‘Start snitching,’ crime-hit communities urge

Saying they are frightened that a “no snitching” code is taking root in American society, political and civic leaders across the country are pushing witnesses to find the courage to step forward and help police investigate violent crimes.

The campaign has taken on added urgency with the pending release of a sequel to “Stop F***ing Snitching,” a notorious DVD blamed for glamorizing street violence in Baltimore and intimidating witnesses to keep them silent. The DVD circulated nationally — thanks in part to a performance by professional basketball star Carmelo Anthony — inspiring “Stop Snitching” caps and T-shirts and a rap music subgenre that has attracted superstar performers like Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and The Game.

Urly Media is promoting “Stop Snitching 2” as a “shockumentary” meant “to show the reality of hard times on hard streets.” In a trailer for the DVD on Urly Media’s Web site, a small child is shown waving a large revolver and smoking what appears to be a marijuana joint, a man is shown firing a gun into the air, and numerous people talk about the need to kill “rats” and “snitches.”

“This snitching thing is an ongoing thing. You hear it everywhere — don’t snitch, don’t snitch,” said Gloria Fant, whose 18-year-old grandson was shot and killed last year in Bristol Township, Pa. In July, someone scrawled the message “Snitch and Die” in chalk on a street near the scene.

Neighborhood residents said the graffito was left on the street for almost a month before it was finally removed, sending a chilling message to witnesses.

“It’s a rule, code of the street,” said Kyle Gallishaw, who lives in Bristol Township. “If you’re not from the street, then you wouldn’t understand.”

Silent witnesses cripple prosecutions
Some commentators argue that mainstream culture doesn’t understand the phenomenon, maintaining that the “stop snitching” message is targeted at criminals who implicate others to save themselves.

“In the black community it is commonly understood that a snitch is a crafty criminal who negotiates a deal for himself by telling on others,” Edrea Davis, author of the novel “SnitchCraft,” wrote in an essay on Baller Status, a Web site devoted to African-American issues.

‘Stop Snitchin’ ’ The “Stop Snitching” subgenre of rap music has won popularity for its brutal lyrics warning against cooperating with police. A sample, from “Stop Snitchin’,” by superstar rapper Ice Cube: Lay it out for these n****** to follow Get the point, but these points is hollow Now this here, is hard to swallow But if you do it’s like hittin the lotto. Don’t say s***, boy that’s basic They want to send a n***** back to the slave ship Stop snitchin’. You can have whatever you choose But out here, it’s don’ts and do’s So after we finish this mission Stop snitchin’, n*****, stop snitchin’. Source: sing365.com

“Since the days of slavery, providing information to authorities to gain favor has been viewed negatively,” wrote Davis, who called the stop snitching movement a “hoax.” “Judas would be considered a snitch primarily because he was one of the disciples, one of the crew.”

But police and families of crime victims say the intention is irrelevant — what is heard on the street is that any cooperation with the authorities is dangerous.

“They’re afraid to get involved,” said Bernie de la Rionda, a state prosecutor in Jacksonville, Fla., for 24 years.

“What I have seen is a dramatic increase in witnesses who have seen a murder occur — which is as violent a crime as you can get — and they don’t want to become involved because they don’t want to be labeled a snitch,” he said.

Law enforcement officials in other communities large and small agreed that the “no snitching” ethic was making their jobs significantly more difficult and leaving violent criminals on the streets.

For example, police in Nashville, Tenn., remain unable to identify credible witnesses to the shooting of Demarius Lacey, 17, who was killed as he talked with several people in broad daylight Sept. 5.

“In certain neighborhoods, they won’t talk to us because they are afraid of retaliation,” said Nashville police Officer Anna Maria Williams. “They are afraid of what their friends might say.”

Similarly, police in Rochester, N.Y., have made no arrests four months after Latasha Shaw, 36, was beaten and stabbed to death by what was described as a mob after she rushed to a street corner to help her daughter, who was being attacked. Police said that although a large number of people saw the killing, they have made little progress because of witness intimidation.

“The things that go on in this community are not a police problem. It’s a community problem,” said City Council member Adam McFadden, who said he had applied for a pistol permit and would personally offer armed protection to witnesses who would come forward in the case.

‘If someone will kill once, they’ll kill again’
The “stop snitching” campaign has galvanized many in Rochester besides McFadden. The outcry grew early last month after Keon Anderson, 19, was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a convenience store clerk. The shooting came just six weeks after Anderson was acquitted of murder in another shooting when two key prosecution witnesses bailed out at the last minute.

One of the witnesses, a 13-year-old boy who showed up for court with a fat lip and other injuries, said he had been beaten up for cooperating with police. Subsequently, the other witness, a 14-year-old boy, was not called to testify.

“I’ve often said if someone will kill once, they’ll kill again, and those that protect murderers and follow the dreaded ‘do not snitch’ focus ... end up adding to the problem,” Rochester Mayor Bob Duffy said.

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