Andre Harris, founder of Dads Against Crime, said a lot of crime happens and goes unsolved because of the stigma of being labeled a "snitch" — and the fear of retaliation.
Harris says those concerns are strong in the Black community, and add another hurdle on top of an already strained relationship with police.
"Every day our communities, especially in the inner city, they witness crime. We got average people that see crime, see murders happen, see robberies happen," Harris said. "They're afraid to report it. And because of that, and because they don't report it, then the crime and the criminals continue in their way of wrongdoing."
Harris says he dropped out of school in eighth grade, was dealing drugs by 14, and had multiple run-ins with the law. Many of the people he ran with, Harris said, have died.
After 10 years, Harris said he was tired of that lifestyle. Then, following the death of 4-year-old LeGend Taliferro, Harris recognized the need to support fathers through the trauma of child loss.
He founded the nonprofit Dads Against Crime, which offers mental health services, job placement and record expungement to help get fathers into a position that they can better support themselves and their family.
Mental health support is also stigmatized in the Black community, Harris said.
"I think we do need to shed light on mental health and say, hey, it's real problems out here. People are dealing with real things, real issues, and we need to not call them crazy," Harris said.
- Andre Harris, founder and president, Dads Against Crime
