“We Ain’t Choosing No Sides; We Just Choosing Our Side”By Amy K. Nelson, Medium’s MatterThe gangs of Baltimore believe they can do a better job policing their community than the police.

ZPM Espresso and the Rage of the Jilted CrowdfunderBy Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New York Times MagazineWhat happens when a Kickstarter project fails to launch?

An Alternative-medicine Believer’s Journey Back To ScienceBy Alan Levinovitz, WiredJim and Louise Laidler lost their faith on a trip to Disneyland in 2002, while having breakfast in Goofy’s Kitchen.

A Rare, Personal Look at Oliver Sacks’s Early CareerBy Lawrence Weschler, Vanity FairThe world was saddened to learn of neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks’s terminal illness through a recent op-ed. With Sacks’s new autobiography out this month, Lawrence Weschler shares early stories and diary entries about Sacks, his close friend, before Sacks achieved worldwide fame.

Slavery and Freedom in New York CityBy Eric Foner, LongreadsThe story of slavery in New York, the messy path to abolition, and a shameful history with which America has yet to come to terms.

The Man Who Beat HIV at Its Own Game for 30 YearsBy Daniel A. Gross, NautilusA survivor’s story is about to change.