by Hollis Wormsby, Jr.
No Snitch Culture Anchor of Culture of Violence
Birmingham teen Tajuan Gosha was originally indicted and charged with capital murder in a shooting death that occurred in 2012. However, because of two delays in his trial based on an inability of prosecutors to get witnesses to speak, prosecutors were forced to accept a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and received a split sentence of 20 years with three to serve.
Last week it was announced by the defense attorney for the teen accused in the Railroad Park shooting that the only witness had recanted his testimony, and that based on the fact that the other 800 or more people in the area did not seem to see anything and to a person have refused to come forward and testify, it is possible that all charges will have to be dropped in this case.
These kinds of cases happen with a frequency in our community here in Birmingham. It gives the criminal element a sense of power, for even if caught doing the most heinous crimes, rarely is the system able to make them pay heinous prices. I have overheard conversations in the community that include the line, “I will ice his a** and do the three years,” where three years is the expected consequence for senselessly taking the life of another.
Each time we read stories about plea bargains like the one that young Gosha got we are mad at the District Attorney and the Judge, but our real anger has got to be directed at the attitude in the community that says either out of fear, or out of cultural alliance, concerned citizens should not report what they know regarding violent crime in our community.
Violent crime is the biggest deterrent to economic development in our community. Our home values are depressed, we have vacant and blighted properties in large part because of the level of violence we allow to be pervasive in our communities. It is in our self-interest to change the culture of violence in our communities. We could double our property values overnight, if we would just take the steps necessary to get violent crime under control. And the biggest step is to end the culture of not speaking out on what we see.
If a group of men are breaking into your neighbor’s house they are working your neighborhood. Just because you slither back into your home and close the curtains instead of calling out or shouting that you have called the police, does not mean that they are not going to bother your house. If you and everyone else just tries to hide they are going to bother whatever house they want to, cause they are running this thing, and your inaction says so.
Nobody wants to become the target of a thug on bond, but the reality is we all already are, we are participating in a lottery with daily victims. It was scary to march in the Civil Rights Movement, but Black people did, and by conquering our fear we changed the world. It was scary standing up for our voting rights, but we did. We have stood up to everything that has challenged our community along the way.
Today the challenge is a sinister change in culture that is being pawned off on our community as cool. A culture that disrespects women, disrespects hard work, and rewards those who invest the least in our community. We need for our real leaders to step up and help us fight this battle. We need the courage to step up and tell the truth and shame the devil. In doing so we will soon send a message to those who do not respect our community and are not willing to invest in its growth, that we may not be able to stop you from acting like a fool, but when we catch you acting like one, we will make you pay a dear price. Maybe when your brother sees the price you paid, your way of living won’t seem so cool. One can only hope.
Or at least that’s the way I see it.
