RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Riverside has become the latest county to encourage its citizens to rat out their fellow neighbors who may be violating state and county public health orders. These requests have residents on edge. Many members of the public are outraged because these tactics have been used historically in countries where individual freedoms were lost. The government using masses against masses or brother against brother is a proven method to control its people. 

A press release sent out Thursday, by the Riverside County Health Department informed the public about RivCoMobile, which has a “Coronavirus” feature on the landing page. This mobile page can be used to make anonymous reports about possible violations of orders. Under the guise of health, the county of Riverside is urging residents to tattle on each other. 

These violations according to the press release, “May include the operation of nonessential businesses, unauthorized gatherings, and failure by essential businesses to comply with health orders such as facial coverings and social distancing for staff or patrons.

“We must mitigate and suppress the spread of the coronavirus. This app will help identify hotspots that will lead to efficiently responding to businesses that are risking the health of the community,” said Chair V. Manuel Perez, Fourth District Supervisor.

County health officials said the feature will provide data to public health officials tracking the source of COVID-19 outbreaks. The new feature will provide critical data to Riverside University Health System health officials, who track and address the spread of COVID-19 in Riverside County.

“Unfortunately, we’ve received numerous reports of violations throughout the County. This data will allow us to map areas of noncompliance, where we anticipate there will be associated outbreaks of COVID-19 and a corresponding need for resources,” said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Riverside University Health System.

Users will specify the address and type of violation in the report. The feature also includes the option to attach a photo. 

Earlier this week, Los Angeles City Mayor Eric Garcetti encouraged residents to snitch on anyone who violated city or county orders and be rewarded for such efforts. 

“If any non-essential businesses continue to operate in violation of the stay at home order, we’re going to act to enforce the safer at home order and ensure their compliance,” Garcetti said.

As of Tuesday, April 7, Los Angeles city officials visited more than 500 businesses that had not complied with the Safer at Home order. The Los Angeles police visited close to 150 businesses to enforce compliance which resulted in a handful of misdemeanor filings.

“You know the old expression about snitches, well, in this case, snitches get rewards,” Garcetti said in a media brief. “We want to thank you for turning folks in and making sure we are all safe.”

These tactics are taking place nationally. In South Carolina, a card game in a garage was broken up last weekend by police when neighbors reported the gathering of fewer than ten people. In Brighton, Colorado, 33-year Matt Mooney, a former Colorado State Patrol Officer, was handcuffed for playing ball in the park with his six-year-old daughter. Mooney told FOX31 the officers said he was not following state mandates. However, the officers apparently weren’t following their own health safety guidelines by handcuffing him and put him in the back of a patrol car until he was released 10 minutes later. The Brighton Police and mayor offered an apology to Mooney but the situation was the result of another resident snitching on the family playing ball alone in the park. 

China has been urging residents to snitch on each other using technology long before the Covid-19 outbreak and its residents are wary of the tactics. Mao Zedong promoted the practice called Fengqiao which points brother against brother, masses against masses to control. 

Author Jiang Tao describes the Fengqiao Experience as a, “Mao-era method for using massed groups of citizens to monitor and reform those who are labeled as “class enemies.” The method operates on the principle that “Ten people work together to reform one person so that conflicts are not handed over to higher authorities and thus the society is reformed from within.” In colloquial terms, this is mobilizing the masses against the masses.”

Ed Anderson, who studied law and political science at Stanford said, “In the 1930s Ukrainian boy Pavlik Morozov turned in his parents and became a Soviet hero. Reporting neighbors to the state was commonplace and expected in the USSR and Eastern European satellite states. Unfortunately, most Americans haven't a clue about what happened there.“ 

Rebecca Odeon a mother in Palmdale said, “Essential workers, such as myself,  are encouraged to bring a paper from our employee in case we are stopped by authorities. Here is a snapshot of the letter I have to bring with me to go to work.“

“Friends of mine who grew up in Eastern Europe were encouraged to snitch on everyone. No one could even trust their own family members,” said Lexi Rohner from Los Angeles. 

Another group in history that relied on pitting brother against brother was under fascism during Hitler's rise to power using Brown Shirts. The Brown Shirt members were mainly lower-middle class Germans who had lost their jobs due to the country's economic problems. The Brown Shirts gave them something to be part of and proud of.  Today, according to the Urban Dictionary, to call someone a brown shirt is hinting that they oppose human rights or freedom.

An article in Reuter’s by author Madeline Chambers cited, “One of the most repressive police organizations in the world, the Stasi crushed dissent by infiltrating almost every aspect of life in East Germany and relied on around 200,000 informants who spied on friends, colleagues and relatives.”

Chambers interviewed Rafael Behr, professor of criminology and sociology at the Hamburg Police Academy in Germany, "Snooping was widespread then and it's easier for people to do this if they have done it before.” 

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