Reason First: Start Snitching for Honor's Sake

When cold cases begin to thaw, it is up to the prosecutors that will adjudicate whether the parties involved have committed a crime. In Wilmington, Delaware, the late 19-year-old Raijon Dinkins may have some justice put on his name. With his death being five years old stemming from a November 25 double shooting, detectives finally found their men by superb police work. Two men, 21-year-old Akeem Henry and 19-year-old Rahmere Black found themselves with the cold steel bracelets of justice wrapped around their wrists in relation to Dinkins’ homicide.

Given first-degree murder charges and first-degree attempted murder charges, three counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, first-degree reckless endangering and conspiracy, two counts of second-degree conspiracy and illegal gang participation Henry and Black have been held on over a million dollars in bail money. Henry received an additional charge for possession of an unauthorized firearm. Though this event did not seem to be gang related, the two men did originate from the MGS (M-Block Grimy Savages) street gang. The fact that they got away with this for this long is only because it takes a great deal to process all of the different parameters that entangle the investigation.

What makes it all the more worrisome is that this trend of violence, (although it has slowed in the almost decade since Newsweek called Wilmington “Murder Town USA”) it is still a matter of actually doing the labor that is required to get the scum behind bars. It is likely that this will not be the only cold case to be warmed and turned white hot.

It is a sign of good things when police actually do their jobs and citizens help out by snitching. Dinkins didn’t deserve death. That’s what he got though. At the prime of his life he was cut down like chaff from wheat. In a city that is so small, the problem of homicides and other vicious crimes still emanate from its shady corners. For cops to be steadfast and worthy of their ranks, it is especially important that they provide some sense of understanding (not closure) to families. From the vantage point of someone who may not live in the heart of the city, it is still important for anyone to care about the numerous cold cases that still line the rows of evidence and the databases that record all of the information.

Because these two vermin have been apprehended, it requires a bit of fortitude to know that there will be a day where all the cases will be solved. Just think of the advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Consider how cases stretching back through the decades might see the light of day once more and be able to name if not nab the suspected monsters. If we can learn to accept the idea that such technology can bring about a new day in policing, we just might see the reality of new ways of conducting business.

For Dinkins and others, it may be too late to save their lives but the people around them that held up candles and placed teddy bears where they were shot and killed, that’s what needs focus. That’s what needs to be discovered in all of this madness. Ideas about not snitching must be reversed. It is a badge of honor to tell if it aids a family or friend in knowing that their loved one didn’t die without the dignity to have the culprits brought before a judge and jury.

To take in all of the specifics of these cases, it is wise to realize that what the police are doing along with the concerned populace have led to significant closed cases. In the way of being positive about all of this, the onus must be put on everyone. To shut up is to shut down your mind. If someone knows something, it is their responsibility to tell. When it comes to their own family member, people still don’t talk about who may or may not have committed the crime. That’s sad. By conditioning, people have been averse to cooperating with the cops. Some who come forward wish to remain anonymous. That’s understandable. But what is not agreeable or rational is to know that someone’s killer is out there in their homes and not speak to law enforcement.

If the basics of human dignity and justice mean anything, it is the idea of snitching that must be elevated. There has to be a point where we can say that cases like Dinkins may have been heated because of the efforts of not just detectives, but people in the street who might have come forward with information. There ought to be a spring of snitching that issues forth truth and knowledge to help capture these vicious agents of death and destruction.

In learning the synergy between citizens on patrol (COPS) and the residents of Wilmington, Delaware’s meanest streets, will there be a day where the murder rate will be close to zero or even none? Once there is a shift in attitudes regarding the way that the public and officials interact with one another, there may be a day where this crime and others will be a thing of the past.

Until that day, every effort to stop the initiation of physical force against human beings of good standing and morals should be put in place. The idea of emotionalism being devoured by rationality remains to be an excellent thought considering the notion that so many people are quick to feel rather than think. Some people would rather take the law into their own hands rather than getting the law involved. Every possibility of ensuring that the individuals of Wilmington can sleep well and rise up and be productive as rational human beings should be explored. No more of this idea about not snitching. This is the key which will save this city and possibly other locales all over the United States of America and also the world.