Looking out the tall glass window door's to my back patio this morning at these huge thunderstorm's, dark skies, and wind's ... while enjoying a good ole fashioned Tex/ Mex breakfast I rustled up, I was browsing some CNN video and some article's from local Baltimore paper's about the "Stop the Snitching" campaign that has not only plagued Baltimore ... but to be frank here ... every damn urban area across America for that matter. This is now getting atencion ... thanx to Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD). Rep. Cummings say's that over 90% of all witnesses to alot of gang related crime in Baltimore are victim's in retaliation from the ones they are witnessing against. Many of them are shot down in the street's, burned, tortured, stare down intimidation while on the stand by gang member's that are in the court, etc. The juror's are even victim's and threatened as well in most cases. Even though this "stop the snitching" campaign is relatively new, over the last few year's ... this has been embedded in American culture for decade's ... it IS NOT nothing new. Not just in freeworld society ... but every prison coast to coast as well, and cross cultural as well.
I myself was raised in those environment's that alway's said ... snitching is a terrible thing. I really never had to snitch anyone in my life, nor did I ever like it. However ... if a loved one is gunned down in front of you and you testify to it ... are you wrong? A murder I witnessed ... would have been around the age of 11/ 12 (?) ... it was a gruesome murder ... one that I can recall to this day in detail ... but I wont detail it here. It was in a northeastern city, where one man beat the skull of another man over a sewer drain with a hammer ... I was about 10/ 15'ft or so from it ... and was just in a daze I reckon ... not reacting much ... I guess shock ... I dont know ... I didnt know what to think ... I never saw nothing like that before. I was told by a older fella to walk ... and forget what I saw. I was young and scared ... I done what I was told. Word on the street later, was the victim was a snitch, and owed money to what was called in those day's ... the "mob". I learned I reckon at an early age the reality of humanity.
Rep. Cummings is pushing for legislation to provide grant's to local witness protection programme's ... something that common working class and low income communities dont have here. Sure the Federal Government has programme's to relocate and protect it's witnesses in their bigger fish cases ... but for the average American taxpayer in urban America ... your on your own ... bottom line ... and your too damn poor to relocate on your own ... and a criminal if you change your identity unofficially ... so your ass can be grass ... any way you slice it. The only time if your low income you will get any attention/ protection ... is when they are putting your remain's in a bag to transport you to forensic's and the morgue. Even folk's like the Taliban use these method's abroad ... not much different ... except the Taliban is more brutal ... and deal's with larger quantities. Intimidation has alway's been a successful tool ... it work's.
Since even these lower income folk's are tax payer's as well ... they should also get equal protection ... which they dont. Hell ... in these high profile federal cases ... they not only get relocated ... but set up in career's, cash payment's, new home's, name's, you name it ... they get the work's, and some of that money comes from every working and spending American ... regardless of what their social status is. We alway's hear how bad crime is in lower income urban area's, but we never hear much about why that is. Because it is able to breed in them area's because of fear ... and lack of confidence of the citizen's that they will be protected, or even remotely thought of ... put yourself in their shoe's for a day.
Congressman Cummings ..... Thank You Sir!
PS: A little additional note here ... many cities such as the DC/ B-more area are also under pressure from anti-gun folk's about possessing firearm's in their homes to protect themselves. Recently in the City of DC (Washington) folk's were granted by the court to finally be able to have a gun in their home ... but some of the stipulation's I read were insane ... like having only a revolver ... and with no bullet's in it and some kind of trigger lock ... wow ... what a treat! Some poor gal I seen in an interview who's family member was gunned down in a drive- by, was outraged about how she is restricted to protect herself ... her neighborhood is owned by gang's and short of police protection and lengthy police response times ... and she work's, but is too damn poor to move to any place better! She pay's her damn taxes, and has a right to bear arm's and protect her ass. Screw your bloody stipulation's! Talk that crap in Texas ... you'll be laughed at.
Another note ... is that the incident I witnessed above ... the man was so confident no one would snitch ... that he done this in daylight ... not only where I could see it but at least 20+ more people, in a densely populated brownstone neighborhood. Plus I heard that he didnt even go to trial, because he plea bargained for a manslaughter beef instead of murder and only got about 5 to 10, this is a state that was liberated ... no death penalty, and even the max on a murder one charge only carries 25 yr's to life with parole review in about 7 to 8 yr's.
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8 comments:
Of course we have nothing like that sort of crime here. One thing that really annoys me though, is people that are always calling the cops on their neighbors for partying or people who report some poor shmoo who's driving suspiciously or whatever. There are a lot of people like that here with nothing better to do then help the local police shake down the citizens. That kind of snitching I hate. The police even publicly encourage the local high school kids to snitch on their classmates, imagine that!
Yes... I know what you mean... our government seem's to have set up some kind of spy system in a way. But actually...even though you may now have that type of crime there...it is alway's good to be prepared.That calling police stuff over petty instances/concern's is very wasteful financially..and especially if the officer is needed for something serious. But there is a stark difference in a smaller town.I hear the IRS gives cash reward's to snitch folk's on taxes even.
Thanx for you input Ms.Rita...
I do not know your country or the reality of B-more. I watched the serial THE WIRE and got addicted to it and enjoyed every season. It is very well done. I want to know if you know this series and you like it or what you think about it.
No Mr.Prash... to be honest... I dont recall it. I do like tele(TV) but the only thing I watch is them documentary type show's like about animal's, archaeology,space exploration...type of stuff. I have a video collection as well of movies... but my favourite's are Clint Eastwood Western's(all old). Most of America's favourite fictional big screen cowboy is John Wayne, mine is Clint Eastwood, I probably have them all. But since you mention it... I will look it up and see what it is about .... especially considering the issue. There is alot of series or show's that I am not familiar with actually. Pretty much..the only two station's I watch would be PBS or BBC. Thanx for the tip Mr.Prash.
Have a good one guy..........
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wire_(TV_series)
check the above link. you will know more.
I hardly watch tele. I watch only BBC or CNN or TV5 (especially the news) and some documentary some times...
I watch more dvds because I hate to wait for one week to see the next episode. I watched the whole seasons in dvd.
Thanx Mr.Prash .... actually late last night I watched an episode of "The Wire" online, and thought it was pretty damn good actually. I liked the accuracy of the urban drug business... I have seen this exxagerated and really "off" in film before.For instance.... notice how the deal's go down... you have your watchdog sector man...then you alway's have the signal to a minor/underage to transport...and some stoned homey with a blunt and a 40 ounce to do a perimeter watch just to yell"Five-0"(a term that comes from the 70's Hawaii Five-0 tele series actually, which mean's heat/cop's) this is actually done since the minor cant get the felony rap as an adult criminal on the transport/delivery indictment.And the multi exchange method screw's up prosecutor's video's for making a solid case in court. There are many other little thing's that pointed to accuracy. I enjoyed it...
Thanx Guy ..........
One more thing Mr.Prash... just in case you dont know(since your not familiar with this country)what a "blunt" is or a "40 ounce". The "blunt" is a cigar wrap that the tobacco inside is replaced with pot/marijuana ... in some cases depending on preference, one might add what is called PCP, which actually these day's isnt really any more actual PCP then Meth these day's is actual methamphetamine... this PCP they use to lace is nothing more then embalming fluid and formaldehyde, actual 1970's PCP was a large animal tranquilizer...such as for elephant's. The "40 ounce" is simply beer/malt liqour ... you can tell alot about a young blood by the brand he drinx ... it's a "status" thing amongst youngster's like cell phone brand's or year's ago... tennis shoe brand's ... a good cop can read all these thing's like a book though.
Take care Guy...............
I watched all the seasons. It is one of my fav tv serials which depicts a reality with some kind of reality. The other one is The Shield. Of course, I hate to watch these serials in the tv... dvd is better :-0
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