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

6 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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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

6 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.