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I was talking with one of my partners and the conversation made its way to snitching. That’s right…I said snitching. Ya’ll know what I mean…telling on folks. This can be in the form of telling an authority (police, teacher, parent) or a guy telling a female what some other guy said or did (or vice versa). For the purpose of this Blog, I’d like to discuss Snitching on criminals. As we discussed snitching more and more it struck me that as a people, descendent of slavery African-Americans are taught early in life…NOT TO SNITCH. Now don’t get me wrong, we are not the only ethnic group that believes in NOT SNITCHING. I’ve seen first-hand where Mexican-Americans and Korean-American use their own brand of justice rather than tell an authority who did what to whom. But Black folks have an affinity with this concept. My dear friend was getting heated as me because I suggested that we need to start turning folks in to the police. If you see the crime happen in your hood…SNITCH! IMHO, if the criminals know that there behaviors will not be tolerated by the residents…they we find somewhere else to go/hang-out/deal. It may talk time for them to get the message…but I think they will eventually leave your hood. His issue was that some police are as corrupt as the criminals. In some cases, he suggested that if enough money changes hands, your safety could be in jeopardy…because the police snitch on YOU. He suggested that because I am away from the hood…. living the good life… that I should NOT propose that my brothers and sisters dial 911 rather than dial Thug Daddy to handle crimes. Or worse, he gave examples of how it may be better to just live in fear rather than reap the repercussions of getting involved….eg…whole families have been killed because one person Snitched. Although I try to spend enough time in the hood to keep my street credits…he was right. I don’t live there anymore. It’s easy for me to sit in my comfortable home in a gated community and suggest that folks in the hood should just call the law. I don’t think I’m going to back off my position, but I wanted to get your thoughts? If I use empathy, I can see how he has valid concerns. It’s not like we don’t see daily stories of corrupt Cops….and these are just the ones they catch. But hey…it will never get better if folks don’t try to make it better….right? We want people to take personal accountability….right? But we don’t want the criminals to turn innocent folks into targets because they tried to do their civic duty…right? So what are your thoughts? 1. When is it NOT OK TO SNITCH? 2. Do we have a learned behavior that teaches us that Snitching is a taboo? 3. Would things get better is people start telling on each other? 4. What is the limit…do you snitch on your own kids, parents, siblings, spouse?
Posted By: Dr. Ahmad Glover
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 at 10:54AM
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So Corey,
How can we very make the hood better (safer, drug free, okay for kids to play) if we don't get the criminals out of the hood?
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 at 11:52AM
Dr. Ahmad Glover
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Clark,
I'm with you. Although I can understand Corey's issues...IHMO in order for use to prosper as a people (I'm talking specifically about descendents of slaves- Black Folks) we have to start taking ourselves a more serious. Put away childish things...
1 Corinthians 13:11: Pick your flavor...
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International Standard Version (©2008)
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I no longer used childish ways.
King James Bible
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
American King James Version
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
American Standard Version
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.
Bible in Basic English
When I was a child, I made use of a child's language, I had a child's feelings and a child's thoughts: now that I am a man, I have put away the things of a child.
Douay-Rheims Bible
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But, when I became a man, I put away the things of a child.
Darby Bible Translation
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I reasoned as a child; when I became a man, I had done with what belonged to the child.
English Revised Version
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things.
Webster's Bible Translation
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Weymouth New Testament
When I was a child, I talked like a child, felt like a child, reasoned like a child: when I became a man, I put from me childish ways.
World English Bible
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.
Young's Literal Translation
When I was a babe, as a babe I was speaking, as a babe I was thinking, as a babe I was reasoning, and when I have become a man, I have made useless the things of the babe
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 at 12:43PM
Dr. Ahmad Glover
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Corey,
I agree...but how do we teach the children to change? What should we do differently and how? Specifically...what would you say to the young boys and girls about snitching?
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 at 3:10PM
Dr. Ahmad Glover
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This was a very informative dialogue, gentlemen. It is definitely an inner-city issue moreso in gated communities and I guess the best thing is to instill those basic values in the children.
Thus, I would emphasize telling an adult you can trust to be responsible to do the right thing. If we shush them up when they come running in the house because Skillet has a gun, then we can expect that a crime will occur and the lesson for the child will be turn the other cheek!
We have lost so much as far as values with the X-Generation (?) and those parents have become quite irresponsible. I cannot stand when the kids at school cover up for unruly kids and I'm talking major stuff like turning on the gas valves in an empty lab to helping students sneak weapons into school for a stupid argument.
The frightening part is that their parents back them all the way as far as not wanting them to "snitch." One parent told me it was not "cool" to snitch and her child was covering up for another student to bring and sell drugs at school.
Of course, you cannot get those same parents to volunteer at the dang school or show up for PTA's, but I think that's another blog, smile.
Anyway, keep spoon-feeding those holesome values down a child's throat and pray.
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 at 6:29PM
agnes levine
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Everyone made valid points and I see the angle that Corey is coming from. Pookie, Rae Rae, Skillet and even Rat Boy should be man enough to handle the fates that they created for themselves. The thing is when they are all gone, they will be replaced three more guys and someone who will tell something for temporary gain or freedom. The story that unfolded for those four men has played out and replayed for years before any of us existed and will continue until everyone takes Rae Rae, Skillet and Pookie and give them options that can replace the false dreams that they are chasing.
Wednesday, August 20th 2008 at 7:00PM
Emmanuel Brown
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Mj, your right about the codes among "g's" and what that use to mean. The lines are blury and took a turn for "the even worst" these days. Corey, as for as that cop, talking about "not respecting" a snitch, I find it very ironic that most of the cases wouldn't even be close to becoming solved if it wasn't for these so-called snitches.
Its funny we call the brothers or "g's" in the street hustle game snitches but we call people hustling in the corporate game "whistleblowers." It's the same thing MAYBE with less physical violence in most situations. The employees of Enron got hustled, but the person(s) who went to the authorities was labeled a whistleblower. I think its the same thing but is caterogized differently.
In both the corporate and street hustling game, I think people need to be exposed because it causes harm to the quality of life and the fabric of the community. The shutting down of corporations, takes away a persons pay, pension and security; and the street hustler, takes away the dignity of the users, the family structure, and security; therefore leading both corporate and street hustlers to ravage the communities to no ends. Snitching and whistleblowing are the same, both could be viewed as negative, depending on your take of the situation. But whats in it for the snitch or the whistlebower, that concerns me. Most of these people, escape jail time and are able to get back into the game with no serious consquences or back lash. The "dirty trick" is that the authorities allows for the blury street codes of "g's" today to be trial, jury and excutioner. Which in most cases increases the homicide rates, Corey I do agree with you there.
Thursday, August 21st 2008 at 11:19AM
Kenneth X
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personal responsibility, then corporate responsibility... I'd like to ask all those that don't want to get invovled, and snitch... what if you were on the receiving end of the beat down, robbery or whatever, What if your sister, daughter, niece was getting beat up? Wnat if it was your grandma that got hit in the driveby? Wouldnt' you want help? Wouldn't you want support?
the whistleblower/snitcy is thiinking "man, if it happened to me, it will happen to someone else." And that's takiing community respoonsibility. there's a time to c-y-a and there's a time to c-your brother's-a and that might include turning that joker into the authorities!
Saturday, August 30th 2008 at 11:59AM
r.e jones
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Its always okay to snitch on the police but seemingly not okay to snitch to the police. I think we snitch way more than we admit. Dry Snitchin in on the rise. Have you seen First 48 lately. They always snitch.
Sunday, September 14th 2008 at 10:10PM
Kanika Jamila
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