Harlem is in the national spotlight once again with the visit of President Bush and the remarks of Harlem bred rapper Cam’ron. Just another example the polarity of Harlem’s character.
No snitching code [CBS News video]
Charter school success story [CBS News video]
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anon
April 27, 2007
Don’t snitch in action…
April 26, 2007 — A 13-year-old Brooklyn boy was fighting for his life this morning after he was hit in the head with a baseball bat during a
fight, cops said.
The victim, whose name was withheld, fought with two teens outside the Ebbets Field Apartments in Crown Heights Saturday night.
No-one called police or took him to a hospital immediately, authorities said.
He began complaining of headaches, which got worse in the days after the fight.
He was finally brought to Kings County Hospital on Tuesday, and is now in critical condition.
Police said the teen knows his attackers from the neighborhood, but no arrests have been made
anon
April 26, 2007
#12, You are a classic enabler.
Newsflash, every ethnic group has criminals along with people looking the other way.
But the Harlem youth have the “don’t snitch” thing at a whole new disturbing level, musicians making millions, “don’t snitch” tee shirt wearing morons, celebrated in popular culture and worse of all for many, something to be proud of. If you live in Harlem you know how it is.
What are you defending here, an attack on the “poor defenseless” “don’t snitch” criminals?
Again, by minimilizing this problem, and personalizing it is both irresponsible and enabling.
Harlem Bloo
April 26, 2007
Harlem Girl, that was address at the end of this video:
SOHH
Also check out The Glass Shield by Charles Burnett if you can find it.
Anonymous
April 26, 2007
CBS & the producers of the show selected a target easy to exploit & stun their audience with. No ethnic community is immune to a “don’t snitch” type of mindset that’s woven and embedded in their community. Jews, Irish, Italians, Russian-Jews, you name it. In Chinatown the Chinese know where the illegal sweatshops are in their community, they know who smuggles people into the USA, but their is a “don’t snitch” mindset that allows this situation to exist.
If the issue was “collective community silence in the face of observed crime”? My god, I worked on the Street. CBS could have gone into any of the top i-banks and found stories of known insider trading and all sorts of unethical illegal behavior where “lips are sealed” and investors _SCREWED_.
“Keep your mouth shut” in the face of crime is not the exclusive domain of youth in Harlem. You know how much bullshit workmanship is done by defense contractors? But you can’t profile the “Don’t Snith” that’s at Lockheed or Boeing with the workers, and you can’t do a “don’t snitch” on the inside world of Goldman Sachs because guess who does business with CBS?
Black Harlem youth. Easy targets, they can’t fight back, they don’t buy commercial time from us, and people in America will be a little stunned with the mentality. Meanwhile in real life they’re getting screwed in their 401K by some corporate board, Enron, i-bank deal….and their fucked in their retirement. Everbody has a “Don’t Snitch” culture…
Harlem Girl
April 26, 2007
Not defending Cam’ron at all, but some of his supporters have mentioned how hypocritical it is for the police to be upset about some people’s “no snitching” attitude when they have their own “blue wall of silence”.
Harlem Proud
April 25, 2007
CBS (60 minutes) had a fair story. They did not only pick on an ignorant black man in interviewing Camoron (my mispelling on purpose – get it …Moron), but they also gave fair balance by interviewing one of the smartest people in the city period! That man is Geoffrey Canada, whom is the leader of Harlem’s promise academy. He grew up here and is proof that not all of Harlem is like Camoron. Listen to Canada speak. Especially on this topic. It outrages him. Just like it would outrage anyone. Canada is the real Harlem.
narmer
April 25, 2007
[color=blue] Cameron is the biggest Snitch, Every time he does a “Diss” CD he is SNITCHING![/COLOR]
anon
April 25, 2007
This is responsible journalism, shining a spotlight on these self destructive attitudes that exist in parts of society. I’m sure many people outside Harlem are shocked that this behavior exists. The volume of record sales only goes to show many young people are voting for these self destructive attitudes with their money.
This may be seen as airing dirty laundry, or simply embarrassing, but sweeping this under the rug, or looking the other way (at Imus for example) is just enabling.
reefinyateef
April 25, 2007
Cam’s “it’ll hurt my business” logic is the reason why things are slow to change. All changes for the better “hurt” a business, if the business is doing something wrong to begin with.
Hugo
April 25, 2007
wow…good one tat.i agree with #1 that of course media outlets will fish for news where they want it. that’s not new news.however at the root of the problem is consumer responsibility. by camron’s own admission, his loyalty is to the “fan base”, the people buying 500,000-1,000,000 copies.economics is the ultimate dictator. in terms of music industry (or any industry), the buying habits of the consumer is what tells suppliers what they should be putting out there.if the masses want some sort of paradigm shift in the hip hop industry they (we) will have reflect that with their wallets.
Anonymous
April 25, 2007
2, “telling the truth”? i don’t dispute the existence of the mindset. not the point and or issue. of the list of “problems” within the demographic spoken to, kids to Cam, the “don’t snitch” thing falls way below numerous other problems they’re faced with.
One example: the rate in this same demographic of HIV exploding in Harlem is a bigger issue. They could have probed this, got that Harlemite Keith Boykins on and interviewed to further address the topic.
But there’s a problem. Keith Boykins has 2 Ivy League degrees, one being a Harvard JD, he’s well spoken and they will not get any buffoon factor.
Why project the image of a well educated articulate Black man when you can project the image of an ignorant Black rapper?
Ratings? So, let’s take a less critical issue, an ignorant negro with some shine, and profile how foolish and dumb these Harlem negroes are. Good job CBS.
Tat
April 25, 2007
But to add an additional twist to the mix The Smoking Gun has evidence of a police report where Cam was assaulted at Ruckers Park about 4 years ago.
Smoking Gun Report
Harlemites Need Standards
April 25, 2007
#1, while the media definitely has an agenda and knew the types of answers that it would get from someone as ignorant as Camron. The buck stops with us. If we continue listening to this music and purchasing his albums, then we co-sign his ignorance (and that of any other entertainer).
The media goes for the story. The followed Anna Nicole Smith around, because to many she seemed like a dumb blonde. Look at the big deal they made of Donald trump and Rosie O’Donnell. They look for stories that people find interesting, and at a time when we are complaining about IMUS using certain words, what better way to show the conflict in our community than to have someone like Camron come on and spew ignorance, while their earrings fall to the ground.
One thing that he said was correct. If you are a parent, and you allow you r children to listen to his music and watch his videos, then you are just as bad as he is. You should either block those music channels or get rid of your cable; and you should censor the music that enters and is played in your house.
mad as hell and im not gonna take it anymore
April 25, 2007
im sorry annonymous—but that broadcast was telling the truth. yeah maybe they had an agenda to profile a f’d up trend in this community—but they didnt start the trend and they didnt decide it was sense to follow it. this is another example of black people crying victim instead of pointing the finger where it belongs. the problem IS NOT that CBS did this story—the problem is that this kind of ignorant behavior runs rampant around here. it’s sick and it’s sad and i’ve had enough of it.
Anonymous
April 25, 2007
I consider this worse that Don Imus Nappy Headed Ho talk, also CBS affiliated. Why? The shows producers had an agenda to profile an ignorant mindset in Harlem. They knew every response they would get from Cam’ron before it was asked, this was all preconceived programming to profile ignorance in Black Harlem. They had an agenda, this is worse than Imus.
I’ve met Cam’ron in his purple $150K Ferrari on the streets of Harlem. Cam’s an enterainer – that’s all. I expect ignorance from Cam, ignorance like what he said. Cam could see his own ignorance if the hypothetical question was, “Cam’ron, a 50 year old man is molesting 7 year old girls….do you snitch?…and if one of those girls is your daughter, you don’t know but a neighbor knows, should that neighbor snitch?”
I seriously consider this far worse than Imus. What’s the gain in profiling the most ignorant subset of a culture? This is like me going to West Virginia and asking folks if it’s Okay to have sex and marry your 1st cousin? I’ll get the answer I want, to deliver the programming spin I want. I can go to Utah and find people perfectly happy with men having 6 wives. I can go to Missouri and program people telling me Crystal Meth is no big deal.
It starts with an Agenda to broadcast. Define the agenda and you can find people to deliver the programming. Sex with kids okay? Go to Thailand, you’ll get all the programming you want.
ps: Killa Cam will be broke in 5 years.