No Snitching Creed a Poisonous Ethos for the Black Community

[stevenleser]

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_070422_no_snitching_creed_a.htm

April 22, 2007 at 22:12:20

No Snitching Creed a Poisonous Ethos for the Black Community

by Steven Leser

http://www.opednews.com

The last time I touched upon African American issues, it was to explain the reason why African Americans hope for the acquittal of high profile defendants. My article, “Why the Support for the Tookies and O.J.s in the Black Community?“, which can be seen at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_051212_why_the_support_for_.htm , was also cited by the National Association of Black Journalists, see http://www.nabj.org/newsroom/commentary/deathpenalty/index.html . I’ve been a member of Rainbow Push in the past and vigorously support African Americans in their fight for equality and social justice.


What I don’t understand is the no snitching philosophy that has taken root in the black community and I sat and watched, disgusted, as this poor excuse for a moral code was explained in tonight’s episode of 60 Minutes. “No Snitching” means that no matter the circumstances, you do not report crimes to the police and you certainly never become a witness at a trial even if you see a murder or a rape and clearly see who did it.



The 60 minutes segment included interviews with rappers, non-rapper adults, children, all seemed to indicate support for ‘No snitching’. It was so surreal it was like watching the equivalent of the last few pages of a Kafka story. I’m a fan of Chris Rock and marveled along with him that Tupac Shakur was killed on the busy Las Vegas strip and his killer has never been found. It doesn’t sound so surprising now.


If I were a criminal, knowing about the no snitch code, I would immediately change my operations so that all my criminal activities took place in black neighborhoods. In other words, this belief system is an open invitation to criminals of all stripes to prey on members of the black community. That is what this philosophy is. It’s the entire black community standing up with arms outstretched and saying at the top of their lungs, “Come rob, rape or kill me, (or all of the above) please!”.


After the 60 minutes expose, I would expect to see Burglars, Robbers, Rapists, Child Molesters, Drug Dealers, Con Artists, Organized Crime syndicates and any other kind of criminals move their operations into black neighborhoods. I am sure we will see this happen and see it reflected in the crime statistics over the next few years. A law enforcement official in the 60 minutes segment quoted a statistic that in some African American communities, ‘No Snitching’ has contributed to reduce the rate of murders being solved to less than 10%. It is a shame that only a few years after African Americans mostly rid their communities of gangs, they are extending an open invitation for criminals to take up residence there.


At the same time, now that this is known, law abiding people are going to start avoiding the black community. I certainly don’t want anyone I care about to go to a place where criminals know they are getting a free pass to rob, rape or kill them. This is going to translate into a measurable economic loss for businesses of the black community. All the work that many people are doing to create new businesses owned by African Americans along with other efforts to build up the economic power of the black community is going to be destroyed by “No snitching”.


I happen to be watching the IFC channel as I write this. They are playing a film called “Mississippi Burning”. I’m reminded of how hard blacks and the federal government had to fight to stop the violence and crimes being committed against blacks in the south and other places in the 1960’s. How did we get from that to “No snitching” where blacks see crimes happening against members of their community and turn their backs on them? Where are the brains of the people who buy into this garbage?


Leaders of the black community need to get together and take on this cancer in their community. No snitching isn’t noble or brave, it is a way for a community to commit a slow and painful suicide and up until now, leaders of the black community have stood by and let it happen. It is time for them to show that they are leaders and that no matter how pervasive and popular a bad idea is, they are willing to take it on. No snitching has to go.

[LiberalFighter]

1. I was totally disgusted by the responses from those interviewed

They would willingly allow a murderer escape justice. They would willingly allow others to kill their own and steal from them.

I wonder what is the point of providing law enforcement if they won't do their duty as citizens?

What will it take to change this attitude?

[stevenleser]

2. Me too, I couldn't believe it...

On DailyKOs, where I cross-posted this, there are actually people defending the No Snitching movement.

[Bobbieo]

3. That philosophy also is heard in segments of the white dommunity, too.

Particularly with the drug culture.

[rocktivity]

14. DING DING DING! Bobbieo, you're our grand prize winner!

That philosophy also is heard in segments of the white community, too.

Immigrant Italian, Jewish, Hispanic, Russian, Chinese, and Irish communities didn't snitch to the cops, either. The only thing the AAs did differently is write it on a T-shirt. I forgot to mention that bikers don't snitch, either--and certain politicians.

:headbang:
rocknation

[Ben Masel]

4. Drugwar

So long as the Drugwar leads to the imprisonment of such a large percentage of the community, the prison ethos will cross over.

[Bobbieo]

6. To be labeled a 'snitch' in the joint is is the death penalty.

You go into protective custody or you will be killed and even "PC" is no guarantee.

[stevenleser]

8. I understand that, but this specifically addressed non criminals/non inmates

[Ben Masel]

10. Once you've spent time

you keep the prison ethos re snitching, and become a vector once released.

[azurnoir]

5. It is not just no snitching, the author missed a point

and that is fear of the police. I can attest to this personally, I am white my ex-husband is black. This incident happened nearly 20 years ago but it was very late at night in the summer I had fallen asleep on couch watching tv my husband (J) was in the kitchen playing guitar through headphones, I woke up to a fight between him and an unknown assailant in our living I remember the guy had no shirt on was wearing socks on hands and his pants wear undone, J yelled at me to call the police and to be honest I actually hesitated I was scared of the cops, what would they try to make of this situation? I did call the police J literally through the guy out of home and he got away. J was asked me just what the h*ll was wrong with and me why had I hesitated to call the cops I told him, his answer was maybe I was right but the guy had socks on his(glove substitute) and to him it appeared this guy was going to rape me, but the fact that we felt there had to be a qualifier that the man was a criminal says it all.
That is not the worst story though, some friends of our another mixed couple had a far worse incident- the women had been walking home from the bus stop and was raped, she was near home so she went there and she and her husband called the police (really he had already because she was late and he was worried) when the police arrived he took their 2 young kids upstairs to settle them down, she told me the cops started to ask the usual type of questions until her husband came down stairs that is she told me one of cops elbowed the other and nodded towards her husband with "get a load of this look", his next question was to ask if she had been payed for the act from that point on it was treated as trick gone bad, they did at her insistence take her to the hospital she told me that they brought her as far as the ER door and yelled across the crowded lobby "this claims it's been raped" and left her there.
Fear more then no snitching in all truth is far more of a reason, if you live in certain neighborhoods or are non-white you are a suspect too.

[stevenleser]

7. I totally appreciate that, but when there is police misconduct...

... there are those of us that will stand up for you. I marched here in NYC with Al Sharpton and countless thousands of others who marched against what the police did in the Sean Bell case.

But what 60 minutes showed was something beyond fear or mistrust, it was a proud ethic of No Snitching. That is not acceptable.

[Ecumenist]

9. I beg your pardon but I'm black , (mostly anyway) and

if I knew about someone who had committed a crime, be it murder, rape, theft etc, you'd best believe that I'd turn their sorry asses in so fast, my tongue would throw sparks. I also want to say that I know quite a few black people,( seeing as how my family is mixed african descent), including my extended family and friends and I don't know ONE person who wouldn't turn a criminal in if they committed a crime. It pisses me off to the nth degree that we are characterised as a homogenous community when we are no more the same as anyone else. This so called "hip-hop" culture is but one of many subcultures and saying that black people live in the ghetto is insulting to all of us. I have NEVER lived in a ghetto or slum and I loathe rap music. When I saw those "rappers" talking about how this is the way black people are, I almost jumped into the television.

This is a marketing ploy that has tried to brand all of us, (black people) with the same brush. We are heterogenous and as different from one another as any other group here or anywhere on the planet.

[Karenina]

11. BINGO!

[Briar]

12. Is this supposed to be a particularly black problem?

Nonsense. The British soldiers who beat an Iraqi hotel employee to death (sorry, who stood around an Iraqi hotel employee while invisible hands and boots beat him to death) got off scot-free because their comrades refused to snitch on them. How many other murderers in uniform return home without facing justice because they too are protected by no-snitch codes. Covering up for mates and comrades and family is a human flaw, not one specific to any one community.

[bemildred]

13. Cops do it. Politicians do it.

Why just focus on black people when it comes to having a "code of silence"? I can't really think of anybody that doesn't have a mind-your-own-business attitude at times.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

15. Bingo. And in those two cases it's WAY more poisonous. Especially cops.

But cops, of course, can do no wrong. :mad:

[Blue_Tires]

16. Carmelo Anthony appeared in a famous video of his own...