Introduction
Robin Brown, reporter for The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware, posted this article on Sunday, November 12, 2006:
Phillip Reid, 18, of the 500 block of N. Clayton Street was shot and killed while riding his bicycle. Reid's killing was the 20th homicide in Wilmington this year, three more than the total for last year and one fewer than the record set in 1996. No suspected motive has been disclosed in Reid's death, and police continued to seek tips and witnesses Saturday night. Detectives worked through the night and into the early afternoon hours today investigating leads as they developed, Elliott said. (The News Journal, 2006)
Because of constant news articles like this, readers become desensitized to the continued loss of life in American society. Phillip Reid could have been anyone's son or brother. In fact, Phillip Reid was someone's son and someone's brother. This young man was not "just another" statistic of a youth being killed in an American urban community. He was also a special friend to many students and faculty, including me, at Howard High School of Technology. Phillip Reid was a young man whom I had the pleasure to meet and see at school each day.
In many cases like Phil's, it becomes a challenge for detectives to investigate and solve cases of murder, rape, robbery, assault and other criminal offenses. Such challenges arise in part because witnesses are reluctant to provide information to detectives. In this curriculum unit, I will explore the question (not a simple one), why are people hesitant to be a witness? Ordinarily, if a person has knowledge of a crime, he or she is eager to share such information to ensure that the perpetrator is removed from the streets. However, there are individuals in today's society who do not believe they should divulge information about a crime to a detective because if they do, they will be viewed as a snitch. A snitch is defined in modern terms as one who turns into an "informer"1, but the harsh reality in many communities is that a snitch is not considered an informer or a witness, but a person who betrays social allies to social enemies. This term evolved from words like "stool pigeon", "rat", and "sellout". The irony of this reality is that the same individuals who refuse to assist in solving a crime want justice to replace the injustice committed within and against their communities. Some communities actually perpetuate the idea of being an uncooperative witness and label those who do come forth as snitches. Being classified as a snitch is a very powerful deterrent, and, in some cases, extremely dangerous.
The real question that is unanswered here is why someone would withhold pertinent information about a crime. Is the implication of being depicted as a snitch so powerful that a person would allow a known offender to walk free with the potential of committing another crime? Perhaps as a result of the experience of this curriculum unit, the answers to such questions will not satisfy the exclusively rational sense of what is right and wrong, but in a culture where unwritten principles or a street code dictate what is acceptable and what is not, we will hopefully gain more insight into the rationale for withholding information without approving of it, at least in nearly all cases.
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