Preparing for London
If you're wondering why I haven't posted any of my impressions of London, it's because I'm not there yet. This project is set up so I'm here a few days with Mark Hughes of the Independent, and then Mark will be in London for a few days with me. There's a period of time in between in which I'll be in London and he'll be in Baltimore.
I've been asked, "What's the hook?" Mark is here because of the UK interest in "The Wire," but why am I going there? The answer is that we're using this as an opportunity to turn the focus back around and examine the trends and current events there that are fueling this interest. Certainly, not every setting for a television show or movie receives such attention. As one city official asked, "Did Miami get this much attention when Miami Vice was on television?"
Scanning the websites for various UK news sources, it is evident that there is serious concern about gun crime there. How legitimate is that concern, and what steps are being taken to curb the crime?
One politician said an area of Manchester was like Baltimore - I'll be the judge of that. I'll be tagging along with officers in London and Manchester, and doing scores of interviews with policy makers and community groups. I'm also interested to see up close the vast network of CCTV cameras, as Baltimore has recently been stepping up efforts to grow its camera network. I'll also be making stops in the local courts and just generally exploring.
I'll gladly welcome any tips from readers familiar with London and its crime, or any questions that Baltimoreans have about London. I'll do my best to track down the answers.
Comments
Justin-
I think this is a really interesting idea for a series of dispatches from the both of you, particularly now, when locally produced, original, non- news service material is getting so few and far between.
Back in the day, medium sized city newspapers like The Sun often had reporters living abroad to cover the relavant news stories.
My husband is from Great Britain- England- we started dating when I lived there briefly. He and I got to talking the other day which cities over there actually had "'hoods". High crime, often impoverished neighborhoods. Obviously, even beautiful cities like Edinburgh have them ("Trainspotting" ring a bell), and although some of the London dodgy "'hoods" may be getting gentrified (a la Hackney, etc.), many still remain.
I think that in addition to exploring these areas with the police, it might also be interesting to have some interviews and discussions from residents, to get their perspective. Since the UK has a few more social welfare programs in place (like free government health care, for instance), but with that said, a much tougher, or so I've heard, path for a lower class common person to rise in society than here in the "new world", I think it would be worth talking to people about crime in their neighborhood.
Does the "do not snitch" culture exisit over there as well? That kind of thing...
Really looking forward to reading more in this series, and I certainly hope you show Mark some nice things about Bawlamore before you go! (IE. Sunday Farmer's Market, fun/cool neighborhoods, cultural revival of North Avenue, etc, etc.)
It's certainly worth exploring that fact that just as "the Wire" of Baltimore does exsist, so does the John Waters' vision and the "Ace of Cakes" Baltimore, as well, if ya know what I mean.
Posted by: Beth | November 3, 2009 1:09 PM
Baltimore = Manchester = Hoax
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/entertainment/tv/blogger-hoaxes-media-with-baltimore-mayor-s-wire-attack-$1321870.htm
Dave, the mayoral Twitter page was a hoax. But Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, did in fact compare Manchester's Moss Side to Baltimore. See here: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1133461_top_tory_compares_moss_side_to_the_wire
Posted by: Dave | November 3, 2009 1:30 PM
My only recommendation to you while in Manchester is to stay away from Manchester United and Manchester City..if you want to take it a nice football match head to north London to watch the one and only Arsenal!
And we're Arsenal...Arsenal F.C.
We're by far the greatest team, the world has ever seen!
Posted by: Michael | November 4, 2009 11:48 AM
Fenton! Go to London!
Posted by: Cribbster | November 4, 2009 1:09 PM
When you're over here, don't do what 99% of yanks do and stick to all the tourist things - even when they think they're not doing the tourist things, they are!
Go to some real shit holes like Haringey, parts of Hackney, Islington, Camden and parts of S/SE London, Peckham, New Cross, Woolwich to name a few.
Have an armed guard after dark though.
Posted by: Paulo | November 5, 2009 11:41 AM
Justin, you are looking in the wrong places by going to the likes of Brixton and Moss Side. Brixton has been firmly middle-class for the best part of a decade. I live on "Murder Mile" mile in Hackney, and I have never felt remotely threatened. Most UK inner-cities have been gentrified beyond recognition in recent years, and, as you will have seen, are nothing like their US counterparts.
I suggest you either head to somewhere like Glasgow, which has had a fully fledged gang culture for over a century, or a any number of "sink estates" on the edge of most British towns/cities. These are the areas that have largely been ignored by successive governments. They are probably more 'desolate' than crime-ridden, but certainly worthy of a visit.
Posted by: Bernard Curry | November 9, 2009 6:15 AM
This job-swap is a very interesting idea.
I would echo what Bernard says, above: areas like Hackney and Brixton have been gentrifying for some time. While there are still parts I would hesitate to venture into at night, most places are relatively safe as long as you are sensible. But there are estates on the edge of many UK cities which really do seem run-down, crime-riddled and hopeless, along with the people unfortunate enough to live there. Even so, the crime rate will not be close to what you have reported in Baltimore.
One question I would have: a large proportion of violence (30% of reported violent crimes) in the UK is not fuelled by poverty, gang warfare or drug addiction, but by alcohol. Otherwise normal people get drunk and become aggressive. Is this sort of violence just as common in Baltimore?
Posted by: James | November 10, 2009 6:03 AM