Abandoned Youth: Cutty's Gym

Cutty is an intriguing character, first coming to prominence in Season Three as he is released from prison with Avon Barksdale. At first turning back to a life ‘in the game’, he quickly comes to learn that he no longer seeks that type of life and attempts to go straight.

            Alongside manual labor, Cutty, or ‘Dennis’ as he now prefers to be known, takes it upon himself to open a gym to engage with the youths of West Baltimore. He struggles with getting hold of the necessary permits from the City authorities at first, and his exasperation at the bureaucracy and red-tape is witness to what Simon evidently perceives as inefficiency. Without the intervention of Delegate Watkins, Cutty may never have got the proper licensing to establish his gym. As such, many well-intentioned attempts to engage with youth projects may fall by the wayside. Simon is clearly critical of ‘institution’ of Balimore City here in failing to address the ‘youth issue.’

            Many of the prominent actors and actresses involved in The Wire established their own organizations, all of which very much had a focus on ‘youth engagement.’

            Jamie Hector, who played Marlo Stanfield in The Wire, subsequently established his organization Moving Mountains. Through drama and theatre production, the group aims to take street-kids between the ages of 12 and 21 off the corners and onto the stage. Felicia ‘Snoop’ Parsons was also pivotal in the establishment of the group.

            Sonja Sohn, a.k.a. Detective Kima Greggs, perhaps most famously brought about the ReWired for Change group, aided in particular by cast members Wendell Pierce, a.k.a. Detective Bunk Moreland, and Michael K. Williams, a.k.a. Omar Little. Running after school activities and entertainment, as well as more structured homework assistance, Sohn felt duty bound upon completing filming of The Wire to remain in Baltimore and attempt to help create a better future for the local children.

            As fantastic as these organizations obviously are, the question begs asking – why are such schemes reliant on the generosity and time of committed and, often but not necessarily, wealthy individuals? Where are the City authorities? Cutty speaks to this theme in The Wire – the street kids are dependent on him as an individual, not the formal authorities, to provide some form of activity to pull them away from a life of crime.