Dec 20, 2007 11:32 pm US/Eastern
Stop Snitching 2 DVD To Be Released
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
It's the sequel to the witness protection video that caused controversy, "Stop Snitching 2" is on it's way to Baltimore.
Rodney Bethea knows the images are graphic and disturbing. They had to be, he says, in order to make a troubling point.
Dennis Edwards reports, critics see mixed signals that overshadow what the producer calls a deeper message.
"Stop Snitching 2" is supposed to be about criminals who tell on each other. Critics call the graphic DVD an endorsement of witness intimidation.
In an exclusive on-camera interview with Eyewitness News, producer Rodney Bethea says the video exposes something troubling.
"The lack of information, lack of hope, lack of opportunity, lack of education; it breeds a certain way of thinking. It breeds a certain mentality," said Bethea.
Ironically, the first "Stop Snitching" DVD did just that. Among other things, it exposed two corrupt cops who are now in jail.
Bethea says the sequel's real mission is to ask why haven't things changed in inner city neighborhoods, and what makes a kid want to wave a gun and curse on camera.
"This is what happens when you close schools and build new jails. You're saying, Okay, I'd rather spend money to lock our kids up than to educate them. This is what it breeds a little guy waving a gun thinking it's right," said Bethea.
For Congressman Elijah Cummings, that message is overshadowed by witness intimidation.
"Regular, everyday citizens are being harmed. And when they are harmed, so often witnesses will not come to testify," said Cummings.
Even though Bethea and prosecutors disagree about the impact of his DVD, they agree on the need to get help for troubled teens and children.
In separate interviews, a spokesman for the Baltimore State's Attorney Pat Jessamy and Bethea seem to want the same thing.
"Trying to get the issues of juvenile crime. Identify why an eight, 9, or 10-year-old would go down a road of crime," said Jessamy.
"You take this stop snitching movement. One thing it's done, it's organized all these young guys all over the country, all over the world, all we have to do is turn it just a little bit about 45 degrees and now they're marching to a whole new tune," said Bethea.
Bethea doesn't rule out the possibility of working with city officials to accomplish a common goal. He has the ear of disenfranchised young people.
The city is looking for ways to meet their needs.
Bethea's video is in the process of being presold. He expects it to be on the street in January.
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