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During
its
run,
I
absolutely
loved
the
HBO
series
The
Wire.
It
was
a
fascinating
show
that
provided
deep
insight
into
the
institutional
corrosion
that
felled
post-industrial
cities
like
Baltimore.
Each
season
featured
institutions
–
the
sad
ubiquity
of
the
illegal
drug
trade;
Baltimore’s
port
system,
and
the
union
desperately
trying
to
remain
relevant;
government
bureaucracy
and
corruption;
troubled
public
school
systems;
and
the
declining
influence
and
resources
of
the
newspaper
print
industry
–
trying
to
make
the
city
better,
or
simply
make
a
way
to
survive.
Baltimore
is
not
a
city
I
include
in
my
focus
group
of
Rust
Belt
cities,
but
it’s
undeniably
Rust
Belt
in
its
experience.
And
The
Wire
spoke
to
what
happens
in
cities
where
the
foundational
economy
disappears
and
nothing
enters
to
replace
it,
far
better
than
any
show
I’ve
seen.
A
lot
of
people
who
care
about
cities
saw
the
series
full
of
metaphors,
an
opportunity
to
dig
deep
into
the
problems
of
the
inner
city
without
getting
too
close
to
them.
It
was
an
intellectual
journey,
or
worse
yet,
lurid
entertainment.
The
Wire’s
viewers
generally
weren’t
exposed
to
the
issues
of
the
show’s
characters,
unless
they
lived
in
similar
conditions
in
a
similar
city.
Viewers
could
watch
drug
deals
and
drug
hits
from
the
security
of
their
living
room,
or
ponder
the
moral
complexities
of
political
corruption
without
paying
a
direct
cost.
For
many,
watching
The
Wire
was
like
watching
a
trainwreck
slowly
unfold
from
a
safe
distance,
or
riding
a
wild
rollercoaster
ride
with
the
certainty
that
they
would
never
be
thrown
out.
Many
television
shows
aim
to
reach
the
kind
of
blunt
authenticity
displayed
in
the
The
Wire,
but
never
reach
it.
Much
of
The
Wire’s
authenticity
is
attributed
to
David
Simon
and
Ed
Burns.
Simon
was
the
creator,
executive
producer,
head
writer
and
showrunner
of
The
Wire,
with
Burns
being
Simon’s
his
long-time
collaborator
in
writing
and
production.
Burns,
a
Vietnam
War
vet,
got
a
first-hand
look
at
Baltimore’s
streets
as
a
detective
in
the
Baltimore
Police
Department.
Upon
retirement
he
later
taught
7th
and
8th
grade
students
in
the
Baltimore
City
Public
Schools.
Simon
gained
this
authenticity
from
his
years
working
the
city
desk
for
the
Baltimore
Sun.
Rust
Belt
Reporter,
the
wonderful
memoir
by
former
Detroit
Free
Press
journalist
John
Gallagher,
reminds
us
that
we
need
more
writers
who
can
accurately
depict
this
aspect
of
the
American
urban
experience.
As
the
book’s
title
suggests,
Gallagher’s
journalism
career
is
almost
entirely
centered
on
Rust
Belt
cities.
He
starts
as
a
young
reporter
with
the
City
News
Bureau
in
Chicago
in
the
1970’s,
before
moving
on
to
newspaper
gigs
in
Rochester,
NY,
and
later
in
nearby
Syracuse.
However,
the
bulk
of
Gallagher’s
career
was
spent
in
Detroit,
where
he
worked
for
the
Detroit
Free
Press
for
32
years
before
retiring
in
2019.
This
was
the
job
that
gave
him
as
he
said
“the
catbird
seat
over
America’s
greatest
urban
story
–
the
rise,
fall,
and
rise
again
of
a
great
American
city,”
and
led
to
most
poignant
and
meaningful
writing
of
his
career.
It’s
odd
how
much
of
Gallagher’s
career
touches
on
themes
brought
to
the
screen
in
The
Wire.
He’d
covered
drug-related
murders;
he’d
written
on
United
Auto
Workers
and
Teamsters
union
negotiations
with
Detroit’s
Big
Three
automakers,
and
even
on
his
own
union
experience
as
part
of
a
devastating
newspaper
strike;
he’d
published
investigative
stories
exploring
local
government
corruption.
If
anyone
were
to
write
the
Motor
City
version
of
The
Wire,
Gallagher
would
have
the
cred
to
do
it.
Read
the
rest
of
this
piece
at
The
Corner
Side
Yard.
Pete
Saunders
is
a
writer
and
researcher
whose
work
focuses
on
urbanism
and
public
policy.
Pete
has
been
the
editor/publisher
of
the
Corner
Side
Yard,
an
urbanist
blog,
since
2012.
Pete
is
also
an
urban
affairs
contributor
to
Forbes
Magazine’s
online
platform.
Pete’s
writings
have
been
published
widely
in
traditional
and
internet
media
outlets,
including
the
feature
article
in
the
December
2018
issue
of
Planning
Magazine.
Pete
has
more
than
twenty
years’
experience
in
planning,
economic
development,
and
community
development,
with
stops
in
the
public,
private
and
non-profit
sectors.
He
lives
in
Chicago.
Photo:
courtesy
Pete
Saunders.
Go to Source
Author: Pete Saunders
