'STOP SNITCHING' CAMPAIGN RUNS DEEPER THAN MOST THINK

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.