District Attorney reaching out to community that doesn't like to snitch

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) - It's a phenomenon going on in Wilmington, and around the country: the "stop snitching" culture, where victims and witnesses don't come forward to report crimes to police or prosecutors, but instead seek justice on their own out on the streets.

New Hanover County's District Attorney's office is using a novel approach to stop that, and their Community-Based Prosecution initiative is garnering praise from some very high places.

"We've literally had a young man dying in the streets, and when we asked him who shot him, he told us off right before he died, rather than being a witness to his own murder," Ben David told WECT, explaining what lengths some people will go to not to cooperate with authorities.

It's hard to believe, but it's a way of life for some people, especially for those growing up in poor, minority communities, who are most likely to be effected by crime. Police and prosecutors are considered enemies, not allies.

That's why the new Hanover county DA's office has recruited help from people like Amelia Martin.

Her son, Ron, a 19-year-old college student, was beaten to death near downtown Wilmington in a case of a mistaken identity.

Amelia grew up in the Taylor Homes housing project, and understands why some communities don't trust the system to bring them justice.

"The past has not been good in Wilmington for the lower class people," she said.

After her son's death, no one would come forward to help put his killers behind bars. But Amelia pushed for answers, people finally started helping authorities, and eventually, the suspects were arrested and convicted for murder.

Now, Amelia serves as a liaison for the DA's office, helping victim's families, and letting the community know it's OK to talk. "We are here to help them, and they can come to us at all times," she said. She's the one at the DA's office who contacts victim's families after someone has been murdered.  She goes to the courthouse with them, even to funerals.

"We go whereever they are to help them through the process," she said.

David says it's not just about prosecution; it's about prevention.

From a very young age, David says he can predict which kids will become wrapped up in the criminal justice system. That's why his office has also started a number of initiatives aimed at mentoring at-risk kids, and keeping them in school.

"We know just from statistics, you can look at problems starting in 3rd grade, that's when they project out how many prison beds to build.  I've got a better idea. Why don't we look at kids who are on the verge of dropping out and keeping them in school," David said. "If a kid is dropping out, there is a very high likelihood we are going to see them again in the criminal justice system."

It sounds good, but most importantly, it seems to be working.

The Community-Based Prosecution initiative David started in the 5th district got the attention of North Carolina Supreme Court's Chief Justice, who asked him to teach other DA's across the state about this concept.

David has written an article doing just that - out in the new edition of the Wake Forest Law Review.  David's success in New Hanover and Pender Counties has also earned him the respect of his peers, who recently elected him president of The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys. He will be sworn in later this month.

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