Snitches get stitches, or so I hear. Better yet, I know. In light of rapper Cam’ron’s recent appearance on “60 Minutes,” I thought it would be appropriate to shed light on this issue.

It’s an unspoken rule that people shouldn’t snitch, no matter the circumstances. Perfect example: If you and a friend are walking down a street, and you see a woman getting mugged and you can clearly see the attacker’s face, do you (A) run after the attacker and try to retrieve the woman’s purse? (B) Turn and walk the other way or (C) Contact the police? Well, if you’re smart and have been raised by the code of the streets, you turn and walk the other way. For my slow readers that’s answer (B). You would have to be living under a rock not to notice the hats and T-shirts that have flooded the streets with the “Stop Snitchin'” logo on them. This would only lead me to believe that the unspoken rule obviously hasn’t been followed. According to USAToday.com, this anti-snitching campaign riles police officers.

According to the website Jointogether.org, the no snitching policy has its roots in the drug world. Turning minor drug offenders into informers to help uncover the big time offenders has proven to be effective for police officers.

The idea of not snitching is the ultimate double-edged sword, or better yet, you’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. The no snitching campaign goes even deeper than just the hip-hop or drug world. When you were a child, your mother and father often discouraged tattling. Now riddle me this, what is the difference between tattling and snitching? Even mom and dad were following the code of the streets.

This no snitching thing has gotten a little too deep if you ask me. It brings me back to the whole Tupac Shakur shooting. I’m not going to turn this into a “Who killed Tupac?” thing. I am, however, going to turn this into a “Someone got shot in Las Vegas on fight night and no one saw anything”-thing. It’s a little hard to believe, that’s all I’m saying.

Allhiphop.com interviewed Cam’ron about his strict no snitching policy. The website refers to his rule as foolish and ignorant. When we have public figures such as Cam’ron who follow such ignorant rules, what kind of message does that send to the rest of us?

Hell, if Cam’ron can do it, it must be OK for everyone to follow. I’m on the fence with this issue. Honestly, there are valid arguments from both sides. Both arguments are applicable. It’s true that you have to live your life with a sense of morality. If you see something happening that is wrong or unlawful, you should probably alert the right people.

But as we all know, being labeled a snitch can be the worst thing. At the risk of sounding juvenile, you don’t want to be tagged as a punk either. In the grand scheme of things, I think it is a personal decision we all have to make. It’s up to the individual to do what’s right.

Oneika Richardson can be reached at [email protected]