To snitch or not to snitch?

For some people this really is a question. The next two posts will look at some of the issues related to snitching.

The first is a repost of a forum post I did back in 08/08. I had not idea at the time that the snitching issues was related to the Gang Stalking issue. I really thought that they were two seperate entities. I was however alarmed by what I read about how snitching drove up crime in society and post about it on several forums. Here is a repost. Several of the links will be none fuctional. As you know online links go missing, get deleted, moved, etc.

08/08
The idea of a surveillance society or snitch culture.

Both ideas are very current and many people do not realize how much it affect society. I really did not until I started doing more research on the subject.

There has been a whole brouhaha about the stop snitching message over the last two years. Many people see it as just a way for thugs to try to intimidate witness into not talking, but that is covering the underlying reasons why some educators, prosecutors, and people in many communities feel that the stop snitching message is a good one.

The other side of this coin is the fact that some communities have almost an estimated 50% of their young men and woman caught up in the informant programs. They are being asked to snitch on friends, family and people in their neghboruhoods. This in itself might not seem so bad on the surface, but it's destroying community trust in the police and it's causing snitches to be the deciding factor in weather a case get's prosecuted or not. In other words, the power is in the wrong place, and snitches have more power and play a greater role in justice than they should.

Also while on the informant programs, many snitches are allowed to continue their lives of crime without any penalties whatsoever. This means that they can sell drugs, do illegal activities and they have a get our of jail free card. Well in some communities this now means that snitching or informant criminals are running the show, with the awareness of the police who will not do anything cause the snitches are helping them out.

It's really devastating to some communities. Two of the communities hardest hit so far have been the Hispanic communities and the black communities in the states, however it's not limited to these communities, that was just the start.

So as the debate about stop snitching rages, many young men are getting the message that snitching is bad, but they are getting the message that all snitching is bad, meaning even helping out when they see a crime. That should not be the case either.

The other side feels that if you believe the stop snitching message you are into something illegal or against working with the police, the problem however is again the missed message about what snitching is doing to society.

There are some great articles on this if anyone wants to have a read. The articles show both sides, the state and state their views about the message, and have a quick glance at how widespread the informant snitch culture has become across America.

People would be really surprised I think.

The first is by Alexandra Natapoff. She talks about both sides of the message and why the informant culture is ruining society.

http://www.slate.com/id/2132092/

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Mav9tOvmWcQ

The next article is by Rheal Seguin. Get out of jail free. Lawyers challenge Informant deals

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
servlet/ArticleNews/freeheadlines/LAC/20060808/INFORMANTS08/national/National

The article is by Peter Waldman.The next is about an American who was asked to become a snitch or loose his green card.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13970.htm

This article is by Christopher Heredia. T-shirts illustrate divide 'Stop snitchin' stymies police trying to cut crime.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/28/BAGHUGV3AE1.DTL

Written by Beryl Wajsman. Of snithches spies and cowardly courts.
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/wajsman052006.htm

This article is by Patricia Williams. Patricia J. Williams. Truth or Consequences
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060403/william

Witten by Jim Kouri. Snitches Rats and Sqeelers. Why they do it.
http://www.oscweb.com/writing/crime10.htm

A really neat article that I just read about this says that Informants in former Eastern block countries might have played a role with driving up mental illness in those societies because no one ever know who they could trust.
http://www.november.org/razorwire/2005-02/Snitch.html

In East Germany the secret police or Stasi were able to use a super snitch or informant force of 1 in 50 of the population to spy on most of the country.

The American T.I.P.S. program that was officially cancelled, but according to other sources resurrected and privately funded was to have recruited 1 in 25 people for spying. 1 million spy's.
To communicate in public when you know what to look for is very easy and can be done quite stealthily.

Eg. Tapping the side of the nose, brushing back the hair three times, taping the corner of the eyes to say watch target.

Here are the signals the East Germans use to use. Stasi secret police.http://www.nthposition.com/stasiland.php

SIGNALS FOR OBSERVATION
1. Watch out! Subject is coming - touch nose with hand or handkerchief
2. Subject is moving on, going further, or overtaking - stroke hair with hand, or raise hat briefly 3. Subject standing still - lay one hand against back, or on stomach
4. Observing Agent wishes to terminate observation because cover threatened - bend and retie shoelaces
5. Subject returning - both hands against back, or on stomach
6. Observing Agent wishes to speak with Team Leader or other Observing Agents - take out briefcase or equivalent and examine contents.

To have an effective surveillance society it would seem that the informant force would have to be widely used, the only problem is that could have a large effect on society, and the morals of society.

Eg. How does a young person cope when they have been asked to become informant, they have a life time sentence of watching friends, family and turning in people, sometimes innocent people to keep themselves free of jail.

There is probably enough material for a few discussions, and many people in society are affected by this growing wave of surveillance snitch society, many that might not even be aware.
If these issues are not brought to the American public via television it could well turn up on their door steps when they least expect it.