|
Al Brown (actor)
Stanislaus "Stan" Valchek is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Al Brown. Biography Valchek is the Polish-American commander of the Baltimore Police Department in the Southeastern district, home to many of the remaining ethnic white neighborhoods in Baltimore. More a politician than a policeman, he has ties with various Democratic organizations close to City Hall, most notably the politically influential developer Andrew Krawczyk. His political savvy helps him quickly ascend the ranks, though commanding officers such as Commissioner Ervin Burrell and Deputy Commissioner William Rawls dislike him. Valchek is Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski's father-in-law. Season 1 Valchek first appears in a meeting with Deputy Commissioner Burrell and Lieutenant Cedric Daniels, trying to smooth over Prez's drunken maiming of a fourteen-year-old. Valchek tells Daniels that if he helps Prez, Valchek will owe him a favor. Season 2 Valchek pushes for an investigatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2, 2002, and ended on March 9, 2008, comprising 60 episodes over five seasons. The idea for the show started out as a police drama loosely based on the experiences of his writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective and public school teacher. Set and produced in Baltimore, Maryland, ''The Wire'' introduces a different institution of the city and its relationship to law enforcement in each season, while retaining characters and advancing storylines from previous seasons. The five subjects are, in chronological order: the illegal drug trade, the port system, the city government and bureaucracy, education and schools, and the print news medium. Simon chose to set the show in Baltimore because of his familiar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frank Sobotka
Francis "Frank" Sobotka is a fictional character in of the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by the actor Chris Bauer. Plot Frank is a respected Polish-American treasurer for the International Brotherhood of Stevedores at the Baltimore docks. As the ''pater familias'' for the docks' longshoremen population, it is his job to manage the finances of the labor union and make sure that workers are taken care of - a task made harder by the decline of the local shipping industry and lack of available hours. Desperate to return prosperity to the docks, he begins making overtures to lobbyists and politicians to support initiatives that will make the port a more attractive shipping location. His two main objectives are to have the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal dredged to increase the depth for incoming ships, and to re-open the grain pier. Bruce DiBiago, a lobbyist, serves as go-between for Sobotka and politicians such as State Senator Clay Davis. In order to obtain the necessary fu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fellatio
Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may also be termed ''fellatio'', or colloquially as ''teabagging.'' If fellatio is performed on oneself, the act is called autofellatio. Fellatio can be sexually arousing for both participants, and may lead to orgasm for the partner being fellated. It may be performed by a sexual partner as foreplay before other sexual activities, such as vaginal or anal intercourse, or as an erotic and physically intimate act of its own. Fellatio creates a risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), but the risk is significantly lower than that of vaginal or anal sex, especially for HIV transmission. Most countries do not have laws banning the practice of fellatio, though some cultures may consider it taboo. People may also refrain from e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thomas "Herc" Hauk
Thomas "Herc" Hauk is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Domenick Lombardozzi. The series introduces Herc as a detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Narcotics Unit, begrudgingly detailed to the initial Barksdale investigation. He is generally portrayed as encapsulating the failings of the contemporary Baltimore police officer: simple-minded, concerned with petty street arrests and minor drug charges, and priding himself and his colleagues on banging heads "the Western District way." He is also the partner and best friend of Ellis Carver, the two rarely being unpaired until later seasons. Following his promotion to sergeant, he is dismissed from the force, subsequently finding employment as a private investigator for attorney—and invariant legal advisor for drug organizations— Maurice Levy. Biography Season 1 Herc and Carver work in Narcotics with Detective Kima Greggs. All three join the Barksdale detail headed by their shift lieutenant, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drug Legalization
Drug liberalization is a drug policy process of decriminalizing or legalizing the use or sale of prohibited drugs. Variations of drug liberalization include: drug legalization, drug re-legalization and drug decriminalization. Proponents of drug liberalization may favor a regulatory regime for the production, marketing, and distribution of some or all currently illegal drugs in a manner analogous to that for alcohol, caffeine and tobacco. Proponents of drug liberalization argue that the legalization of drugs would eradicate the illegal drug market and reduce the law enforcement costs and incarceration rates. They frequently argue that prohibition of recreational drugs—such as cannabis, opioids, cocaine, amphetamines and hallucinogens—has been ineffective and counterproductive and that substance use is better responded to by implementing practices for harm reduction and increasing the availability of addiction treatment. Additionally, they argue that relative harm should be t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Howard "Bunny" Colvin
Howard "Bunny" Colvin is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by actor Robert Wisdom. Colvin is a wise and able police major in the Baltimore's Western District, alienated by the careerism and bureaucracy rampant in the Baltimore Police Department and the detrimental social effects of the War on Drugs. Close to retirement, he secretly breaks chain of command and puts his resources into "Hamsterdam," three zones within his district where drug dealers are pressured to non-violently congregate in exchange for informal legal sanction. Colvin also concentrates policing in these areas and attracts important ground-level social services, such as needle and condom distribution. Despite unprecedented statistical gains, Colvin is forced to retire from the force. He later becomes a field researcher alongside academic Dr. David Parenti in Baltimore city schools. In this role, Colvin falls into the guardianship of Namond Brice. Character storyline Colvin joined t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Public Housing In The United States
In the United States, subsidized housing is administered by federal, state and local agencies to provide subsidized rental assistance for low-income households. Public housing is priced much below the market rate, allowing people to live in more convenient locations rather than move away from the city in search of lower rents. In most federally-funded rental assistance programs, the tenants' monthly rent is set at 30% of their household income. Now increasingly provided in a variety of settings and formats, originally public housing in the U.S. consisted primarily of one or more concentrated blocks of low-rise and/or high-rise apartment buildings. These complexes are operated by state and local housing authorities which are authorized and funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In 2020, there were 1 million public housing units. Subsidized apartment buildings, often referred to as ''housing projects'' (or simply "the projects"), have a comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Clarence Royce
Clarence V. Royce is a fictional character in the HBO series ''The Wire'' played by Glynn Turman. Season 3 Clarence V. Royce is the Mayor of Baltimore whose first appearance is at the demolition of the Franklin Terrace housing projects as a means of demonstrating reform throughout Baltimore. The election is approaching and Parker notices the increasing influence of Councilman Tommy Carcetti and deduces that he may be planning to run for mayor. Royce initially scoffs at the possibility of Carcetti becoming Mayor, believing it is not possible for a white candidate to be elected in a predominantly black city. Royce senses that Carcetti will use the rising crime rate to attack his record. Royce calls on Burrell to reduce the felony rate citywide, and orders the BPD to reduce felonies by a minimum of 5% in each district and keep the murder rate below 275 for the year in order to counter Carcetti's campaign. When crime rates begin to rise, Parker and Watkins urge Royce to fire Burrell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mayor Of Baltimore
The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the unicameral Baltimore City Council. In addition, the Mayor oversees all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and shares with the Governor of Maryland, responsibilities for the public school system within the city limits. As of May 2, 2019, the Office of the mayor of the City of Baltimore has changed hands 62 times with 53 different individuals in assuming office in the 220 years of city government, 1797–2017. The Office of the Mayor is located in the historic Baltimore City Hall located at 100 Holliday Street in downtown Baltimore. History James Calhoun was first elected in 1794 under the old Baltimore Town government with a group of town commissioners, and continued as the new first mayor u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baltimore City Council
The Baltimore City Council is the legislative branch that governs the City of Baltimore and its more than 600,000 citizens. It has 14 members elected by district and a president elected at-large; all serve four-year terms. The Council holds regular meetings on alternate Monday evenings on the fourth floor of the Baltimore City Hall. The council has seven standing committees, all of which must have at least three members. As of 2022, the President receives an annual salary of $131,798, the Vice President gets $84,729 and the rest of councillors receive $76,660. The current city council president, Nick Mosby, was sworn on December 10, 2020. History During its early history the council was composed exclusively of white, non-Jewish males. In 1826, the Maryland General Assembly passed the " Jew Bill", which allowed Jews to hold public office in the state. Two leaders in the fight for the law were Jacob I. Cohen Jr. (1789–1869) and Solomon Etting (1764–1847), who subsequently ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tommy Carcetti
Thomas J. "Tommy" Carcetti ( ) is a fictional character on the HBO drama ''The Wire'', played by Aidan Gillen. Carcetti is an ambitious and venal Baltimore politician who begins the series with a seat on the city council. Biography Season 3 Tommy Carcetti first appears as a member of the Baltimore City Council. Although he is depicted as a loving father, he is regularly unfaithful to his wife Jen. He also works closely with Tony Gray, a fellow councilman. Carcetti is idealistic and ambitious, and has the backing of local Democrats in Baltimore's 1st district as well as Major Stan Valchek of the Baltimore Police Department. To improve upon the crime and urban decay plaguing Baltimore, Carcetti considers running for mayor against the African-American incumbent, Clarence Royce, despite the prospect of being a white candidate in a predominantly black city. Using his connection to Valchek, Carcetti successfully manipulates Acting Commissioner Ervin Burrell into working with him, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turn State's Evidence
A criminal turns state's evidence by admitting guilt and testifying as a witness for the state against their associate(s) or accomplice(s), often in exchange for leniency in sentencing or immunity from prosecution.Howard Abadinsky, ''Organized Crime'' (9th ed: Cengage Learning, 2010), p. 368. The testimony of a witness who testifies against co-conspirator(s) may be important evidence. According to a 2008 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime document, persons who turn state's evidence "are known by a variety of names, including cooperating witnesses, crown witnesses, snitches, witness collaborators, justice collaborators, state witnesses, "supergrasses" and ''pentiti'' (Italian for 'those who have repented')." United Kingdom In the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms, the term is to turn Queen's or King's evidence, depending on the sex of the reigning monarch. The term "turning approver" or "turn king's approver" was also historically used, especially in Ireland; an a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_-_2.JPG "Click for more on -> Drug Legalization")
