To Snitch or Not to Snitch

by Matthew Cooper

Snitching, or "being hot," has been a controversial subject plaguing urban communities nationwide. It is an unofficial code in many neighborhoods, encouraging people to not tell the police if they witnessed a crime. Otherwise, they face the possibility of being killed. "Stop Snitching" has become almost a nationwide phenomenon, with the slogan being put into rap music and on stop signs on shirts.

Leaders and activists in Washington, D.C., discussed the controversy recently during a forum on "What's Snitching and What's Not" at the Blackburn Center at Howard University. A diverse panel included assistant police chief Diane Groomes, District attorney Albert Herring, Temple professor March Lamont Hill, Roc-a-fella Records rapper Freeway and Ron Johnson, a former gang member from Compton, Calif., representing Jim Brown's Amer-I-Can program.
Peaceaholics organized the forum as part of D.C. Atonement Week to facilitate a discussion about when residents feel it is justified and safe to tell the police about a crime, and to shed light on the true definition of being a snitch.
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