Influence on the City of Baltimore
While some credit the controversial HBO series with drawing attention to major drug problems and corrupt politics in the “other” Baltimore, some politicians and residents take issue with the show. Martin O’Malley has a long-standing beef with The Wire, and residents often say the show fails to depict the world-class museums, universities, and medical research institutes, or the tree-lined residential communities of the historic city.
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said the show presented an incomplete picture of the city: “The show’s popularity was based on showing all that was wrong in Baltimore.” Dirty Jobs host and Baltimore native Mike Rowe has also said the show is bad for the city.
