“We cannot wait for a calling card from a terrorist to announce a pending or future attack. Our suspicion may turn out to be nothing, but if it is something significant, we cannot afford to lose that critical response time.”
Robert Mueller – FBI Director
They can’t do it. There are not enough cameras or terror experts in the world to watch everything. We have to become informants.
SNITCHERS.
This was made more apparent last weekend when a former Viet Nam vet who was peddling T-shirts in Times Square noticed the car which was left idling on the street.
Something made him walk over to take a look.
Yep, smoke inside. He flagged down a mounted policeman and reported it.
In 30 minutes, the entire area was cleared by the NYPD. Gotta love those New Yorkers.
Sure, the perpetrator botched the job. Thank God.
BUT –
WHAT IF?
The whole world reeled from the news that Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the U.S. Army doctor, was named as a suspect in the shooting death of 13 people and the wounding of 31 others at Fort Hood, Texas. It later emerged he had tried to make contact with al-Qaeda before carrying out the massacre.
Intelligence officers are said to have known months ago about Hasan’s attempts to reach the terror network through the internet but decided to monitor him, hoping it would lead them to al-Qaeda operatives. It was thought Hasan might lead them to a “big fish” and there was no indication he was about to launch his own attack.
Communications, believed to be emails, were intercepted by US intelligence services. They were examined at the time but it was decided that they did not require following up.
But there were red flags for some time before. His associates at Walter Reed Hospital, his last assignment, had serious suspicions about his being an Islamic extremist.
THEY DID NOT REPORT THEIR SUSPICIONS.
A few days later, I was watching a newscast about the horrible shooting tragedy. They were interviewing an FBI agent.
The agent was discussing how people are afraid to come forward if they run into something that seems unusual to them. They don’t want to get involved – even frightened that they would be accusing an innocent person needlessly. So, they do nothing and that nothing could cost lives.
He added that they needed the millions of eyes and ears of ordinary people to do their job.
THAT IS YOU.
THAT IS ME.
A friend overheard two people talking in the men’s room of his office. They were discussing if they could do research at the library on how to build a dirty bomb to avoid having to use their personal computers.
HE CALLED THE FBI.
The agent spent a lot of time asking him about himself. Surprisingly, he wanted to know everything about him. A whole history. Very politely, but he was being vetted. They wanted to make sure he was who he said he was.
Only then, he was asked for his story. The agent made very little comment about it. My friend asked if it could be traced back to him as a source and they assured him it would not. He wanted to know how they would follow up and he got no information.
The agent just said, “We have our ways.”
He also wanted to know if he would ever know what happened and they said no. He would not be hearing back from them unless they needed him to follow up which was unlikely.
The only question they answered was when he asked if he was over reacting. Was he right to call?
That answer was a definite YES.
We need people to report anything that seems suspicious. And we do not have to reveal our sources.
So, I am asking you –
WOULD YOU HAVE CALLED?
Will you report suspicious behavior?
WILL YOU BE A SNITCHER?
Your life, your family, may depend on it.
And the rest of us.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: patriciasinglet
May 5, 2010 at 12:45 pm
In a heart beat, I would have called. Being called a snitch or snitcher has such a negative connotation. I see it as a positive thing when a single phone call can possibly save the lives of thousands of people in a situation like the above. If you made a mistake and the people who were speaking were just kidding around. Guess what? There are some things that you just shouldn’t kid around about. I would rather look foolish than feel guilty because I did nothing and people were killed. Thanks Corinne for writing this article.
.-= Patricia – Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker´s last blog ..Lost Pieces And Abilities Cause By The Pain Of Incest =-.
Dear Patricia -
As an incest survivor, I am not a bit surprised you would immediately report anything that looked suspicious.
Congratulations on the huge success of your radio interview. Everyone should listen to it.
Pretty raw. But all true. And there is someone who needs it right now.
Go to this link and listen. Pass it on.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/conversationslive/2010/04/29/cyrus-webb-presents-the-patricia-singleton-story-o
Twitter: happymakernowco
May 5, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Yes,I would be. The only problem that I have when it comes to NY is that this man turned this in, but someone on the other corner can be getting beat to dead and nobody will step in or call police to try and save that persons life.
Did this man get the police because of the attention he might get from the media or did he do it because it was the right thing to do.
Just a thought
Debbie
.-= Debbie @ Happy Maker´s last blog ..Does Music Contribute to the Secret of Happiness? =-.
My opinion? I think he picked up some intuitive message that something was wrong
Peddlers don’t usually leave their stands. They are afraid of thieves.
This thought on your comment turns my stomach. I just don’t understand it.
“someone on the other corner can be getting beat to dead and nobody will step in or call police to try and save that persons life.”
every member of the armed forces learns the creed. They also learn their basic orders, those concepts that help the individual soldier decide if what he is doing is correct by the larger standard. No soldier can be ordered to betray his country and expect to be forgiven if he does it. You are not expected to obey orders that violate your general orders. We need to ask ourselves what is our standard? If we report something, someone innocent might be inconvenienced but someone guilty might be stopped. We need to develop our own set of orders, our creed, and be ready to put ourselves on the line by opening our mouths about suspicious activity.
.-= Bruce “the Mid-Life Mentor”´s last blog ..Fitness – How do you define it? =-.
Dear Bruce -
Your comments on my blog – and others I read are always appreciated for the great thought you put into them.
So, first – thank you.
I don’t think anyone else brought up the fact that he was a Viet Nam vet -and of course trained to be constantly alert.
You never get over that training.
This is an important statement from your comment.
“We need to develop our own set of orders, our creed, and be ready to put ourselves on the line by opening our mouths about suspicious activity.”
Twitter: patriciasinglet
May 5, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Corinne, thank you for sharing the link to my radio review.
.-= Patricia – Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker´s last blog ..Lost Pieces And Abilities Cause By The Pain Of Incest =-.
You are welcome, Patricia! People need to hear you.
Twitter: RhondaLane
May 6, 2010 at 6:29 am
Yes, I have snitched when public safety is in question. But I’m also of a generation that will, plus I’m from rural, middle America and live in the suburbs.
As an aspiring crime novelist, I know from my research that, in real life, crimes aren’t necessarily solved by detection, but because someone blabbed to cut a deal. A procedure also known as plea bargaining.
People I know who have close ties to street culture often find themselves determining where they draw the line. To snitch? Or not to snitch? After all, the old “code of the street” scorned snitching and “rats.” Some rap music takes that street code into popular culture and gives it a mass distribution.
So, I have seen people with close ties to the street snitch if children are at risk. Or if an outsider threatens their turf. They’ll DEFINITELY snitch if they suspect religious terrorism. And then there’s the afore-mentioned plea bargaining.
Also, FWIW, the agent at the library not only was vetting the suspect, but I bet he was trying to get a “baseline read” on the subject’s body language. Let the suspect relax and talk about facts about his life to see how he tells the truth. And maybe get him comfortable enough to josh around, maybe tell a tall tale, so that the agent can see how he tells a lie. After that, once the agent gets a “read,” that’s when the real “meat and potatoes” of the interview starts.
.-= RhondaL´s last blog ..Where did they get that name?? =-.
Dear RhondaL -
I don’t live in rural America. I live in Chicago where street crime is so extreme they are thinking of bringing in the National Guard.
This is the main cause of it – as you say so clearly -
“People I know who have close ties to street culture often find themselves determining where they draw the line. To snitch? Or not to snitch? After all, the old “code of the street” scorned snitching and “rats.” Some rap music takes that street code into popular culture and gives it a mass distribution.”
People are terrified to snitch. They could be next.
Corinne.
I’ve called 911 numerous times. It isn’t my job to figure out if something is a threat or is dangerous – that is 911′s job. It is my job to call for help if I need it or think someone else does.
Growing up in London in the 70′s you learned to call police anytime there was a suitcase, bag or backpack left unattended. It’s just good sense – It isn’t about living in fear, just about due diligence.
.-= Michelle Vandepas´s last blog ..Heal Pain Naturally and Stop Your Chronic Pain =-.
Dear Michelle -
You are right. It is not your job to do the investigation. Just to inform the proper authorities.
I called 911 on July 4. I live next to three Chicago beaches.
An explosion woke me up. A huge one. There were people setting off not firecrackers but dynamite.
Wonder how many windows and walls I saved. The cops were there in 5 minutes.
I had several instances when I reported suspicious activities. Not of a large scale, but things which would impact my immediate environment. I think half of the time I was wrong, but in other cases it did make a difference. However, I was sad to find how my reporting was treated, they wanted to know everything about me, but not about what I had to say. And I won’t just call about every little thing, but when my home and family is in danger, I have no problems picking up the phone.
.-= Tom´s last blog ..Rosa Parks Is Not Done Teaching Us =-.
Dear Tom -
Please don’t stop because the cops are vetting you.
They want to be sure you are not a nutbag. They get a lot of those.
Just answer the questions. They will listen.
People are scared. The calls are up 30% in the Times Square area I hear.
I think we all have a fear of putting our necks out and drawing attention to ourselves these days. I had a discussion with my husband about this, after I made him stop our car when I saw a group of kids beating someone up. I jumped out all guns blazing and learned that they were all friends and just mucking about! My husband was furious with me, but I know instinctively I would do the same thing again. We have a moral responsibility to step in if we can and support each other.
Dear Jen -
I just have one suggestion which comes from someone who lives in Chicago.
Don’t take it upon yourself to get into a rumble. That’s how you get dead – at least here.
You’ve got a cellphone. Call the cops.
But, I know your heart was in the right place. Keep yourself safe. We need you.
I’ve called things in several times but ultimately end up being disappointed in the response.
Ex 1 – I uncovered a phishing scam where crooks would issue fake jury summons to local residents ultimately using the responses to steal identities and $. The FBI answering the phones were ill-equiped to handle this. Luckily I had personal contacts that understood the issue and would pass the information along.
Ex 2 – I watched people trying to steal a car outside a local bank. The bank employeed didn’t care. I was able to use their phone to call the police… who showed up well after the car went missing.
Ex 3 – I called 911 when I saw a ‘cleaning van’ outside a local bank at 3am. Since my cell phone number was in a different state than the bank, 911 dispatch refused to act.
By nature I am a confrontational person so calling or personally confronting people are not an issue for me. At no time can I remember ever being actually helped by local police, state police, FBI or TSA. But I will keep on ‘snitching,’ watching, and alerting. I’m a New Yorker. I’m also a VT graduate. Before 911 there was a shooting rampage on the LIRR. Before the VT massacre there was Columbine.
Each time any of us see something out of the ordinary stop to think about those episodes. How much better would the world be without them? What if you had the power to stop it? You do. Now follow up.
.-= Ted Hessing´s last blog ..Take Your Child to Where You Used to Work Day =-.
Dear Ted -
One day you will make a difference. Lots of mediocre people answering those calls. Too bad.
Keep doing it.
As a former New Yorker myself, I am a snitcher.
It’s in the genes.
Didn’t hitler convince everyone to a spy on their neighbor too. National security BS and fear mongering. The founding fathers must be rolling in their graves at the “freedom” enjoyed by the USA…