To Snitch or Not to Snitch

   On November 29, 2009, Maurice Clemmons walked into a coffee shop in Seattle, Washington and proceeded to shoot four police officers in the head.  Before we go any further, let’s go back about 24 hours.  

Maurice decided to call a friend of his.  In this phone call, he basically said, “Tomorrow, I’m going to shoot a cop.”  Sadly, this friend didn’t tell anyone about this phone call because he was afraid to snitch on his friend. 

   Now we are back to where we started.  After executing the four officers, Maurice Clemmons was shot in the abdomen.  Clemmons escaped and was being helped by his friends and family.  Finally the police got a lead as to where Clemmons was, leading to him being found, and eventually gunned down by a police officer. 

Four of Clemmon’s family members have been charged with first degree rendering criminal assistance,which is basically, helping out a criminal.

   There is a fine line for when it’s good or bad to snitch.  If you “tattle tale” on someone, well, ‘like bringing rainbow bread to school…you’re going to get beat up.  However, in this case, it’s not snitching.  If this friend of Clemmons would have told somebody else about the phone call, five people would be alive and there would be no charges against the family members.  There is a fine line between a rainbow bread beat down and four police officers dead in a coffee shop.

- Sam H.