Following a recent rash of gay bullying—at least one incident of which turned deadly—a band of eight self-styled superheroes calling themselves the New York Initiative have moved into Greenwich Village. They are members of a nationwide group known as The Initiative Collective—a volunteer crime prevention outfit that encourages people to fight back against violence using self-defense, armor and theatrics—in addition to doing general good deeds like fundraising, feeding the homeless and offering free martial arts training to anyone who wants it. Athame, Dark Guardian, Zero, Spyder and Spectre (all pictured, left to right) are trained in martial arts, armed in defensive tactical gear and bullet-proof vests, and are on a mission to protect the helpless. "Violence on its own is wrong, and it's even worse when a specific group is being targeted," Dark Guardian said. "We care about everyone, from every walk of life, and we want to keep everybody safe. Our focus now is the Village" ... Discuss

When Danielle Douglas was just 17 years old, she became the victim of sex-trafficking. For two years, she was subjected to horrible physical abuse, intimidation and manipulation by a man who called himself a pimp. Now 34 years old, the sex-trafficking survivor is on a mission to change the definition of the word "pimp" to raise awareness about the abuse that victims often suffer.

Her online petition to ask Merriam-Webster to officially change the definition of the word “pimp” has received more than 20,000 signatures. Currently, the word is defined as “a man who solicits clients for a prostitute.” Douglas told NJ.com, “This is not realistic at all. They are usually violent and abusive, and can use various tactics to keep the human beings under their control.” She wants the word to be redefined to more accurately describe how pimps “abduct human beings and sell their bodies for money.” Merriam-Webster has told her that they plan on issuing a new definition of the word in an upcoming edition of its dictionary … Discuss

A Spanish anti-abuse ad called the Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation had put together this innovative and potentially life-saving billboard that gets their point across by displaying two messages—one adults can see, and one only kids can see. It has what's called a "lenticular top layer," so anyone taller than four feet, five inches sees a picture of a little boy that reads "sometimes, child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it." But children—well, anyone shorter than four feet five inches, so mostly children—will see bruises on the child's face, with a number instructing them to call if they're being hurt ... Discuss

The monstrously sad trial of Steubenville, Ohio's so-called "Rape Crew" begins today, after delays owing to the previous judge's ties to the town's high school football program. Actually, ties to the football program seem to a big part of the trouble with this case, as high school football is in the small town's blood, and the accused rapists are the 16-year-old starting quarterback and wide receiver. The case is receiving a large amount of publicity owing to the disturbing social media trail the assault left behind (vigilante hacking-collective Anonymous found numerous Tweets, YouTube videos and Instagrams documenting the raucous party at which the alleged event occurred) and the massive, parent-and-coach-led cover-up that's being alleged by various sources ... Discuss