Last night, protests erupted in Baltimore after the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who many believe was wrongfully killed by police. As things turned violent and destructive, some cast members of "The Wire" (an acclaimed HBO show about Baltimore's police department), as well as the series' creator, called for peace. Actors Andre Royo and Wendell Pierce, who played the characters Bubbles and Bunk, respectively, took to Twitter:
https://twitter.com/_/status/592819269462818816
https://twitter.com/_/status/592830020260855808
https://twitter.com/_/status/592830375031865344
Actor Felicia “Snoop” Pearson, who claimed to know Gray, was interviewed by CNN, and spoke on the claims that his injuries were sustained after running from police:
“I probably would have took off, too — there’s no win with them. If you stand there, they’re gonna say whatever they want to say. And whatever the police say, you’re gonna believe it, because they have the badge.”
Lastly, "The Wire" creator David Simon spoke his mind via a post on his personal blog, and excerpt of which is below:
"First things first.
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.
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.
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."
