I think an innocent person would refuse to come forward if they're cynical. I've never been in trouble with the law, aside from a speeding ticket in 2002, but there's no way I'll ever come forward and talk to the police about any felony crime if it looks like it could somehow be pinned on me. Take polygraphs, for example. Innocent people sometimes fail polygraphs. That makes them look even more guilty. But if they pass a polygraph, it still doesn't necessarily clear them, since guilty people sometimes pass polygraphs. And I'm not even black. If I was black, being called a "" and "guilty as Hell" on Websleuths and elsewhere, in addition to being painted as a career criminal by the police chief based on my 2002 speeding ticket, I'd probably just clam up, go hide at granny's, change my photo to a black rectangle, etc.