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The Stop Snitchin' Movement:
an interview with Keebie, the camera man
The "Stop Snitchin'" DVD has been rockin' the East coast ever since it has hit the streets. Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings has came out against the film and attacked NBA star Carmelo Anthony for appearing in it, the Baltimore police have kicked in doors lookin' for the master tapes, the government allegedly tried to frame the cameraman Keebie for selling dope and send him behind enemy lines for 40 years but he was found innocent of the trumped up charges.
Streetz (S): What is the movie about and how did you end up getting locked up behind it?
Keebie (K): Basically the movie is about what’s going on in our hood. Yeah, we were hustlin’. We was doing this and we was doing that. But it was still them dudes that envy us and they wanted to tell. They wanted to keep standing in our face, while on their cell phones giving the police our description, just to get us out of the way. But nah, that ain’t the way that you do it. You know the streets is respectable, so you got to keep it trill, you know what I’m talkin’ about? At the same time rats get their day; that's bad uplifting, upraising, and all of that...that's bad coming up. Niggas didn't teach 'em right. Nowadays when I teach my kid, I tell my kid "don't tell me nothing". We just got to get in these communities and get these kids up under our wing, man and raise them right.
Streetz (S): When I was in Chicago, about a month back, they had a campaign where, I don't know if it was the federal government or the state government, but they were going up into stores taking the "Stop Snitchin'" shirts out, as well as they were trying to shut down "Stop Snitchin'" websites; how have people responded to the film?
Keebie (K): Well it got back to me that it made ESPN, I was all over the news...really when that Carmelo situation really touched the surface that's when our popularity and the popularity of the DVD really start kickin' in.
S: What did they charge with when you got locked up behind this film?
K: They put 300 pills of Heroin and an 8- ball of cocaine on me. They brought it in the house when they raided the house.
S: A straight set up mission.
K: They had some corrupt cops that on the video was implicated... and a few dudes was part of them. The DVD was called "Stop Snitchin'", but they went on and put them officers out there, and now them officers is in federal custody for extortion, racketeering, stealing, robbery. I don't know if they had any murders or whatever but I know all of that stuff that I just named was on the news.
S: What are their names?
K: Antonio King and Murray. That's what they call them on the streets.
S: Why is this video seen as threat?
K: Because basically they want us as citizens as human beings to help them do their job. Now from what I know and what I experienced coming up...when you got a job, you got to do that job your self. That's the only way, they got to do it themselves.
S: So they're mad that ya'll are puttin' the line out there, don't work with them boys and stop snitchin'. I also heard that they were kickin' down doors, lookin' for the master tapes?
K: They can't find the master tapes because the master tapes are tucked off and they were put up real good. We still got the masters, so that's nothing and part 2 will be coming out real soon.
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