Stop Snitchin' & Hip Hop
 

I found this diatribe very interesting:

Stop Snitchin'

Kids it's time to get serious about our future and direction.

When I viewed this story, I make the prediction that "The Powers That Be" will "back stab" or "turn coat" on these Hip Hop Artists. Like a huge campaign will put them out of business until some other "market" sells hip hop. Somedays, it seems that hip hop may have run its course because "the public" or "demographic" that buys this music desire a different market.

Times will be changing. And either we move, follow, get out of the way or get left behind. This happened after disco died...

This is the most ridiculous mentality. I can't even articulate how stupid this is; it is sublimely stupid.

A caveat...
 

I agree with you both about the absurdity of this issue. But I also feel that the story forgot to talk about the reality of "snitching" on a criminal in those communities. If you knew that your life (not just your livelihood) was going to be threatened by cooperating with the police, would you snitch? I think that's a tough question to answer, because most people would probably keep their mouths shut in the name of self-preservation. I would like to see more mainstream media coverage about what happens to witnesses that do come forward courageously and the price they pay for that courage. I remember Essence running an article about it and it was disheartening to hear what one woman went through when she witnessed a crime from her porch.(http://www.essence.com/essence/lifes...581957,00.html)

On the other hand, I'm glad that they actually noted how the definition of "snitching" has definitely changed over the years. I'm a little disconcerted, however, at the reference made to 50 Cent. I'm sure when he was cooperating with the police, it was indeed an effort to save his own sorry self.

I wonder if this is more about having street credibility or more about a distrust of the police in general as having brought forth this phenomenon.

In Chicago, it was common knowledge that many police were corrupt and racist and did not care for AAs. This is not an uncommon phenomenon across the country. How many of us today are happy when we see the police as we are driving by? What instinctual emotions are evoked? Relief? Disdain?

Accordingly, I think that the article, to some extent, misses a big point in not addressing the behavior of the police in contributing to the lack of communication between the police and many in the community.

Now, the "don't snitch" mentality is bad b/c how can you expect to solve crimes. However, the police themselves have had alot to do with the general breakdown in communication - this is coming from a person who did not grow up in the poor communities that are referred to in the article. Yet, just being AA growing up in Chicago, I grew up with the knowledge that you don't always want to see the police and that many didn't even care for AAs. Shoot, it wasn't too long ago that I got pulled over for Driving While Black (DWB) in Chicago. How do I know that it was DWB? I was in an ultra majority community at night trying to go to the mall. The female majority policewoman pulled up on the side of me at a red light. She looked over at me. When the light turned green, she did not pull off. She waited for me to pull off, then pulled behind me. She proceeded to follow me for at least half a block, then pulled me over. Now why would any police officer, look over, see a person, then wait until they pull off so that they can pull behind them and follow them? So no, I do not adhere to the "don't snitch" way of thinking. However, I do not particularly like seeing the police, even if I'm just passing them on the street.

I understand that LA has a similar history of dealings between the police and the AA community when AAs initially came to LA - not to mention the Rodney King incident. Shoot, NY police department is not half stepping with the brutality either. What about the guy who was just riddled with bullets the night before his wedding? Amadou Diallo, etc. etc.

The police departments must really be called on the carpet as well to address the role that has been played in this result.

SC

Soror Summerchild,

I agree with you, the article does not discuss the role of police in this breakdown of communication, and I too have a healthy disdain for most police developed while growing up on the south side and being harassed for seemingly no reason (luckily, I have family members who are in law enforcement, so I always knew that if I were ever in a bind, I had someone that I could trust there).
However, as one person in the article said, adhering to this no snitching rule sends the wrong message to criminals--that their actions are without consequences. So as rampant as police corruption is and as problematic as the relationship between black communities and law enforcement often are, we don't really have a lot of options, because that is certainly not the message that I want to send.

Where is Batman when you need him. :p

Again we're being singled out in this whole "stop snitching" mess. yes its wrong - why would you hold info that would take bad people off the streets - but doesnt any underground-type group of folks (i'm thinking intelligence groups, mafias) operate on the same principles - that snitches sleep with fishes?

no one is doing news specials on them. nor all the white-collar crime that goes on that everyone keeps a tight lip about. the scenarios are the same - everything is under wraps until someone slips up. next thing you know, they turn up on the side of the road or the bottom of a lake somewhere.

and the "stop snitching" idea gets passed down like everything else. how many times did your mama tell you "if something happens and someone asks you about it, you dont know anything, you didnt see anything" growing up?

td221,

I know what you are saying, it seems that the media is gearing up for this to be the next big story. After I saw it here, I saw it on Yahoo and somewhere else too. I thought to myself, here they go trying to scapegoat rap for something else.

This "stop snitchin" mentality is not the only reason that cops aren't solving these murders and other crimes. I am sure that there are a lot of other factors at play--what they are, I couldn't say. But it seems as silly to attempt to blame their inability to solve these crimes entirely on this cultural phenomenon. They still go after the mafia, they still get white-collar criminals, maybe they just need to change their tactics.

Also, the stop snitchin mentality is still sublimely stupid.

I have been mugged, had my apartment broken into TWICE and been followed home multiple times. All my life I saw black people victimized by other black people, who would then turn around and blame their actions on the man.

Cops are AOK in my book. If I had been called upon to snitch in the case of a murder or rape I would have snitched in a HEARTBEAT.

I have always had my stuff stolen from Elementary School to current. Life's like that sometimes.

As far as those who take oaths to the government to "protect and serve" and having lived in SoCal for many years, there is a distrust with those in authority. However, there is also police procedures.

Everytime I have been pulled over in my car, it was usually due to my own infraction, namely speeding. But, my brother and some male friends have been pulled over for DWB's. Hayle, my parents were pulled over because the female cop was psychotic and at the time, my folks were nearing their 60's!!!

But I personally know several law enforcement officials from CHiP officers, ATL PD to FBI, DEA and INS or now ICE. I know that they work very hard in their jobs and yeah, some of the "thangs" they do and see are EFF'ed up. We are lucky that most in law enforcement does not take "psycho pension".

So, it seems that communication between the affected communities vs. law enforcement must ALWAYS be opened, where door swings both ways... And many cities are ill-equipped or unwilling to make sure that happens due to some antiquated ideas.

Why was Hip Hop implicated vs. folks in "organized crime"? Simple, some are petty crimes to justify and rationalize how an elected candidate is "tough on crime"; whereas, other is "White Collar" crime where books are lucky to be kept in any readible language and found out... It's easy to prosecute and punish those who are poor and unable to defend for themselves...

And this criminal element in our neighborhood associated with Black Culture, often is a hydra, cut off one head, 7 more will come up... So, certain mythologies are ready passed down to force a cycle of poverty...

Hey, somebody's making money, I wanna know who that MoFo is?

I liked this guy's take on the issue:
http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur33042.cfm

I, personally, don't mind being "called out" on this one. We need to talk about these things and try to find solutions, regardless of how the conversation was started. I don't think the 60 Minutes piece was as balanced as it could've been, either. But I also have a slightly different perspective than some of you all, because I've heard firsthand from my father (police officer) about how frustrating it is trying to serve and protect people who won't open their mouths and say anything or even file a report with the police. Yes, there's a street cred issue, but there is a real fear issue, as well. There a lot of rappers talking about the consequences of snitching, but I think there are a lot more people feeling those consequences. It's not to our advantage to call out the authorities for not doing their part when we won't admit to and critique our part in the problem. Until we as a collective community are willing to air out our dirty laundry, it's not going to get any better for us.

One factor I can think of that could affect crimes being solved is who is the victim, and where it happens. It has been shown with kidnappings and other crimes (Elizabeth Smart and Jon Benet )that where you live and your background/ethnicity affects what is done to bring you home or find your killer. I would not be surprised if there were disparities in response times and resources depending on the economics or makeup of an area.

Granted I live in a Unviersity/farm town in Idaho, and here the police are actually really cool, but I know that is not the case in the large urban area I grew up in. Since it is a small town they really try and do community outreach work and the students make an interesting dynamic.

Anderson Cooper made presentations yesterday and today about the "60 minutes' 'Stop Snitchin'" piece.

Further analysis suggests, what I have witnessed in several major urban centers, that these folks who legitimize the lack of notifying the authorities on a heinous crimes feel completely helpless or have given up hope on themselves and their communities. Basically, "what's the point in speaking? Nothing will ever change..."

Call it cynicism or sarcasm, but either way your put it, people have given up hope even on themselves. And unfortunately, it cannot continue to "stay" that way and it has been my experience watching these events unfold that it will get worse before it gets better or rather, folks have to hit rock bottom before they realize there is only one way to go and that's up.

Change of heart?
 

This is interesting.
http://www.eurweb.com/story/eur33115.cfm