May 10, 2007 11:50 pm US/Central
Police Fear 'Stop Snitchin' Is Helping Killers
by Caroline Lowe
(WCCO)
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Investigators say the "Stop Snitchin" catch-phrase is keeping witnesses from coming forward even when violent crimes are committed against children.
CBS
Police fear that the hip-hop slogan "Stop Snitchin" is helping killers get away with murder in Minnesota. The phrase is heard in songs and seen on music videos and T-shirts.
Investigators say the "Stop Snitchin" catch-phrase is keeping witnesses from coming forward even when violent crimes are committed against children.
The phrase "Stop Snitchin" is prompting St. Paul's top cop to get another message out and hopefully get some of the city's worst criminals off the streets.
Minister KG is part of MAD DADS, which stands for "Men Against Destruction Defending Against Drugs and Social Disorder". He grew up on the streets of Chicago selling drugs and running with a gang. He said kids learn this code of silence at an early age.
"If you snitchin that means you're a punk or not cool," said Minister KG.
This gives criminals a free pass to prey on their neighborhoods.
"The longer that these criminals stay out here on the street, the more people are going to be killed and the more the crime is going to keep taking place," said Minister KG.
The "Stop Snitchin'" campaign baffles and concerns St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington.
"It's a message that really leads us down a path of destruction. It's a path that leads us to more bloodshed," said Harrington.
Harrington said he is frustrated with the lack of cooperation from some people in the community on recent high-profile cases.
Two examples are the rape of a 13-year-old girl on the east side and a triple murder on the north end. Harrington said he plans to launch his own "
anti-Stop Snitchin'" campaign.
"We need community folks to come forward and help us stop the violence," he said.
The chief plans to reach out to ministers to get their help to spread his message to stop the cycle of violence.
"If we ever get to the point where the community isn't sharing with us who is doing, who has the guns, who is involved in the violence we'll go back to a time when one shooting inevitable leads to another," said Harrington.
In 1995, Minneapolis had a record number of murders earning the infamous "Murderapolis" rap. Back then, a relatively small number of murders were solved.
"We will have total anarchy or chaos if people stop caring about their neighbor," said Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan.
He said now about 70 percent of his city's murders are solved and it's citizen cooperation that has made the difference.
"We wouldn't be able to make these cases if it wasn't for the witnesses, the store owner, the victims coming forward," said Dolan.
In a recent interview on "60 Minutes", one rapper said he wouldn't alert police even if a serial killer lived next door to him.
"No, I wouldn't call and tell anybody on him," Rap Artist Cam'ron said. "But I'd probably move. But I'm not gonna call and be like you know, 'the serial killer's in 4E.'"
Cam'ron later apologized for that statement, saying he'd been shot by a carjackers and felt like cooperating with police would make him a bigger target.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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