DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Rapper says snitching on a killer violates his "Code of Ethics"

Cam'ron: Snitching Hurts "Code Of Ethics"
Rapper Also Tells Anderson Cooper It Would Hurt His Business

(CBS) Rap star Cam'ron says there's no situation — including a serial killer living next door — that would cause him to help police in any way, because to do so would hurt his music sales and violate his "code of ethics."

Cam'ron, whose real name is Cameron Giles, talks to Anderson Cooper for a report on how the hip-hop culture's message to shun the police has undermined efforts to solve murders across the country.

Cooper's report will be broadcast on 60 Minutes this Sunday, April 22, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"If I knew the serial killer was living next door to me?" Giles responds to a hypothetical question posed by Cooper. "I wouldn't call and tell anybody on him — but I'd probably move. But I'm not going to call and be like, 'The serial killer's in 4E.' "

Giles' "code of ethics" also extends to crimes committed against him. After being shot and wounded by gunmen, Giles refused to cooperate with police. Why?

"Because … it would definitely hurt my business, and the way I was raised, I just don't do that," says Giles.

Pressed by Cooper, who says had he been the victim, he would want his attacker to be caught, Giles explains further: "But then again, you're not going to be on the stage tonight in the middle of, say, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, with people with gold and platinum teeth and dreadlocks jumping up and down singing your songs, either. We're in two different lines of business."

"So for you, it's really about business?" Cooper asks.

"It's about business," Giles says, "but it's still also a code of ethics."

Rappers appear to be concerned about damaging what's known as their "street credibility," says Geoffrey Canada, an anti-violence advocate and educator from New York City's Harlem neighborhood.

"It's one of those things that sells music and no one really quite understands why," says Canada. Their fans look up to artists if they come from the "meanest streets of the urban ghetto," he tells Cooper. For that reason, Canada says, they do not cooperate with the police.

Canada says in the poor New York City neighborhood he grew up in, only the criminals didn't talk to the police, but within today's hip-hop culture, that has changed. "It is now a cultural norm that is being preached in poor communities … It's like you can't be a black person if you have a set of values that say 'I will not watch a crime happen in my community without getting involved to stop it,' " Canada tells Cooper.

Young people from some of New York's toughest neighborhoods echo Canada's assessment, calling the message not to help police "the rules" and helping the police "a crime" in their neighborhoods.

These "rules" are contributing to a much lower percentage of arrests in homicide cases — a statistic known as the "clearance rate" — in largely poor, minority neighborhoods throughout the country, according to professor David Kennedy of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

"I work in communities where the clearance rate for homicides has gone into the single digits," says Kennedy. The national rate for homicide clearance is 60 percent. "In these neighborhoods, we are on the verge of — or maybe we have already lost — the rule of law," he tells Cooper.

Says Canada: "It's like we're saying to the criminals, 'You can have our community … Do anything you want and we will either deal with it ourselves or we'll simply ignore it.'"

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/19/60minutes/main2704565.shtml

What a moron, I hope someone doesn't snitch on a serial killer and that serial killer finds his way to him, and yes it is cruel, but yes, I mean it.

His name would go in the computer as "does not require police help"

Then when his car gets jacked, his house gets broken into, or anything. The police shoudl just ignore him.

They complain about the police, but they do nothing to help relations between the community and police, they actually work at making it worse.

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Rap star Cam'ron

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Who?

this is one seriously screwed up individual

actually, the real problem is there is an industry and an entire genre of music built on propagating that culture. It needs to continue that culture for it's own survival in business.

There is a reason I do not listen to rap music...................can not understand anyone that would promote vioelence.............not to mention the headache that it brings on!

That is one nasty attitude.............hopefully his day will come soon!

I think you guys have it all wrong: See, if this guy reported the guy that shot him and for whatever reason he wasn't brought to trial and convicted, then this guy would have trouble "paying back" the crime in the future. Now, if a guy shoots you and doesn't kill you and you don't tell the cops who it was, you are able to more freely reconcile the slight with less fear of the cops getting involved. The "gangsta", "thug" mentality. (please note: this is said "tongue in cheek - facetiously).

We need less people like this guy.

Well, this attitude is no different then the Mafia members of the 50's & 60's. They never rat out anyone either. Heck, turn on any episode of the Soprano's (or pop in ANY Mafia movie ever made). It's not a "black thing". When you live on the line of violence/crime/street/gambling you don't respect the police, period. If you're found out to be a rat, you aren't trusted. Not really a shock.

And in my humble opinion, that's a problem. As it stands now, it seems to be "their" problem. I don't want that problem coming to my neighborhood, though. Do you?

The primary difference here is that being in the music industry, children idolize and emulate them. The things he represents is what many will blindly accept.

Like it or not, part of that business & lifestyle is being viewed as a pop-culture icon, and that carries some weight with it in terms of influencing youth.... so his views aren't just his anymore.

This isn't something we had with the Mafia. The closest organized crime came to that was the headline grabbing mobster's in the 20's during Prohibition. Hell, in the 40', 50's & 60's, the G-Men (or gov't agents, aka FBI) was far more popular with the youth.

But Imus is the problem,remember?

That's cool. I will never call an ambulance or cops for a rapper in trouble. It's the least I can do.

Just keep a camera close by. That way you can take pictures and sale them to Star or the Enquirer.


I mean if they wish to line their pockets by promoting shooting and violence,you might as well make you a little $$$ off of it too.

He's retarded to not turn in a serial killer.

But, if a guy shoots him, then he turns him in, he snitches. Than that can result in repercussions for him.

If he "rats out" a guy who tries to rob/kill him----then chances are that that guys posse/friends/associates are going to try to "eliminate the snitch."

So I think, in a self preservation kind of mode, it may be a bad idea to rat on someone who comes after you. At least in Killa Cam's situation.

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Myself, it would really be a case-by-case basis.

Point being,if a guy shoots me?

I'm either gonna go kill him myself or get him locked up. Somebody is gonna pay come hell or high water.

It'd called having the nads to deal with it. If he wants to cower in the corner and be a walking target,go for it!

Actually I kind of understand the mentality that is coming from the guy . Not turning in a serial killer may be going a bit far but as for him getting shot and not helping the police ? I get that part. You handle your own business and I don't think I am alone with feeling that way . My thinking is that if people want to put up with that kind of element fine, if you want to alert law enforcement fine, myself I would tend to handle the situation myself. After all it would be me that the crime was against right ? To each his own . I respect and admire law enforcement personel because they have a tough job and are good people for the most part but I have ALWAYS felt that there was never a problem I couldn't resolve by myself either peacefully or otherwise. I'm not a tough guy and as I said I suspect there are more than a few folks on this board who are the same way. JMHO.

What a joke

The guy would allow one or more people to be murdered in order to help aid his record sales......


Hopefully he gets syphillis, goes crazy, and blows his own head off in the near future.

The real reason for all this is the TV. Seriously, if we still had shows like "The Wonder Years" on; then we wouldn't have any of this madness.

"The Wonder Years" was wholesome Americana. People who dislike that show are the same folks who shoot up schools, rap about violence, or want the Browns to draft Brady Quinn. A bunch of bad apples.


Disclaimer: This is a ridiculous post. I really just wanted to point out how great a TV show "The Wonder Years" was, and there really isn't an appropriate thread to put it in.

I didn't know Clay had moved?

Well, this attitude is no different then the Mafia members of the 50's & 60's. They never rat out anyone either. Heck, turn on any episode of the Soprano's (or pop in ANY Mafia movie ever made). It's not a "black thing". When you live on the line of violence/crime/street/gambling you don't respect the police, period. If you're found out to be a rat, you aren't trusted. Not really a shock.

The gangsters of the 40s and 50s at least had some boundaries...not many, but certain things were not touched. No harming kids,wives...no drugs around children...never disrespecting another man's wife and always taking care of their own if tragedy strikes.
The gangsta rappers are all about themselves and no one else...other than the record buying public.

This is the sentiment that makes me not buy his CD.

And yes I hope a serial killer moves in next door and by not reporting it he becomes one of the victims on the list.

You guys are worse that women with the gossip magazines. Please, Cam'ron will say that crap to sell records but behind the scenes start singing like the Temptations!! When he got shot here in DC, he came out talking big, but has never shown up since. You all gotta know hype from fact!!.. And Soup, trying to have a intelligence test between the mafia(criminals) and certain rappers ( because not all rap is about stupid stuff) is totally silly also!!

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The mafia is highly intelligent, rappers are highly ignorant.

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Easy there Mr. Soprano Thanks for the chuckle . Watching The Godfather one too many times. lol

I always kinda laughed at Gangster rap when Tupac Shakur was at the helm.

Anyone who has seen him in the movie "Nothing but Trouble" as a member of digital underground would find it hard to picture him as a tough guy.