Saturday, February 7, 2009

What's wrong with you people? Start Snitchin'!


The Reverend Al Sharpton will join the families of two slain teenagers during an launching a nationwide drive against the “Stop Snitching” culture. Rev. Sharpton, President of National Action Network, will appear with Bishop Victory Curry and Rev. Gaston Smith at Friendship MBC. Additionally, Sharpton will add to the reward fund that has been established in finding the killer of 16-year-old Brandon Mills and 18-year-old Derrick ”Termite” Gloster.

The “Stop Snitchin” slogan gained popularity in 2004, when producers Rodney Bethea and Ronnie “Skinny Suge” Thomas released a DVD by the same title, which featured drug dealers exposing various Baltimore, Maryland informants. The DVD also helped expose corrupt police in Baltimore, Maryland, as former BPD officers William King and Antonio Murray were sentenced to 34 years in prison, stemming from drug dealing allegations on the controversial release.

Around 2005, the “Stop Snitchin” slogan logo started to appear on clothing, popularized by rap groups like The Diplomats, as a fashion trend. Group leader Cam’ron even appeared on an infamous segment of 60 Minutes in April of 2007, where he explained his reasoning behind supporting the slogan.

The concept has hindered many criminal investigations nationwide, including the Liberty City shootings, which took place in front of several dozen people on Friday (January 23).

Police believe one or multiple gun men sprayed a crowd of up to 50 people with an AK-47 assault rifle, leaving two dead and seriously wounding seven others. ”We are all hurting,” Gloster’s grandmother, Caron Dixon told The Miami Herald. “We are just so tired of these guns.” Most of those injured were students at Northwestern High School, where up to 20 police officers now patrol the area, for security reasons.

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