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Apple is facing calls to beef up enforcement against fake reviews and rating scams after a developer took to social media to shine a light on unfair practices hes forced to compete with as a result of fraudulent activity on the App Store not being rooted out by the tech giant.

Kosta Eleftheriou, one of the founders of the Fleksy keyboard app (who was acquihired by Pinterest in 2016), has since March 2018 been applying his expertise in autocorrect algorithms to make typing on the Apple Watchs tiny screen not only possible but simple, enjoyable and highly effective, as Forbes reviewer put it.

His app, FlickType, has also been described by app reviewers as astonishingly accurate, a fundamentally better keyboard and way faster than the letter-by-letter scribble method Apple supports natively.

User reviews also include a large amount of glowing five-star ratings. The overall rating from users currently is 3.5 because a number of lower scores have pulled down the average. But if you take the time to dig in the developer can be seen responding consistently and constructively to issues being raised by users who leave lower scores.

Sometimes complaints are related to Watch platform issues outside his control (as Apple limits how third party text input can be accessed). Missing features are another common issue and in many responses Eleftheriou responds by saying hes added the setting the person was after (such as the ability to disable Auto-Correction) or highlighting a brand new look & feel to make typing even easier. Other times he thanks users for raising bugs that he says have now been fixed.

Anyone reading how specifically each complaint is addressed would be confident the developer of FlickType is working hard to make sure the app meets customers expectations. Even though the overall rating means other Watch keyboard apps are rated higher overall.

The problem for Eleftheriou is all his genuine hard work is being undercut by copycat app makers who are able to leverage weak App Store enforcement to profit unfairly and at his expense.

The scam goes like this: A bunch of Watch keyboard apps are published that purport to have the same slick features as FlickType but instead lock users into paying eye-wateringly high subscription fees for what is, at best, a pale imitation.

You might expect quality to float to the top of the App Store but the trick is sustained by the clones being accompanied by scores of fake reviews/ratings which crowd out any genuine crowdsourced assessment of whats being sold.

Fake reviews outnumber the real deal. Its only if you take the time to read through the comments that alarm bells might start ringing

Wish I read the reviews before buying. I cant even get it to work on my watch, runs a one-star review of WatchKey, one of the rival apps Eleftheriou has complained about which nonetheless has a higher overall rating than his app owing to also having a very large proportion of five-star reviews.

We are so sorry for any inconvenienced caused. Please kindly email us to describe more about your scenario so that we can support you as soon as possible, is WatchKeys generic response to the one-star review.

Terrible, writes another one-star reviewer. I bought this app to use T9 on my watch. I havent been able to get T9 to work on my watch, Ive also reached out to the customer service email thats listed on the app. But I havent gotten a response, I would advise to find a different app.

WatchKeys response to another abysmal verdict on its software? More platitudes: Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, we havent received your email yet. Please kindly email us once more via support@vulcanlabs.co to describe more your scenario so we can support you as soon as possible.

The pattern repeats across negative reviews. Even one of the five star reviews warns: You need to pay if you want to use the T9. They make you write a review to unlock and then they ask for a payment.

One component of the manipulation involves posting generic platitudes to do the bare minimum required by Apple to manage (genuine) negative reviews. The other is flooding listings with fake five star reviews to ensure the apps overall rating remains high. Step 3: Profit.

Eleftherious Twitter thread highlights some of what he says are hundreds of fake five star reviews which are being used to drive Watch owners toward downloading the malicious clones using wording that refers to non-existent features or references things youd be doing on other types of devices (suggesting the text may have been cut and pasted from genuine reviews elsewhere).

A quick Google search for buy ios reviews returns a staggering 643M results including ads for companies touting app reviews, installs and ratings [as] the best way to improve the rank of your apps at Appstore and Google Play and selling high quality iOS app reviews with ratings for $2.5 from 100% Real Users.

Clearly selling fake reviews is a booming business which in turn speaks to the woeful lack of effective enforcement.

In an extra fake kicker, Eleftheriou found that one of the scammy competitors had even ripped off his own app promo video which was demoing the features offered by FlickType and used it in ads targeting app consumers on Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook does have policies against third-party infringement (under section 4 of its prohibited content policy) but you might as well whistle for pro-active enforcement from the adtech giant. It only acts when it gets a complaint of infringement so preventing abuse of his marketing materials would require Eleftheriou to spend even more of his time hunting for and reporting the malicious ads ripping off his stuff. (I did report and Facebook did eventually take it down. But I knew this was not going to be any sort of lasting relief, he confirms.)

Of course the really big kicker here is that Apples rules for developers clearly stipulate that submitting fraudulent reviews is a violation of the developer program licence agreement.

Its App Store review guidelines also warn that developers who attempt to cheat the system (such as by manipulating ratings) may only have their apps removed from the App Store and could be expelled from Apples developer program entirely.

So to put it politely its not a good look for Apple that an indie developer with proven expertise and reputation is having to spend so much resource fighting App Store scams because its own enforcement has failed to stamp them out. To the point where he feels the only path forward is to resort to a public call out on social media to highlight systematic enforcement failures.

Eleftheriou tells TechCrunch he decided to raise the complaint on social media after what he describes as simply depressing results from engaging with Apples official app dispute channel.

They put you in contact with the other developer in question, and oversee the thread while they hope you will resolve the issue with the other party directly, he explains. The scammers I complained about in that dispute werent even the bigger scammers I mention in my Twitter thread. Yet, the complaint I had with them barely got addressed, and there was no response from Apple whatsoever on the issue of the fake ratings and reviews. Simply a if we dont hear back from you very soon we consider the matter resolved. We even reached out to Apple privately after that but got no response.

What was most impressive to me, was that in the presence of the Apple legal team, the scammers did not feel threatened one bit almost as if they know Apple is unlikely to do anything, he adds. In my view, Apple simply does not devote enough resources on this area.

Since raising the issue on Twitter, Eleftheriou has reported a partial win in that some of the apps he had complained about have been taken down from the App Store. (At the time of writing Apple has not made any public statement confirming any action.)

However the developer accounts do not appear to have been banned at this time. Its astounding that even pulling a scam like that, doesnt get your developer account revoked! Eleftheriou told us. I mean if that didnt do it, what would??

We reached out to Apple about this issue and it provided some background information related to its developer policies which forbid attempts to cheat the system (such as by trying to trick the review process, steal user data, copy another developers work, or manipulate ratings or App Store discovery), among other relevant provisions.

We also asked Apple if its considering any policy changes in light of the issues raised by Eleftheriou and will update this post with any response.

The main issue in my view is not the cloning here. I didnt even care that they were using my name, or made their screenshots similar to mine etc. If only there was a system to better prevent fake ratings and reviews, none if this would matter, Eleftheriou also told us. People would be able to collectively protect themselves through their 1-star votes but when that system is allowed to get rigged, everything else goes out the window.

The promise of ratings and reviews you can trust does not exist any more which erodes consumer trust at an ever accelerating pace, he adds. I did a Google search to see what those companies look like, if you want to buy ratings and reviews. These are proper, full blown companies, with support systems, and claims that their ratings wont get deleted by Apple, unlike their competitors. It was shocking to see that this is an industry that is thriving.

The issue of fake reviews certainly goes far beyond Apples App Store. And is a very insidious one.

Fake reviews are pretty much a universal experience across the Internet whether youre trying to buy stuff on Amazon, looking at places to visit on Tripadvisor or trying to find a local dentist with the help of reviews on Google Maps (in short; dont) given how many platforms now incorporate user reviews.

But the issue does look especially toxic for Apple.

A core part of the USP for its App Store is the claim that Apples review process sums to a higher quality, more trustworthy experience than alternative marketplaces that arent so carefully overseen.

So a failure to do more to enforce against review scams and rating manipulations risks taking a lot more shine off Apples brand than Cupertino should be comfortable with.

Simply put: Consumers expect a higher standard from Apple. Thats why theyre willing to pay a premium for its products. Under-resourcing App Store review and enforcement thus looks like a false economy not least because it risks driving quality developers like Eleftheriou away.

If a developer with so much pedigree cant reliably sell his wares on the App Store what does that say about Apples premium marketplace?

The issue is also likely to be increasingly on the radar of consumer watchdogs and regulators in the coming years. The European Union, for example, is planning to bake binding transparency and reporting requirements into incoming platform regulations as it seeks to promote fairness and accountability in digital businesses.

While an EU Omnibus Directive that came into force at the start of last year with a two year deadline for Member States to transpose it aims to beef up consumer rights through enhanced enforcement and transparency requirements including directly addressing the issue of fake reviews by placing an obligation on traders to take reasonable and proportionate steps to ensure reviews are genuine, among other measures.

In the EU platforms will soon start being required to justify their enforcement failures vis-a-vis fake reviews. And if they cant, well, the regime includes tough GDPR-level fines for breaches of consumer protection law. So the costs wont only be reputational, as currently.

The UKs Competition and Markets Authority, meanwhile, has also been cracking down on the trade in fake reviews specifically targeting Facebook, Instagram and eBay in recent years. Further attention to the issue from UK oversight bodies, which are now operating independently of the EU, also seems likely.

Continued here:
Apple urged to root out rating scams as developer highlights ugly cost of enforcement failure - TechCrunch

Smartphone displays have grown much bigger in recent years to cater to our growing appetite for consuming media. However, the software running on most of these phones still isn't optimized for one-handed use. One of the best things about Android is that issues like this can easily be addressed by third-party apps. Niagara Launcher aims to make your phone's homescreen more convenient, and after four years of development and a two-year beta, it's launching for real.

The launcher centers around a minimalist homescreen that gives you access to all the apps on your phone without the clutter associated with app drawers. This is done by using an alphabetical sidebar with all of your apps just a single swipe away. What makes it easy to use with one hand is that it can be triggered from the bottom half of the display, on either side. However, if you're used to gesture-based navigation on the phone, you may end up triggering the back action this will take some time to get used to. Also, I'd personally love it if I could swipe through the list of apps and open one without lifting my finger.

If you want to double-up on minimalism, you can also choose to hide the alphabetical sidebar.

The launcher allows you to select several favorite apps (eight is the recommended number) that will sit on the homescreen at all times. But, it will also append your frequently-used apps at the bottom of the list. You can also enable swipe up to search to type the name of the app you want to open Sesame integration is available too.

What Niagara does well is that it doesn't sacrifice functionality at the cost of minimalism. The calendar widget at the top neatly shows the weather, and tapping on it reveals a card that exhibits the forecast and your calendar items (with your permission). Similarly, the homescreen also has a media widget that displays when media is playing. As far as widgets are concerned, you can currently only place one. If you're used to adding multiple widgets to your homescreen, you won't be able to do so natively with Niagara.

You can also opt for a floating Google Search button. I'd personally prefer a search bar, though.

Notifications from your favorite apps can also be embedded on the homescreen, and not only can you see rich previews but also reply without having to open the app. All of this works rather well from my testing.

But what about folders? Well, they don't exist in their traditional form. With a little inspiration from Action Launcher, Niagara allows apps to be bundled behind a favorite app on the homescreen. These apps can be accessed by a simple right swipe on the app they're hidden behind. For instance, I've hidden all my games behind Stack Dash (it's so addictive!). These same swipes also reveal app shortcuts.

My favorite feature by far is Music apps. Once you identify the music apps on your phone, the launcher automatically pushes them at the top of the list when you connect your phone to an audio source over Bluetooth. This is a thoughtful implementation and works perfectly.

That's probably as far as the primary functions go, but there's more to the launcher in terms of customization. It includes the basics you'd expect from any homescreen app the ability to change icon packs, edit icon shape and size, as well as a choice of font. There's also an option to set the theme and text color based on the current wallpaper. If you're a tinkerer, you should know that you can tweak things like hiding the status bar or the alphabet sidebar too.

Niagara Launcher is free to install and if you're not in the mood to shell out money, it's free to use too it won't throw ads at you. But like most other apps, Niagara's developers have put some of its better features behind a paywall. These features include the neat inbuilt calendar and weather widget, Sesame integration, a few customization options, and swipe actions, among others. However, these won't be all. The developers have made it clear they will release further Pro features apparently a new one every week this winter. There's a Github page that gives you a quick look at what's to come.

If you're interested in paying for Niagara Pro, you can opt for a one-time fee or a subscription plan. The latter, for early birds, is set at $4/4/80 a year after a two-month free trial. These prices will be hiked up to $6/6/100 a year shortly thereafter. The one-time payment will set you back $10.99/10.99/220.

Definitely. Niagara Launcher is a purpose-built launcher that doesn't leave functionality in its bid for minimalism. It may not be as customizable as something like Nova Launcher or Action Launcher, but this is just the start. If you're looking to rejig your homescreen experience, I'd recommend that you give it a try. I'm going to continue using it and I'm looking forward to seeing what's next. It isn't perfect just yet, but it's hella promising.

View post:
Hands-on: The minimalist Niagara Launcher is officially out of beta - Android Police

BLM influencersProvided

Celebrities and scholars, best-selling authors and everyday people are using their social media presence to lead the conversation on racial justice. Here are just a few of them spreading the word on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and other platforms.

TikTok culture changer

With more than 562,000 followers and nearly 40 million likes, Erynn Chambers has become one of the most popular creators raising awareness of the Black experience and anti-Black racism on TikTok.Provided

In June, Erynn Chamberswatched a TikTok video from drag queen Online Kyne, talking about how statistics are manipulated to make it appear that Black Americans are more violent.

So the 28-year-old elementary school music teacher from North Carolina opened up TikTok and addedher own commentary, in song form.

Black neighborhoods are overpoliced, so of course they have higher rates of crime. And white perpetrators are undercharged, so of course they have lower rates of crime, she sang. And all those stupid stats that you keep using are operating offa small sample size. So shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up.

The video, labeled About yalls favorite statistics, blew up overnight. It was reposted again and again and has 2 million views.

It wasnt her only hit. Why is Rosa Parks the only black activist we learn about? also brought her attention as she examined how Parks came to be the face of the 1955-56 Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott.

With more than 600,000 followers and 48million likes, Chambers has become one of the most important creators raising awareness of the Black experience and racism on TikTok, which has been criticized for promoting white voices over Black voices.

Chambers says shed been on TikTok for five years but spent more time watching videos than making them until the pandemic. The death of George Floyd got her to do more research into racial equity.

I never really set out for it to be this big thing, Chambers told USA TODAY. I certainly didnt expect to have a half million followers at any point in time.

Anti-racism teacher

Anti-racism activist Rachel CargleRachel Cargle

In 2017 at the Womens March in Washington, Rachel Cargle posed holdingprotest signs with friend and activist Dana Suchow in front of the U.S. Capitol. Cargles read: If You Dont Fight for All Women You Fight for No Women.

The photo went viral and so did Cargle.

An anti-racism activist and author of the upcoming book on feminism through the lens of race, I Dont Want Your Love and Light with The Dial, Cargle works outside academia as a public academic." Shetours the nation to give sold-outlectures. "The Start," for example, is a three-hour workshop on how to be an anti-racist.

"I teach from a platform from a frame of knowledge plus empathy plus action," Cargle told Cleveland 19'sSia Nyorkor."You have to have each of these things to be actively anti-racist."

Cargle also educates her followers, many of them white, on structural racism from a virtual public classroom on Instagram. Coursework includes understanding the intersecting inequalities of race, gender, class and other identities. In heronline learning collective, The Great Unlearn, supported through Patreon, students learn about race and history from historians and academicsof color.

"It's not enough to say, 'Oh, I know it's happening and I hope it gets better,'"Cargle told InStyle. "It's saying, 'I see you and I feel you and I understand, and I'm going to hold myself accountable.' That is what will move someone into action to say, 'I can no longer be complacent. I can no longer be silent. It's not enough to be not racist. I have to be actively anti-racist.'"

In her hometown of Akron, Ohio, Cargle is making a difference in the physical world witha pop-up,Elizabeths Bookshop & Writing Centre, to amplify literature"that has been written away from the pen of the white, cis, hetero man and gives us a new way to understand the world. And she's founderof the Loveland Foundation which offers free therapy to Black women and girls.

A voice ofsocial justice

John Legend plays the piano during a drive-in get out the vote rally in Philadelphia on Nov. 2.MICHAEL PEREZ, AP

Following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others at the hands of law enforcement, singer-songwriter and longtime social activist John Legend lent his soulful voice to the anti-racist struggle, offering a Twitter primer on the defund the police movement and campaigning for Florida voting rights with Camila Cabello.

And Legends Oscar-winning civil rights anthem Glory from the 2014 film Selma became part of the 2020 soundtrack when he performed it with Common in August at the virtual Democratic National Convention. For the inauguration of President Joe Biden, he gave his rendition of the Nina Simone classic"Feeling Good"in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

These killings made clear to the general public what Black folks already knew: Racism is real, it is ugly, and it is woven into the systems that govern our everyday lives, Legend said at the virtual FN Achievement Awards the Shoe Oscars in December.

With his organization #FreeAmerica, Legend is working to reform the criminal justice system and end mass incarceration.

As a teenager growing up in Ohio, I watched my mother deal with depression and drug abuse after my maternal grandmother a person who filled our whole family with lovepassed away, Legend told PEOPLE in 2016. My mothers addiction didnt just tear her life apart. It tore me and the rest of our family apart, too.

By amplifying the voices of those affected by the criminal justice system and those working to change it, #FreeAmerica is working to build thriving, just, and equitable communities, Legend says.

Artists have a rich tradition of activism. We have a unique opportunity to reach people where they are, beyond political divisions, borders, and silos, Legend said in a video recently after being recognized by the United Nations human rights agency for his social justice advocacy work. Its been my privilege to use my voice and my platform to advance the cause of equity and justice.

Actress, singer, trans lives activist

Peppermint emerged in 2020 as one of the most important voices in the Black Trans Lives Matter movement.

Tapping her following on social media, she brought greater awareness to violence against Black trans women and the broader Black trans community and to the relentless toll of racism, homophobia, misogyny and transphobia.

I think were on the precipice of some really great change, Peppermint told Entertainment Tonight. Were able to speak about race and misogyny and sexuality in a mainstream way that weve not been able to do in years past without being shunned or canceled.

Peppermint attending the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards in Newark, New Jersey.JEFF KRAVITZ, FILMMAGIC

The first trans woman to originate a leading role on Broadway in Head Over Heels, Peppermint rose to fame on RuPauls Drag Race, followed by performances on Pose, God Friended Me and Deputy.

She recently joined the national board of directors of advocacy group GLAAD and was nominated as outstanding music artist for"A Girl Like Me: Letters to My Lovers" inthe GLAAD Media Awards, which honors LGBTQ representation in media.

Im so thankful that the Black Lives Matter movement began after the murder of Trayvon Martin and continued with George Floyd, but what were not seeing is the same sort of energy when it comes to the women who have been killed: Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland and many others, Peppermint told the Guardian.

Author, activist, internet yeller

Writer Ijeoma Oluo attends the 2018 The Root 100 gala at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on November 8, 2018, in New York City.JIM SPELLMAN, GETTY IMAGES

Ijeoma Oluo, who for years has been writing and speaking on race, saw interest in her work soar after Floyds death.Her 2018 book, So You Want to Talk about Race, catapulted her onto must-read lists.

The latest from this Seattle-based author, activist and self-described Internet yeller is a sign ofthe nations growing racial consciousness. "Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America" is about white male supremacy, which Oluocalls one of the most evil and insidious social constructs in Western history, from the violent takeover of indigenous lands and the genocide of native people to generations of trauma and loss from anti-Black racism.

The book title refers to the plea by writer Sarah Hagi in 2015: "Lord, give me the confidence of a mediocre white man.

This book illustrates clearly how this country must sustain the exploitation and oppression of Black people in order to protect white male power and white male mediocrity, Oluo told NBC News.

I want everyone who reads this book to see that we aren't just talking about a few bad dudes, we are talking about deliberately constructed identities and systems of power, she said. I want everyone to see what this costs us and to investigate how we each support these harmful norms and systems.

Writer, editor, cultural critic

Roxane Gay speaks onstage during the Hammer Museum's 17th Annual Gala In The Garden on October 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.PRESLEY ANN, GETTY IMAGES FOR HAMMER MUSEUM

Im a writer, editor, cultural critic, and sometimes podcaster, Roxane Gaytells USA TODAY.

And then some. Her trenchant insights on feminism, gender, race, sexuality and sexual violence have won her a large and loyal social media audience.

This year she launched a Substack newsletter, The Audacity, as well as The Audacious Book Club. Among the book clubs first picks from underrepresented American writers: Black Futures, edited by Jenna Wortham and Kimberly Drew; Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters; and The Removed by Brandon Hobson.

What makes her so popular is not just her searing memoir Hunger, or her best-selling nonfiction collection of essays, Bad Feminist, or her podcast, Hear to Slay. Or even that she was the first Black woman to write for Marvel Comicswith the Black Panther spinoff comic series World of Wakanda.

Shes an irresistible social media personality who also thinks and writes about fun things, as she puts it. Lighter fare includes her pop-culture likes and dislikes and adorable photos of her puppy in tiny clothing.

Then theres her inimitably good-natured shredding of critics. When one person tweeted at her Who cares what you think? she replied sweetly, You seem to care, dear heart.

Racial and economic justice activist

In June 2015, Bree Newsome Bass climbed a flagpole to remove the Confederate battle flag at a Confederate monument in front of the Statehouse in Columbia, S.C.BRUCE SMITH, AP

In June 2015, long before today's protests toppled monuments to Confederates, Bree Newsome Bassscaled a30-foot pole on the grounds of theSouth Carolina State House and removed the Confederate flag.

This nonviolent act of protest followed the massacreat Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, North Carolina. Eight Black parishioners and their pastor were killed by a white supremacist who posed with the Confederate flag.

When police ordered her down, she replied: "You come against me with hatred and oppression and violence. I come against you in the name of God."

In the following weeks, South Carolina removed the flag from the statehouse grounds andsome Southern states began taking down other symbols of racial oppression and terror.

Today Newsome Bass is a major figure in the struggle for racial and economic justice as an activist who organizes for housing rights. And her Twitter account is a one-woman racial injustice megaphone.

Everybody who didn't know is seeing America as it truly is right now. Can't provide resources for the pandemic but has all the resources at the ready to murder civilians in the street and teargas anyone who objects, she tweeted in May.

Anti-police brutality activist, writer, educator

Brittany Packnett Cunningham speaks onstage as Audible presents: "In Love and Struggle" at Audible's Minetta Lane Theater on February 29, 2020 in New York City.CRAIG BARRITT, GETTY IMAGES FOR AUDIBLE

In March 2015, President Barack Obama told Brittany Packnett Cunningham in a handwritten note that her voice would make a difference for years to come.

The elementary school teacher became a Ferguson Uprising activist and a member of Obamas policing task force after a white police officer killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, outside her hometown of St. Louis, in 2014.

Packnett Cunningham went on to co-found the anti-police-brutality platform Campaign Zero and the feminist media platform The Meteor and co-hosted the Pod Save The People podcast.

Whats your biggest flex of 2020? she recently asked her followers.

She had many of her own. Shes a cable news contributor, host of a new podcast, Undistracted, and a 2020 Fellow at Harvards Institute of Politics. Shes also writing a book and was on the cover of Vogue.

We want to build a group of people who are relentlessly undistracted who are focused on matters of intersectional justice, who are focused on leveraging all of their power toward that end, and who are committed to doing the work necessary, even when its difficult, Packnett Cunninghamtold W Magazine about her podcast.

Scholar, racist systems dismantler

Ibram X. Kendi visits Build to discuss the book Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You at Build Studio on March 10, 2020 in New York City.MICHAEL LOCCISANO, GETTY IMAGES

Less than a week after the 2016 election, Ibram X.Kendi,a 34-year-old assistant professor at the University of Florida, became the youngest author to win the National Book Award in nonfiction for Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America.

Fast forward and today hes talked antiracism with Oprah Winfrey on her Apple TV+ show The Oprah Conversation and is considered one of the foremost anti-racism scholars.

The author of three New York Times bestsellers including 2019s How to be an Antiracist is not just writing about racism. As a Boston University humanities professor and founding director of that universitys Center for Antiracist Research, hes developing programs to dismantle it.

Coming out in February is Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, which he co-edited with historian Keisha Blain.

The heartbeat of racism itself has always been denial, and the sound of that heartbeat has always been Im not racist, Kendi, a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor, said in a recent TED interview. What I am trying to do with my work is to really get Americans to eliminate the concept of not racist from their vocabulary and realize, were either being racist or antiracist.

Best-selling author andProject Runway judge

Elaine Welteroth speaking at the Ms. Foundation 30th Annual Gloria Awards in 2018.MONICA SCHIPPER

George Floyd died 15 days after Elaine Welteroths wedding. She married musician Jonathan Singletary on their Brooklyn stoop, then threw a virtual block party.

It felt like one week we were dancing in the streets with our neighbors, many of whom are Black families that have been on our block for decades, and the next we were in the streets protesting, the bestselling author, Project Runway producer and judge andhost of "The Talk" on CBSsaid in People magazine.

When the first protest broke out in Brooklyn I remember saying immediately, I have to be out there. There wasn't even a question, said Welteroth, author of More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are No Matter What They Say. I needed to channel my outrage and my anger and my sadness with a community of people who were in mourning and ready to fight.

A former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, the youngest ever appointed at a Cond Nast publication in 2017, Welterothused her fashion industry influence to create "The 15 Percent Pledge." It calls on major retailers to devote a minimum of 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses and to increase representation in their workforces.

"Right now, we are at an inflection point in this country, shewrote on Instagram. What you say and do in this moment will be remembered as a reflection of the value you place on human life. Let the energy and focus of your fight be directed at a system that has enabled terrorism against Black people on our soil for generations. Times Up. This is a war for human life. Which side are you on?"

Published11:37 am UTC Feb. 2, 2021Updated7:23 pm UTC Feb. 2, 2021

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BLM influencers: 10 Black Lives Matter activists on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter you should follow - USA TODAY

INDIANAPOLIS Following a summer of Black Lives Matter protests, Republicans at the Statehouse introduced a slew of bills aimed at relieving the strife and civil unrest of business owners and law enforcement.

We had businesses that were destroyed in downtown Indianapolis and those owners really were helpless, Sen. Michael Young, who chairs the Corrections and Criminal Law committee, said Tuesday.

The committee discussed and heard testimony for Senate Bills 187, 198 and 199 that seek to create a policy statement on historic monuments, enhance rioting penalties and expanded self-defense protections, respectively. Bills 198 and 199, both authored by Young, R-Indianapolis, were held back for further amendments but had testimony.

Senate Bill 187, by Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, passed unanimously with no opposition.

Guy Relford, founder of the gun rights group 2A Project, spoke on SB 199, which expands the definition of reasonable force in relation to self-defense. Under the bill, business owners can defend their properties from threats of violence with reasonable force which includes pointing a loaded or unloaded firearm.

Under Indiana code its a crime to point a firearm at someone unless youre justified in using reasonable force, Relford, an attorney, said. The problem what (is) when one is defending their property, theyre not only talking about their home. Were talking about property other than their home (which) could be a business.

Relford said that current law would make protecting your business with a loaded firearm a felony or a misdemeanor if using an unloaded firearm.

Michael Moore, the assistant executive director of the Indiana Public Defender Council, worried the bill would encourage citizens to act as law enforcement officers.

Young said the above issue would be examined and possibly addressed by amendment next week.

Youngs other bill, SB 198, had over an hour of testimony and opposition from both public defenders and prosecutors. He said he crafted the bill to protect the rights of peaceful protesters but wanted to send a message to those who destroyed property.

But other committee members worried about how the lengthy bill would impact Hoosiers without foreknowledge of any crimes.

The unlawful assembly definition as we discussed here is kind of confusing and its very broad, Sen. Karen Tallian, D-Portage, said. You may have a group that comes to peacefully demonstrate something and all of the sudden somebody in that group spontaneously committed some(thing) that turned into a melee. Now all of the other people who come to this demonstration can be charged.

Taillian noted that, under this law, everyone at the D.C. riots on Jan. 6 would be held responsible for the five deaths that occurred, possibly even law enforcement officers who underestimated the crowd.

Moore said his organization had serious concerns about the bill, its impact on the right to assemble and its denial of bail to those charged with crimes.

The bill essentially ignores the root causes of why people protest; it goes to the aftereffects of when some people turn and riot its important to understand that riots dont happen first, protests do, Moore said.

Moore said that looting, vandalism, battery and criminal mischief already had penalties under criminal code. Requiring people to leave a rally turned violent or report the crimes was unprecedented and could be used to criminalize bystanders and observers.

We have concerns that this is a wide net that could encompass a lot of people and make them a criminal when in fact they were a bystander, Moore said.

Tallian wondered if the bill could be used to prosecute journalists reporting on riots and other legal observers.

David Powell, the executive director of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, similarly opposed the bill and its limits on prosecutorial discretion by allowing the attorney general to step in and press charges if local prosecutors refused to do so.

We just dont see a need for this, Powell said. We can live with a lot of it, but there are things that need to be cleaned up.

Young said amendments to both of his bills would be considered in the upcoming weeks.

The bills authors, Young and Koch, both said the summers events inspired the bills, though a report found that 93% of Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful and just 7% qualified as riots.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, which conducted the analysis, found that counterforces against protesters, such as armed military officers or militia groups, played a role in escalating the violence seen at protests.

The IndyStar wrote that Indianapolis businesses reported more than $2 million in damage and Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears charged 27 people out of the 100-plus arrested.

Link:
Bills filed to counter Black Lives Matter protests - The Herald Bulletin

ELLSWORTH A nonprofit that helps inmates recover from substance abuse could be allowed back in the Hancock County Jail starting Friday, seven months after the agency lost access over its support for Black Lives Matter.

County Commissioner Bill Clark, Healthy Acadia Executive Director Elsie Flemings and Sheriff Scott Kane met Monday morning.

Clark said Monday afternoon that as a result of Monday mornings meeting, a memorandum agreement is being drafted and should be finalized by Friday.

Sheriff Kane canceled the contract after Healthy Acadia issued a June 10, 2020, statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Kane disagreed with allowing an organization in the jail that supports a movement that he says wants to harm law enforcement.

The Hancock County Commissioners met Saturday evening via Zoom, an online meeting platform.

Fleming reached out to me and weve set a date 9 oclock on Monday morning, that if we can get an agreement, she can start recovery coaching immediately, Clark said Saturday. Im confident we will have recovery coaching by the end of the day [Monday].

Commissioner Paul Paradis said he had talked to the sheriff earlier Saturday. He was a perfect gentleman, Paradis said.

Kane will be making a public statement at beginning of the commissioners meeting, on Tuesday [Feb. 2], said Paradis.Iview this as very positive and I want to thank the sheriff, Elsie Flemings and Chairman Clark for the work in re-establishing recovery coaching.

Recovery coaches, according to Flemings, provide an opportunity for inmates to develop an action plan for their release as well as work on their recovery.

The organization posted statements last summer supporting Black Lives Matter and the racial justice movement and criticizing racism and police brutality. Kane characterized the movement as seeking to harm police.

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Nonprofit barred for supporting Black Lives Matter may be allowed back in Maine jail - Press Herald