a two-part series describing emergency response teams at UF.
Many wondered how Florida was able to sign the nation’s best recruiting class this year amid uncertainty surrounding coach Urban Meyer’s career, but it wasn’t just the staff that was working to keep the class together.
The Animal Activists of Alachua talked about veganism on the Plaza of the Americas.
A year after testing the transfer waters, Alex Tyus is evaluating his NBA Draft options.
It goes without saying that students should not have to fear the police who are employed to protect them. Kofi Adu-Brempong’s incident is surely a moment the University Police Department should learn from. But the student organizations calling for the end of the Critical Incident Response Team are clearly missing the point.
One of the great mysteries of our time is the paradox of state government. Every few years, each state in our great union selects the brightest and most talented descendants of privilege and sends them away to plot out the boundaries of our daily lives. Just like clockwork, these seemingly divine figures time and again fail to deliver on their promises and the effulgent nature of their haircuts.
Solutions by The State News
