In this graduation address, D.D. Eric Bedford recounts his 1996 legal accusation and how a pivotal courtroom encounter taught him the importance of perspective. He describes how a mentor’s belief gave him a second chance, leading him to shift from a self‑focused path to community‑oriented work. Bedford highlights the Crossroads program’s role in transforming lives—turning felonies into misdemeanors—and shares personal anecdotes about entrepreneurship, emotional regulation, and his current role in the probation department. He urges the graduates to recognize the impact of their actions, embrace purpose, and become change agents who reshape the justice system and their communities.
Chapters
No Crossroads graduation would be complete unless we hear from our number one graduate, Mr. D.D. Eric Bedford. Good morning, you guys. So for me, it's, you know, for like most of us here, it's a very You know, important day for me because 1996 was the year, you know, I was being accused of something allegedly that I was right that that but it was very serious, right? It was a very serious allegation that I was up against, and what I learned in this course. Courtroom that day, I learned about perspective. I didn't know anything about it at that time. I was very heavy in the game. Most people know I grew up in Oakland. I grew up in Brookfield. And I grew up doing what most of us have done, which is why we're sitting here in the first place. And even in the midst of everything that was pointed against me, even in the midst of the district attorney— where did I land? There she go. Right? Who was saying, no, this guy is doing everything that they say he's doing, right? This gentleman right here, out of all the years of experience he's had, right, out of all the excuses he's heard, right, had a perspective, right? He seen something in me that I didn't even see at the time. And however he came to that conclusion, to me, is irrelevant. It's that he took a chance and he did so. And when I got out, I remember saying to myself, I could just go back to doing what I was doing, or I could make a difference. And I felt like there was a, you know, there's very few chances in your life where you need to kind of look back and see if you left a legacy behind, you know. But 20 years later, to be standing here, to see the amount of graduates, the amount of folks that came through this program, program because they took a chance on me to reduce the felonies, dismiss them to misdemeanors, and let's see what you're going to do. And, you know, Eileen just warmed my heart a little minute ago because we were talking and she said, you know what, you know, in my role I'm skeptical. She said, you made me a believer. That was powerful. Right. Because I didn't realize what I was carrying, because if I had messed up, I could have changed the game for everybody in this room. And the reason why I say that, because you got to understand, because some of you may be sitting here like you're just waiting for us to get done talking so you can get your certificate so you can move on. But I want you to slow down a bit because you never understand the impact or the influence you can have by your actions. And so I had to learn to stop being selfish and being in my own space, right, and get out of my own way for the greater good. So I started living out this courtroom and a purpose. And I don't feel like I had a purpose prior to that. And so it was this gentleman who said to me, right, you know, the program was named something— so I'll go back to '96. The program was named something else prior to Crossroads, right? So we went through bumps and bruises with that. But, you know, Goodman looked at me and said, you know what, you got a lot of influence in the community. And it's interesting when we talk about perspective. You know, we used to put on these picnics. We used to call it Flatland Pictures back in the day, right? But the community— but it was just something that we were doing. I didn't know I was doing community work. I had businesses back then. I thought they was a hustle. He made me realize I was being an entrepreneur. You see where I'm going with this? There's a difference in the slight adjustment in the way that you think. That's right. And as I started to get momentum in the way that I think, things started opening up for me. Right. And so that's where I want to challenge you guys today, everybody in the room, even if you're not in the program, to understand how powerful perspective is, how your passion, right? Because I became passionate about the work, you know, and being always in a space where you're in charge and you're in control of your emotions. Because the stuff that I did back in the day had a lot to do about the way I was feeling, right? The climate I was raised in, Whatever terms and conditions I felt I was under, whether it was, you know, parents going through divorce, growing up in certain times, all the cases I was catching, whatever I was feeling made me be this violent person or this person— because it was how I was feeling. As I started feeling better about myself, I started making better decisions, right? And so, you guys, I don't want you to ignore that. And so, for me to stand in front of you guys today, 20 years later, you know, and being around good family, Patty and Kay, like we've all— I feel like we've grown up together, you know. I remember when she was a baby, you know, and to be part of, you know, part of this phenomenal process is just super cool, you know. And today, you know, the probation department that I once, you know, ran away from was part of— I work there now, you know. Capacity that has me as a pretty ranking high manager in the same facility where a lot of staff is still there that watched me when I was a kid, right? So opportunity can be whatever you want it to be. And everybody that's stepping up and sharing a little piece of their testimony, it's not to give you like just a speech or just— we're not up here just to be talking and be talking. We're trying to drop something in somebody. That's right. So you guys can take and pave the way for the next DB or the next or the next 5 graduates that's coming up, or the next— Absolutely. Because one of the things that I started to realize, right, if Eileen can look at it different now as a district attorney, right, if Nancy can come from doing what she doing, right, we got— we're moving in different spaces where people are going, you know what, we can look at the work different. So the next judge comes into that seat going, there's another way to do business, right? Right? And that's how we want to be. So we want to be game changers, we want to be change agents, right? Congratulations to you all. You know, we wish you much success, you know what I mean? And just do the best that you can every day, one moment at a time. Thank you.
