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5A OPINIONS/Oatlotte 3fiost Thursday, May 11, 2006 Anti-snitching means putting community at risk For as long as there has been crime in the streets, there has been a code of silence in the streets. You break that code - you could get hurt or Idlled. Now the reach of that code is at an all-time high (or low, depending on how you view it), and this once unspoken rule is being broadcast loudly and clearly I Lines of t-shirts that boldly state “Stop I Snitchin’”, “Ditches Are For Snitches”, I “Snitches Get Stitches” and any number of I similar sentiments have swept across I America, particularly within the black I community “encouraging” residents to ■ mind their business when it comes to police investigations. Their rapidly grow ing popularity has helped propel the anti snitch movem^t, if you will, from Main Street to the mainstream, making the job of law enforcement in many cities even more difficult than before. In fact, a judge in Meissachusetts had to ban the shirts from a courtroom earlier this year because of tiie intimidating effect they were having on witnesses. The widely available ‘snitch’ shirts can often be seen in music videos, CD covers and hip hop posters, and the mes sage is often heard in the lyrics of some of today’s hottest rappers. The pli^t of some rappers lately has been a les son in hfe imitating art. Currently, rapper Busta Rhymes, jiee Trevor Smith, is being sou^t by the NYPD to disclose information concerning the shooting death of his body guard Israel Ramirez. He has remained defiantly mute. Another high profile case involving Brooklyn Rapper Lil’ Kim ended with the rapper being sentenced to 366 days in a Philadelphia prison for choosing to lie to a grand jury instead of snitching on members of her entourage believed to have be^ in a shootout with a rival group. Both Busta Rhymes and Lil’ Kim have garnered an enor mous amount of respect and street credibihty or “street cred” for choosing to keep silent rather than cooperating with the legal system. Whatever their reasons for fining so, they no doubt realize that those who do snitch risk being labeled a “rat’ and are routinely shunned and threatened as a result. Besides the fear of retribution, there are various other reasons why some blacks refuse to cooperate with law enforcement. Many grow up in culture that says blacks can not trust the police. For some, it is purely a matter of loy alty Others feel that they can handle the situation them- sdves. The adoption of a hear no evil, see no evil’ attitude is yet another reason. Popular culture, mobster movies and TV shows, such as HBO’s highly rated “The Sopranos,” have reinforced and, accordii^ to some critics, even ^amorized this mantra and the gangster hfestjie in general. There is something to be said for loyalty It can be said that the no-snitch vow grew fixxm the loots of slavery When working toward a greater cause, black people band ed together to protect each othra- out of necessity The Undeiground Railroad, for instance, may very well have not flourished but for the collective secrecy amongst slaves and their desire to reach a common goal-a successful escape. Their silence for the most part kept that movement from being sold out. But what is the noble cause now? I am not an advocate of the tattletale mentality but at some point there has to arise a desire to battle the forces that are keeping black community in a self-destructive state. Distrust of police and the fear of retaliation by crim inals are understandable. But what is the alternative? The cyde of violence and crime will not cease if people remain silent. In fact, it will only aid in allowing innocent people to be victims and prove anti-climatic when trying to rid neighborhoods of drugs and crime I often hear black people complain that the police do nothing about crime in their ne^hborhoods, but then they do not cooperate with investigations and even get irritated when they see a convoy of poHce cars on patrol in their neighborhoods. I understand the apprehension. There are some members of law enforcement and the legal system who may be just as dirty as the criminals themsdves, but it’s hard to have it both ways. Bdi^ unwilling to testify is a fiustrating hurdle toward effectively policing the neigh borhoods that need it most. The stop snitchin’ shirts fur ther undermine efforts to quell violence and do little to improve what is often an insecure relationship between pohce and some neighborhoods. Despite what society and often the media would have us believe, there is a clear line of distinction between selling out and seeldi^ justice, especially in situations where peo ple, even whole communities, are suffering. Working toward removing negative and harmful elements fiom the commimity is not selling out. Not doing so is. ANGELA LINDSAY is Charlotte attorney. E-mail her lindsay- law00@yahooeom. Where is the March for black folks? Can you beheve all the attention and consternation caused by the recent demonstrations and protests on bdialf of illegal immi grants? Mhions of people out in the streets, standing up for their ‘Vi^ts,” boycottii^, stopping traffic, anA doing an in-your-face reality check aU over this country The issue of illegal immigrants has taken center stage, and there may be no turning back. T,ikp my man, Gil Scott-Heron said in his timeless stirring tribute to Jose Campos Ibrres, tiiis country needed some “new n s.” And as Claud Anderson has been saying for more than a decade, “If you (Black people) didn’t get anything when you were in second place in this coimtry what do you think you are going to get in third - and maybe even foiirth place?” Yes, the nation’s attention is now focused on the plight of the immigrants. The only non-immi grants in this country the only on^ who suffered slavery Jim Crow, and blatant discrimination, even to this present day, are not even a bhp on the social radar screen. The people with whose labor this country was built, the lives of those fix)m which this coimtry’s wealth was obtained, Black people of Afiican descent, are no longer the n s of America. Well, is that a good thing or a bad thing? * We didn’t sneak into this comtry, we did not come h^ volim- tarily in the relative comfort of ships; we were not given sanctuary on these shores; we were not sworn in as citizens of the U.S.; we were not allowed to participate in the Gold Rush and the Land Grab; our businesses were not subsidized by the government; we were not included in the Declaration of Independence; and, despite using our talents and sldlls to cultivate the land, to harvest the cash crops, to invent new tools and conveniences, to care for White children, to clean the homes of White folks, to serve them and figbt. their wars, despite all of that and more, we were not even consid ered 100 percent hviman in the U.S. Constitution. Not only do we not coimt to the rest of this covmtry we obvious ly don’t count to ourselves. Why? Did you notice some of our so- called leaders marching and supporting the immigrant cause? Hey, nothing against the immigrants for seeking an edge in this ‘land of opportunity” but give me a break. Black folks! After near ly 400 years since we “officially” entered this country don’t you think we would have held our march, our boycott, our demonstra tion, our protest by now? I can hear you saying, “But we had ours in the 1960s when we marched and boycotted and demonstrated for civil rights.” Yes, we did. But what about our economic rights? We are still at tile bottom of eveiy economic category in this coimtry Why? Maybe it’s because we have not brought this country to a screech ing halt for a day or even a week Maybe we are bdng pushed to the end of the line because we have not been serious in our indig nation at being mistreated in the country that our fathers built Maybe we are just such nice people, and we willingly subjugate ourselves in deference to other groups, especially White people. I don’t know what it is about us, but I sure am ready for a Black people’s march; 1 am ready for “Blackout,” a day without the labor of Black folks. If people who are in this country iU^ally can do it and make such an impact, what do you think the impact would be if Black people, supposedly made legal by default, wouldhave? It sure would be interesting, and escitii^, to find out. I cannot get over the fact that some Black folks are marching in support of this latest cause de jour, as if they have some say in what happens to the immigrants, and yet have not organized a march, and I said a “march” not a stand-in, for Black people. What is wrong with us? We see millions of folks on the move, working together, willing to sacrifice for one another, not asking and beg ging but dananding ri^ts for ‘TlLegal” immigrants, while we engage in rhetorical doublespeak about what someone else Don’t reduce this to an “us against them” argument. That only shrouds the important issues and diverts us firom our own battle. Don’t fall for the retorts that suggest you are a hater or a bad per son whai you choose to speak out on behalf of Black people in this country And don’t be swayed by those who suggest you sbonld stand up for others even before you stand up for yourself and your own children. Those who are marching indeed have every right to do so; quite honestly it is refieshit^ to see people who are mafraid, willing to make sacrifices, and people who are resolute in actually fighting the power, as opposed to just singing the song. Howeva*, Bla^k people not only have the right, but we also have the greater responsibility of an obligation to do the same and much more to attain the collective status and recognition our ancestors’ legacy demands of us. The blood of our rdatives cries out fiom the ground, like Abd’s blood called out after he was slain by his brother. WiU we answer positively or continue to languish in despair, only finding solace in the strokes of others? When will our marches be hdd across this country to the extent that the economic impact wiU be felt by those who hold us in disdain and steal fix)m us everyday? When? JAMES E. CUNGMAN, an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati's African American Studies department, is former editor of the Cincinnati Herald newspaper andfounder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce. The state of Black America The National Urban League recently released The State of Black America 2006: The Opportunity Compact, its annual report on the status of black Americans. The report features the “Equality Index,” a statistical measurement of disparities or “equality gaps” between blacks and whit^ across five key areas. The Equality Index gives a vmique picture of how black America is doing, and it shows how far we still have to go. This year’s Equality Index mea sured the gaps between Blacks and whites in economics, health, educa tion, social justice, and dvic engage ment. Whites were given a value of 1 in each category and blacks were measured against their performance; I a score higher than 1 meant blacks were doing better than whites, and a score less than 1 meant Blacks were doing worse. Overall, the Equality Index showed blacks are at 0.73 of the status of whites. On most report cards, that’s a C. The National Urban League report inakes another comparison: “Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution counted an enslaved Afiican American for tax and state representation purposes as 3/5 of person, or 60 percent (0.60) index value”. So fix)m slavery to 2006, we haven’t made it all that far. Where exactly do we stiU fall short? The bluest gap is in economic equality The report formd the median net worth of the aver age black family is 10 times less than the average white family- $6,166 versus $67,000, mainly because of the differences in both income levels and home ownership rates. Median income levels for blacks were significantly lower than those for whites, and unemploymmt rates were twice as high. Meanwhile, homes remain a key source of net worth and wealth, but just under half of blacks own their homes, com pared to 70 percent of whites. The persistent black-white health gap is anoth^ key concern, espedally since the National Urban League has identified some discouraging trends, incduding increases in the proportions of Black chil dren and adults without health insurance. As the study points out, “Take a group that suffers dispro portionately fium health care issues, and couple that with a hi^er percentage of that group not having the means to combat illness or receive preventative treatment—the outcome is a vicious cycle that holds the promise of perpetuating itself for years to come.” The National Urban League also points out that this year’s report is especially ironic in the wakes of last year’s natural disasters: “Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the tragically slow government response exposed, in the starkest and most depress ing terms imaginable, the race and class gaps that our previous reports and Equahty Indexes had high lighted. Sadly these numbers were illustrated in sharp rehef last summer when America was forced to see the gaping chasm between white and black America, the haves and the have-nots. Hurricane Katrina was a wakeup call for the nation to lift many fiom the depths of poverty Unfortunately the initial flurry of concern and attention to poverty and injus tice has given way to the status quo of neglect, domes tic budget cuts, insensitivity and shortsighted policy priorities.” So what can we do about the persistent inequality? The Opportunity Compact is the public policy foun dation of the National Urban League’s agenda for closing the gaps. This year’s report focused on four policy areas: homeownership, jobs, economic devel opment, and children’s needs. There are specific solu tions, including fighting racial discrimination in housing and mortgage lending; increasing economic literacy and information about access to credit; strer^thening anti-discrimination laws; and ehmi- nating further tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and redirectii^ that money to a Child Poverty Elimination Fund. Answers are out there. We don’t have to settle for bdi^ three-fifths or three-fourths of full Americans forever. MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN is president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund and its Action Council whose Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. Connect with ilje ^Oit Send letters to The Charlotte Post, P.O. Box 30144 Charlotte, NC 28230 or e-mail editorial@thecharlot- tepost.ccm. We edit for grammar, clarity and space. Include your name and daytime phone number.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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May 11, 2006, edition 1
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