Beyond Brutality: A Candid Conversation From Both Sides of the Badge

Join Seguin Police Department Officer Brandon Smith as he tells his story from both sides of the badge. TLU alumnus and former Black Student Union President Rashad Tolbert will moderate the event, facilitating an open, candid conversation where Officer Smith will answer questions submitted by TLU students.

The event will be from 7 - 8 p.m. with a reception following afterwards in the Jackson Auditorium lobby. Seating is based on a first-come, first-served basis and doors open at 6:30 p.m. All visitors are required to wear a mask indoors regardless of vaccination status.

More About Building Bridges. Breaking Barriers. (B4)

B4 was officially established in the fall of 2021 as a partnership with various TLU student organizations, university departments, and city of Seguin community groups grounded in the belief that social justice and positive change is best achieved as a collective action. The group grew out of a series of meetings that originated as part of the Seguin Community Coalition during the summer of 2021 between TLU Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dr. David A. Ortiz and Seguin Chief of Police Terry Nichols. B4 seeks to establish genuine conversations and impactful programming on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The group’s first signature event is a partnership with the Seguin Police Department, Seguin Community Coalition, and TLU entitled Beyond Brutality: A Candid Conversation from Both Sides of the Badge. B4 co-chairs are Student Government Association President JA Person and Community Engagement Officer with Seguin Police Department Sarah Wallace.

About The Seguin Community Coalition

The Seguin Community Coalition was organically created in June 2020 in support of the national and local dialogue regarding the police use of force specifically as it related to the abuse of force being witnessed against men of color. On the heels of two local protests directly related to the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 by Minneapolis Police Officers, a group spearheaded by Seguin City Councilman Jeremy Roy and Rev. AJ Malone Jr. (New Saint James Baptist Church) formed a small group to examine the local concerns and have a voice in this national dialogue. This initial group would include Mr. Joe Patterson (NAACP President), Rashad Tolbert (TLU Black Student Union President), Isaiah Yesuf (local protest organizer), Darrian Wilson (local protest organizer), Rev. Jimmie Flakes (Second Baptist Church), Monica Napier Carter (community organizer and current Seguin City Council member), Commie Holmes (local business owner and community organizer), Jayce Holmes (Seguin resident, student, Texas Southern University), Mayor Don Keil, City Manager Steve Parker and Chief of Police Terry Nichols. Since the initial meeting on June 25, 2020, the Coalition has met monthly discussing topical issues of race and policing specifically within the Seguin community while broadening the depth of the group with additional community leaders and stakeholders.