Baltimore will soon see the return of another member of its legendary TV drama, The Wire. And as was the case when former co-star Sonja Sohn (Detective Greggs) came back to address the needs of under-served families through her organization, Rewired for Change, actor Wendell Pierce (Detective Bunk Moreland) is hoping a project he's got in the works will serve to remedy some of the city's real life ills.
Both Pierce and Sohn joined fellow cast mates Felicia Pearson and Jamie Hector for a panel on "Actors and Activism" at Columbia University's Heyman Center for the Humanities Saturday. Pierce, 49, explained it's an ideal time to officially announce his endeavor; the development of a $20 million apartment complex in the arts district of Baltimore. A portion of the building's residences will be designated for rental to neighborhood artists at a discounted rate and construction of the complex will be contracted to locals.
“They’re not going to be the entire workforce, but we wanted to put together a jobs program for people from the community” he stated.
This isn't the first time the New Orleans native is contributing to the community. The actor re-teamed with Wire creator David Simon to bring focus to post-Katrina N.O. in (television series) Treme, during the filming of which he is said to have traveled to watch parties organized for victims of the Hurricane. He also brought 350 affordable and environmental friendly homes to devastated areas through the formation of the Ponchartrain Park Neighborhood Association. And the creation of the aforementioned Rewired for Change in Baltimore didn't get off the ground without a little help from Pierce, as he is noted is a founding member of the organization.
“We hope to take it into the row houses too,” he told Fusion. “This is a pilot program to make sure that the template is there.”
Completion of the development is projected for the end of 2017.
Source: fusion.net
