'The Wire' Creator David Simon Condemns Baltimore Violence

The HBO series The Wire ran for five seasons on the network and the fictional drama about the inner city of Baltimore still resonates with audiences now just as much as it did when it aired between 2002-2008.

The Wire showcased police corruption, race relations, gang violence, and drug trafficking, as well as showing all areas of the city.

Following the wake of recent riots and looting in the city in reaction to the death of Freddie Gray, who died after suffering a severe spinal injuring with in police custody this month, the creator of The Wire, David Simon, is condemning the violence in a passionate blog post on his website.

In the post he wrote, “Yes, there is a lot to be argued, debated, addressed.  And this moment, as inevitable as it has sometimes seemed, can still, in the end, prove transformational, if not redemptive for our city.  Changes are necessary and voices need to be heard.  All of that is true and all of that is still possible, despite what is now loose in the streets.”

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As of Tuesday morning, the mayor’s office says there were 144 vehicle fires, 15 structure fires, and nearly 200 arrests in the unrest on Monday after Gray’s funeral.

In Simon’s post, he continued and wrote, “But now — in this moment — the anger and the selfishness and the brutality of those claiming the right to violence in Freddie Gray’s name needs to cease.  There was real power and potential in the peaceful protests that spoke in Mr. Gray’s name initially, and there was real unity at his homegoing today.  But this, now, in the streets, is an affront to that man’s memory and a dimunition of the absolute moral lesson that underlies his unnecessary death.”

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Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called for a weeklong 10p.m. curfew and appealed for calm in a press conference on Monday.

Simon also issued a plea for calm, writing, “If you can’t seek redress and demand reform without a brick in your hand, you risk losing this moment for all of us in Baltimore.  Turn around.  Go home.  Please.”

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