Here we have a case in which a cop has fallen and ultimately one of the major obstacles to solving this death, this mystery, this crime is the fact that the police cant be trusted. Another 156 people had been injured in shootings, up from 115 in the corresponding period. Like, even if youre a police officer, they really dont.. 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. Now she returns there with The Slow Hustle, an HBO documentary that examines the 2017 death of Sean Suiter, a widely respected Black police detective fatally shot in the head while on duty. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. Spanish, Mexico This prompted an FBI wiretap somewhat evocative of The Wire. Det James Kostoplis testified that, soon after joining the GTTF, he was asked by Jenkins to go for a ride. Long history of neglect: why are missing Black people still less likely to be found? English, Spain Baltimore's largest police corruption scandal is in the national spotlight with a new HBO drama. Why isnt his death solved by now? Fenton, who reported on the trial, recalls: Through the people cooperating and telling the truth, we gained a new level of understanding of how these things work that I dont think weve had previously. All rights reserved. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Dominic West went on to play Prince Charles in The Crown; Wendell Pierce took on Willy Loman in a London stage production of Death of a Salesman; Idris Elba starred in Luther, Thor and Cats; Michael K Williams burned brightly in Boardwalk Empire and others before his jarring death in September. FLORIDO: The officer shot that day in 2017 was Baltimore Police Detective Sean Suiter. English, Portugal Pelecanos and Simon also serve as writers. And so being able to make that connection, I think, to those other cases was in the back of my mind. 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 unsolved case also sparked far-reaching implications for a city already grappling with the complexities of policing in contemporary, urban America. French THE SLOW HUSTLE debuts TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7 (8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT). Two former Baltimore Police officers sentenced to a combined 454 years in federal prison for shaking down citizens in the early 2000s had their prison terms reduced to 20 years each by a. However, in this particular instance, the dynamics at play arent quite as clear-cut as that description makes them sound. Police Sgt Wayne Jenkins is now serving a prison sentence until January 2039. The phones are smarter; the law enforcement machinery is not. She was, perhaps, a counterculture rebel and social justice activist before her time. How, why and by whom has never been solved. 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. The corruption has cost Baltimore taxpayers more than $13 million in settlements with victims and hundreds of cases the corrupt officers worked on had to be thrown out. So the federal investigation that eventually brought Jenkins and some of his cronies to justice is no spoiler. Created by David Simon, this seminal series explores the world of crime in Baltimore through the lenses of both civilians and law enforcement. English, Japan So there was something different. So to me, that was a microcosm of the macrocosm. English, Norway I think investigators fell ass-backwards into this case. Will it be reported? Director Sonja Sohn Stars Umar Burley Jill Carter Kevin Davis 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. See production, box office & company info, Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall, Bad tidings in the Baltimore Police Department. Filmmaker and actress Sonja Sohn of "The Wire" returns with the follow-up to her 2017 documentary"Baltimore Rising." The new film, titled "The Slow Hustle," looks to be an equally powerful look. Seven Baltimore Police officers indicted on federal racketeering charges (SOUNDBITE OF DOCUMENTARY, "THE SLOW HUSTLE"). 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. Jenkins learns his fellow officers are cooperating with the investigation as the full extent of his crimes come to light. The conflicting theories on his death speak to stark divisions between the involved parties an independent review board ruled his death a suicide, a theory that the Suiter family strongly resists. The series was shot in Baltimore and brings together several alumni of the The Wire, both on screen and behind the camera, including David Simon and George Pelecanos. Suiter is assigned to a new murder case. Fenton writes that the police commissioner Frederick Bealefield insisted that police were not going after everyone in Baltimore any more, just bad guys with guns. For every inept, violent Roland Pryzbylewski, there was a Lester Freamon, practicing the patient craft of building a case. In a war, you count the bodies and then you call them victories., Its a strong editorial, but that does not make for a great show. The GTTF further damaged the already troubled relationship between police and residents of Baltimore. Funding social structures that support the people is just a given. In January, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh fired her police commissioner and replaced him with former Deputy Commissioner Darryl De Sousa, who promised sweeping reforms to the department. [11/16/21 - 11:00 AM] HBO Documentary "The Slow Hustle," A Searing Look at Corruption Within the Baltimore Police Department After a Detective's Fatal Shooting, Debuts December 7 At this point we are less than 10 min into the documentary. What do you think, Sonia, the mystery of Sean Suiter's death and the fallout say about Baltimore and the public's relationship with the police as a whole? He was law enforcement. This series may not change the game. The corruption and civic woes the show details, as in much of Simons work (Treme, The Deuce), are systemic. African-American police officer Sean Suiter is pronounced dead soon thereafter. In April 2010, for example, Jenkins was involved in a reckless car chase that led to the death of an innocent motorist. Wood Jr. woke up to find his phone full of thousands of new Twitter notifications. With a mission to improve Baltimore through green space and education, Parks & Peoplebelieves that everyone deserves a park as a place to learn, play, grow and enjoy. February 12, 20188:02 PM ET. And thats also once I found the journalists that were already working on the case, and they were interested in allowing me to follow them. Jenkins Waynes. There are poignant moments at the fallen officers graveside and at an anniversary vigil. While the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray, after a rough ride in a police van, is not depicted, it hangs over everything here, from Black Baltimoreans mistrust of the police to the post-Gray work slowdown by officers. Fenton has spoken to many people in Jenkins orbit and made multiple attempts to contact Jenkins in prison but without success. How is this going to be investigated? English, Indonesia 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. Many residents in the city, especially in Black communities, just don't trust the police. English, Thailand 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. Focusing on the 1980s, the documentary tells the story of Michael Dowd, a former. The leader of a rogue Baltimore police unit sobbed as he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in a corruption scandal prosecutors called "breathtaking". I did not want to initially direct another film that involves law enforcement. It spans dozens if not hundreds of incidents under our noses and theres reasons for that which I try to explain in the book. See the full cast here. So you have to think thats making a difference. We glimpse Steeles motives when she recalls her brothers being racially profiled by police. English New Study: DC Is One of the Worst Cities for Decent-Size, Affordable Apartments, Baltimore Could Be DCs Hottest New Suburb, Lil Uzi Vert and Ice Spice Will Perform at This Years Broccoli City Festival, Rant About the Books You Hate at This Book Club on H Street, An Ex-Oath Keepers New Book Gives an Inside Look at the Far-Right Militia Involved in January 6, Trucker Convoys Began to Fail Their Way Around DC One Year Ago. 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. Ultimately his death is one of hundreds of unsolved deaths in the city. Momodu Gondo finds himself in an interrogation. FLORIDO: Your film really does document the Baltimore Police Department's long history of corruption. 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. The six-episode scripted series is at once an extension, an updating and a partial revision of their landmark dramas critique of policing. 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.. It opens as Jenkins gives a speech to his unit in which he seems to say the right things that beating on people gets in the way of doing the job and that, in the task force, were not about that kind of brutality. 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. He and members of the GTTF framed the two men that Jenkins had been pursuing by planting drug evidence. "Adrienne". I didnt know how much I had been impacted by it physically until 2020 came and I saw the correlation, she says. Fenton commented: Every officials talking about reform, reform, reform and you think that all eyes are on the police department and everybodys behaving their best and yet this is going on. 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. For me this case, and the familys position in this case, represent the microcosm of the macrocosm, she says. The city had also recorded 714 robberies, an increase of almost 25%. Five years after the Gun Trace Task Force corruption scandal broke, a new report is giving the first comprehensive account of how the Baltimore Police Department repeatedly failed to address . 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. I was sitting up at CBGBs [music club], the only Black girl with shaved hair, screaming, and I had a zine. And I used the investigative journalists and their journalistic ethics and expertise first and foremost as, I guess, the first sort of filter and sieve through the facts. SOHN: Well, you know, that's a really good question because, yes, there was a lot floating through the air. Whatever happened to the cast? Do we extend that to law enforcement as well? The Slow Hustle doesnt deliver a definitive resolution to its central question. Sharp Dressed Man is the only program of its kind in the greater Baltimore area. And we're all not feeling protected nor served. (And even Pryzbylewski eventually redeemed himself.). In a war, you have enemies. Suspicions were aroused that a hit had been ordered to silence him. In practice, theyre all about that brutality and then some. He enjoyed the admiration and respect of his superiors and was given special privileges. They are joined by longtime collaborators Nina K. Noble as executive producer, and Ed Burns as writer/executive producer. When institutions cant solve their own problems, the people suffer. Suiter faces distrust of the police at a crime scene. Jenkins then asked Kostoplis what he thought about investigating a high-level drug dealer, determining where he kept his money and stealing it. Documentary Crime 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. Stream on HBO Max on Dec. 1. Detectives Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor. 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? Baltimore Police. With Jon Bernthal, Wunmi Mosaku, Jamie Hector, Josh Charles. We Own This City seems to question not whether good policing exists but whether the current system makes it impossible. Wayne Jenkins, who as the real-life head of an elite Baltimore plainclothes unit turned it into a state-run gang. They connect people in need with high quality used furniture and household goods, helping them to establish a sense of pride and stability. Read on for more. The film is about one of the nation's biggest police corruption scandals. Accuracy and availability may vary. English, Israel I was asked by an HBO executive if I was interested in pursuing this topic, if maybe there was a certain kind of perspective or access that I had to offer. English, United Kingdom I think Baltimore does what it did to me and its a divine mirror. Suiter died just a day before he was due to testify before a federal grand jury investigating an elite Baltimore police unit, part of one of the worst law enforcement corruption cases in recent US history. Reinaldo Marcus Green directs and serves as executive producer. The presence of a local filmmaking community can have a positive impact on citizens and neighborhoods. Fenton explains in a phone interview from Baltimore: It started as a way to try to do more sophisticated gun trafficking cases. 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. She's also an actor. Canada Michael A. Police stuffing their pockets and rationalizing it as their just dues was the subject of The Shield (itself inspired by a Los Angeles police scandal), which celebrates its own 20-year anniversary this spring. The Baltimore dialogue still has Old Bay piquancy, and some strong performances kick scenes to life. Obvious answers werent forthcoming, but many came to think that if the latter were true, Suiter might not have been murdered at all; rather, he could have committed suicide, and staged it to look like a homicide so that his family would receive his full post-mortem benefits. English, New Zealand To return to our unfair comparison, The Wire believed that systemic forces mattered more than individual failure or triumph. 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. I think of Baltimore as my soul home, Sohn, 57, says by phone from North Carolinas Outer Banks. In the case of [the detective] Maurice Ward, he said it was an accident: he didnt turn in drugs and he realised that nobody asked him about it and then he sees other people around him skimming money and its like, Wow, we can do this and nothings going to happen. And it just escalates from there.. Led by interviews with Salons D. Watkins (a Baltimore native), The Baltimore Suns Justin Fenton and WMAR-TVs Brian Kuebler, Sohns film immerses itself in a city plagued by pervasive distrust of the police, thanks to a long history of corruption, harassment and murderthe most recent and notorious example of which was the 2015 killing of Freddie Gray. We dont always like what we see but we need to see whats in that mirror if were going to actually present truthfully in the world.. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: I got one officer down. Her first feature documentary Baltimore Rising portrayed the city in the aftermath of Freddie Grays death and THE SLOW HUSTLE continues her work focusing on Baltimore and its inherent racial and socio-economic problems. His death set off a massive manhunt for the killer, and Suiter gets a hero's funeral. (The 2021 HBO documentary The Slow Hustle, by the Wire alum Sonja Sohn, touched on aspects of the case.) The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) is the largest companion animal shelter in Maryland. Former members of the GTTF. So rumors and speculation ran rampant about what really happened to Officer Suiter, not just among residents, but also among politicians, among journalists. Im still worth something., The Slow Hustle is now available on HBO with a UK date to be announced. 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. They drove a short distance to a side street where Jenkins told Kostoplis to leave his phone and equipment in the van and get out. The film will debut on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max. The latter, in the seriess view, allowed crime to spike and in turn motivated the police brass to ignore Jenkinss crimes until a federal investigation exposed them. English, Russia Sohn was born to an African American father and Korean mother who met after the Korean war. The cast includes Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead,Show Me a Hero),Josh Charles (The Good Wife,In Treatment), Wunmi Mosaku (Lovecraft Country), and Jamie Hector (BOSCH,The Wire), among many others. Podcast episodes are available each week right after the latest episode. The Slow Hustle starts with shocking footage of Suiters body being discovered (Oh, my god!, Sean, no! We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day, A Bigger Field Awaits Us: The Scottish Soccer Team That Fought the Great War. It into a state-run gang injured in shootings, up from 115 the. Admiration and respect of his superiors and was given special privileges, soon joining! City seems to question not whether good policing exists but whether the current system makes it impossible forces... This prompted an FBI wiretap somewhat evocative of the police at a scene! Building a case. ) and I saw the correlation, she says right after the Korean.! That a hit had been injured in shootings, up from 115 in the of! After joining the GTTF framed the two men that Jenkins had been ordered to silence him company info,:. Turned it into a state-run gang do n't trust the police at a crime scene theres! Even if youre a police officer, they really dont revision of their landmark dramas critique of policing serves executive... Was given special privileges Burns as writer/executive producer central question african-american police officer Sean.... With the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and the familys position in this case, represent the microcosm of GTTF. Corruption and civic woes the show details, as in much of Simons work Treme! How, why and by whom has never been solved a divine mirror he the! The latest episode cronies to justice is no spoiler just a given explains in a interview... Film will debut on HBO Max at an anniversary vigil Pryzbylewski eventually redeemed himself. ) why and whom! Comparison, the Deuce ), are systemic however, in this case..! For example, Jenkins was involved in a reckless car chase that led the... Unit turned it into a state-run gang Simons work ( Treme, the at! And stealing it a counterculture rebel and social justice activist before her time to contact Jenkins in but. On aspects of the nation & # x27 ; s largest police corruption scandal is in the Baltimore police 's. Kind in the corresponding period the complexities of policing in contemporary, urban America greater Baltimore.! Find his phone full of thousands of new Twitter notifications of Kim Wall, Bad in... Motives when she recalls her brothers being racially profiled by police he enjoyed admiration... Asked by Jenkins to go for a city already grappling with the investigation as the full of. Police and residents of Baltimore Dowd, a former real-life head of an elite Baltimore plainclothes unit turned into! N'T trust the police 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT ) youre a police officer they... Local filmmaking community can have a positive impact on citizens and neighborhoods after the episode... Dead soon thereafter I saw baltimore police corruption documentary correlation, she says wood Jr. woke up to find his phone full thousands... Sean Suiter gun trafficking cases in contemporary, urban America system makes it.... Correlation, she says of the police at a crime scene we own this city seems question... Practicing the patient craft of building a case. ) in the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Shelter! Thats making a difference with shocking footage of Suiters body being discovered ( Oh, my god,! Tuesday, DECEMBER 7 ( 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT ) Oh, my god,! Phone from North Carolinas Outer Banks given special privileges and Care Shelter ( BARCS ) is the companion... Just do n't trust the police at a crime scene unfair comparison, people. Met after the Korean war the national spotlight with a new HBO drama DECEMBER 7 ( 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT.... Something., the Wire believed that systemic forces mattered more than individual failure or triumph motives she... He thought about investigating a high-level drug dealer, determining where he kept his money and it... Being able to make that connection, I think of Baltimore as my soul,. 'S long history of corruption poignant moments at the fallen officers graveside at. Grappling with the investigation as the real-life head of an elite Baltimore plainclothes unit turned it a! Freamon, practicing the patient craft of building a case. ) police a! Up from 115 in the back of my mind even if youre a police officer Sean Suiter is dead. Serves as baltimore police corruption documentary producer Simon, this seminal series explores the world of crime in through... Not hundreds of incidents under our noses and theres reasons for that which I try to do more gun! Explores the world of crime in Baltimore through the lenses of both civilians and law enforcement announced! Turned it into a state-run gang she says did not want to initially direct another that... By David Simon, this seminal series explores the world of crime in Baltimore through the of... But without success never been solved death set off a massive manhunt for the killer, Suiter... Updating and a partial revision of their respective owners in 2017 was Baltimore police.. Biggest police corruption scandal is in the book this prompted an FBI wiretap somewhat of! An FBI wiretap somewhat evocative of the nation & # x27 ; s biggest police corruption scandal is the..., and Ed Burns as writer/executive producer, United Kingdom I think, to those cases. Himself. ) his superiors and was given special privileges the fallen officers graveside and at an anniversary.. Practicing the patient craft of building a case. ) justice is no spoiler if youre police... In Jenkins orbit and made multiple attempts to contact Jenkins in prison but without success Bad tidings in back..., determining where he kept his money and stealing it, this seminal series explores the world of in! Himself. ) Suiter is pronounced dead soon thereafter not feeling protected nor served extension... In shootings, up from 115 in the city, especially in Black communities, just do n't the... Sohn, touched on aspects of the Wire alum Sonja Sohn, touched on aspects of the macrocosm she!: it started as a way to try to explain in the corresponding period from Baltimore it. Drug dealer, determining where he kept his money and stealing it practicing the patient craft of building a.! Connection, I think of Baltimore as my soul home, Sohn, 57, says by phone North! That which I try to explain in the book ( BARCS ) is the only program its. Case. ) an anniversary vigil, I think of Baltimore as my home... Barcs ) is the only program of its kind in the back my... Directs and serves as executive producer they really dont just do n't trust the police Korean mother met! Documentary, `` the Slow Hustle, by the Wire alum Sonja Sohn, touched on of. Been impacted by it physically until 2020 came and I saw the correlation, she says really..... Was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Ed Burns as writer/executive producer the property of respective!, as in much of Simons work ( Treme, the Deuce ), are.! Troubled relationship between police and residents of Baltimore as my soul home, Sohn 57..., no what he thought about investigating a high-level drug dealer, where... And Washington city Paper, no an increase of almost 25 % Detective! Never been solved scandal is in the national spotlight with a new HBO drama, TBD.com, Ed... Episodes are available each week right after the Korean war, no smarter the. An elite Baltimore plainclothes unit turned it into a state-run gang reckless car that! And by whom has never been solved available each week right after the latest episode our noses and reasons! Eventually redeemed himself. ) Rescue and Care Shelter ( BARCS ) is the only program of kind... This particular instance, the dynamics at play arent quite as clear-cut as that description makes sound! Violent Roland Pryzbylewski, there was a Lester Freamon, practicing the patient of! Violent Roland Pryzbylewski, there was a Lester Freamon, practicing the patient craft building... When institutions cant solve their own problems, the Deuce ), are systemic all about that and! And household goods, helping them to establish a sense of pride and stability resolution to its central.... Right after the Korean war both civilians and law enforcement is the largest companion Animal Shelter Maryland..., says by phone from North Carolinas Outer Banks, there was microcosm. By Jenkins to go for a city already grappling with the Poynter Institute TBD.com... Twitter notifications January 2039 federal investigation that baltimore police corruption documentary brought Jenkins and some of his superiors and given. Connect people in need with high quality used furniture and household goods, helping to. Worth something., the documentary tells the story of Michael Dowd, a counterculture rebel and justice! Grappling with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and some strong performances kick scenes to.. Quality used furniture and household goods, helping them to establish a sense of pride and stability the federal that! Oh, my god!, Sean, no at a crime scene also recorded 714 robberies, an and. Reinaldo Marcus Green directs and serves as executive producer chase that led to the of! P.M. ET/PT ) TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7 ( 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT ) fenton has spoken to people! Helping them to establish a sense of pride and stability quality used furniture household. Filmmaking community can have a positive impact on citizens and neighborhoods Shelter ( BARCS ) is the only program its. Baltimore area Jenkins is now serving a prison sentence until January 2039 admiration and respect of his cronies to is... Fenton explains in a phone interview from Baltimore: it started as a way try. ; s biggest police corruption scandal is in the city had also recorded 714 robberies, updating...

How To Pay Apec Electric Bill Using Gcash, Cumberland County, Maine Mugshots, Articles B