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Hello Friends:Terrible coverage! You'd think snitching was all about murder on the streets. And I apologize about not getting notice of that programming coming out. For those who saw it -- CBS 60 Minutes and CNN have ways to leave comments. I've appended mine to CNN -- Anderson Cooper below. For those that didn't see it -- Anderson Cooper, via 60 Minutes on Sunday and yesterday on CNN explored the Stop Snitching "movement." (You can read the transcript here.) I despised how rude Anderson Cooper was to Russell Simmons, who was not defending people that weren't testifying against murderers. I also hated the way all the recent hoopla about the 'Stop Snitching Movement' is all about "murder." And this is probably more of a rant, than an essay or white paper. I'm soliciting some discussion from all of you about Drug War Snitching, and how we teach about it when there is a powerful movement working to reduce Stop Snitching to being all about 'murder.' For the last year, I've noticed a sort of 'movement' of community activists and police, working together to counter the Stop Snitching code of the street. Yet, as I read the analysis and recommendations from this "Anti Stop Snitching Movement" -- almost NO one mentions the terrible state assisted betrayal and drug war snitching, that sends people to prison for decades on words -- and no one exposing the psychological torture that is -- not to mention extreme societal damage of over incarceration. None of the enforcers are willing to say -- for 30 years we've been taking families into separate interrogation rooms and without tape or video cameras running -- we tell Mr. Smith to tell us everything they know about his cousin, or they'll lock his mother up. According to Philip Zimbardo of the Stanford Prison Experiment , and author of The Lucifer Effect, human beings have capacity to abuse another human being when certain social power situations are in place. Drug War Policing is this power situation. We, people in the November Coalition and in its vast network, need to begin to talk about the problems of snitching, especially within hidden policing procedures. We really have to counter this new get tough policing movement. Every time I read the various state and federal bills to 'address gang-violence' I see too much money making the police more militaristic in communities. That sort of policing makes people turn to themselves, rather than on themselves. Stop snitching is a code on the street, in part because when a 'hit' goes down -- people don't know if the 'friend' really was one. Maybe they died cos they were snitching after a closed session with the police? Who knows anymore. We can't tell the bad guys from the good ole guys. Same with the police. If the police are corrupt, then a person 'snitches' and they get popped and no paper work filed. Anyone think it is that bad in some communities? If you have a loved one serving time on words -- you know how bad it is. We don't want to let this 'anti-stop-snitching' movement simply leave out the roots of the stop snitching movement, and try to convince people that snitching is all about murderers going free, and not about people being terribly afraid of the police. Recently I was part of a day long "Roundtable on Snitching" convened by the ACLU which brought together a unique mix of grassroots organizers, hip-hop poets and songwriters that are grassroots organizers, published writers, movie producers and civil rights workers committed to citizen organizing. It was a day where they let a disparate group of people, who had demonstrated through their work they had working knowledge of the 'drug war snitch problem' -- talk together. We also were given some polling results -- people know a great deal about snitching, and most people know it usually isn't a murder case -- they have great understanding of how snitching, and drug law enforcement work. I'll talk more about that roundtable another day. A lot of you might not have visited a page where we have various articles, scholarly information, and assorted information about drug war snitching. It started as a place where we kept documents we studied often, and now it's just a big list of great 'Stop Drug War Snitching" or "The Drug War and Informants" links to the topic online: www.november.org/Snitch In closing -- send me your thoughts on how we can all teach others about the injustice of Drug War Snitching? My quick response to Andererson Cooper: Re: Stop SnitchingDear Anderson Cooper:Canada was given time to talk on and on, repeating his "message sound bytes over and over". Simmons had to try to talk over you. You were openly hostile toward him, and gentle with Canada. Very obvious, sir. Why? Because Simmons message of over-policing, mostly drug law enforcement has solidified the "us against them" code of both police and civilian. And that is not a message you are allowed to give primetime to. CBS won't either. The drug war is a real war. The police wage it mostly by threatening people to testify or they will face charges and go to prison. Human beings generally fold under this tactic. It works and recent studies prove that mental torture is harder on people than physical torture. Drug war policing is torture. This policing cannot be monitored and every major study, report, internal or otherwise says so. Drug war tactics call for incentivized witnesses in order to secure convictions. Give the police information or you will do the time. And Bait and Switch is another problem, the police don't sign deals, indicted people have to. Thirty years later, drug war violence has escalated, and 'stop snitching' is a code on the street. Examine the roots Mr. Anderson -- and next time you have a guest with a counter-view -- perhaps you could let them speak. The media helped start the drug war, today we are world's leading jailer. How many are in prison because their friends traded words, to save their own butt? You ought to take a look inside the walls -- www.november.org Stop Snitching might be the only way to stop America's longest war. Sincerely, Nora Callahan |
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We are careful not to duplicate the efforts of other organizations, and as a grassroots coalition of prisoners and social reformers, our resources (time and money) are limited. The vast expertise and scope of the various drug reform organizations will enable you to stay informed on the ever-changing, many-faceted aspects of the movement. Our colleagues in reform also give the latest drug war news. Please check their websites often. |
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