Who is Deon Joseph? LAPD cop slams LeBron James for 'YOU'RE NEXT' tweet after Ma'Khia Bryant shooting
LeBron James has been accused by an LAPD officer of placing a "target on the back" of the officer who fatally shot Black Ohio teen Ma'Khia Bryant.
On Sunday, April 25, Deon Joseph wrote a lengthy Facebook post addressed to LeBron James, calling his anti-cop stance "so off base and extreme," the Daily Mail reported. "You basically put a target on the back of a human being who had to make a split-second decision to save a life from a deadly attack," Joseph said in his post.
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Joseph's open letter to James on Facebook comes after the Lakers' star player sparked outrage last week when he tweeted - and then deleted - a message to the Ohio cop who fatally shot a young Black girl who allegedly was about to stab another girl. ‘YOU’RE NEXT,’ the tweet from James read, followed by an emoji depicting an hourglass and the hashtag #ACCOUNTABILITY.
Who is Deon Joseph?
According to his website, Officer Deon Joseph “is a law enforcement consultant who has worked for the LAPD for over 24 years, twenty-two of those years in downtown Los Angeles’ Skid Row community.”
“From patrolling the streets or providing a shoulder for the community to lean on to meeting with public figures and advocating for change, Deon is driven to create an environment conducive to change for the homeless and those trying to reclaim their lives from the grip of addiction. He is an honest, faithful, passionate and caring man – traits he pours into his daily life and activities,” his website says. His Facebook profile adds that he is also a "Law Enforcement Consultant, Public Speaker, Entrepreneur, Author".
Transforming Skid Row
For the past ten years, it adds, Deon Joseph served as Senior Lead Officer in charge of providing safety to the people that live on Skid Row. Joseph and his fellow officers were willing to use grassroots tactics rather than handcuffs or force to help transform the situation on Skid Row. He has learned over time, as his website says, that he couldn't simply make arrests and expect to see long-term improvement on Skid Row.
Coupled with reducing crime in Skid Row, Deon also helped build a better relationship between the LAPD and the homeless population they serve. Deon is considered to be a subject matter expert on Skid Row crime and culture. He has been sought out by multiple news organizations, filmmakers, and politicians to speak on issues related to Skid Row.
“I don’t care if I’m talking to the president. If someone out here is talking to me, I have to respond because they have been ignored by society for too long. That won’t be me,” the outspoken Black police officer told CNN in 2016.
His open letter to LeBron James
Dear Lebron:
I am not going to come at you from a place of hatred. There will be no name calling. I was raised to see the whole of a human being. Not to hyper focus on their flaws or make said flaws the whole of who they are. I’m an honest man.
What you do for children, and other acts of charity shows a huge heart. You show to be a family man, and that’s to be respected. You play for the team my family has cheered for since the 1960s, then myself since 1979. But... Your current stance on policing is so off base and extreme. Your tweet that targeted a police officer in Ohio who saved a young woman’s life was irresponsible and disturbing. It showed a complete lack of understanding of the challenge of our job in the heat of a moment. You basically put a target on the back of a human being who had to make a split second decision to save a life from a deadly attack.
A decision I know he and many others wish they never had to make. Especially when it involves someone so young.
Instead of apologizing, you deflected. You said you took your tweet down because you did not want it to be used for hate, when the tweet itself was the embodiment of hatred, rooted in a lack of understanding of the danger of the situation.
I don’t know if this will ever reach you, but my hope is that one day I can sit down with you and talk. As a man of faith, I can have no hatred toward you. But I do feel I can help you understand the reality of the profession of policing, and that there is another side you need to hear. You are tired of Black folks dying? So am I. You hate racism and police brutality? So do I. But you cannot paint 800,000 men and women who are of all races, faiths, sexual orientations and are also mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, preachers, coaches, community members and just human with such a broad and destructive brush.
Unlike some who have dug their heals in the belief that police are inherently evil, I think if you yourself actually sat down and had a real honest and open conversation with a cop, there is a strong chance you may discover we are not the monsters you have come to believe we are, who deserve the hate and distain you have.
And even if you come away feeling the same way, I could respect it, because at least you gave the other side your ear instead of only hearing one narrative.
The offer is on the table Lebron. No cameras. No fanfare. Just two men who care talking. I know it’s a long shot. But this division and hatred must stop. It’s clear based on rising crime in marginalized communities that cops and the community need to build bridges to save lives on all sides. That cannot be done through the demonization of any group of people.
Just putting it out in the universe brother. Even if not me, please take the time to talk to a police officer instead of judging them. No shade. Thanks for all the positive things you do.
Deon Joseph cleared his stance on his letter in a video on Facebook. "Me vs. Lebron. It’s not a “call out.” It’s a hope for constructive dialogue," said Joseph.
Watch the video here: