Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Down to The Wire

The Wire has reached the end of the reel…

Yep, after five years of portraying Baltimore as a den of sleaze and corruption with ambitious young politicians making hay out of troubled schools, rampant murder and drug trafficking, production has shut down.

And I, for one, am thrilled! Baltimore, a city beset with violence and drugs? Come on, gimme a break!

That’s not my town. Baltimore is a place where people BELIEVE and Get In On It, not shoot each other on the street. Portraying it otherwise is a disgrace and scares away tourists who are afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Right? Well…

There are those who have said exactly that—that The Wire has somehow helped give Baltimore a bad name, as if we haven’t done a bang-up (pun intended) job of that ourselves.

What do you think? Are you happy to see The Wire coming to an end? What do you think of it as a television show? What about the estimated $100 million in direct spending and $200 million in economic impact during its five-year run, according to the state Department of Business and Economic Development? Are you glad to see that go, too?

Sound off! Let us hear from you.

As for me, when I leave my downtown office before sundown today and head north on the subway to my home in the suburbs, I will shout out a hearty farewell. At least until the show’s last season surfaces on HBO, likely early next year.

-LOUIS LLOVIO, Business Writer

2 comments:

AlisaBS said...

I will miss The Wire when it's gone. It's my favorite television show of all time.

I love that it allows me a view into the parts of our city that I otherwise wouldn't know existed -- and all without having to leave the comfort of my security system- protected suburban home.

As a fellow subway rider who gladly exits the city at quitting time, I get a good enough view of the part of Baltimore that City Hall pretends doesn't exist. I truly appreciate the chance to sit back and see what's out there without putting myself in harm's way.

Anonymous said...

you make it as we black people create the problem,but i know the white people are the ones getting paid that the police also you will never stop it because that the man pay check and we blacks are his labors