To Snitch Or Not To Snitch?

The opinions expressed in this editorial do not necessarily reflect the position of AllHipHop.com or any of its employees The justice system in this country sucks ass.  We all know that.  There are plenty of times when the judge, jury and executioner don’t give a damn whether or not you’re guilty.  The jails are filled with folks of color and the reasons behind that are convoluted and countless.  Is everybody in prison guilty? Hell no.  The system is racist and unyielding in its desire to incarcerate our folks.  Do we help the system?  Hell yes.  For every horrifying story of the innocent spending years behind bars or folks being over-sentenced, there are 10 stories about dudes who actually belong there.  That’s why this “no stitching” doctrine confuses me.  There are times when it’s probably best that you keep your mouth shut, but there are also times when giving up the information is the better course of action.  The hard fast rules hurt more than help in many instances, especially considering the source. Have you ever noticed that most of the people barking all that snitch s**t are the ones who have never been confronted by anyone related to lady justice?  How many have been in that situation?  How many of those who claim to live by the no snitch code have actually found themselves in a position where they had to evoke said code?  Jake asking you if you saw your boy lift that DVD from the FYE down the street does not count.  Seriously.  When was the last time you found yourself in a hail of bullets only to cradle your best friends head in your arms and watch his life drain from the bullet wound knowing the only thing you can do is call the law?  I’ve never been there.  I don’t want to be there and it’s unfair to judge anyone who has. Can you truly say that your adherence to some street law would be more important than attempting to bring some homicidal maniac to justice?  Oh, I forgot. You would drop that vigilante hammer on them, huh?  Posse up and go hunting humans, right?  Stop boo-boo. Stop. You watch too many f###### Charles Bronson movies. I think that in all aspects of our existence there is evolution.  We are products of our experiences which are driven by the decisions we make.  In the absence of that experience; your hard core Hip-Hop-coated thought process doesn’t amount to a hill of beans to that person who is living it. You can feel what you want.  You can concoct every situation possible that might require you to answer a question posed by a homicide detective. Stand in your mirror and practice your ‘f**k you copper’ face. Take notes from Juice and Menace to Society and get yourself ready.  I still really hope that you are never faced with such a horrible circumstance. However, at least we know if you are, you will be able to slick tongue yourself out of actually helping to bring your loved one some justice and making the neighborhood a little safer for the rest of us.  We thank you. Even Killa Cam explained the code in more detail once his camp apologized for the infamous Anderson Cooper interview.  He explained that it’s not code, but apprehension that drives the silence.  He said folks who cooperate with the police are frowned upon in the community and open themselves up to more criminal attacks.  So does that mean the code is nothing more than fear and apathy rather than a disdain for the criminal justice system? That fear is palpable and regularly cemented by brutal attacks on those who choose to do the right thing.  However, when you don’t have the strength to speak up for your own community, should you be berating those who do?  I don’t think so. We have developed a mistrust for law enforcement that is valid.  You can drown in the reams of paper that document the scandalous mistreatment of minorities at the hands of the boys in blue.  However, once you remove a single experience from that context; once you look at the lives lost and pain suffered; you have to admit that we also mistreat ourselves and that remaining silent or criticizing those who speak may be just as scandalous.