The drug lord who stopped a city from burning—then got burned by the system.
Baltimore City officials asked drug kingpin Melvin Williams to stop the riots happened following Martin Luther King's assassination. After helping the authorities out, Williams was then labeled a threat, framed and incarcerated by a hypocritical society.
Writing
David Simon's presence validates the indictment.
Direction
Blends archival urgency with staged reenactment.
Director
Derick Thomas
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Melvin Williams directly inspired the character Avon Barksdale in The Wire; David Simon's interview here closes that loop.
The framing narrative—city savior turned public enemy—mirrors how American institutions consume then discard Black men who serve their immediate interests.
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