Month: May 2020

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

YouTube says it will donate $1 million to the Center for Policing Equity, to demonstrate “solidarity against racism and violence.” The Alphabet-owned video platform tweeted that it was pledging the funds “in support of efforts to address social injustice.”

The company did not specifically reference the demonstrations in cities across the US over the weekend protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Authorities charged fired Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death, after a video showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck as other officers looked on.

The Center for Policing Equity is a nonprofit research think tank made up of research scientists and race…

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Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.

Eric Espada/Getty Images

Jake Paul is denying that he took part in looting captured on video at an Arizona mall after backlash about his appearance sprung up online.

In multiple videos posted to Instagram and Twitter, Paul and members of his crew are seen outside and inside an Arizona mall where looting is taking place. It remained unclear from the videos whether Paul and his team were actively involved in any looting, but commenters on social media, including prominent members of the YouTube community, criticized Paul for his appearance at the scene regardless. Paul’s new statement claims that “neither I, nor anyone in our group, was engaged in any looting or vandalism.”

“We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more…

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Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Over the past 72 hours, people across the US have captured what may be the most comprehensive live picture of police brutality ever. Any one of the videos we’ve seen could have sparked a national discussion, with people picking apart their elements, searching for context to argue about, and digging through the pasts of everyone involved. But it’s not just one act of violence. It’s everywhere.

Here is just a short list of scenes from the past few days:

• A New York City police officer tore a protective mask off of a young black man and assaulted him with pepper spray while the victim peacefully stood with his hands up
• New York City police officers, in two separate vehicles, rammed a crowd in a street. Separately, an officer in a moving…

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The under-sung heroes of the country’s rail system keep vigilant watch from colorful mini-castles.

Such studies could speed up the development of a vaccine—but would mean deliberately giving people a disease that could kill them.