Crime

L.A. Gangs Unite to Pay Homage to Fallen Comrade: NIPSEY HUSSLE

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — Since the murder of Hussle, many fans and local residents have held candle light vigils and celebration of life events around the city of Los Angeles to pay their respects to the rapper and philanthropist. However the largest and most historical event of them all was the unity walk orchestrated by rival gangs.

Published

8 years ago

April 14, 2019

kimberlee

By Kimberlee Buck

The death of legendary rapper, Nipsey Hussle, shook the South Los Angeles community and broke the hearts of many fans across the U.S.

Since the murder of Hussle, many fans and local residents have held candle light vigils and celebration of life events around the city of Los Angeles to pay their respects to the rapper and philanthropist. However the largest and most historical event of them all was the unity walk orchestrated by rival gangs.

On April 5, gangs from Watts, Compton, Inglewood and the Los Angeles area called for “peace in the streets” to honor the life and legacy of Hussle. Rival gangs marched in solidarity from a local Crenshaw grocery store to the rapper’s Marathon clothing store located in the Crenshaw district where he was shot to death allegedly by 29-year-old, Eric Holder.

To date, this is the largest gang peace rally since the 1992 L.A. Uprising!

“We [had] a gang truce and rally so all the different gangs from L.A. [could] get together and celebrate the life and the gift of Nipsey,” stated community leader, Big U in a statement to Vibe.

“It’s a lot of people who were calling who said they wanted to get together and come to the vigil and pay respect. Nipsey was the first real L.A. artist that was from L.A. — not like Tupac [who] was from somewhere else and then L.A., and Biggie [who was visiting L.A. when he was murdered]. Nipsey was the first like real L.A. artist to die the way he died. He didn’t have no conflict with nobody, he wasn’t beefing with nobody.”

Tributes throughout the City

The South Los Angeles community will continue paying tribute to the fallen rapper by naming a piece of the city after him. On Tuesday, April 9 Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson announced the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and West Slauson Avenue, would be named Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom square after the legend.

“Ermias Asghedom known as “Nipsey Hussle” was an icon and West Coast hero,” said Harris-Dawson.

“Nipsey’s genuine nature allowed him to be a light to everyone he interacted with from family, friends, fans, and his larger community.  As a father, brother, and son, Nipsey was a rock helping to build an empire that will continue through generations. Nipsey will always be remembered for delivering a pure, authentic Los Angeles sound, his numerous philanthropic efforts, his innovative, community-focused business mindset, and his humble heart.”

As of press time, the petition for the name change has received over 500,000 signatures.

Councilmember Harris-Dawson also stated that the Los Angeles City Council would hold a meeting and go on public record to discuss the various contributions Hussle made to the community, local residents and the world.

Residents in the South Los Angeles community will have the opportunity to say their final farewells to Hussle as he makes one last victory lap before being laid to rest.

On Thursday, April 11, Hussle’s casket will travel though some of the city’s most notable landmarks as well as the rapper’s Marathon clothing store. The procession is said to cover over 25 miles and will take place after the memorial service held at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Sentinel.

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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

1 week 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.