Like, even if youre a police officer, they really dont.. A detective in a nearby county traces a string of overdoses to Baltimore. 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. French, French Speaking Africa Maurice Ward recounts how Jenkins remained unscathed despite several illegal incidents. United States I need a unit medic right now. I said, Where were you? Its her second documentary since 2017sBaltimore Rising, which chronicled the uprising in Charm City that followed Freddie Grays death. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Looking for more? As "The Slow Hustle" (2021 release; 88 min.) That is D.s perspective within the film. He enjoyed the admiration and respect of his superiors and was given special privileges. But day after day, the revelations keep coming. 5 Takeaways From ESPNs (Newest) Bombshell Dan Snyder Report, The Bidens Went to Dinner and Ordered the Same Dish, Dividing the Internet, PHOTOS: 2023 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize Honoree Dinner Celebrating Joni Mitchell, Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom Is Predicted for March 22-25. The GTTF further damaged the already troubled relationship between police and residents of Baltimore. 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. Adapted from former Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton's 2021 book , the show chronicles the rise and fall of one of the most shocking instances of police corruption in Baltimore's history. D Watkins, a local journalist and author who shares the view that Suiters death could have been an inside job, says in the film: What developed for me out of the whole story is this whole idea of Black lives really dont matter. So there was something different. We glimpse Steeles motives when she recalls her brothers being racially profiled by police. 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. He was praised as a positive role model. 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. We Own This City is based on a book by the Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton. 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.. Spanish, Brazil Four of them agreed to cooperate with the justice department and testified against the remaining two officers, both of whom were convicted by a jury in February 2018. But at the same time, this was a police officer. So that's sort of like the sieve through which the rumors come through. How is this going to be investigated? Having thus stipulated, it would also be absurd to pretend not to notice the connection. They were veritable gangsters, and the fact that Suiter died in this puzzling manner a mere day before he was speaking to the feds about his shady colleagues raised immediate suspicions that he was actually the victim of an orchestrated hit. Im not sure the police have proven that.. Tells the story of the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force and the corruption surrounding it. 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. How did you, as a filmmaker, you know, distinguish between fact and rumor? With candid interviews from members of the Baltimore P.D., Suiters widow and children, journalists, 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. Director Sonja Sohn Stars Umar Burley Jill Carter Kevin Davis As he notes, despite numerous different mayors and police commissioners, nothing much has changed in Baltimore over the years aside from the names of those engaging in criminal activity. FLORIDO: Your film really does document the Baltimore Police Department's long history of corruption. Greenwich Entertainment has just. Accuracy and availability may vary. With Bomenka around the corner, Suiter approached this figure, shots rang out, and Bomenka raced to the scene, whereas frantic bodycam footage illustrateshe found Suiter lying dead from a gunshot wound to the head. For HBO: senior producer, Sara Rodriguez; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller. And hes the worst officer doing the worst things.. 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? It wasnt a very large initiative, just a handful of officers, a single unit, and they went about their work with little fanfare. 890K views 5 years ago BALTIMORE Two Baltimore police officers are on trial this week in federal court for some of this worst misconduct imaginable. We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day, A Bigger Field Awaits Us: The Scottish Soccer Team That Fought the Great War. HBO Documentary Films presents A Blowback Production THE SLOW HUSTLE director and producer, Sonja Sohn; executive producers, Marc Levin, Kary Antholis, Sonja Sohn; supervising producer, Daphne Pinkerson; producer, Mahrya MacIntire. Simons longtime critiques in many ways anticipated the protests over policing of the past several years. There are other theories. 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. Sonja Sohn directed "The Slow Hustle." 1 Season | 6 Episodes | TV-MA WATCH NOW Executive produced by George Pelecanos ( The Deuce) and David Simon ( The Wire) -- and based on the book by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton -- We Own This City is a six-hour, limited series chronicling the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department's Gun Trace Task Force. He was born in 1980 which, Fenton notes, means that Baltimore has been shrinking and struggling for most of his life. Sgt Wayne Jenkins was the ringleader and is the central protagonist of the book and TV series. 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. 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. Discovery, Inc. or its subsidiaries and affiliates. This emphasis on numbers and quantity over quality really had a corrosive effect on the police department and influenced the conduct of officers. Jensen monitors Gondos calls. Police Sgt Wayne Jenkins is now serving a prison sentence until January 2039. English, Taiwan You were filming as this was all playing out in real time. French Its arguments are bold and impossible to miss. Whats Their Deal? I think Baltimore does what it did to me and its a divine mirror. 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. 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. 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. The Bachelor Has Two Maryland Contestants. The Wires Sonja Sohn on her Baltimore documentary: We are seeing multilayered corruption, Director Sonja Sohn interviewing D Watkins for The Slow Hustle. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. English, The Netherlands Sohn is also sceptical. We Own This City tends to choose telling over showing, however, especially on the investigation side of the story. 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. THE SLOW HUSTLE follows Detective Suitors widow and local investigative reporters as they work to get answers in the Suiter case and hold the Baltimore Police Department and City Hall accountable. Jenkins Waynes. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. English, New Zealand Really, The Wire isnt the only show the setup brings to mind. Baltimore Police officers found guilty in Gun Trace Task Force corruption case. It is not a good look.. English, Norway And there was all of this corruption that he was around. In April 2010, for example, Jenkins was involved in a reckless car chase that led to the death of an innocent motorist. I was sitting up at CBGBs [music club], the only Black girl with shaved hair, screaming, and I had a zine. Im sure those who are involved in policy making are in the midst of looking at how to develop a more nuanced strategy on some other levels because the folks who are in opposition are playing serious chess right now. I didnt know how much I had been impacted by it physically until 2020 came and I saw the correlation, she says. We Own This City is still a very good show, with granular realism, a sly sense of humor and fine acting top to bottom. Reinaldo Marcus Green directs and serves as executive producer. Itexamines the corruption and moral collapse that befell an American city in which the policies of drug prohibition and mass arrest were championed at the expense of actual police work. 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