Thank God for Carmelo Anthony bringing social discourse back into the conversation, whatever that means but I am sure it is good. More diversity right?
For Anthony, there is no trace the steps of his journey, no indication of where he learned what, or when. He can’t even pinpoint what pressed him into action in the early hours of July 8, when he awoke from a fitful sleep and began composing an Instagram post. All he knows is that after the darkest side of America took the lives of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and five Dallas police officers, “It was too much.”
So Anthony posted a picture of the famous athletes’ summit featuring Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and let his thoughts flow.
“I just started typing,” Anthony said.
He enlisted his fellow athletes to call for systemic changes, to apply pressure to politicians, to make demands. They were just words on a screen. But typing is an action. Self-expression is an action. We know this because the laws of physics saw actions bring about reactions, and look at the ripple effects since Anthony’s Instagram post hit.
Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James led off the ESPY broadcast with another call to action. WNBA players wore protest warmup shirts, used their postgame interviews to address only Black Lives Matter-related topics, then held firm and forced the league to rescind its fines for their violations of uniform policies.
ESPN does not mention any of the following from Wikipedia:
In 2004, Anthony was cited for marijuana possession, after inspectors at Denver International Airport found marijuana in his backpack. Charges were later dropped after Anthony’s friend, James Cunningham, of St. Louis, signed an affidavit taking responsibility for the marijuana.[174] That same year, Anthony appeared in a video entitled, Stop Snitchin’, which warned that residents of Baltimore who collaborated with the police would face violence.[175][176] Anthony later distanced himself from this video.[177] In 2006, Anthony’s friend, Tyler Brandon Smith, was pulled over in Anthony’s vehicle and cited for marijuana possession and three traffic violations.[174] Later that year, he was involved in the infamous Knicks–Nuggets brawl during a game at Madison Square Garden.[178] He was suspended 15 games as a result.[59]
On April 14, 2008, Anthony was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, after being pulled over on southbound Interstate 25 at 20th Street in Denver for weaving through lanes and not dimming his lights.[179] Police spokesperson Detective Sharon Hahn said Anthony, who was alone in the car, failed a series of sobriety tests. He was ticketed and then released at police headquarters to a “sober responsible party.”[179] A court date was set for May 14. The Nuggets suspended Anthony for two games due to the arrest. On June 24, 2008, Anthony pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while ability-impaired. The original sentence of driving while under the influence was dropped, and he was subsequently sentenced to one year of probation, 24 hours of community service and US$1,000 in court costs and fines.
The NBA Star and the Drug Dealer “stop snitchin'”
The Stop Snitchin’ campaign first gained national attention in late 2004 in Baltimore, Maryland, when a DVD released by Rodney Bethea[2] titled “Stop Snitching!” began to circulate. However, the slogan “Stop Snitchin’” and many other variations have existed in the United States long before the campaign became popular.
In some footage, a number of men claiming to be drug dealers address the camera, and threaten violence against anyone who reports what they know about their crimes to the authorities. This threat is directed especially towards those who inform on others to get a lighter sentence for their own crimes. NBA star Carmelo Anthony briefly appeared in the video.[3] In subsequent interviews, Anthony claimed that his appearance in the video was a joke, the product of his neighborhood friends making a home movie.[4] Anthony claims that the film’s message should not be taken seriously.[5]
As the DVD spread across the country, corresponding shirts became popular in urban youth fashion. The shirts typically show a stop sign emblazoned with the words “Stop Snitchin’.” Some shirts bear bullet holes, implying that snitches should (or will) be shot, thus referencing its associated catchphrase “snitches get stitches”. The shirts have been more widely circulated than the original DVD.[citation needed]
The Diplomats, a Harlem-based rap group, made their own version of the Stop Snitchin’ shirts, with their logo on the end of the short sleeves. Another such shirt says “I’ll never Tell”. A new breed of shirts appeared for sale in flea markets and bazaars in south Dallas, Texas, in mid-2010. The new shirts extolled the benefits of “keeping yo’ mouth shut” in regards to a trial involving one “Fifi/Lisa” and one “Baldy/Red”. Further details of the trial, including a list of various charges set forth on the couple, are listed on the back of the shirt.
The video’s creator, Rodney Thomas, a.k.a. “Skinny Suge”, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault on January 17, 2006, in Baltimore and was sentenced to 15 years in prison, with all but three years suspended.[2]
National examples of violence due to “snitching” include Angela Dawson of Baltimore, who was killed along with her five children and husband on October 16, 2002, when their house was firebombed after she alerted police to illegal activities in her neighborhood.[6] Another example is Michael Brewer of Deerfield Beach, Florida, a 15-year-old who, in October 2009, was doused in rubbing alcohol and set on fire after assailants yelled, “He’s a snitch, he’s a snitch.”
Carmelo Anthony Featured In Drug Video
Nuggets Star Says He Threw Olympic Medal In LakeDenver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony is featured in an underground DVD that is circulating in his home town of Baltimore, Md.
Carmelo Anthony appears in a DVD called “Stop Snitching” with a self-confessed drug dealer.The DVD is called “Stop Snitching” and shows alleged drug dealers talking about what happens to people who cooperate with the police, and Anthony is standing next to one of them.
He is also seen on the DVD talking about his Olympic bronze medal and saying that he threw it in a lake. The man he stands next to later goes on to tell how he would take care of snitches by “putting a hole in their head.” However, Anthony does not appear to be taking part in that portion of the discussion.
The DVD showed up for sale for $10 within the last week on Baltimore’s streets. The production includes music, dancing and spoken messages, with clips showing men stuffing wads of cash into their pockets, driving in convertibles, smoking marijuana and flashing diamond-encrusted watches.
In one segment, Anthony stands on a street, wearing a red shirt and baseball hat and laughing while another man talks about life on the street, snitches and the NBA. Anthony, 20, doesn’t respond to any of the comments about violence, except to laugh. The credits of the DVD include a special thanks to “Melo,” Anthony’s nickname.
