Crime

Both Sides of the Gun: A Hard Conversation

THE TENNESSEE TRIBUNE — The end of March and the beginning of April were as volatile as the season change itself… Six shootings in the space of 72 hours. Two of the dead, a mother and son. The senselessness of it all; sadly a precursor to a discussion already in the works: a discussion sponsored by Project GRAD about gun violence.

Published

8 years ago

April 17, 2019

Vivian Underwood Shipe

By Vivian Shipe

KNOXVILLE, TN — The end of March and the beginning of April were as volatile as the season change itself… Six shootings in the space of 72 hours. Two of the dead, a mother and son. The senselessness of it all; sadly a precursor to a discussion already in the works: a discussion sponsored by Project GRAD about gun violence.

The statistics presented by moderator Lakenya Middlebrook were shocking.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) Tennessee is number eleven in the nation for gun deaths. In Tennessee, there are 15 per every 100,000 who die from a gun yearly. Nationwide, there are 100 gun deaths every day. A large number of these are youth and one young man in Knoxville felt moved to express his views and feelings about the effect of these deaths on film.

T’zion Fears-Perez is a tenth grader at Austin-East High School. He created a stark, thought provoking documentary that looks at the effects of gun deaths on family, and community from both the victims side and the alleged perpetrator side. “Both Sides of the Gun”, was created entirely on his phone and the results sparked a very deep and real community discussion.

A diverse group of citizens, leaders, educators, and many others listened as grief counselor Wraquel Brown who works with the students at Austin-East and OBC pastor Daryl Arnold, who has buried many of the young people killed in the last few years; weighed in on the questions asked.

Film sparking community discussion (Photo by: Vivian Shipe)

Among the issues discussed were:

The guilt and shame of the families of the shooter, along with the isolation and embarrassment they felt.

The forgotten ones, the siblings of both sides who don’t know how to grieve and the lasting effect on their lives.

The need for acceptance of the fact that Jesus AND therapy are needed. Pastor Arnold reminded the audience that many look to the Pastor to provide all the answers and that is not realistic. He said the stigma of getting professional help must be eradicated.

The need for FREE counseling. Many in the community can not afford to pay counselor fees to help them in the grief process.

The division caused in the community when both victim and shooter were well known and the pain when no one will come forth to say who did it in an unresolved case.

The CDC has officially called gun violence a health epidemic and the panel discussed the need prevention and intervention funding on a level large enough to make a difference .

In closing Ms. Brown remarked the shootings leave unresolved trauma upon a community and Middlebrook said “unaddressed trauma will manifest itself again and again in a negative way.

Pastor Arnold made the observation as the conversation closed that one side of the gun ask for justice while the other side of the gun asks for mercy.

To view the documentary and to help start a conversation in your area, contact Ronni Chandler at Project GRAD or Counselor Wraquel Brown at forgetyounottn@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared in The Tennessee Tribune.

Vivian Underwood Shipe

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AG Bonta Announces Action on Cryptocurrency, Sextortion Fraud – Increasingly Targeting Gen-Z

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is warning residents about a surge in cryptocurrency fraud and online sextortion schemes that increasingly target Gen Z through social media platforms. With internet-based scams costing Americans nearly $21 billion in 2023, Bonta highlighted how artificial intelligence and deepfakes allow criminals to impersonate loved ones and promote fraudulent investment groups. The Attorney General’s Office has already shut down over 100 fraudulent websites and is now utilizing new legislative tools to recover assets for victims. Read more.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 3, 2026

Post News Group

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned residents about rising cryptocurrency fraud and online sextortion scams, urging Californians to recognize warning signs and protect themselves as scammers increasingly target younger people through social media.

Speaking at a news conference on Oct. 19, Bonta said Americans lost $20.9 billion to internet-based scams in 2025, including $11.4 billion to cryptocurrency scams. He said artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and malicious smart contracts have made fraud easier to carry out and more difficult to detect and prevent.

While older Californians remain targets, Bonta said his office has seen a sharp rise in reports of Gen Z consumers being targeted on platforms such as Twitch, TikTok, and Instagram.

One growing scheme involves so-called rug-pull scams, in which fraudsters promote low-priced stocks or volatile cryptocurrencies through online investment groups and streaming communities. After generating interest and driving up prices, scammers sell their holdings, causing values to collapse and leaving investors with losses.

Bonta also warned about sextortion, in which scammers trick or coerce victims into sharing explicit images before threatening to distribute them to friends and family unless they pay. He advised victims not to give in to demands, saying scammers often do not release the images when victims refuse to pay. Instead, he recommended ignoring and blocking the perpetrators.

Another scheme, known as recovery fraud, targets people who have already lost money to cryptocurrency scams. Fraudsters impersonate blockchain recovery specialists or law enforcement officials and demand additional payments while promising to recover stolen assets.

Bonta urged Californians to be skeptical of promises of large returns on small investments, fake cryptocurrencies resembling established ones, and celebrity endorsements that may have been generated using artificial intelligence. He also warned that scammers can use AI to impersonate loved ones through manipulated video and audio.

“Never use a crypto ATM,” Bonta said, emphasizing that transactions can be difficult to trace and reverse and that the machines lack adequate consumer protections.

His office has shut down more than 100 fraudulent websites over the past two years that collectively scammed victims out of at least $8.3 million, he said.

Bonta also highlighted Senate Bill 1208, which he said was recently signed into law. The measure allows law enforcement to petition a court to return seized cryptocurrency to victims, including when alleged perpetrators are outside U.S. jurisdiction.

Residents who have fallen victim to scams can report them to the California Department of Justice at oag.ca.gov/report.

Bonta also urged victims not to feel embarrassed, stressing that scammers are responsible for the harm they cause.