For nearly two years Tom Powell Jr. has talked politics on his popular TikTok channel, debating and mocking one foil after the next. The comment section can get rough, and Powell said it has occasionally devolved into violent threats.
But the vitriol always stayed within the platform. Until last week.
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The left-leaning, bespectacled, abundantly bearded Powell got into it with a conservative commenter over ballot security and voter intimidation. The exchange culminated in Powell making fun of an anti-Biden video posted by his antagonist.
Powell, 50, a trucking company owner who lives in Channahon, near Joliet, thought no more about it, considering it a relatively mild interaction. But that night, his cellphone started buzzing with a stream of vulgar and menacing text messages.
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“Wanna know how easy it was to find you?” one of the non-profane texts read. “You’ll know who I am when I get there … Keep an eye on your family.”
Powell said he shrugs off most online nastiness, though he has reported explicit threats to the FBI. This time, in a move he wouldn’t recommend to others, he took matters into his own hands.
According to screenshots, the threatening texts came with a phone number attached. Powell said he put the number in a Googlesearch and up popped the smiling visage of a real estate agent in the Dallas-Ft. Worth suburb of Southlake; his name matched the handle of Powell’s TikTok nemesis.
“The (bleep) used his work phone number,” Powell said. “Once I was able to put that name and face back with the videos on TikTok, I knew who I was dealing with.”
Powell texted a screenshot of the man’s name and image back to him — “You’re not too (bleeping) bright, are ya?” — before posting the exchange on Twitter, tagging the FBI, the Southlake Police Department and the man’s employer, Coldwell Banker.
Reaction was swift. Powell’s screenshots were retweeted thousands of times, and on Thursday, Coldwell Banker tweeted the agent “is no longer affiliated with the company.” (A Coldwell Banker spokeswoman confirmed he had been let go.)
The same day, the man’s real estate license was rendered inactive, according to records from the Texas Real Estate Commission. A spokeswoman for the commission said that happens when an agent is no longer associated with a broker.
As for law enforcement’s response, Powell told the man during their text exchange that the threats were federal crimes, to which the man replied: “No. They’re not.”
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An FBI spokeswoman put the lie to that.
“Issuing a threat is a federal crime (threatening interstate communications and false information and hoaxes),” she said via email. “Those who post or send these threats can receive up to five years in federal prison (or face state or local charges).”
Citing FBI policy, she declined to say whether an investigation into the matter is underway. Southlake police said they referred Powell to Channahon law enforcement, since the threat technically took place where Powell read the messages.
The Tribune isn’t naming the man because he hasn’t been charged with a crime. The number from which he texted Powell is no longer in service and his TikTok account has been shut down.
Powell said he wasn’t particularly concerned about the threats, believing those who try to frighten others online rarely follow through. An earlier batch of grotesque threats he reported to the FBI turned out to come from a middle schooler in the Chicago suburbs, he said.
Unlike many content creators, Powell said he typically opts not to report or publicly identify his adversaries, believing even hostile interactions are part of online discourse.
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“I’ll argue with you, we’ll go back and forth about it, but I’m not going to put your place of employment or your cellphone or your real name out there,” he said. “However, once you threaten my family, then you’re fair game.”
Viktorya Vilk, director of digital safety and free expression for PEN America, said standing up for oneself is an important tool for curbing abuse, though she added that opting to expose a persecutor can be a tricky matter.
“It is critically important to exercise caution and do one’s homework because mistaken identity can do real harm,” she said. “There is a difference between retaliating with abuse, which further perpetuates the cycle of harm, and pursuing accountability in the face of threats and doxing.”
Powell said once he learned the man had lost his job, he texted him and said he would let things drop, though he vowed to go to Channahon police if the threats resume. He received no reply, he said.
With the episode apparently behind him, Powell said confrontation probably wasn’t the best way to handle it.
“If I was giving somebody else advice on how to do this, I would advise them to not engage with the person directly but just take it to the authorities,” he said. “But you know, I just don’t give a (bleep). I’m too old, I’m too (bleeping) salty and I’m not gonna let these (bleeps) chase me under my own (bleeping) bed. We’ve got to let these (bleeping) people know that they’re not going to get away with this (bleep).”
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jkeilman@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @JohnKeilman
