The "no-snitch mentality to the extreme", your thoughts? | Squat the Planet

The "no-snitch mentality to the extreme", your thoughts?

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AnOldHope

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Per KimChee's instruction, I'm creating this as a separate, thread, having originated in the "How is 'time for them to go' enforced?" thread.

What is your view of the categorical no-snitch policy? (I take it in its originally presented form to mean not to call the police under any circumstances).

If you were assaulted in public from behind, were knocked unconscious and robbed (not seeing your attacker), but there were several witnesses, would you want them to provide a description of your attackers to the police? (Assume you are physically incapacitated and cannot pursue individual independent response).

If you observed someone being attacked by a group who then fled (assume the group is too large or violently effective for you to engage them yourself), would you give their description to the police? What if the victim asked you to? (Assume the victim was attacked from behind and cannot identify their attacker).

If you witnessed a sexual assault, which later resulted in arrest and prosecution, and you were called to testify in court, would you?

If you saw multiple heavily armed assailants attacking someone in a remote area, and you did not have the firepower to defend that person yourself, would you call the police (presumably after getting yourself to safety)?

Are there any circumstances you can imagine under which you would contact the police?
 
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travmhid

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If you were assaulted in public from behind, were knocked unconscious and robbed (not seeing your attacker), but there were several witnesses, would you want them to provide a description of your attackers to the police?

Yes. I doubt the cops would do anything but you never know; at the very least, if someone reports finding some abandoned gear they'll know who to return it to. And if someone is brazen enough to attack you like that, chances are good they've done it before and are known to the police. In either case you might get your stuff back. That's what I'd care about.

If you observed someone being attacked by a group who then fled (assume the group is too large or violently effective for you to engage them yourself), would you give their description to the police? What if the victim asked you to?

I would only provide descriptions to police if the victim wanted me to, or if they were beaten to such a degree that they were unable to voice an opinion on the matter. I wouldn't under any other circumstances.

If you witnessed a sexual assault, which later resulted in arrest and prosecution, and you were called to testify in court, would you?

If I was around, yeah. If I knew when the court date was I'd make an effort to show up.

If you saw multiple heavily armed assailants attacking someone in a remote area, and you did not have the firepower to defend that person yourself, would you call the police

Yep. They're probably gonna need an ambulance, and if nothing else the sirens should stop the beating.

I won't talk to cops if I think I can possibly get in trouble for something. I won't talk to cops if it might get someone else who hasn't done anything to me in trouble, so long as they're not doing something really messed up. I won't talk to cops about a victimless crime, and probably not for a non-violent crime either; I see you steal something and the cops ask me about it, I won't have anything to say to them.

Even for violent crimes it's gonna depend on what happened and why. Drunken fights, justified violence, that sort of thing? I'm not sayin' nothin'. But if you ambush a guy in front of me and pulverize his face beyond recognition 'cause you thought he looked at your girlfriend for half a second too long, yeah, I'll probably tell the cops what I saw--and then ask 'em to drive me to the nearest interstate on-ramp so I can get the hell out of town before that dude gets out on bail and comes looking for me.

Tldr: I don't buy the whole 'never snitch' BS. That's some gang-related nonsense where you're the enemy of the cops and the cops are the enemy of you. Truth is, on the road it's complicated. Sometimes the cops fuck with you, but sometimes they're cool. It's case-by-case.
 
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A

AnOldHope

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Yes. I doubt the cops would do anything but you never know; at the very least, if someone reports finding some abandoned gear they'll know who to return it to. And if someone is brazen enough to attack you like that, chances are good they've done it before and are known to the police. In either case you might get your stuff back. That's what I'd care about.



I would only provide descriptions to police if the victim wanted me to, or if they were beaten to such a degree that they were unable to voice an opinion on the matter. I wouldn't under any other circumstances.



If I was around, yeah. If I knew when the court date was I'd make an effort to show up.



Yep. They're probably gonna need an ambulance, and if nothing else the sirens should stop the beating.

I won't talk to cops if I think I can possibly get in trouble for something. I won't talk to cops if it might get someone else who hasn't done anything to me in trouble, so long as they're not doing something really messed up. I won't talk to cops about a victimless crime, and probably not for a non-violent crime either; I see you steal something and the cops ask me about it, I won't have anything to say to them.

Even for violent crimes it's gonna depend on what happened and why. Drunken fights, justified violence, that sort of thing? I'm not sayin' nothin'. But if you ambush a guy in front of me and pulverize his face beyond recognition 'cause you thought he looked at your girlfriend for half a second too long, yeah, I'll probably tell the cops what I saw--and then ask 'em to drive me to the nearest interstate on-ramp so I can get the hell out of town before that dude gets out on bail and comes looking for me.

Tldr: I don't buy the whole 'never snitch' BS. That's some gang-related nonsense where you're the enemy of the cops and the cops are the enemy of you. Truth is, on the road it's complicated. Sometimes the cops fuck with you, but sometimes they're cool. It's case-by-case.

Thank you.

Can the nature of the perpetrator also impact the decision?

If you became aware of and could direct the authorities towards proof of an oil executive embezzling money by using substandard materials in the construction of a pipeline that goes right under the water supply of some local genocide survivors, would you alert the authorities? Or the public, knowing that the authorities will be subsequently involved? (Weirdly, I find this example less contrived than the violent ones).
 
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travmhid

Guest
Can the nature of the perpetrator also impact the decision?

What do you mean? Have a specific example?

oil executive embezzling money by using substandard materials in the construction of a pipeline that goes right under the water supply of some local genocide survivors.

...honestly I'd probably try to sell the story to a reputable news outlet, hehe. But barring that, yeah. Public first. I'd rather they not have time to clean up their mess or prepare before the media gets a hold of them.

Why genocide survivors, though? What
 
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spectacular

Guest
As much as I dislike the men in blue I do allow them to serve their intended purpose especially if either threatening to do so or actually dispatching them via phone call will stop a situation that is threatening or unfairly violent.
 

kecleon

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If you talk to the police about anything real it has high potential to go bad. I won't flat out ignore them or wind them up but I won't give them anything beyond hello here's my license or whatever.

If you're a witness to something bad it's better to disappear because you go telling the police you just put yourself in danger from the police and people you're snitching on which in a lot of cases are probably close enough to the same thing. If you have a moral problem with what you witness then do something yourself.

I don't want anyone else to speak to them regarding anything to do with me. If something happens tell me don't tell the cops.. if you couldn't tell me like if I'm killed then I'm dead anyway who the fuck cares.

I'd anonymous call them maybe.

I think Trav is probably a better less selfish person than me but if I saw some fucked up shit and it was my only option for justice on the person that did it and the victim wanted me to then I'd probably talk. In most cases I think there's better solutions and it should always be your lastlast resort and then take precautions against being fucked over by them.
 
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A

AnOldHope

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What do you mean? Have a specific example?



...honestly I'd probably try to sell the story to a reputable news outlet, hehe. But barring that, yeah. Public first. I'd rather they not have time to clean up their mess or prepare before the media gets a hold of them.

Why genocide survivors, though? What

The example given was the example.

I was interested in knowing whether one breaking the law in a broader and more abstract way that harms more people but less directly would incentivize to contact the authorities, also whether having the proxy buffer of telling the media who will in turn make the authorities aware (basically passing on information to someone you know will drop the dime and letting them do it) would make a difference.
 
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roguetrader

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circumstances vary so much that I only decide these things on a case by case basis.... there is little point saying what you would do in hypothetical situations as they are not reality... i believe in street justice to a degree but 'no snitch' flat out is bullshit, too simplistic
 
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AnOldHope

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circumstances vary so much that I only decide these things on a case by case basis.... there is little point saying what you would do in hypothetical situations as they are not reality... i believe in street justice to a degree but 'no snitch' flat out is bullshit, too simplistic

Now I'm picturing an alternative universe version of the The Punisher: Street Justice To A Degree.

Sometimes he guns down a room full of gangsters with a belt-fed monster, and sometimes he goes to the guy pulling down heat by openly sitting in front of the squat hitting a glass pipe with something he paid for by stealing from others in the squat, and says "you are being a douchenozzle" and punches him the back of the head.
 

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