Tapping into The Wire

The Real Urban Crisis

Peter L. Beilenson, Patrick A. McGuire

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9781421407616
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Health Policy

Story lines from The Wire challenge public perceptions about the deadly, real-world connections between drugs, crime, and poverty.

Did Omar Little die of lead poisoning? Would a decriminalization strategy like the one in Hamsterdam end the War on Drugs? What will it take to save neglected kids like Wallace and Dukie? Tapping into 'The Wire' uses the acclaimed television series as a road map for exploring connections between inner-city poverty and drug-related violence. Past Baltimore City health commissioner Peter Beilenson teams up with former Baltimore Sun reporter Patrick A. McGuire to deliver a compelling, highly readable examination of urban policy and public health issues affecting cities across the nation. Each chapter recounts scenes from episodes of the HBO series, placing the characters' challenges into the broader context of public policy.

A candid interview with the show's co-creator David Simon reveals that one of the intentions of the series is to expose gross failures of public institutions, including criminal justice, education, labor, the news media, and city government. Even if readers haven't seen the series, the book's detailed summaries of scenes and characters brings them up to speed and engages them in both the story and the issues. With a firm grasp on the hard truths of real-world problems, Tapping into 'The Wire' helps undo misconceptions and encourage a dialogue of understanding.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword A Conversation with David Simon, Creator of The Wire, by Patrick A. McGuire
• Chapter 1 The New Public Health Crisis: Wallace’s World
• Chapter 2 Heroin Central: The Street Life of Bubbles, Marlo, and Johnny
• Chapter 3 Losing the War on Drugs: The Pit versus the Police
• Chapter 4 Medicalize or Legalize: Hamsterdam
• Chapter 5 Needle Exchange and the AIDS Dilemma: Sticking It to “the Bug”
• Chapter 6 Treatment on Demand as a Strategy: Walon’s Success Story
• Chapter 7 School Performance and the MIA Parent: The Tragedy of Dukie’s Education
• Chapter 8 Teenage Pregnancy and STDs: Shardene’s Escape
• Chapter 9 Firepower: Snoop’s Beretta, Avon’s Heckler, and Omar’s Mossberg
• Chapter 10 Place Matters: Why Didn’t Bodie Just Leave?
• Chapter 11 Of Paint and Guns: Did Omar Die of Lead Poisoning?
• Chapter 12 Obese Yet Malnourished: The Weighty Contradiction of Prop Joe
• Chapter 13 Public Health and Politics: The Promise and Peril of Tommy Carcetti
• Epilogue Learning from The Wire: Practicing Politics to Practice Medicine
• Cast of Characters
• Notes
• Index