STOP Snitching. Start witnessing. | ||
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I was doing some research on the internet about snitch culture. I found a book and some articles that explained that American minority communities and the legal system had been corrupted by the informant programs. The last 20 years has seen an incredable increase and growth of the snitch culture. The articles talked about the war on drugs, and that the communities that had suffered the most had been latino and minority communities. The articles explained that as many as 50% of the men in some communities were under survellence, had been in trouble with the law or were paid informants. Already strained those neighbourhoods are just pushed further to the limits. The articles also pointed out the fact that many communities have informants that are criminals who are under police protection. This means not only do they not pay for their own crimes, but they are sent back into the communities that the police are suppose to be protecting and they are left to run loose. They are often allowed to sell drugs, and commit other crimes unabted because they are protected by the criminal justice system which is suppose to be protecting soicieties. The article pointed out the lack of trust this fosters in those communities between the police and the residents. Part of this is why the don't snitch message had gained such a strong appeal. The problem was that many people were taking the don't snitch message in a negative way, or some people were abusing it to stop legit witnesses from testifying. The underlying problems that had been created by the criminal justice system letting criminals run loose, was being buried by all the negative press. That's why this site was created, it's to bring awareness to the public about this issue which is getting more prevalent in America and Canada. For years members of these communities have been affected by these problems and gone unheard. Now with lawyers, procecuters, and others in the criminal justice system waking up to the problems that are being caused, it's time to work on soultions to fix some of the mistrust and negativity that has been created by these programs. The site is also here to help define the lines between snitching, informing, rating, verses testifying, witnessing, whistle blowing and the like. | |
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