Baltimore’s Fentanyl Epidemic Is Worse Than You Think
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Why is Baltimore’s murder rate historically so high?
Baltimore's always been known as a mob town. So even back in the twenties and thirties, it was still 300 murders a year. But right here, man, this has always been a gold mine and a very, very treacherous place. We passed the war on drugs now. That's dead. Like that would that that has been proven that it didn't work. A lot of crime, a lot of murder, a lot of a lot of stuff actually happened. But this Baltimore, man.
Baltimore. How can I talk about this place without comparing it to The Wire? One of the most iconic shows in the history of television. It's the show that put this rust belt, mid-Atlantic city ravaged by poverty, drug abuse, and a funny accent on display for millions of people around the world. The answer is, I can't. So I'm not even gonna try. Compare I must, and compare I will. It's been nearly 20 years since the Wire. Ended. 20 years since Marlowe killed Prop Joe and took the connect, and then somehow managed to walk free even after his whole crew was taken down by corrupt Baltimore PD. In reality, the real life Marlo Stanfield served nearly 40 years in prison for a double homicide he swears he didn't commit.
This is just one of the many liberties taken by the creators of The Wire, David Simon and Ed Burns. But hey, It's television, and sometimes fiction is more entertaining. Still, most of the storylines in the show were taken from real events and real people, like Marlowe. So, how has Baltimore changed since 2007 when the show ended? How has drug trafficking evolved? And are things, dare I say, improving in the city? I had to travel there to find out. And as always, if you could do me a quick favor and like this video, leave a comment and subscribe to the channel, I would deeply, deeply appreciate it. All right, let's get into it. The first thing that strikes you about Baltimore, besides its colonial beauty, is just how friendly everyone is.
What caused the recent historic drop in Baltimore homicides?
From the lady helping you get a cab at the airport to the corner boy in South Baltimore selling you a bag of fentanyl, there's a spirit of charm and hospitality here that transcends class and racial lines. So then, how does a city with such brotherly love manage to have one of the highest murder rates per capita of any metropolis in America? That's one of those complex sociological questions with many different possible explanations. Drugs and drug dealing are certainly a factor.
You still got organized crime, meaning right, we gonna do this for territory, yeah. Pushing them out. We need this plot.
One of the more accurate portrayals in the wire is how petty beefs that happen on the street level between neighborhood crews turn quickly into violent reprisals.
When I came home, it was people that was hanging together that was never hanging together. Uh-huh. So it's like, damn, he knows our secrets. Right. So we don't like them because he with them there. So it's a lot of their warshit going on too. You can't just come from a different neighborhood and think you're about to come push up.
So if a crew from the neighborhood wants to set up shop, but round here? Yeah. If it but if it's not their block, is it gonna be some beef?
If they from around here And they just try to post up on a block and they not hollering at niggas, they probably gonna have some problems about that.
Up until very recently, this was a 300 murder a year town, going back a century.
But remember, Baltimore has always been known as a mob town. So even back in the twenties and thirties, it was still three hundred murders a year. Yeah. So it's not like it's recent times or due to the crack epidemic. But it's not
just drugs. There's drug dealing in every city. There's a culture of murder unique to Baltimore, which contributes to much of the violence.
So like how it was on Hawaii when you seen the last verse of the episodes and they had the young kids coming up.
How are community peace teams and intervention programs reducing violence?
It's more reckless. That's the era we live in in now. Right. It's more reckless. So It wasn't a whole bunch of training before we jumped back to ports.
Death in all its forms is very common here.
I think by the time I was seven, I was desensitized to murder.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why is Baltimore’s murder rate historically so high?
0:00–1:54
2
What caused the recent historic drop in Baltimore homicides?
1:54–3:38
3
How are community peace teams and intervention programs reducing violence?
3:38–4:53
4
How did the drug market shift from heroin to fentanyl in Baltimore?
4:53–6:30
5
What does open‑air drug use look like at Lexington Market?
6:30–8:16
6
How do Baltimore’s treatment centers and recovery programs operate?
8:16–10:55
7
What are the structures of street‑level drug corners on the South and East sides?
10:55–13:06
8
Why do youth programs and community leaders believe Baltimore can be saved?
13:06–35:19
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell
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