buzzfeed--2020-08-28--Activists At The March On Washington Say Jacob Blake’s Shooting Has Reenergized Black Lives Matter P

Activists At The March On Washington Say Jacob Blake’s Shooting Has Reenergized Black Lives Matter Protests. They Wish It Didn’t Have To.

“ I was just kind of saddened that it took someone , a Black man , getting hurt that badly for us to come together like that.
” WASHINGTON — Thousands of marchers gathered on the National Mall Friday to demand racial justice and mourn George Floyd , Breonna Taylor , and other Black Americans killed by law enforcement .
The march was held on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. ’ s “ I Have A Dream ” speech , and held at the Lincoln Memorial , the same spot where King spoke 57 years ago .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the murder of Emmet Till , and comes just four days after Jacob Blake was shot by Kenosha , Wisconsin , police seven times as he walked to his car , leaving him paralyzed , according to his family .
Blake ’ s sister , Letetra Widman , along with many other family members of Black people hurt or killed by police , as well as civil rights leaders , addressed the crowd before the group marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial .
“ We will not be a footstool to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ addressed the massive crowd that assembled Friday .
“ Black America , I hold you accountable .
You must stand .
You must fight , but not with violence and chaos.
” Many attendees at the march , organized by civil rights leader Rev .
Al Sharpton , said Blake ’ s shooting has added new energy to Black Lives Matter protests that have been happening across the country since early this summer , something they said they found saddening and frustrating .
As Sharpton spoke , one young boy , 12-year-old Messiah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that stretches toward the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial and raised a fist in the air .
He told BuzzFeed News he had come to the march because , “ It ’ s not fair that because of the color of our skin we have to get treated differently.
” Peter Van Der Mey flew from Los Angeles to attend the event with his 20-year-old son .
He expressed amazement at the size and energy of the gathering .
`` It 's sad that it takes people getting shot for this to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and happy that it happened , ” he said .
`` I was just saying to my son this feels completely different .
There 's something about the energy today and the focus . ''
Bahlya Yansane , who said he has been protesting almost every day in New York City , said the energy at a rally he attended in Times Square earlier this week was different than others in recent weeks .
“ I was saying to a lot of people how I noticed that you felt that anger come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said in an interview with BuzzFeed News .
“ It had that same energy , the anger , the unity , everyone being together .
I was just kind of saddened that it took someone , a Black man , getting hurt that badly for us to come together like that.
” Instead , Yansane asked , he wants people to unite against injustice just for the sake of it , not only after shootings like Blake ’ s .
Another attendee , Jaron Nash , who traveled from California to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s been protesting throughout the summer and has seen “ increased frustration.
” “ Every death is another one , ” he said .
“ This is another one to … re-energize people .
[ People ] are really at the forefront , keeping it at the forefront.
” Mike Supplice , who traveled from Florida for the event and attended with Nash , said Friday that he has been protesting as often as he ’ s able this summer and had seen the protests in the past start to have a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic — he ’ s seen consistent action this year .
“ Everyone saw George Floyd ’ s murder , and everyone is more proactive , ” he said .
“ The thing I appreciate is it ’ s more diverse compared than previous times .
[ In the past ] , It ’ s like Black people marching , but now you see everybody from every demographic age range standing up for a good cause.
” Liz Casey , a white high school teacher , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ morning for the march , and brought along her two daughters , Maddie and Tori Casey , and one of her daughter ’ s roommates , Ashley Feliz .
The group said they had been consistently protesting in California , where Liz and Maddie live , and in Philadelphia , where Tori and Feliz go to school .
“ I feel like it died down , ” Tori said of the protests they ’ ve attended , before adding , “ I don ’ t want to say ‘ died down , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad word .
It ’ s been a constant thing , and we ’ ve been planning to come down here for a month or so [ to be ] part of the movement.
” Sharpton announced Friday ’ s march , called the “ Get Your Knees Off Our Necks ” march , in June , and it attracted attendees from across the country .
The group , with most people wearing masks , took to the mall to hear speeches from the family members of Floyd , Taylor , Trayvon Martin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as well as Sharpton , members of Congress , and Martin Luther King III , the oldest son of Martin Luther King Jr. , among others .
“ In so many ways we stand together day in the symbolic shadow of history , but we are making history together right now , ” King said .
“ We are marching with the largest and most active multi-generational , multi-racial movement for civil rights since the 1960s .
From high school students to senior citizens , black as well as white , Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Islanders .
Americans are marching together , many for the first time , and we 're demanding real , lasting , structural change.
” King ’ s 12-year-old daughter , Yolanda Renee King , also spoke at the event , telling the crowd , “ We are going to be the generation that dismantles systemic racism once and for all , now and forever.
” Other speakers called for continued protests in the streets to raise awareness about the deaths of black Americans by police and pushed for people to vote in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be a voice today , ” Bridget Floyd , George Floyd ’ s sister said .
“ We have to be the voice .
We have to be the change.
” The attendees overwhelmingly wore masks during the event .
Jonathan Paul said he was touched that so many people showed up despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic .
“ These people didn ’ t have to come in the middle of a pandemic , people ’ s lives are still in danger , ” he said .
“ I heard of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come here .
That ’ s pretty profound , you know ?
”

WASHINGTON — Thousands of marchers gathered on the National Mall Friday to demand racial justice and mourn George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black Americans killed by law enforcement. The march was held on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and took place at the Lincoln Memorial, the same spot where King spoke 57 years ago.
The event also marked the 65th anniversary of the murder of Emmett Till, and comes just four days after Jacob Blake was shot by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police seven times as he walked to his car, leaving him paralyzed, according to his family.
Blake’s sister, Letetra Widman, along with many other family members of Black people hurt or killed by police, as well as civil rights leaders, addressed the crowd before the group marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial.
“We will not be a footstool to oppression,” Widman said as she addressed the massive crowd that assembled Friday. “Black America, I hold you accountable. You must stand. You must fight, but not with violence and chaos.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-29--These Scientists Are Still Studying The World’s Most Controversial Drug, But They Can’t Find Enough

These Scientists Are Still Studying The World’s Most Controversial Drug, But They Can’t Find Enough People To Take It

Scientists launched clinical trials to see if a malaria drug could prevent COVID-19 .
What happened next shows how politicized and disorganized coronavirus research has become .
When Nicholas White decided to launch a clinical trial about hydroxychloroquine , he didn ’ t know he ’ d picked the soon-to-be most controversial drug in the world .
Early on in the pandemic , his research team set out to see if the malaria medication could prevent coronavirus infections , something test-tube research hinted at .
Their goal : to sign up 40,000 healthcare workers .
The count , since April @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trials like this one were flooded with volunteers eager for hydroxychloroquine .
Just as quickly , its moment faded .
At least four prevention trials have struggled to find enough people willing to take it , so far falling short of their collective goal of recruiting tens of thousands of participants , BuzzFeed News has found .
Their uncertain fate shows how science has become more politicized than ever .
But it also makes clear that drug research is a chaotic mess .
White , a tropical medicine professor at Mahidol University in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump would baselessly call hydroxychloroquine a “ game changer , ” or that a fraudulent study would cast a pall over the field .
But he also didn ’ t anticipate that , when confronted with one of the pandemic ’ s most urgent priorities — finding safe , effective treatments — the scientific community ’ s response would be so disorganized that it would squander time , funding , and , perhaps most crucially , willing participants .
The result is paradoxical : Hydroxychloroquine was one of the most heavily studied drugs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has shown that it ’ s not an effective treatment for sick patients .
But scientists still don ’ t , and may never , know if it works as a prophylaxis that prevents infections .
“ The fact that it ’ s August and it ’ s still an open question is an embarrassment , ” Walid Gellad , who leads the Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing at the University of Pittsburgh , told BuzzFeed News .
Bad publicity certainly hasn ’ t helped .
Some participants who chose to drop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they believed the drug was universally dangerous , although that isn ’ t quite true .
Safety concerns have been raised about its effects in hospitalized COVID-19 patients , as well as about high doses of its sister drug chloroquine .
The deeper systemic issue is that there have only been a handful of large , rigorous trials for hydroxychloroquine or , for that matter , any potential treatment .
These randomized controlled trials , where some people receive a treatment and others a placebo , are the gold standard in medicine for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the near-absence of coordination among national and global health agencies , separate clusters of scientists have run smaller , less definitive trials .
And for months , the FDA allowed hydroxychloroquine to be given to COVID-19 patients outside of clinical trials .
That further drained the pool of people who might be willing to enroll in a trial and risk getting a placebo , in turn muddling the evidence about what worked and didn ’ t .
History is now repeating itself with convalescent plasma — the liquid in blood that remains when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ plasma contains antibodies , which early studies suggest could help others fight off infections .
But no randomized trials have proven that so far , or answered crucial questions like what dose works best or on which patients , and studies are struggling to enroll enough people .
Now they will likely have an even harder time finding volunteers , as the FDA just authorized hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients with plasma .
White and his colleagues are frustrated , to put it mildly .
Hydroxychloroquine , they complained in a press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prematurely discarded in COVID-19 prevention.
” Two recent prevention studies have come up negative , but outside experts say they are not the last word .
“ I would like to have seen genuine coordination to do large and definitive trials , and I think that could have happened , ” White , who is also affiliated with the University of Oxford , told BuzzFeed News .
“ It didn ’ t. ” It ’ s unclear what will happen to his team ’ s study , which , along with two other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million grant from big backers like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , the Wellcome Trust , and Mastercard .
“ I don ’ t know if the drug works or not , I really don ’ t , ” White said .
“ But what I do know is we don ’ t know whether it works , and I also know we really need to find out.
” Despite the glut of hydroxychloroquine trials , only a few have been big enough to produce solid evidence about its effectiveness .
Widely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK ’ s Recovery trial , which found in June that the drug was an ineffective treatment on coronavirus patients .
It was one of several potential COVID-19 therapies tested across the country .
In more hopeful news , the Recovery trial also found that dexamethasone , a steroid , reduced death by up to one-third in patients on ventilators .
Due to the large number of participants tested , these findings have been taken seriously .
The trial last reported that it had enrolled upwards of 11,800 patients from more than 175 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 trial in the world .
In its hydroxychloroquine arm alone , 1,500 people were given the drug and compared to more than 3,000 who received standard hospital care .
Nothing on that scale happened in the US .
“ Over 100 separate groups decided to do 100 separate hydroxychloroquine trials , ” said Derek Angus , chair of critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh .
“ No one needs 100.
” The key difference comes down to this : Unlike in the UK , where the National Health Service can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of public hospitals , research in the US is not set up to operate as a cohesive whole .
In the system as designed , warring factions — pharmaceutical companies , academic medical centers , individual scientists — jockey for money for their own trials .
“ And so when there ’ s some sort of existential crisis and the whole world needs to band together to generate information as quickly as possible , ” Angus said , “ it turns out that no one has a mechanism to promote cooperation.
” There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute , which is enrolling participants at a network of 30 research sites across the country .
NIH-sponsored clinical trials were also carried out at medical centers nationwide , finding benefits for the antiviral remdesivir and yet another negative finding for hydroxychloroquine as a treatment .
Even so , those two trials had about 1,500 patients combined — a fraction of the Recovery trial .
As Angus , who helped conduct the NIH ’ s hydroxychloroquine trial , put it : “ Every single part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ built for speed.
” Which means that some trials are still getting going .
To this day , the database ClinicalTrials.gov is littered with planned hydroxychloroquine studies around the world .
As of mid-August , at least 80 trials to study it as a treatment for COVID-19 or conditions caused by it were listed as planned or active .
( BuzzFeed News was unable to verify how many were truly ongoing . )
Theoretically , this research could go on forever — studying various doses , starting at different points and for different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with other treatments .
But “ in a world where we have limited resources , you can ’ t do every possible scenario for every drug , ” said David Fajgenbaum , an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania .
Many researchers agree that , at least as a treatment , hydroxychloroquine is over .
Paul Garner , a professor at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine , is coordinating the Cochrane review of all research of the drug ’ s effectiveness .
That analysis isn ’ t out yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t seen a single scrap of evidence , from my eyeballing of it , of any benefit.
” Donald Berry , a biostatistician at MD Anderson Cancer Center and clinical trial consultant , is highly skeptical that prevention will be a different story .
“ If a trial is going on with hydroxychloroquine in the prevention setting , you have to really consider , ‘ Why am I doing this ?
’ ” he said .
“ There are a gazillion therapies in the world , why hydroxychloroquine ?
” He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two trials have found that hydroxychloroquine did not seem to ward off coronavirus infections in people who took it shortly after exposure .
Outside researchers say these results are not definitive .
In one of the studies , involving 2,300 people in Barcelona , participants were told which treatment they were receiving , which could have skewed the results .
And the 800 or so people in the other — which was led by Rajasingham and colleagues at the University of Minnesota — were not uniformly tested for the disease .
These studies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preventative after someone was exposed , but before they got sick .
Other researchers are now studying what happens when people take hydroxychloroquine before exposure .
But it ’ s unclear whether they ’ ll get answers .
White is coming to grips with the reality that his trial is unlikely to finish by the end of the year as planned , if ever .
“ We are determined to try .
I ’ m not sure whether we ’ ll succeed , ” he said .
“ It ’ s a bit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world for the last six months , we just don ’ t know whether it works or not.
” ●

When Nicholas White decided to launch a clinical trial about hydroxychloroquine, he didn’t know he’d picked the soon-to-be most controversial drug in the world.
Early on in the pandemic, his research team set out to see if the malaria medication could prevent coronavirus infections, something test-tube research hinted at. Their goal: to sign up 40,000 healthcare workers.
The count, since April: about 100.
Months ago, trials like this one were flooded with volunteers eager for hydroxychloroquine. Just as quickly, its moment faded. At least four prevention trials have struggled to find enough people willing to take it, so far falling short of their collective goal of recruiting tens of thousands of participants, BuzzFeed News has found. Their uncertain fate shows how science has become more politicized than ever. But it also makes clear that drug research is a chaotic mess.
White, a tropical medicine professor at Mahidol University in Bangkok, never dreamed that President Donald Trump would baselessly call hydroxychloroquine a “game changer,” or that a fraudulent study would cast a pall over the field. But he also didn’t anticipate that, when confronted with one of the pandemic’s most urgent priorities — finding safe, effective treatments — the scientific community’s response would be so disorganized that it would squander time, funding, and, perhaps most crucially, willing participants.
The result is paradoxical: Hydroxychloroquine was one of the most heavily studied drugs this spring, and study after study has shown that it’s not an effective treatment for sick patients. But scientists still don’t, and may never, know if it works as a prophylaxis that prevents infections.
“The fact that it’s August and it’s still an open question is an embarrassment,” Walid Gellad, who leads the Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing at the University of Pittsburgh, told BuzzFeed News.
Bad publicity certainly hasn’t helped. Some participants who chose to drop out of the trials told researchers that they believed the drug was universally dangerous, although that isn’t quite true. Safety concerns have been raised about its effects in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, as well as about high doses of its sister drug chloroquine.
The deeper systemic issue is that there have only been a handful of large, rigorous trials for hydroxychloroquine or, for that matter, any potential treatment. These randomized controlled trials, where some people receive a treatment and others a placebo, are the gold standard in medicine for determining if a drug works.
In the near-absence of coordination among national and global health agencies, separate clusters of scientists have run smaller, less definitive trials. And for months, the FDA allowed hydroxychloroquine to be given to COVID-19 patients outside of clinical trials. That further drained the pool of people who might be willing to enroll in a trial and risk getting a placebo, in turn muddling the evidence about what worked and didn’t.
History is now repeating itself with convalescent plasma — the liquid in blood that remains when blood cells are removed. Coronavirus survivors’ plasma contains antibodies, which early studies suggest could help others fight off infections. But no randomized trials have proven that so far, or answered crucial questions like what dose works best or on which patients, and studies are struggling to enroll enough people. Now they will likely have an even harder time finding volunteers, as the FDA just authorized hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients with plasma.
White and his colleagues are frustrated, to put it mildly. Hydroxychloroquine, they complained in a press release this month, was “being prematurely discarded in COVID-19 prevention.” Two recent prevention studies have come up negative, but outside experts say they are not the last word.
“I would like to have seen genuine coordination to do large and definitive trials, and I think that could have happened,” White, who is also affiliated with the University of Oxford, told BuzzFeed News. “It didn’t.”
It’s unclear what will happen to his team’s study, which, along with two other institutions, is sharing a $20 million grant from big backers like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and Mastercard. “I don’t know if the drug works or not, I really don’t,” White said. “But what I do know is we don’t know whether it works, and I also know we really need to find out.”


buzzfeed--2020-08-28--Alice Johnson Received A Full Pardon From President Trump

Alice Johnson , who served more than 20 years for a first-time nonviolent drug offense , received a full pardon by President Trump in the Oval Office Friday , a day after she gave an uplifting speech about the need for criminal justice reform at the Republican National Convention .
`` We 're giving Alice a full pardon , '' Trump said after reporters were ushered into the Oval Office .
`` We are going to do it right now . ''
Johnson 's sentence was commuted by Trump in June 2018 after Kim Kardashian West visited the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke briefly about Johnson 's life , telling reporters she had served 22 years of a life sentence for something that `` a lot of people '' do n't go to jail for .
Johnson had turned to crime after her son died and , in 1997 , received a life sentence for her role with a drug trafficking ring in Memphis .
She had no prior criminal record .
She had appealed her case through the courts , but her only hope of being freed was presidential action .
At the RNC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentences in courts .
`` Some say , 'You do the crime .
You do the time . '
However , that time should be fair and just , '' she said at the convention .
`` We 've all made mistakes , and none of us want to be defined forever based on our worst decision . ''

Alice Johnson, who served more than 20 years for a first-time nonviolent drug offense, received a full pardon by President Trump in the Oval Office Friday, a day after she gave an uplifting speech about the need for criminal justice reform at the Republican National Convention.
"We're giving Alice a full pardon," Trump said after reporters were ushered into the Oval Office. "We are going to do it right now."
Johnson's sentence was commuted by Trump in June 2018 after Kim Kardashian West visited the White House to lobby for her release.
Trump spoke briefly about Johnson's life, telling reporters she had served 22 years of a life sentence for something that "a lot of people" don't go to jail for.
Johnson had turned to crime after her son died and, in 1997, received a life sentence for her role with a drug trafficking ring in Memphis. She had no prior criminal record.
She had appealed her case through the courts, but her only hope of being freed was presidential action.
At the RNC, Johnson spoke about the severity of sentences in courts.
"Some say, 'You do the crime. You do the time.' However, that time should be fair and just," she said at the convention. "We've all made mistakes, and none of us want to be defined forever based on our worst decision."


buzzfeed--2020-08-28--Mark Zuckerberg Said Apple Has A “Stranglehold” On Your iPhone

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a swing at Apple on Thursday , calling the iPhone maker 's app store monopolistic and harmful to customers during a companywide meeting .
“ [ Apple has ] this unique stranglehold as a gatekeeper on what gets on phones , ” Zuckerberg said to more than 50,000 employees via webcast .
He added that the Cupertino , California–based company ’ s app store “ blocks innovation , blocks competition ” and “ allows Apple to charge monopoly rents.
” While the Facebook CEO was specifically answering a question about Apple blocking gaming-related apps , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ authorities are scrutinizing both Silicon Valley giants for antitrust behavior .
Last month both Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook , as well as the heads of Amazon and Google , testified in a House of Representatives hearing examining potentially monopolistic practices at the United States ' largest technology firms .
Zuckerberg ’ s comments were another signal that there ’ s no love lost in the long-contentious relationship between the leader of the social network and the $ 2 trillion electronic device maker .
“ That ’ s innovation that could really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zuckerberg said on Thursday .
“ And Apple ’ s just balking at it.
” A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on Zuckerberg ’ s remarks .
An Apple spokesperson declined to comment .
After this story was published , Facebook made video of the meeting public .
On Thursday , Apple refused to allow Facebook to notify people that the iPhone maker would collect 30 % of in-app purchases made through a new feature on the Facebook app that lets businesses sell tickets to online events on the platform .
After Apple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ irrelevant information , ” the social network was forced to scrub the message out of its app before Apple let the feature through .
Earlier this month , Apple also made Facebook strip a feature called Instant Games from Facebook Gaming , an app that primarily lets people watch other people playing video games .
Zuckerberg also criticized a change in Apple ’ s upcoming iOS 14 operating system for iPhones and iPads that would make it much harder for companies like Facebook to target people using those devices with ads .
Zuckerberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on iPhones and iPads would lose about 50 % of its effectiveness once iOS 14 was released and suggested that if Facebook could distribute its apps outside the App Store , it could avoid that kind of scenario .
Apple , which this month became the first US company to be valued at $ 2 trillion , is under global scrutiny for the way it runs the App Store , the only way to buy and download apps on iPhones and iPads .
In the last few months , app developers criticized the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on every in-app purchase , and not allowing iPhone and iPad users to download apps from outside the App Store on their devices .
Earlier this month , Apple kicked the popular video game Fortnite off the App Store after Epic , the game ’ s creator , added a feature that let players buy virtual currency with their own credit cards , bypassing Apple ’ s 30 % cut .
In response , Epic filed a lawsuit against the company , and Apple threatened to revoke the company ’ s developer accounts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , jeopardizing all software that used the Unreal Engine , an Epic-owned platform used by other developers to make video games .
In his address to employees , Zuckerberg said Apple ’ s decision to block the Unreal Engine was “ just an extremely aggressive move ” that was “ quite problematic.
” Apple was not the only rival that the Facebook CEO discussed in the meeting .
Zuckerberg also addressed a recent story in the Wall Street Journal , which reported that he had raised concerns about Chinese internet companies threatening American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald Trump at the White House in October .
Shortly after , the US government launched a national security review into Bytedance-owned TikTok , the most popular Chinese app used in the United States , and one of Facebook ’ s largest competitors .
Last month , Trump declared TikTok a “ national emergency ” and signed an executive order that threatened to ban the app unless it was sold to an American company .
On Monday , TikTok sued the Trump administration .
“ Trump certainly brought up China or some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but I don ’ t think TikTok or any of this stuff specifically came up there , ” Zuckerberg told his employees on Thursday .
At an all-hands meeting earlier this month , Zuckerberg conceded that there were “ valid ” national security questions around TikTok , but maintained that banning it would set a “ really bad long-term precedent , ” and that “ it needs to be handled with the utmost care and gravity whatever the solution is.
” He repeated those views in his talk on Thursday .

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took a swing at Apple on Thursday, calling the iPhone maker's app store monopolistic and harmful to customers during a companywide meeting.
“[Apple has] this unique stranglehold as a gatekeeper on what gets on phones,” Zuckerberg said to more than 50,000 employees via webcast. He added that the Cupertino, California–based company’s app store “blocks innovation, blocks competition” and “allows Apple to charge monopoly rents.”
While the Facebook CEO was specifically answering a question about Apple blocking gaming-related apps, his comments came at a time where authorities are scrutinizing both Silicon Valley giants for antitrust behavior. Last month both Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook, as well as the heads of Amazon and Google, testified in a House of Representatives hearing examining potentially monopolistic practices at the United States' largest technology firms.
Zuckerberg’s comments were another signal that there’s no love lost in the long-contentious relationship between the leader of the social network and the $2 trillion electronic device maker.
“That’s innovation that could really improve people’s lives,” Zuckerberg said on Thursday. “And Apple’s just balking at it.”
A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment on Zuckerberg’s remarks. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.
After this story was published, Facebook made video of the meeting public.
On Thursday, Apple refused to allow Facebook to notify people that the iPhone maker would collect 30% of in-app purchases made through a new feature on the Facebook app that lets businesses sell tickets to online events on the platform. After Apple told Facebook that a notification was “irrelevant information,” the social network was forced to scrub the message out of its app before Apple let the feature through.
Earlier this month, Apple also made Facebook strip a feature called Instant Games from Facebook Gaming, an app that primarily lets people watch other people playing video games.
Zuckerberg also criticized a change in Apple’s upcoming iOS 14 operating system for iPhones and iPads that would make it much harder for companies like Facebook to target people using those devices with ads. Zuckerberg estimated that Facebook’s ad targeting on iPhones and iPads would lose about 50% of its effectiveness once iOS 14 was released and suggested that if Facebook could distribute its apps outside the App Store, it could avoid that kind of scenario.
Apple, which this month became the first US company to be valued at $2 trillion, is under global scrutiny for the way it runs the App Store, the only way to buy and download apps on iPhones and iPads. In the last few months, app developers criticized the company for taking a 30% commission on every in-app purchase, and not allowing iPhone and iPad users to download apps from outside the App Store on their devices.
Earlier this month, Apple kicked the popular video game Fortnite off the App Store after Epic, the game’s creator, added a feature that let players buy virtual currency with their own credit cards, bypassing Apple’s 30% cut.
In response, Epic filed a lawsuit against the company, and Apple threatened to revoke the company’s developer accounts. This move had implications beyond Fortnite, jeopardizing all software that used the Unreal Engine, an Epic-owned platform used by other developers to make video games.
Earlier this week, a California judge stopped Apple from revoking Epic’s developer accounts.
In his address to employees, Zuckerberg said Apple’s decision to block the Unreal Engine was “just an extremely aggressive move” that was “quite problematic.”
Apple was not the only rival that the Facebook CEO discussed in the meeting.
Zuckerberg also addressed a recent story in the Wall Street Journal, which reported that he had raised concerns about Chinese internet companies threatening American businesses in a private dinner with President Donald Trump at the White House in October.
Shortly after, the US government launched a national security review into Bytedance-owned TikTok, the most popular Chinese app used in the United States, and one of Facebook’s largest competitors. Last month, Trump declared TikTok a “national emergency” and signed an executive order that threatened to ban the app unless it was sold to an American company. On Monday, TikTok sued the Trump administration.
“Trump certainly brought up China or some of the actions that he was taking, but I don’t think TikTok or any of this stuff specifically came up there,” Zuckerberg told his employees on Thursday.
At an all-hands meeting earlier this month, Zuckerberg conceded that there were “valid” national security questions around TikTok, but maintained that banning it would set a “really bad long-term precedent,” and that “it needs to be handled with the utmost care and gravity whatever the solution is.” He repeated those views in his talk on Thursday.


buzzfeed--2020-08-28--Facebook Employees Are Outraged At Mark Zuckerberg's Explanations Of How It Handled The Kenosha Viol

Facebook Employees Are Outraged At Mark Zuckerberg's Explanations Of How It Handled The Kenosha Violence

Following days of violence and civil unrest , Facebook employees wonder if their company is doing enough to stifle militia and QAnon groups stoking violence on the social network .
Frustrated Facebook employees slammed CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday during a companywide meeting , questioning his leadership and decision-making , following a week in which the platform promoted violent conspiracy theories and gave safe harbor to militia groups .
The billionaire chief executive was speaking via webcast at the company ’ s weekly all-hands meeting , attempting to address questions about violence in Kenosha , Wisconsin , and the QAnon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The meeting came one day after the Verge reported that a self-proclaimed militia group calling itself “ Kenosha Guard ” had used its Facebook page to issue a “ call to arms ” — violating Facebook 's own policies — and remained online even though at least two people reported it before the shooting .
It also followed weeks of employee unrest , in which the company ’ s rank and file have urged the CEO to combat the spread of QAnon-related content on its platform .
All of Facebook ’ s more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the stream during the meeting , or view a recording after its conclusion — and as Zuckerberg spoke , angry comments poured in .
“ At what point do we take responsibility for enabling hate filled bile to spread across our services ?
” wrote one employee .
“ [ A ] nti semitism , conspiracy , and white supremacy reeks across our services.
” After this story was published , Facebook made video of the meeting public .
There has been increasing internal strife at the social network that came to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take action on a May post from President Donald Trump that suggested state violence would be used against people protesting the police killing of George Floyd .
As internal morale has plummeted , some employees have openly challenged Zuckerberg , who maintains majority shareholder voting control and complete decision-making power at Facebook .
The level of employee pushback , which included a virtual walkout in June , is unprecedented in the company ’ s 16-year history .
Zuckerberg opened his Thursday address by discussing the police shooting of Jacob Blake and subsequent violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Wisconsin were “ painful and really discouraging , ” employees jumped in the comments section to ask why Facebook had been slow to react , particularly after at least one Kenosha militia page had remained on the platform after a 17-year-old shot and killed two protesters on Tuesday night .
While Zuckerberg said the shooter ’ s Facebook and Instagram accounts , which showed no clear connection to the Kenosha Guard page , were taken down , he admitted Facebook had made “ an operational mistake.
” The page had violated Facebook @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that labeled militia and QAnon conspiracy theory groups as “ Dangerous Individuals and Organizations ” for their celebrations of violence .
The company did not catch the page despite user reports , Zuckerberg said , because the complaints had been sent to content moderation contractors who were not versed in “ how certain militias ” operate .
“ On second review , doing it more sensitively , the team that was responsible for dangerous organizations recognized that this violated the policies and we took it down.
” “ We need to get better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” one wrote .
” Feels like we ’ re caught in a cycle of responding to damage after it ’ s already been done rather than constructing mechanisms to nip these issues before they result in real harm.
” Do you work at Facebook or another technology company ?
We 'd love to hear from you .
Reach out at ryan.mac @ buzzfeed.com or via one of our tip line channels .
Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois called the shooting in Kenosha “ painful for everyone , especially our Black community.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook suggesting the shooter followed the Kenosha Guard Page or that he was invited on the Event Page they organized , ” she said in a statement .
“ However , the Kenosha Guard Event and Page violated our new policy on militia organizations and have been removed on that basis .
We launched this policy last week and we ’ re still scaling up our enforcement of it by a team of specialists on our Dangerous Organizations team.
” In discussion groups on Workplace , Facebook ’ s employee discussion board , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the all-hands meeting .
“ Feeling especially sad to be a FB employee today , ” one person wrote on a post featuring the Verge article in an internal group for community standards feedback .
“ When will we finally start to take hate on our platform seriously ?
” Not all employees took issue with the police shooting of Blake and subsequent militia violence .
Some expressed sympathy for the police or posted slogans meant to denigrate Black Lives Matter , illustrating the culture war playing out within the social network ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thoughts about our employees posting all lives matter or blues lives matter after shooting to [ sic ] Jacob Blake ?
” asked one employee during the all-hands .
Zuckerberg did not respond to the question .
In a Workplace post that was seen by thousands on Wednesday — hours after two people were killed in Kenosha during protests against police violence — one employee asked his colleagues to show their “ Support for Law Enforcement.
” The employee , who posted the pro-police image of the American flag with a thin blue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those who serve our communities does not mean supporting injustice by anyone in society.
” Some responses argued that the post was “ deliberate trolling ” and a “ symbol of racial injustice.
” “ I ’ m extremely appalled of the use of our internal tools to spread such a divisive message that lacks any ounce of unity , ” one person wrote in the comments of the post , which was eventually removed .
Ifeoma Ozoma , a former associate manager on Facebook ’ s global policy team , told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stop the perpetuation of hate on its site was evidence of “ the values of those in leadership.
” “ Violent white supremacists thrive on the platforms run by people who are bought into the perpetuation of a system of white supremacy , or at a minimum , refuse to reckon with it , ” she said .
At Thursday ’ s meeting , Zuckerberg said the company was “ proactively ” searching for and removing content that praised the Kenosha shooting , though the Guardian showed that fundraisers for and memes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook .
Facebook ’ s inability to enforce its own policies also came into sharp focus as its CEO discussed its changed approach and crackdown on QAnon , a pro-Trump conspiracy theory that holds that a secret cabal of pedophiles and cannibals control the government and other aspects of society .
Zuckerberg pointed to an enforcement action taken last week in which the company removed over 790 groups , 100 pages , and 1,500 ads tied to QAnon , noting that the reason why the company was acting now was because “ we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ misinformation to the promotion of violence .
“ As people start discussing violence or something that has the potential to lead to violence , especially as we enter a very fraught and charged period and the likelihood of potential civil unrest leading up to the election and after , I think that that warrants having a somewhat different balance of free expression and safety , ” he said .
( There have been multiple incidents of QAnon followers inciting violence over the last year , and the FBI labeled it a domestic terrorism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , some employees wondered why it had taken the company so long to act .
“ Our fact-checking and takedowns have only ramped up in the past few months , but QAnon has festered for 3 years , ” one person wrote .
“ I think the critique is our reactive vs. proactive approach.
” Other workers reported they still saw dozens of active QAnon groups , with one noting that they had reported a related page but were told it did not go against Facebook ’ s community standards .
“ Our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
A BuzzFeed News search using Facebook-owned tool CrowdTangle on Thursday showed dozens of new posts associated with popular QAnon hashtags and slogans , while one reporter ’ s Facebook account received a notification for a new photo that had been added to a group called “ QAnon Movement.
” As Zuckerberg spoke on Thursday , he did little to assuage the flood of complaints that streamed in over the live feed .
He called the company ’ s approach to tackling QAnon “ a more sophisticated program on this than any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with BuzzFeed News after the event was not comforted by their CEO ’ s words .
“ He seems truly incapable of taking personal responsibility for decisions and actions at Facebook , ” they said .
With reporting from Jane Lytvynenko and Pranav Dixit .

There has been increasing internal strife at the social network that came to a head when the company failed to take action on a May post from President Donald Trump that suggested state violence would be used against people protesting the police killing of George Floyd. As internal morale has plummeted, some employees have openly challenged Zuckerberg, who maintains majority shareholder voting control and complete decision-making power at Facebook. The level of employee pushback, which included a virtual walkout in June, is unprecedented in the company’s 16-year history.
Zuckerberg opened his Thursday address by discussing the police shooting of Jacob Blake and subsequent violence in Kenosha. When he said images from Wisconsin were “painful and really discouraging,” employees jumped in the comments section to ask why Facebook had been slow to react, particularly after at least one Kenosha militia page had remained on the platform after a 17-year-old shot and killed two protesters on Tuesday night.
While Zuckerberg said the shooter’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, which showed no clear connection to the Kenosha Guard page, were taken down, he admitted Facebook had made “an operational mistake.” The page had violated Facebook’s new rules introduced last week that labeled militia and QAnon conspiracy theory groups as “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations” for their celebrations of violence.
The company did not catch the page despite user reports, Zuckerberg said, because the complaints had been sent to content moderation contractors who were not versed in “how certain militias” operate. “On second review, doing it more sensitively, the team that was responsible for dangerous organizations recognized that this violated the policies and we took it down.”
That answer didn’t satisfy some employees.
“We need to get better at avoiding mistakes and being more proactive,” one wrote. ”Feels like we’re caught in a cycle of responding to damage after it’s already been done rather than constructing mechanisms to nip these issues before they result in real harm.”
Do you work at Facebook or another technology company? We'd love to hear from you. Reach out at ryan.mac@buzzfeed.com or via one of our tip line channels.
Facebook spokesperson Liz Bourgeois called the shooting in Kenosha “painful for everyone, especially our Black community.”
“We have not found evidence on Facebook suggesting the shooter followed the Kenosha Guard Page or that he was invited on the Event Page they organized,” she said in a statement. “However, the Kenosha Guard Event and Page violated our new policy on militia organizations and have been removed on that basis. We launched this policy last week and we’re still scaling up our enforcement of it by a team of specialists on our Dangerous Organizations team.”
In discussion groups on Workplace, Facebook’s employee discussion board, workers had expressed their frustration prior to the all-hands meeting. “Feeling especially sad to be a FB employee today,” one person wrote on a post featuring the Verge article in an internal group for community standards feedback. “When will we finally start to take hate on our platform seriously?”


buzzfeed--2020-08-28--Here's What DC Looked Like During Trump's Speech Last Night

Last night at the White House , while President Donald Trump delivered a speech accepting the party nomination and submitting @ @ @ @ @ , protests against the president and against police brutality raged through the streets of DC @ @ @ @ @ difference between the event on the South Lawn and the protests outside the White House @ @ @ @ @ asked for a chance to fix America 's `` chaos . ''
Four years later @ @ @ @ @ the same .
Here are some of the most powerful scenes from the final night @ @ @ @ @ .

Last night at the White House, while President Donald Trump delivered a speech accepting the party nomination and submitting his vision for the future, protests against the president and against police brutality raged through the streets of DC. Photos show a stark difference between the event on the South Lawn and the protests outside the White House gates. In 2016 Trump asked for a chance to fix America's "chaos." Four years later, he's asking for the same. Here are some of the most powerful scenes from the final night of the Republican National Convention.


buzzfeed--2020-08-28--Painters In Kenosha Are Covering Up Black Lives Matter Messages With Murals About “Love” And “Unity”

As protests and violence upset their city , some white residents are trying to drown out BLM messages with something else .
“ Black lives — no , cut me out , ” one said .
“ All lives matter.
” KENOSHA , Wisconsin — Deshauntis stepped outside and surveyed the scene in his hometown .
In the aftermath of days of protests over the police shooting of a Black man , dozens of people had come to paint the city ’ s boarded-up downtown in bright , colorful murals .
A man was singing folk music .
A local @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free strawberry lemonade .
`` I see the effort , '' Deshauntis said , tightly .
He added , `` I don ’ t really see a lot of Black people out here . ''
And the murals — they didn ’ t say “ Black Lives Matter.
” The message across all of downtown Kenosha , where some buildings had been scorched during the protests and others reduced to still-smoking rubble , was about love .
That ’ s what people were painting almost everywhere : “ Love is the answer.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : There are white people on both sides , and even some Black people too .
For Deshauntis , who is Black and supports Black Lives Matter , it was hard to trust the motives of the white people who had come to paint Kenosha ’ s downtown .
“ You never know why they ’ re really doing it .
It be hard to answer that question , ” he said .
“ You never really know if they ’ re like , ‘ OK , we don ’ t want this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it up.
’ Or some people might really feel like this is how they show they care for us and they care for what ’ s going on.
” In Minneapolis , after George Floyd was killed by police in late May , hundreds of murals across the city ’ s boarded-up windows were painted with the racial justice movement ’ s signature phrase , “ Black Lives Matter.
” Like in Minneapolis , protesters in Kenosha tagged the city with slogans like “ BLM ” and the anti-police “ Fuck 12.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a much more politically moderate city in a county that tipped to Donald Trump — along with the rest of Wisconsin — in 2016 , the words “ Black Lives Matter ” were far more scarce as the cleanup began .
And they were becoming scarcer .
A few blocks away from Deshauntis , John , a white retired teacher from Kenosha , watched a man with a gray paint roller work his way down a wall of pressboard .
He gestured to the words painted in black spray paint : “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on one side , and “ BLM ” on the other .
“ Are you going to get rid of all of that ?
” he asked .
“ I think so , '' the man said .
“ I support the protests , ” John , who like other people interviewed for this story asked not to have his last name used , told BuzzFeed News .
“ I do not support the violence and the anarchy.
” He pointed , though , to the words “ No Justice , No Peace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Black Lives Matter movement .
“ I totally disagree with this , ” he said .
“ That ’ s not the way it goes .
Justice and peace I agree with , but when it ’ s worded this way , that is not the way to handle it .
Otherwise we ’ ll continue to have anarchy.
” As for the other slogan on the wall : “ Black lives — no , cut me out , ” John said .
“ All lives matter.
” The protests over racial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police officer shot Jacob Blake , leaving him at least temporarily paralyzed from the waist down , according to his family , are playing out in a tense national political moment .
On Tuesday night , as Black Lives Matter protesters marched and others burned parts of Kenosha , a white 17-year-old obsessed with law enforcement and Donald Trump allegedly shot three people , killing two .
As the Republican National Convention unfolds in parallel , Kenosha , in the swing state of Wisconsin , has drawn new attention to white voters ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how it might tilt the coming election .
Polls in the wake of the killing of George Floyd showed that the vast majority of Americans , including white Americans , said they support the protests .
But months later , some signs point to that support ebbing — or even , in places like Wisconsin , potentially being wiped away entirely .
The white residents who flocked to Kenosha ’ s downtown on Thursday morning were a stark reminder of what lies beneath the surface for many white Americans in the height of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vast majority of the people who came to paint Kenosha in murals of `` LOVE '' over tags like `` BLM '' and `` Fuck 12 '' were like John — they ultimately said they “ supported the protests.
” But for almost all of them , Republican and Democrat , the question of what that support meant was agonizing , met with long , weighted pauses .
“ That ’ s a tough question , ” said Becky , a Kenosha resident who was in the midst of painting a mural downtown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaceful protests , but I don ’ t think there ’ s a right or wrong way on any one of these issues .
I think there ’ s a lot of gray area .
This has been coming to a head for so many years , but I also am upset by the devastation and the property damage.
” For many residents , their support of the protests came with qualifications — lots of them .
“ The peaceful protests , that ’ s fine .
I understand that .
But there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Betty , a retired AT & T employee from Kenosha .
Betty said she supported Black Lives Matter , too : “ I do .
I ’ ve never felt like I was prejudiced , no.
” Then Betty ’ s voice grew low .
“ I ’ m not sure if you ’ d want to print this , but I feel like it was — it was maybe kind of a stupid move from the guy that got shot .
Stop , just stop .
And maybe a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cop .
Two stupid moves , and then the whole city is now paying the price.
” Blake was shot seven times in the back Sunday by a white officer , Rusten Sheskey , as he tried to enter his car — walking away from police officers during what the Wisconsin Department of Justice described as an attempted arrest .
The Wisconsin DOJ said Wednesday that Blake told officers he had a knife , which the agency said was recovered from Blake ’ s car .
Theresa Martin had come to downtown Kenosha @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , moved by the “ uplifting ” murals that were springing up across downtown .
She was a Democrat who said she was “ voting against Trump and everything she stands for , ” and said she supported protests .
But too many people in Kenosha weren ’ t protesting , she thought — “ They were just angry.
” She thought the original message of Black Lives Matter was good , but in recent years , she believed it had become twisted .
“ I think they should have chosen something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ easy to put a negative note on it .
All lives matter , that ’ s true , and they didn ’ t convey that with the ‘ Black Lives Matter ’ message .
I don ’ t know what it would be , though .
I don ’ t have the answers.
” Near the site where paint was being handed out , a sign instructed painters : “ Theme is < 3 .
Let ’ s cover our downtown with messages & images of love , hope and unity.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ artist , Francisco Loyola , who is Latino .
He said he wanted to change the image of violence and unrest that had been painted over Kenosha over recent days .
“ There ’ s a global spotlight on Kenosha , and everyone ’ s looking at the news — that ’ s not who we are , ” Loyola said .
He ’ d chosen the theme of love to bring people together , he said , regardless of politics .
Under a tent in front of the creative art space where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paints and rollers on offer for anyone who wanted them .
“ The way we ’ re doing it is , if it ’ s politically divisive in any way , cover over what ’ s already there , ” one volunteer told a few people who had gathered .
“ If it ’ s art , leave it.
” Debbie and Korey , friends and lifelong residents of Kenosha , were running their foam rollers up and down the wall , spreading white paint over the words “ BLM ” and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests , Debbie said , “ We love that people can say what they believe , and that they can do that peaceably , and we ’ re 100 % behind that.
” She said she wanted to “ love ” people from Kenosha who had been protesting .
“ Our city is broken , and we are broken with them .
So we ’ re going to weep with them , and we ’ re going to rebuild with them.
” But Debbie , who is conservative , said she was saddened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Tony Evers , who she said had not done enough to protect Kenosha .
“ He made statements that helped rally people to do this , ” Debbie said .
“ He publicly said , ‘ This isn ’ t the first time that a cop killed a Black man.
’ That felt like he rallied this.
” “ There ’ s a lot of implications with that statement , ” Korey explained .
Korey didn ’ t support the organization Black Lives Matter , she said emphatically .
“ I think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community than they do good.
” But , she said , “ I support Black people.
” Debbie loved the theme of the murals she was helping to paint around downtown .
“ We believe in the end , love always wins , ” she said .
Once they had laid down the white primer on the pressboard , Debbie and Korey said they had chosen to paint a Bible verse , John 1:5 : “ The light shines in the darkness , and the darkness does not overcome it.
” For some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ painting of the murals had a different purpose — it was a way to directly support the Black Lives Matter message , they said , even though they had not felt comfortable protesting because of family obligations or concerns about the coronavirus .
“ People have been oppressed here for a really , really long time , and we ’ ve been protesting and voting and peacefully marching , and now people just don ’ t know what else to do with their anger , ” said Carley Lyons , a Kenosha resident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with an open eye at its center — a way , she hoped , to open people ’ s eyes to the reality that “ racism is engrained in our society.
” “ I don ’ t think setting things on fire is the right thing to do , but I understand why .
I understand why the city burned.
” Francisco Arzate , a Kenosha resident who works at a local Checkers , was one of the few people in downtown Kenosha who was planning to paint the phrase “ Black Lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For him , he said , it was simple .
“ I have a lot of Black friends , and I value their lives a lot.
” Sabrina , a Black Kenosha resident , was photographing the murals , her dog under her arm .
`` I love the message — love , '' she said .
`` It makes me want to cry . ''
Tom , a Kenosha resident who came to photograph the murals downtown , said he believed strongly in the need for criminal justice reform .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had racial bias built into how they did their jobs for decades .
As for whether he supported the protests , he said , “ I do , and I don ’ t .
I support them coming out and doing their protests , and they should be able to do that .
There ’ s a certain point where they should realize it ’ s over the boundaries.
” Did he support the protesters ’ message — that phrase , “ Black Lives Matter ” ?
“ I would say yes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of it , where I work .
But I do know who the troublemakers are in our community .
And now I ’ m seeing all the good people who are usually silent .
I ’ m seeing who they are.
” He looked around at the people who had come to Kenosha to paint the city with the word “ Love.
” “ These are the good people , ” he said .

KENOSHA, Wisconsin — Deshauntis stepped outside and surveyed the scene in his hometown. In the aftermath of days of protests over the police shooting of a Black man, dozens of people had come to paint the city’s boarded-up downtown in bright, colorful murals. A man was singing folk music. A local church was handing out big cups of free strawberry lemonade.
"I see the effort," Deshauntis said, tightly. He added, "I don’t really see a lot of Black people out here."
And the murals — they didn’t say “Black Lives Matter.” The message across all of downtown Kenosha, where some buildings had been scorched during the protests and others reduced to still-smoking rubble, was about love. That’s what people were painting almost everywhere: “Love is the answer.”
The way Deshauntis saw it was this: There are white people on both sides, and even some Black people too. For Deshauntis, who is Black and supports Black Lives Matter, it was hard to trust the motives of the white people who had come to paint Kenosha’s downtown.
“You never know why they’re really doing it. It be hard to answer that question,” he said. “You never really know if they’re like, ‘OK, we don’t want this shit on here, we finna cover it up.’ Or some people might really feel like this is how they show they care for us and they care for what’s going on.”
In Minneapolis, after George Floyd was killed by police in late May, hundreds of murals across the city’s boarded-up windows were painted with the racial justice movement’s signature phrase, “Black Lives Matter.”
Like in Minneapolis, protesters in Kenosha tagged the city with slogans like “BLM” and the anti-police “Fuck 12.” But on the streets of downtown Kenosha, a much more politically moderate city in a county that tipped to Donald Trump — along with the rest of Wisconsin — in 2016, the words “Black Lives Matter” were far more scarce as the cleanup began.
And they were becoming scarcer.


buzzfeed--2020-08-29--Blanked-Out Spots On China's Maps Helped Us Uncover Xinjiang's Camps

This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund , the Pulitzer Center , and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism .
In the summer of 2018 , as it became even harder for journalists to work effectively in Xinjiang , a far-western region of China , we started to look at how we could use satellite imagery to investigate the camps where Uighurs and other Muslim minorities were being detained .
At the time we began , it was believed that there were around 1,200 camps in existence , while only several dozen had been found .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest .
Our breakthrough came when we noticed that there was some sort of issue with satellite imagery tiles loading in the vicinity of one of the known camps while using the Chinese mapping platform Baidu Maps .
The satellite imagery was old , but otherwise fine when zoomed out — but at a certain point , plain light gray tiles would appear over the camp location .
They disappeared as you zoomed in further , while the satellite imagery was replaced by the standard gray reference tiles , which showed features such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that time , Baidu only had satellite imagery at medium resolution in most parts of Xinjiang , which would be replaced by their general reference map tiles when you zoomed in closer .
That wasn ’ t what was happening here — these light gray tiles at the camp location were a different color than the reference map tiles and lacked any drawn information , such as roads .
We also knew that this wasn ’ t a failure to load tiles , or information that was missing from the map .
Usually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ display a tile , it serves a standard blank tile , which is watermarked .
These blank tiles are also a darker color than the tiles we had noticed over the camps .
Once we found that we could replicate the blank tile phenomenon reliably , we started to look at other camps whose locations were already known to the public to see if we could observe the same thing happening there .
Spoiler : We could .
Of the six camps that we used in our feasibility study , five had blank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 18 in Baidu , appearing only at this zoom level and disappearing as you zoomed in further .
One of the six camps didn ’ t have the blank tiles — a person who had visited the site in 2019 said it had closed , which could well have explained it .
However , we later found that the blank tiles weren ’ t used in city centers , only toward the edge of cities and in more rural areas .
( Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ internment camps in this way , we examined Baidu 's satellite tiles for the whole of Xinjiang , including the blank masking tiles , which formed a separate layer on the map .
We analyzed the masked locations by comparing them to up-to-date imagery from Google Earth , the European Space Agency ’ s Sentinel Hub , and Planet Labs .
In total there were 5 million masked tiles across Xinjiang .
They seemed to cover any area of even the slightest strategic importance — military bases and training grounds , prisons , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some commercial and industrial facilities .
There were far too many locations for us to sort through , so we narrowed it down by focusing on the areas around cities and towns and major roads .
Prisons and internment camps need to be near infrastructure — you need to get large amounts of building materials and heavy machinery there to build them , for starters .
Chinese authorities would have also needed good roads and railways to bring newly detained people there by the thousand , as they did in the early months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locations near major infrastructure was therefore a good way to focus our initial search .
This left us with around 50,000 locations to look at .
We began to sort through the mask tile locations systematically using a custom web tool that we built to support our investigation and help manage the data .
We analyzed the whole of Kashgar prefecture , the Uighur heartland , which is in the south of Xinjiang , as well as parts of the neighboring prefecture , Kizilsu , in this way .
After looking at 10,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of facilities bearing the hallmarks of detention centers , prisons , and camps , we had a good idea of the range of designs of these facilities and also the sorts of locations in which they were likely to be found .
We quickly began to notice how large many of these places are — and how heavily securitized they appear to be , compared to the earlier known camps .
In site layout , architecture , and security features , they bear greater resemblance to other prisons across China than to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier camps in Xinjiang .
The newer compounds are also built to last , in a way that the earlier conversions weren ’ t .
The perimeter walls are made of thick concrete , for example , which takes much longer to build and perhaps later demolish , than the barbed wire fencing that characterizes the early camps .
In almost every county , we found buildings bearing the hallmarks of detention centers , plus new facilities with the characteristics of large , high-security camps and/or prisons .
Typically , there would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the town , while on the outskirts there would be a new camp and prison , often in recently developed industrial areas .
Where we hadn ’ t yet found these facilities in a given county , this pattern pushed us to keep on looking , especially in areas where there was no recent satellite imagery .
Where there was no public high-resolution imagery , we used medium-resolution imagery from Planet Labs and Sentinel to locate likely sites .
Planet was then kind enough to give us access to high-resolution imagery for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to capture new imagery of some areas that hadn ’ t been photographed in high resolution since 2006 .
In one county , this allowed us to see that the detention center that had previously been identified by other researchers had been demolished and to find the new prison just out of town .

Read Part 1 of this investigation here. Read Part 2 here. For Part 3, click here. For Part 4, click here. For Part 5, click here.
This project was supported by the Open Technology Fund, the Pulitzer Center, and the Eyebeam Center for the Future of Journalism.
In the summer of 2018, as it became even harder for journalists to work effectively in Xinjiang, a far-western region of China, we started to look at how we could use satellite imagery to investigate the camps where Uighurs and other Muslim minorities were being detained. At the time we began, it was believed that there were around 1,200 camps in existence, while only several dozen had been found. We wanted to try to find the rest.
Our breakthrough came when we noticed that there was some sort of issue with satellite imagery tiles loading in the vicinity of one of the known camps while using the Chinese mapping platform Baidu Maps. The satellite imagery was old, but otherwise fine when zoomed out — but at a certain point, plain light gray tiles would appear over the camp location. They disappeared as you zoomed in further, while the satellite imagery was replaced by the standard gray reference tiles, which showed features such as building outlines and roads.
At that time, Baidu only had satellite imagery at medium resolution in most parts of Xinjiang, which would be replaced by their general reference map tiles when you zoomed in closer. That wasn’t what was happening here — these light gray tiles at the camp location were a different color than the reference map tiles and lacked any drawn information, such as roads. We also knew that this wasn’t a failure to load tiles, or information that was missing from the map. Usually when a map platform can’t display a tile, it serves a standard blank tile, which is watermarked. These blank tiles are also a darker color than the tiles we had noticed over the camps.
Once we found that we could replicate the blank tile phenomenon reliably, we started to look at other camps whose locations were already known to the public to see if we could observe the same thing happening there. Spoiler: We could. Of the six camps that we used in our feasibility study, five had blank tiles at their location at zoom level 18 in Baidu, appearing only at this zoom level and disappearing as you zoomed in further. One of the six camps didn’t have the blank tiles — a person who had visited the site in 2019 said it had closed, which could well have explained it. However, we later found that the blank tiles weren’t used in city centers, only toward the edge of cities and in more rural areas. (Baidu did not respond to repeated requests for comment.)
Having established that we could probably find internment camps in this way, we examined Baidu's satellite tiles for the whole of Xinjiang, including the blank masking tiles, which formed a separate layer on the map. We analyzed the masked locations by comparing them to up-to-date imagery from Google Earth, the European Space Agency’s Sentinel Hub, and Planet Labs.
In total there were 5 million masked tiles across Xinjiang. They seemed to cover any area of even the slightest strategic importance — military bases and training grounds, prisons, power plants, but also mines and some commercial and industrial facilities. There were far too many locations for us to sort through, so we narrowed it down by focusing on the areas around cities and towns and major roads.
Prisons and internment camps need to be near infrastructure — you need to get large amounts of building materials and heavy machinery there to build them, for starters. Chinese authorities would have also needed good roads and railways to bring newly detained people there by the thousand, as they did in the early months of the mass internment campaign. Analyzing locations near major infrastructure was therefore a good way to focus our initial search. This left us with around 50,000 locations to look at.
We began to sort through the mask tile locations systematically using a custom web tool that we built to support our investigation and help manage the data. We analyzed the whole of Kashgar prefecture, the Uighur heartland, which is in the south of Xinjiang, as well as parts of the neighboring prefecture, Kizilsu, in this way. After looking at 10,000 mask tile locations and identifying a number of facilities bearing the hallmarks of detention centers, prisons, and camps, we had a good idea of the range of designs of these facilities and also the sorts of locations in which they were likely to be found.
We quickly began to notice how large many of these places are — and how heavily securitized they appear to be, compared to the earlier known camps. In site layout, architecture, and security features, they bear greater resemblance to other prisons across China than to the converted schools and hospitals that formed the earlier camps in Xinjiang. The newer compounds are also built to last, in a way that the earlier conversions weren’t. The perimeter walls are made of thick concrete, for example, which takes much longer to build and perhaps later demolish, than the barbed wire fencing that characterizes the early camps.
In almost every county, we found buildings bearing the hallmarks of detention centers, plus new facilities with the characteristics of large, high-security camps and/or prisons. Typically, there would be an older detention center in the middle of the town, while on the outskirts there would be a new camp and prison, often in recently developed industrial areas. Where we hadn’t yet found these facilities in a given county, this pattern pushed us to keep on looking, especially in areas where there was no recent satellite imagery. Where there was no public high-resolution imagery, we used medium-resolution imagery from Planet Labs and Sentinel to locate likely sites. Planet was then kind enough to give us access to high-resolution imagery for these locations and to task a satellite to capture new imagery of some areas that hadn’t been photographed in high resolution since 2006. In one county, this allowed us to see that the detention center that had previously been identified by other researchers had been demolished and to find the new prison just out of town.