DEON JONES
Deon Jones shines his light as a performance artist but it was his dedication to equality that landed him in the national spotlight. Last March, Jones won a historic lawsuit when a federal jury awarded him $375,000 from the Los Angeles Police Department. The jury found an LAPD officer liable after Jones filed a lawsuit against the officer who he says shot him in the face with a rubber bullet during one of the many mass protests in 2020. After the verdict, Jones told ABC News, “I’m just grateful that we had a jury that decided in our favor.” Because of Jones’ will and determination to battle a corrupt system, the landmark verdict is believed to be the first time an individual LAPD officer was held personally liable for his alleged actions. For his music endeavors, Jones has been praised by Rolling Stone and Bono of U2 as transformative and a voice for his generation. —K.M.