The Wire cast reunites to give voice to stories of Baltimore's riots

Sixteen cast members of The Wire returned to Baltimore on Saturday to read stories of the city’s recent riots.

Fans saw Omar, Bunk, Kima and McNulty (Michael Kenneth Williams, Wendell Pierce, Sonja Sohn and Dominic West) reunited on stage to read monologues written by residents for Wired Up, a production at the city’s Artscape event.

One of the occasion’s main organizers, Sonja Sohn (who played Detective Kima Greggs in the show), told the Baltimore Sun she wanted to “give back” to the city where the HBO hit was set, and to give residents a microphone.

“We know how [storytelling] heals and radiates outward and what it inspires in other people,” Sohn said. “We’re going to give a platform to these folks who felt they were not being heard.”

Carver, Cutty, Marlo, Snoop and Bubbles (Seth Gilliam, Chad Coleman, Jamie Hector, Felicia Pearson and Andre Royo) were also in attendance.

In its five seasons, The Wire won acclaim in part for its fidelity to Baltimoreans. Some cast members, including Pearson, Maria Broom (Marla Daniels) and Robert Chew (Prop Joe), were from the city. Others, including Gbenga Akinnagbe (Chris) and Anwan Glover (Slim Charles), grew up in nearby Washington DC. Chew died aged 52 in 2013.

“We lived here while we were shooting and became a part of these communities,” Sohn said. “There’s a real core group of us who feel parts of Baltimore are woven in to who we are as result of the time we spent here.”

In particular, the readings were meant to highlight the stories of Penn North, the neighborhood where Freddie Gray lived before he died while in police custody in April. The neighborhood became a focal point of subsequent riots over police brutality, institutional racism and class and racial inequalities.

Sohn and others set up workshops for residents to write about their experiences before, during and after the riots, thus coming up with the raw material for the performance.

The show’s creator, David Simon, worked as a reporter in the city for several years. He was not involved in Saturday’s production but offered his own strong opinions on the state of Baltimore earlier this year.

Simon blamed abusive police tactics on the toxic relationship between residents and authorities, telling the Marshall Project the police had acted for years as “an army of occupation”.

Although The Wire won plaudits during its run and many enthusiastic fans after it ended, it has not always had a beloved place in Baltimore’s heart. Former mayor Martin O’Malley – now a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination – denounced the series for what he felt was an unfair depiction of crime, corruption and policing.

According to Simon, O’Malley – who is believed to have been a partial inspiration for the mayor in the show, Tommy Carcetti – threatened to block filming.