What’s My 20th Anniversary Takeaway From #TheWire ?

Photo by kat wilcox: at Pexels.com

Let’s celebrate the 20th anniversary of a complex portrait of a city and its Black, Latino, White and other citizens, in the version of Baltimore where ‘The Wire’ was set.

The show had so much to say about the places in the new century where:

Police stretched the law, as far as they could.

Politicians helped themselves and sometimes their constituents.

Journalists made choices about which stories needed telling.

Teachers tried to educate the young, in underfunded schools.

Blue Collar Workers struggled to do the right thing.

While Dealers and Users crossed paths / took responsibility / showed leadership.

Fast forward 20 years. In our time ‘Leaders’ routinely lie to their followers, avoid accountability and speak in 3 word slogans.

Back then, a TV show about a changing city, and every type of citizen, left us with a simple message:

A Man Must Have A Code,