If it escapes you why the slogan "Don't Snitch," has more street creed than the slogan "Don't Shoot," the students who attend Manual Academy can tell you all about it.
For those of you who know nothing about what it takes to survive in the inner city; and seem to have this romanticized notion about "snitching." Here is how it works IF YOU ARE LUCKY and you snitch on the kid next door, or the kid down the street...
Boy arrested after allegedly threatening Peoria homicide witness
A heavy police presence greeted Manual Academy pupils Tuesday after a student who is a witness in some classmates' murder case was threatened at gunpoint Monday off school grounds.
Authorities have arrested a 16-year-old boy on harassment and weapons charges as part of an ongoing investigation into the slaying last week of Michael Robinson during an armed robbery.
Word of the witness's involvement with the case apparently began to spread among students Monday through Facebook, on which some of the suspects and their "friends" in the homicide last week identify themselves as being affiliated with the Bombsquad street gang.
Three juveniles were arrested over the weekend and charged as adults with murder - Charles Smith, 15, of 2431 W. Starr St.; Dionte Wells, 15, of 2722 W. Garden St.; and Marquis Flora, 16, of 719 S. Greenlawn Ave. - for the double shooting of Robinson and another man Sept. 26 at 2241 W. Starr St.
When the boys were charged as adults with murder on Sunday, several friends who identify themselves as Bombsquad members immediately copied the mug shots from pjstar.com and used them for their own profile pictures.
One person edited the photo to include a drawing of a handgun, caricatures of circular bombs with smiley faces on the foreheads of the boys and the words "one team" and "one dream" above and below their faces.
The threats against the witness began to show up within the Facebook network, according to authorities, then materialized in a face-to-face confrontation Monday afternoon. Source
20 comments:
What arrogance. You don't know where I live. How asinine.
Thank you for comment. Duly noted.
Maybe, if snitching became the norm, like in my elementary school classroom, people would not be inclined to turn a blind eye. My students tattle on their neighbor for burping and not saying "excuse me"!
Wow, what a culture these kids have been raise to. "One Team, One Dream" Speaks volumes to the lack of any parent skills what so ever and in fact maybe the police should investigate the parents of this goon squad. Maybe the police should shoot first and then ask questions later when it involves this gang because this doesn't sound like a kiddy street gang or a passing fad, it sounds like terrorist.
Emerge, I would agree with your assessment in light of the Manual incident. The answers to this problem in the inner city do not
come easy.
But somewhere, somehow, some way, the residents of the city are going to have to summon up courage, and start speaking out (or snitching), and tell these gangs and random robbers and shooters, that either they leave town, or change their criminal ways, because residents are sick and tired of living in fear constantly.
The people that really need to snitch are family & friends because if they truly love them like family or a friend, they would turn them in so they can change their ways or end up in jail. I don't care if it's your son or daughter or significant other - if they are doing wrong, you need to what's right. Don't do it alone, have others with you. There is power
in numbers.
Perhaps a side program to "Don't Shoot" should be "I'm Snitching".
Even though the police found out before the witness was hurt - the threat about snitching can be considered effectively delivered to the teachers, students and families of Manual Academy. I feel really sad for the students trapped in that environment. This entire situation is very unfortunate.
Rock and a hard place.
Do you feel sorry for the teachers held hostage in 150 urban schools too. I guarentee the students who do these things do not fall far from the tree. I have had two threats on my safety this year about such students. Guess what the students said their parents would come after me for letting them know their child was not making correct decisions or even working on their school work. And sure enough the parents have made threats against the teacher--its my fault their child doesn't work in my classroom or behave. Oh, andyou can't report this intimidation because it goes on the school report card for the school you teach at. Wouldn't want anyone to know there is a problem with the district 150 schools.
Perhaps Emerge missed the point - It's one thing to have a sub-current in the community suppressing the tendency to report crime. It's quite another have "No Snitching" celebrated as a desirable community standard - as a pop-culture thing, T-shirts included!
If I have one more student wear a RIP...shirt in my classroom, I will pull out my last hair. They are killing each other, then sensationalizing it with T-shirts passed out at the visitation. I especially love reading in the paper where the "parents of killed young adult" comment that their child was WONDERFUL, never in trouble, a PILLAR of the community. Funny how that sounds to the Average Joe on the street. Why don't they just admit, I was a worthless parent and my kid raised himself while I was on the crackpipe. He joined a gange because he wanted someone to "Care" about him and now he's dead. I think we def need to start taking kids AWAY from these idiots who, because they can breed, have disposable children...very sad.
RIP t-shirts should be against the dress code.
Wow after reading Von and a few others commenting, I have to wonder where have I heard this before???
BTW, to many young girls, it is also a badge of courage to get pregnant before you leave high school. T-Shirts again for all.
Emerge: you would be surprised to see how many kids have those t-shirts on under their uniform shirt. They pull their shirts up all day long, disrupting class. I send them to the bathroom and make then take the t-shirt off and put ONLY uniform shirt on. Like I said, if I can't see it, no problem. But when they constantly pull the shirt up to "show off", it becomes disruptive to the educational process. Oh, and our young ladies wearing thigh high brightly colored socks....also not part of the uniform but no one is telling them they can't wear them.
Yeah, have we all forgotten the "Baby Momma Song" where Fantasia celebrates young single mothers?
I laughed my ass off when WLS came out with their parody CO...ND...OM use them. That stops all the baby mama drama...
What about all the high school kids that dress inappropriately. Not a thing is done about that.
Wait until you see the high school students. Some wear their shirts half way down their breast or their midrift showing and boys wear the pants to the knees . Nothing is said to many of them.
They're letting kids rock that prison pants thing in school??? OMFG!
When will we start enforcing some decorum and discipline in schools without being first and foremost worried about knee jerk reactions of "racism"? people like Sharpton and Jackson have got schools so scared they can't function!
THERE'S your problem!
Vonster, I can say this: there are teachers in D150 who would LOVE to enforce what's necessary, yet the fear and intimidation of losing one's job is VERY REAL. Honestly, you'd have to get rid of every single person in an administrative position in the district to get rid of that atmosphere.
It's sad, Vonster, there were times I would get 'cryptic' phone calls from people in the district tipping me off as to 'what the real plans were' regarding my daughter.
I've NEVER seen a district that treats its teachers so horribly. Vonster, teachers need administrative backing to truly "enforce discipline", and THAT they DO NOT HAVE.
I have moved recently from a small town to peoria. In the 4 months I've lived here, my home was broken into. I watched kids vandalize businesses and I did not stay silent! I called the police and I said something to the low life kid that was destroying property. I sat in my driveway the very next day and waited for this low life and his group to walk by my house like they had never done anything wrong! I took a freakin picture and gave a description to the officer and nothing was done..So in this case..who's scared? I sure as hell am not..I got no problem telling it like it is to anyone who thinks they can destroy property and vandalize the neighborhood I live in..I got no problem callin them out or calling the police when a crime is committed..I guarentee if everyone had this type of attitude and desire to improve the neighborhood,and the police would act upon the info theyre given, things would change..Those thugs have gotten away so many times w no consequenses for their actions! i will once again take more picture of the vandalizer when he walks by..its frustrating for citizens to call the police and basically point out the thug only to see them on the street the next day..It's no wonder noone wants to snitch! The thugs will not scare me! period! thats a ignorant way to live your life being in fear! And as for district 150..pretty much a lost cause unless they get teachers, administrators and law inforcement to join forces and actually do something to show these thugs that bad behavior leads to bad consequences! i agree about the lack of parenting too! I say that if the kids cant follow dress codes and be civil to one another then ship them off to a boot camp or military school..I guarentee the costs will be much less than our tax dollars paying for room and bored for them and three meals a day in the DOC..not to mention the emotional well being of feeling safe in your own home or neighborhood when these thugs are held accountable! Makes a sane person want to take matters into their own hands:/
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