For the past several days, there has finally been a credible debate about the influence of popular hip hop culture on the victimization of African American communities. For years, a “stop snitchin’” campaign has been circulating through communities of color, cautioning that “snitches will need stitches.” Harlem Children’s Zone Executive Director Geoffrey Canada has recently taken a public and aggressive stance against this destructive nature of popular hip hop music and the degree to which it normalizes the idea that to talk to police—even if you or your family has been harmed—is to be a “snitch.” Canada, the author of Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun—a book that describes the evolution of youth violence in urban communities—and the leader of a significant effort in New York to provide a viable alternative path for youth seeking to grow up free from violence and victimization, has placed a challenge on the floor: Take a Stand.

Of course, ending the “Stop Snitchin’” campaign is not going to be easy. It is true that by not cooperating with the police, many communities of color are vulnerable to increased victimization and abuse. Murders go unsolved and drug dealers are free to intimidate children and elders. But what is also true is that the general culture of animosity toward the “snitch” is rooted in a long history of distrust between communities of color and law enforcement. For many communities of color, law enforcement is the greatest representation of racism and abuse. Centuries of rogue enforcement, racial profiling, and harmful policies have overshadowed the reality that law enforcement and protection are critical to maintaining a civilized society. It is in this fundamental breakdown that the misguided sentiment of many in the hip hop community has been allowed to fester. Poor and highly racialized communities with little resources are breeding grounds for anger and resentment toward those who appear to care little about the communities they are policing.

The issue of “snitchin’” is not unique to the hip hop community, nor is it something that can be resolved through a few scattered conversations. To end the “Stop Snitchin’” campaign, there will need to be much more than just a public discussion about whether or not it is appropriate to cooperate with police when a crime has been committed. The real issue is whether communities will be adequately protected if they do come forward and try to heal their families and communities. At the heart of this discussion is the need to build a viable partnership between law enforcement and communities of color that doesn’t rely on individuals making themselves vulnerable those who terrorize their communities. There needs to be a strong and coordinated effort to revamp the structure of policing such that it can earn the respect and trust of those who have lived through a sorted history with law enforcement. Officers need to be adequately trained to avoid the racial stereotyping and biases that are sometimes reflected in their decision-making. Trained and committed officers who are trusted to protect and serve need to be committed to living in and working with all of the stakeholders in the community—even those who are perceived as undesirable—in order to enforce from “within” the values and norms that transform neighborhoods into communities. Everybody, after all, wants to feel safe in their home communities. Otherwise, the house is not a home.

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