Two speakers from the Los Angeles area, LAPD officer Deon Joseph and former police lieutenant and current K-12 educator John Johnson, will share their perspective as black men in law enforcement, answer prepared questions and engage in a moderated discussion with the audience, on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 5:30 p.m. in EMU Room 214, Redwood Auditorium.

The event is sponsored by UOPD, the Division of Student Life open to students, faculty, staff and community members, and snacks will be served.

Officer Deon Joseph is a law enforcement consultant who has worked for the LAPD for more than 19 years, including 17 in the famous “Skid Row” community in downtown Los Angeles. From patrolling the streets or providing a shoulder for the community to lean on to meeting with public figures and advocating for change, Officer Joseph is driven to create an environment conducive to change for the homeless and those trying to reclaim their lives from the grip of addiction.

John Johnson graduated from the University of California, Davis, in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and later obtained Masters of Arts degrees in Marriage, Family Therapy and Organizational Behavior. He started as a police officer in 1994 rising to lieutenant, then served as a counselor and interim resident director in a transitional group home. At that time he also started volunteering with the Alliance for Equal Opportunity in Education, an L.A.-based coalition of students, UCLA black alumni, political representatives and community organizations, with a shared goal of improving recruitment and retention of African American students in the University of California system. He is currently an educator at Beverly Hills High School, and a marriage and family therapist with the State of California.