David Simon, the creator of the acclaimed HBO series "The Wire," called for peace in Baltimore after the city was roiled by chaos, writing in a blog post Monday that the rioting was an affront to the memory of Freddie Gray and a "diminution of the absolute moral lesson that underlies his unnecessary death."
Simon's career, as a newspaper reporter, an author and a television writer and producer, has focused on policing and crime in Baltimore.
Here's the full post:
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.
