Stop Snitching?

Stop Snitching? I would have liked to think – especially after reading the Pew Research Center Report that there would no longer be much of market for this filth. I guess I got my hopes up to soon and forgot that the new hopeful division in Black attitudes would still leave many with dangerously antisocial mindsets. I’m hoping these ghetto thugs can only market their sedition amongst their own constituency. What’s truly disturbing is that this is the sequel!

Stop Snitchin’ refers to a controversial campaign used by criminals and the hip-hop and rap industry to frighten people with information to stop “snitching,” or reporting criminal activities to the police. It’s is essentially a method of witness intimidation. This subversive and dangerous criminal phenomenon became mainstream in the hip-hop and rap communities as many rappers express support for this method. It specifically refers to a Baltimore-based home-made DVD that threatened violence against would-be informants.

Why is this atrocity allowed to continue? This isn’t – or shouldn’t be – protected Free Speech; it’s sedition and advocating and endorsing criminal acts. The people producing and disseminating this filth need to be rounded up and incarcerated.

 

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23 Responses to “Stop Snitching?”

  1. expatbrian Says:

    While it is disturbing, it’s not so different from the violent crap in the movie houses and on TV every day. SAW 1, 2, 3 are pretty disturbing too. I think it’s an accurate depiction of a segment of society that people should be aware of and afraid of. Like so many other things, this violent, racist, criminal gang/rap crap is out of control in the US. And it has been out of control for a long time and it’s not going to get under control any time soon.
    Not covered by freedom of speech? I think that one would end up in court. It’s hard to give the KKK the right to march and spread their verbal filth and then deny these folks.
    To me, they may be different colors but they are cut from the same loaf. Racist, hateful, ignorant, criminal. Another great reason to not live in the US.

  2. expatbrian Says:

    Good post by the way. I hadn’t seen this. And your right. It should be illegal, like much of what gets allowed under the freedom clause.

  3. jonolan Says:

    The only reason I think it falls outside of protected speech is that the DVDs and the people in the “movement” commit and advocate the commission of illegal actions. Such behavior has been proven in court not to be protected under the 1st Amendment.

  4. Jamelle Says:

    Is refusing to cooperate with authorities illegal? If it is, then maybe you have a point, if it isn’t though, then the stop snitchin’ folks are fully within their rights to tell people not to cooperate.

    And I think it’s important to remember that these things don’t happen in a vacuum. This is conjecture, but it might be that “stop snitchin'” is driven by a pervasive (and justifiable) fear and distrust of law enforcement.

    Just saying.

  5. jonolan Says:

    Refusing to report a crime, or refusing to implicate other criminals while in custody are not crimes. I’m of mixed opinions on whether or not that should continue to be the case, but that would be a topic for a different post and has no bearing on the current one.

    These DVDs actually include footage of crimes being committed as part of their message. I’m not talking about a documentary. I’m talking about showing snitches being beaten and small children saying “Don’t Snitch” while smoking “something” and brandishing a firearm!

    The whole don’t snitch ideology has been linked to witness tampering and revenge killings. The thugs in Baltimore are the visible heads of this group and should therefor be culpable.

    You’re right; these things do not happen in a vacuum. They happen in environments where druglords, street gangs and vicious thugs will do anything to maintain their income and control.

  6. Justin Says:

    I’m right curious about the “new hopeful division in Black attitudes,” I must say.

  7. jonolan Says:

    Welcome, Justin!

    You’d be best off reading the Pew study I linked to and forming your own opinion, but I’ll give you my opinion.

    That study showed that large percentage of the Blacks surveyed were moving beyond the “oppressed minority” mindset and integrating into the general US culture. While they were adamant – and I say correct – about racism still being common, they were no longer accepting that this was an excuse for misbehavior or failure. I found that hopeful.

    The majority of Blacks surveyed also found rap and hip-hip to be grossly detrimental to the Black population. Given the antisocial and horribly racist and sexist nature of much of that “musical” genre, I found their denouncement of it equally hopeful.

  8. Justin Says:

    Wow, not quite the response I expected.

    I’m curious what the questions were. Perhaps “do you think that blaming your failures on racism is awesome? [Yes/No]”

    Honestly, this is a report which asks whether they can consider blacks a single race. I think the proper response is WTF?

  9. jonolan Says:

    Yes, the separate or single race question was part of the study. It makes more sense these days than it would seem at first glance.

    Fight your way through the report if you want. All the questions are detailed therein. I cannot stress this enough – go to the source material and form your own opinion. Reflections From A Murky Pond can be politely described as OpEd; it carries a heavy burden of bias, mine. 😉

    BTW, what response were you expecting?

  10. Justin Says:

    I generally thought you’d show some awareness that your language made it sound as if blacks are a group of small children to be given stars or detention for good or bad attitudes.

  11. jonolan Says:

    Sorry, Justin – I’ve read and re-read my post in the light of your comment and I just don’t see where I’m saying or implying that “blacks are a group of small children to be given stars or detention for good or bad attitudes.” Unless you can explain it, I’m going to have to conclude that you brought that attitude or expectation with you instead of finding it here.

    I suppose I did commit the horrible social crime of speaking about a minority group in a less than completely and unadulteratedly glowing fashion. I also failed to excuse antisocial behavior, and failed utterly to blame their “plight” on the Whites or “The System”. For those actions do not apologize.

  12. Justin Says:

    Would you take the Midwest’s meth epidemic as a data-point in evaluating optimistic or pessimistic changes in White attitudes or White behaviors? I doubt it (and if you, would, I’ll say that’s a silly way to think). Similarly, it’s kind of fatuous to talk about whether the trends in Black attitudes are good or bad.

    The people behind stop-snitching are obviously pretty awful human beings. But they’re not representative of blacks as a whole. (You clearly see that, which is good). But if you don’t think that, then why talk about them as if they’re one entry in a ledger of good and bad attitudes among blacks?

    I’m not charging you with a “social crime.” I’m saying that you’re engaged in a kind of absurd way of thinking. That’s an intellectual crime if it’s any sort of crime.

  13. jonolan Says:

    I might take the Midwest’s meth epidemic as a data-point in evaluating changes or trends in White behaviors, but I would need a series of studies of the course of years in order to model even a basic trend – like the Pew Research Study i linked to in the post.

    Trends in attitude can be simplistically described as good or bad. Would you have preferred pro- and anti-social instead? Beneficial and counter-productive? I don’t understand why you would describe that as fatuous.

    All behaviors – Black, White, Blue, Spotted – are actually just “ledger entries.” They’re statistics used in predictive sociodynamic studies.

  14. Matt Pearl Says:

    There was a big problem with people being unwilling to “snitch” in Atlanta recently. In this instance, there was a shooting at a Highschool Graduation party in a predominantly black area of town. The police were greatly hampered in their investigation by kids who had been brainwashed into the “stop snitching” “movement,” though they did eventually find the killer. It’s sick, but it’s a societal issue, not a legal one…

  15. jonolan Says:

    When it solely involves indoctrinating people into such antisocial behaviors, the “stop snitching” phenomenon is a purely societal issue. When – as it has – crosses over into witness intimidation, then it becomes a legal issue.

    Thanks for your comment, Matt.

  16. dailytri Says:

    I wrote a post on the stop snitchin movement a few months ago (http://dailytri.wordpress.com/2007/08/13/snitchin-ie-i-dont-care/).

    60 Minutes” covered this issue quite well, I thought. It’s frightening to think that through this “idea” perpetuated by thugs and criminals, a portion of young adults today will grow up with no moral compass or ability to “do the right thing.”

    — Edited by jonolan in order to link to dailtri’s article.

  17. jonolan Says:

    Welcome to Reflections From A Murky Pond, dailytri. I’m definitely going to check out your post.

    I think it’s worse than a lack of a moral compass or ability to “do the right thing.” It’s a “movement” that strongly – often lethally forcibly – encourages people to “do the wrong thing!” It’s not such apathy as actual antipathy.

  18. in2thefray Says:

    In Boston there were people selling “Stop Snitching” t-shirts. The BPD have had to aggressively pursue programs to encourage people/victims to interact w/ the police so the police can actually do some good in the hood. Having taken a quick look at the Pew study I have to say my previous thoughts are only fortified. It isn’t a race issue it’s a class issue. Whether it’s white,black or hispanic elements that find crime and despair as true alternatives to personal responsibility are destined to create an underclass within society. People that are “surprised” that there is a black middle class drives me nuts.The “black middle class” isn’t less black or more white. They are a group of individuals embracing social values and the values of self responsibility and hard work.These things are in everyone it’s just a question of people being strong enough to step up and do the work.

  19. jonolan Says:

    You’re, in my estimation, exactly right, in2thefray – it’s more an issue of class than of race. That a large percentage of the people – Blacks – that were polled had moved beyond the “race” idea or excuse was the hope that I saw.

    Thanks for stopping by again!

  20. Inzax Says:

    We have parents in Omaha, Nebraska who encourage their children to run from the police. Local media did a story and interviewed a number of adults who claim they instruct the children to run whenever the police attempt to contact them.

    It started as a result of police shootings, justified by officials, criticized by a small niche of the population. More and more you see segments of the population wrap themselves in a deviant sub culture and reject reality no matter how obvious the facts are.

    When one is immersed in such a culture they lose all sense of reality or societal norms. Any ideas or thoughts congruent with the mainstream are shunned out of fear they will be labeled. It allows for perverse ideas to take hold and blossom.

  21. jonolan Says:

    Welcome, Inzax!

    Thanks for adding the details on Omaha, NE. It seems this antisocial and self-destructive subversive ideology is even more pervasive than I first feared.

  22. rappers in stop snitching movement Says:

    […] crap is out of control …. I wrote a post on the stop snitchin movement a few months ago …https://blog.jonolan.net/politics/stop-snitching/Latest News – Anti-Snitch Campaign Riles Police, ProsecutorsRapper Chuck D of Public Enemy has […]

  23. An Untold Hope | Reflections From a Murky Pond Says:

    […] From what I can see Star Parker was referring to the 2007 Pew Research Center study on racial attitudes. It was a solid and hopeful study which I’ve referenced here before. Though, even then, it was in the context of disgust and borderline disillusionment. […]

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