Spanish, Mexico We Own This City is still a very good show, with granular realism, a sly sense of humor and fine acting top to bottom. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. The Feds prepare charges. Canada The results of this quest were predictably meager, and it wasnt long before pressure began to mount on Commissioner Kevin Davisfrom both the public and the mayorto find the assailant who killed this heroic cop in the line of duty. Reinaldo Marcus Green directs and serves as executive producer. What I knew from the get-go was that the crime scene was going to be critical, so there was going to have to be a graphics person on board to help us illuminate some of those details. Right now were dealing on a mass level with this lack of trust of law enforcement because of the way they have treated Black folks. WATCH NOW The Slow Hustle, an HBO original documentary from director Sonja Sohn (HBO's " Baltimore Rising " and " The Wire "), chronicles the still unsolved death of Baltimore police detective Sean Suiter, fatally shot in 2017 while in the line of duty, and explores the ongoing speculation about what really happened that day. You know, I think we're already, across the country, not trusting our law enforcement. But after meeting [Suiters wife] Nicole, and beginning to see that there were pieces missing in the investigation of Seans Suiters death, likethis is a cop. Greenwich Entertainment has just. Includes: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo - Brazzaville, Congo - Kinshasa, Cte d'Ivoire, Djibouti . English, Romania The GTTF further damaged the already troubled relationship between police and residents of Baltimore, especially communities of colour. English, Indonesia It has nothing to do with my level of desire. Their solution: They sold the drugs and firearm back onto the street. He became a police cadet in 2003, married and bought a house. In 2017, Baltimore was rocked by the federal indictment of Wayne Jenkins, a highly decorated super-cop and leader of. And that's where D. Watkins comes in to play - someone who's lived on sort of both sides of the track and having, you know, been, you know, a critical, you know, just a social critic and delving into those topics and bringing that perspective. For me this case, and the familys position in this case, represent the microcosm of the macrocosm, she says. English, Israel Pelecanos and Simon also serve as writers. Thats a terrible fucking idea. Jenkins name appears in the opening shot of We Own This City, an HBO drama that chronicles the rise and fall of the Baltimore police departments gun trace taskforce (GTTF), described in an independent report as the most shocking corruption scandal in Baltimores history. This prompted an FBI wiretap somewhat evocative of The Wire. English, New Zealand Through his early years on the force, Jenkins goes from learning how to scam the overtime rules to outright larceny. Engaging the journalists was, I think, one of the better decisions that I made. Exploring crime-related stories and the issues surrounding them, the anthology includes: 2023 Warner Bros. A 2016 Department of. That should be happening anyway. Baltimore Police officers found guilty in Gun Trace Task Force corruption case. This malaise, Sohn points out, goes beyond Baltimore and policing in general. English, Denmark It wasnt that we heard about them all the time. Baltimore's history of police corruption The scandal broke at a time of struggle and high tensions between Baltimore community members and the police department. But the spirit of those protests also seems reflected in this new story. Really, The Wire isnt the only show the setup brings to mind. I did not want to initially direct another film that involves law enforcement. The Seven Five, also known as Seven Five Precinct, is a 2014 documentary directed by Tiller Russell, and produced by Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, and Sheldon Yellen.The film looks at police corruption in the 75th precinct of the New York Police Department during the 1980s. English, Japan From top left, Daniel Hersl, Evodio Hendrix, Jemell Rayam, Marcus Taylor, and from bottom left, Maurice Ward, Momodu Gando, Wayne Jenkins and Thomas Allers. Supervisors had no incentive to report misconduct by their underlings because, given the culture of the police department, that would put them in a bad odour in the rest of the department.. Suspicions were aroused that a hit had been ordered to silence him. Baltimore is rocked by the Freddie Gray protests. English, India English, The Netherlands The HBO drama is based on Justin Fentons nonfiction book of the same name. In a heightened atmosphere of distrust between disenfranchised communities and the police, THE SLOW HUSTLE brings to light the challenges of uncovering the truth and highlights the devastating fallout on ordinary citizens and police officers alike. BALTIMORE A documentary film profiling Baltimore's police department in the wake of Detective Sean Suiter's on-duty death is set to hit television and streaming services next month. I think the other thing that really got me was understanding that with this crime not being solved, with this death not being solved, if the police are involved in that, then theyre willing to throw this family under the bus. Last. See the full list of We Own This Citycast and charactershere. Ultimately his death is one of hundreds of unsolved deaths in the city. United States With candid interviews from members of the Baltimore P.D., Suiters widow and children, journalists committed to uncovering the truth, lawyers and political leaders, THE SLOW HUSTLE examinesthe continuing mystery surrounding Suiters deathand the multiple theories that emerge in the investigation of the case, including that Suiters death was a calculated murder hit or a suicide. A far-reaching corruption scandal is the last thing Baltimore's troubled police department needs. It tells how a shift in policing strategy in 2007 led to the creation of the GTTF amid concern that police had spent too long pursuing drugs rather than guns. But the GTTFs reign of impunity was cut short when a suburban drug investigation happened to reveal one officers contacts with a drug organisation. "The Slow Hustle" is the title of a new HBO documentary out now. At the center of The Slow Hustle is Baltimore Police Department detective Sean Suiter. But at the same time, this was a police officer. Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. We Own This City, the anticipated new drama from The Wires David Simon, cracks open the story of a corrupt Baltimore police unit fallen from grace. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I think investigators fell ass-backwards into this case. The two men were sent to prison for crimes they did not commit. What it does offer, however, is a forlorn perspective on a major metropolis whose police force has so betrayed the publics trust that the truth is now impossible to determineand, consequently, cynicism reigns supreme regarding the powers-that-be. Nick. Fenton explains in a phone interview from Baltimore: It started as a way to try to do more sophisticated gun trafficking cases. As "The Slow Hustle" (2021 release; 88 min.) Bringing Jenkins and his ilk to justice does not mean Baltimores problems are resolved. I felt alone and I was happy. opens, it's "November 15, 2017" and we hear a frantic 911 call about a Baltimore police officer having been shot, and we then get the body cam footage as cops arrive on the scene. Two Baltimore plainclothes police detectives were convicted Monday of racketeering, robbery and fraud in a trial involving a wide range of criminal . Momodu Gondo finds himself in an interrogation. I Got A Monster (2023) Documentary Official Trailer In March of 2017, America's deadliest city was rocked by one of the nation's biggest Police corruption scandals. I consider Baltimore to be as much of a home to me as the place where I grew up in Virginia. The Baltimore police department, recognising that the problem was perhaps guns more than drugs, wanted to have a smarter approach. As new evidence emerges, the mystery deepens. In HBOs We Own This City, Jon Bernthal plays Sgt. Wayne Jenkins (Jon Bernthal), who as the real-life head of Baltimores Gun Trace Task Force turned that elite plainclothes unit into a state-run gang, skimming cash and drugs from raid targets and using his status in the department to cover up abuse, corruption and deadly procedural violations. Fenton, 38, who worked for the Baltimore Sun newspaper for 17 years and is now at the Baltimore Banner, a new non-profit newsroom, says: I do definitely wonder if it happens again, if its happening right now, will I know? The city knows that Suiter was going to testify against a group of corrupt cops and there is this history of corruption in the police department in Baltimore, then that lack of trust is amplified throughout this city., So the first theory that folks are thinking is, Of course you guys killed him. Former members of the Baltimore Police Department, from internal affairs to the former commissioner, attempt to shed light on that fateful afternoon and the atmosphere within the department. So there was something different. The Wires Sonja Sohn on her Baltimore documentary: We are seeing multilayered corruption, Director Sonja Sohn interviewing D Watkins for The Slow Hustle. Start from the beginning and watch the first episode ofWe Own This Cityfor free. Why isnt his death solved by now? The Slow Hustle, which debuts Tuesday night on HBO and HBOMax, looks at the death of Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter, who lived in Prince George's County and who was shot in the head in late 2017, the day before he was due to testify in a federal probe of police corruption. / Like, even if youre a police officer, they really dont.. So you have to think thats making a difference. ReBUILD Metro is a community change organization that revitalizes historically redlined neighborhoods of East Baltimore without displacing their legacy residents. We Own This City is based on a book by the Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton. The city had also recorded 714 robberies, an increase of almost 25%. English, Norway I didnt know how much I had been impacted by it physically until 2020 came and I saw the correlation, she says. I think of Baltimore as my soul home, Sohn, 57, says by phone from North Carolinas Outer Banks. I think Baltimore does what it did to me and its a divine mirror. The creators, cast, and crew discuss the rigorous research and attention to detail that went into bringing this true story to life in Baltimore. Along the way, though, you got a lot of rich personal stories to invest in, which is how dramas with a broad social scope manage to succeed as both art and argument. His book A Bigger Field Awaits Us: The Scottish Soccer Team That Fought the Great War was published in 2018. Jenkins duly tested his colleagues willingness to put personal loyalty to him above their oaths to uphold the law. English, France We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day, A Bigger Field Awaits Us: The Scottish Soccer Team That Fought the Great War. However, in this particular instance, the dynamics at play arent quite as clear-cut as that description makes them sound. Focusing on the 1980s, the documentary tells the story of Michael Dowd, a former. Sohn is also sceptical. SONJA SOHN: I think the one thing that I had to zero in on or hone in on was the fact that there - that this was a Black man who appeared to be murdered, whose murder was unsolved and quite possibly could have been at the hands of law enforcement. I need a unit medic right now. Richard Gonzales. Sohn was at home in North Carolina when George Floyd, a Black man, was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis last year. In April 2010, for example, Jenkins was involved in a reckless car chase that led to the death of an innocent motorist. You may know her for her role as a Baltimore police detective in the hit series "The Wire." Washingtonian spoke with Sohn last week about her new joint. Its arguments are bold and impossible to miss. Oh, Lord. All those season-ending montages seemed to say: No matter how you feel about the end of this or that particular story, the beat goes on. Ive been waiting for you all my life and now youre here and Im an old lady. But lets see what I can do. THE SLOW HUSTLE, a feature documentary directed by Sonja Sohn (HBOs Baltimore Rising, The Wire), chronicles the still unsolved death of Baltimore police detective Sean Suiter, fatally shot in the head in 2017 while in the line of duty, and explores the ongoing speculation about what really happened that day. Watkins is the most outspoken of The Slow Hustles many talking heads, but even he confesses that anythings possible when it comes to Suiter, given that its difficult to ascertain the nature and degree of his involvement with the GTTF. What really got me with the Baltimore Rising cast is I saw them speak at a museum and I was like, Oh my god! I cried. Or was he an accomplice, on the take just like his boys-in-blue brethren? But theres a lot of pushback of course. His report, published in January this year, ran to 515 pages and sought to explain how a scandal of such proportions could begin and continue for years without being detected. French, French Speaking Africa Let us stipulate that it is unfair to compare any series to The Wire, even if it is about policing, even if it is set in Baltimore, even if it happens to be made by two of the figures behind that HBO all-time great, which marks its two-decade anniversary this year. Courtesy of HBO Max . Director Sonja Sohn Stars Umar Burley Jill Carter Kevin Davis But day after day, the revelations keep coming. With Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, Josh Charles. English, Portugal He and members of the GTTF framed the two men that Jenkins had been pursuing by planting drug evidence. I think you identified it perfectly. Whatever Happened to Permanent Daylight Saving Time? It hasnt escaped David Simon and George Pelecanos, the creator and a producer of The Wire, who have returned to their geographic and rhetorical turf with We Own This City, beginning on HBO Monday. The film follows Suiters family as it tries to get answers about his death. And so being able to make that connection, I think, to those other cases was in the back of my mind. The true story of the Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force. Then I thought, okay, heres the possibility of actually solving the case. After Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter is killed in the line of duty, the tragedy soon becomes enmeshed in a widening corruption scandal that threatens to unravel the public's already After Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter is killed in the line of duty, the tragedy soon becomes enmeshed in a widening corruption scandal that threatens to unravel the public's already strained relationship with law enforcement. English, Philippines It wasnt a very large initiative, just a handful of officers, a single unit, and they went about their work with little fanfare. For every inept, violent Roland Pryzbylewski, there was a Lester Freamon, practicing the patient craft of building a case. That revelation leads to speculation that maybe Suiter's killing was an inside job meant to keep him quiet, or that maybe he took his own life. Sonja Sohn, who played Baltimore cop Kima Greggs onThe Wire and who founded a Baltimore-based nonprofit, directs the film. And so it's clear to me this is another way to look at the question of how we're going to restructure a - how we're going to create another structure for protection and safety because right now, I'm not convinced that "defunding the police," quote, unquote, is really the thing because that's supporting social structures that support the people. That produces a culture taken to its extreme, which it was in Baltimore by many, that the ends justify the means, Bromwich continues. For HBO: senior producer, Sara Rodriguez; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller. But its indictments lack the character shading that animated Simons adaptations of the housing-policy story Show Me a Hero and his own book The Corner.. WJZ has covered the real-life Gun Trace Task Force investiga. The actor-turned-directors new film The Slow Hustle tells the story of a detective who was killed just before he was set to testify in a corruption case. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. I dont think were losing momentum. SOHN: First and foremost, it speaks to the lack of trust that the people of the city have in law enforcement not only in Baltimore, but across the country. English, Italy English, Pakistan Ultimately, the journey reveals how theculture of corruption within the ranks of the Baltimore police forcecontributed to the destruction of the publics trust and impacted the police departments ability to solve a shooting deathof one of its own. She's also an actor. It also tracks several local journalists, including Baltimore Sunreporter Justin Fenton andSalon editor-at-large D. Watkins, while they parse the investigation into Suiters death to its official andto many, including Suiters familyunsatisfying conclusion. The convicted officers were sentenced to prison terms ranging from seven to 25 years. In July of 2022, the lead investigator into Sean Suiter's death, Sgt James Lloyd was sentenced to one year in jail for using his fellow policemen to harass a contractor working on his home. (And even Pryzbylewski eventually redeemed himself.). Sohn cofounded ReWired for Change, a local outreach programme for at-risk youth, and made her directorial debut in 2017 with Baltimore Rising, which depicted the Black-majority city in the aftermath of the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in police custody. Officers tell me that its a new day over there and everybodys wearing body cameras all the time, which wasnt the case until pretty late in the investigation of the gun trace taskforce. How is this going to be investigated? Coming to the city was was kind of a reckoning with my own self. Executive producers George Pelecanos, David Simon, cast, and crew go behind the scenes. Maryland State Senator Jill P. Carter helps contextualize some of the social and political misdeeds that have led to an environment that so easily breeds institutional misconduct. FLORIDO: Your film really does document the Baltimore Police Department's long history of corruption. The mission of the Black Mental Health Alliance (BMHA) is to develop, promote, and sponsor trusted culturally-relevant educational forums, training, and referral services that support the health and well-being of Black people and vulnerable communities. When institutions cant solve their own problems, the people suffer. Late in the series, she meets with Brian Grabler (Treat Williams), a retired detective turned critic of the department, who makes a Socratic case that the war on drugs has failed. You were filming as this was all playing out in real time. Scenes for the HBO show based on Justin Fenton's book about the corruption in the Baltimore Police Department Gun Trace Task Force are being filmed outside the vacant Bengies Groceries in the 4000 . And there was all of this corruption that he was around. The Slow Hustle, an HBO original documentary from director Sonja Sohn (HBOs Baltimore Risingand The Wire), chronicles the still unsolved death of Baltimore police detective Sean Suiter, fatally shotin 2017 while in the line of duty, and explores the ongoing speculation about what really happened that day. She grew up in Newport News, Virginia, had a stint in New York as a slam poet and recorded an album in London. Theres been so much rightful attention on police brutality and so we know when an officer shoots somebody theres an injury, theres a death. It is not a good look.. FLORIDO: The officer shot that day in 2017 was Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter. We are seeing multilayered corruption with new eyes as a culture. 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