When Latasha Shaw was killed by a mob last year, the brutality shocked and infuriated the city. Though Shaw's attack was reportedly witnessed by dozens of people, there have been no arrests. Rochester Police Chief David Moore has said that it has been difficult to get people to volunteer information in the case.

But city residents gave another side to the "no-snitching" problem at an emotional public meeting at Baber African American Methodist Episcopal Church last Tuesday night. Cooperating with police officers can be an invitation to a reign of terror, residents told organizers of "You Bet I Told," a campaign to counter the no-snitching culture.

"In the eyes of the drug dealers, we're nothing but snitches," one man said. "I want to teach my children to be good citizens and do the right thing. But if I encourage my daughter, and she goes forward, how do I know she's not going to get murdered before these guys even go to trial?"

About 50 people stepped up to microphones placed throughout the church to explain why cooperating with law enforcement is difficult. Officers in uniforms knocking on front doors, police cars waiting in driveways - experiences like these, residents said, made them shudder with fear. Officers, while questioning neighbors and trying to solve cases, were inadvertently exposing them as sources, residents said.

Other residents told of receiving threatening phone calls at home and at work from people trying to intimidate them - some calls even coming from inmates.

Worse still, police response to tips and concerns from residents is uneven, they said. Several residents told of investigators taking weeks to return phone calls.

"Pick up the phone and call us," said Monroe County District Attorney Mike Green. "Tell us that we need to meet today: ‘I feel threatened and we need to meet right away.' We can't protect you 100 percent of the time because we have to work with the resources that we have. But you need to know you can count on us."

But not everyone was concerned about retaliation from criminals. Some residents were just as frightened and untrusting of police. They spoke about frequent traffic stops and racial profiling in the city's minority neighborhoods - which caused some residents to question why they should help if police see them as the problem.

"It may not have seemed like it, but I think, on balance, the meeting was successful," says Jed Metzger, a sociology professor with Nazareth College, and one of the forum's organizers. "We know there is a lot of work to be done. The community perception is that the police are not sensitive, that they don't understand what is happening. I think there is a legitimate reason why people of color feel disempowered. I'm an educated white man. I live in the city. I don't get pulled over."

Police officers need to hear the truth from residents about the complex nature of the no-snitching culture, says Darryl Porter, an advisor to Mayor Bob Duffy.

"This creates an opportunity for the residents to be listened to," says Porter, "and lets officers hear some of the pain and suffering these people go through. It's not that people don't want to help police, but it's not as simple as that."

The meeting was the kick-off of phase two of the year-long You Bet I Told public service campaign, which began in response to the violent deaths of community activist James Slater and Latasha Shaw. The campaign is designed to reduce the number and severity of violent crimes in Rochester. The campaign began with billboard ads placed throughout the city, which appealed to moral character and concern for fellow neighbors.

Information gathered from residents and a survey handed out at last Tuesday's meeting will be used to provide Duffy and Police Chief Moore with a report to help police conduct more effective investigations in the city.