Be Careful Who You Donate Your Money To

THE BIG STORY

One of these organizations is not like the other

Individuals and corporations like Apple, Google, and Microsoft have raised millions for the Black Lives Matter Foundation thinking it's the global movement seeking racial justice and to defund the police.

However, the Black Lives Matter Foundation is a Santa Clarita, California–based charitable organization that has a goal of “bringing the community and police closer together,” according to its founder, Robert Ray Barnes.

BuzzFeed News; Getty Images

Based on estimates from BuzzFeed News, donors raised at least $4.35 million for the Black Lives Matter Foundation in the first weeks of June, though most of it was frozen before it could be disbursed. In some cases, companies including GoFundMe were unaware the foundation had no affiliation with the BLM movement and froze funds only after being contacted.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, a Black Lives Matter spokesperson confirmed that the groups are indeed “two completely separate organizations” and that Barnes’ foundation “has nothing to do with us.”

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

"You can call me a snitch if you want to"

A 911 dispatcher who was watching live footage of George Floyd's arrest reported concerns about the Minneapolis police officers’ actions as they restrained him, telling a supervisor "you can call me a snitch," according to an audio recording released by the police department.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Department policy requires officers to notify a supervisor when force is used with some exceptions, such as "takedown techniques.” But under department rules, in other uses of force, a supervisor should go to the scene to review the incident.

Despite the dispatcher's call, it took 14 minutes for a supervisor to arrive on the scene, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported, citing department records.

SNAPSHOTS

A major drug trial revealed that low doses of the drug dexamethasone reduced deaths in severely ill COVID-19 patients.

The Supreme Court refused to take up the Trump administration's challenge to California's sanctuary law that placed statewide limits on local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The FDA revoked its March emergency authorization of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as coronavirus treatments on Monday.

Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau, a 19-year-old Black Lives Matter protester who went missing after tweeting about being sexually assaulted, was found dead on Saturday in Florida.

Six eBay staffers have been charged with harassment of a couple who criticized the company. The staffers allegedly sent the couple disturbing packages, harassed them online, and broke into their garage to install a GPS device on their car.

The 2021 Oscars ceremony has been officially postponed by two months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“WE ARE ALLOWED TO BE OURSELVES”

The Supreme Court's LGBTQ decision will have huge impacts for those in states with no prior protections

It was estimated last year that half of all LGBTQ Americans lived in states where they had no legal protections from workplace discrimination. But for people like Rachel Mosby, a transgender woman in Georgia, the Supreme Court’s decision to make it illegal to discriminate against LGBTQ people in the workplace secured her workers’ rights.

Former Byron, Georgia, fire chief Rachel Mosby in September. John Bazemore / AP

Mosby, who filed a lawsuit against her city alleging discrimination based on her gender identity when she was dismissed from her position as a fire chief, said she has newfound confidence that she will win her case.

“It makes me extremely optimistic now that we will win.”

ALEXA, PLAY “MY BOO”

A preschool wedding goes viral and reunites the bride and groom

Jack Callow, 20, tweeted four photos of himself and his classmate at a preschool wedding from 16 years ago, and joked about not having seen his wife for a long time. He had no idea that tweeting them would lead to Twitter finding her.

"It kind of demonstrated the power of the internet and things going viral as a way to get people's attention and spread information. It was quite interesting,” he said.

Courtesy of Jack Callow

The girl in the photo is now-21-year-old Rena Jutla, and she told BuzzFeed News she remembers practicing the wedding beforehand with Callow. "I don't know how it got taken so seriously, but I'm glad it did. The photos are so cute.”

Many online were suggesting they reunite and get married for real, but Callow said he just wanted to tweet some nostalgic photos and is currently in a relationship.

"[At first] she wasn't very happy the world wanted me dating someone else, but she finds it funny now."

Celebrate all your wins today, big or small.

Ayanna

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