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July 5, 2007 - San Jose Mercury News (CA)

Column: `Stop Snitching' Campaign Runs Deeper Than Most Think

By Davey D, Special to the Mercury News

Return to Drug War News: Don't Miss Archive

To snitch or not to snitch? Should one cooperate with the authorities or remain silent?

It's the $64,000 question that many within the hip-hop world have been grappling with over the past couple of years because of the "Stop Snitching" movement.

For many in mainstream America, these questions are "no brainers." Of course one should cooperate with law enforcement.

But the campaign, which is generally aimed at trying to get criminals to stop being informants for the police, has created an atmosphere of fear among today's hip-hop community - fear of reprisals from those who had the whistle blown on them.

There have been too many videos floating around the Internet and too many tales of horrors detailing the harsh punishment meted out to those who snitched.

We in hip-hop are reminded daily of this "Stop Snitching" ethos. It may come in the form of a popular T-shirt with an image of a stop sign and the words "Stop Snitching" emblazoned in the middle. It may come in the form of numerous rap songs put out by artists ranging from The Game to Scarface or Lil' Kim telling us that it's a cardinal sin to snitch.

It's well known that popular rap star Busta Rhymes refused to cooperate with police after his close friend and bodyguard Israel Ramirez was gunned down in front of him and others during a video shoot last year.

But maybe the most damaging incident was an infamous "60 Minutes" interview in which rap star Cam'ron, who was shot in an attempted car-jacking, asserted that he would never talk to the police. And, hypothetically, even if there were a serial killer living next door to him, he wouldn't snitch.

Cam'ron's remarks outraged law enforcement officials who said that attitudes like his were the main reason crime in the inner city is rampant and often unresolved. Many others saw Cam'ron's remarks as clownish and proof that hip-hop is grossly irresponsible.

But there's another side to this "Stop Snitching" story that extends beyond hip-hop and has grave social, political and historical significance that centers on deep distrust between the police and the black and brown communities.

The irony is that many within hip-hop were angry with Cam'ron because he squandered an opportunity to articulate to the nation what was really at the heart of the "Stop Snitching" movement.

Cam'ron failed to talk about rampant police misconduct and abuse resulting in so many people being incarcerated on the basis of false testimony by government informants who have been compromised or in many cases coerced to sell people out.

Many were angry with Cam'ron because he misled the public by erroneously defining what and who is a snitch. Gangster rap pioneer Ice-T quickly responded to Cam'ron's misstep by informing the public what snitching meant to those who come from the streets.

A snitch, he said, is someone who commits a crime with a partner and gets caught.

Instead of keeping his mouth shut and taking responsibility for his criminal activity, he cuts a deal with the police for lighter sentencing in exchange for ratting out his partner.

The "Stop Snitching" code is one shared among those in the underworld and has nothing to do with someone who is uninvolved in being a witness to a crime. So, as far as Ice-T was concerned, Cam'ron should be calling the authorities if he knew a serial killer lived next door.

Many were angry with Cam'ron because he didn't point out the obvious. He allowed Anderson Cooper to paint a picture that would lead one to believe that the "Stop Snitching" movement was a hip-hop creation.

But we all know stories of police and their "Blue Wall of Silence," which highlights the same practice.

Cam'ron could have also made an example of corrupt government officials including I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who some would say took a fall and was willing to do jail time for the wrongdoings of Vice President Dick Cheney.

"Stop Snitching" is bigger than hip-hop and speaks to some important larger issues which we will examine in future columns.

Davey D's hip-hop column is published biweekly in Eye. Contact him at mrdaveyd@aol.com

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