Major Colvin's speech

[@hallabalooza]

There are a lot like Colvin in the real world. But, just like the show suggests, they are being held down by ruthless opportunists.

[@asavelakuse6865]

Idealism and people who ignored problems that soon got out of control. The neighborhoods that was home turned into warzones and cesspools. Drugs are here to stay only regulations can help

[@JimmySteller]

One of my favourite Wire moments. I always come back to listen to this speech.

[@Molijn]

This speech is so powerful, too many cops nowadays spend their time on unnecessary things. It's time to go back to real police work; policing that protects neighborhoods, makes people feel safe. The 'civic compromise' Major Colvin discusses is what we as citizens need to pay back. The world would indeed be so much better if we were not focussed on just statistics. We should be looking at these cases as human beings and try to understand the underlying causes.

[@77ZUUS]

The problem doing so is the amount of resources it takes per case. The numbers do not work in the favor of the underdogs, and as it would turn out, in todays modern world, that kind of mentality has dissolved almost entirely. I hope you find this comment 12 years later and know your statement still stands tall after all this time

[@JakeKoenig]

The underlying cause of Baltimore's drug and crime problems is their majority-black population committing those crimes at an insanely high rate. There you go, glad I could help.

[@FreshmanFrenzy]

@@JakeKoenigimprove the environment (poverty, terrible schools, corruption, covert racism) and the majority of those black people wouldn’t feel the need to commit those crimes. Youngstown, Ohio. South side. Moved to a suburban area 10 minutes away with my friends and their grandfather as a freshman in high school and we all graduated college with our bachelor’s and we were selling and bangin as 12 year olds before that. It’s not just “the black ppl” and I see that clearer than ever today.

[@slimithy12]

look how carvers taking in everything colvin is saying, while herc is letting it go right over his head. that's why carver is a great police man by the end and herc works for a shady law firm.

[@bryansanchez6352]

“Shady law firm” Levy literally helps drugs dealers and murders 💀

[@walttalks5979]

@@bryansanchez6352 I think that’s why he called it Shady

[@megaboner690]

I think thats the definition of shady buddy 😂

[@KingOfMadCows]

Herc was more compassionate in the first season. When they looked for Bodie at his grandmother's house, Herc took the time to apologize to her and listen to her story while Carver didn't care. Over time, Herc was influenced more and more by the worst aspects of the system.

[@C0smicMonkey]

He based his policies of Rationale and Logic, not Rhetoric, which is why he'd never get promoted into politics.

[@flymanous]

3:07 - "a moment of god damn genius".

[@malvavisco10]

genius

[@mikezigi4928]

one of the only characters in the show who wanted to some actual good

[@royalescorpio]

Yes! Colvin is in my top 5

[@Finalbossajay]

Well McNulty is real police too

[@WingCommanderVinyaya]

Major 'Bunny' Colvin. AKA The Badass Maverick Police Commander AKA The Hero

[@VanguardSupreme]

Bunny Colvin...he's good people. He's good police, too.

[@alec1115]

Out of all the characters in The Wire...Colvin is the best actual person. Maybe the only person that's a true role model.

[@jakebasile651]

Bunk

[@user-vl5qg5rf4n]

@@jakebasile651 is a drunk that cheats on his wife and plays whatever games he needs to to get by. Sure he is not happy with the rules, but he toes the line.

[@warrenward6294]

@@jakebasile651 bunks an alcoholic that cheats on his wife constantly, hes got one of the better code of ethics on the show but hes far from a role model. if thats the direction you want to go, lester was the better response

[@tabbypappy]

This was a true turning point for both Colvin & the show.Classic scene.

[@jakexdilla]

Carver too. All of Howard’s brilliant speeches in season 3 always hit Carver and incentivized him to do better.

[@Gesuselsaviour]

Bunny passed down his charisma to Carver. I really liked their interactions throughout seasons 3 and 4. By season 5, Carver had essentially morphed into Bunny.

[@romilrh]

Bunny Colvin was my favorite character in The Wire. A man worn down by all the stat juking, corruption, and cover-ups he'd seen in his time, and in the twilight of his career, decided, "screw it. I'm going to try to do some actual good for once."

[@chrishutchison8682]

Went from great Police on Baltimore to winning games a Florida St. basketball. Quite the carter change.

[@Danfitz2010]

Regardless of your views on drugs and their effect on society any rational human being has to ask the question "is criminalising drug addicts working; cutting the crime, and benefiting our society, considering the many many decades force and prison has been the answer?" you could see the horrors of "Hamsterdam", it wasn't a long term solution, but the different way of thinking had to be addressed.

[@ravenouscolonelhart]

I like how all the lower-level cops want to do is stupidly attack because they're justifiably enraged that their colleague was shot. But Colvin has been around long enough to see that blind fury doesn't strike at the root causes of the problem, and often even makes it worse. It takes real guts to propose something thoughtful and not gut-reaction in the wake of a tragedy, and this is the only way to solve the problem, since revenge just goes on forever. Colvin is the best man on the show.

[@7srchoed]

This speech was so important to the series overall. The idea of Hamsterdam is so absurd in a real-world perspective that it could have easily be seen as the series jumping the shark. Hamsterdam just wouldn't happened in real life. But this speech, grounds the creation of Hamsterdam a sense of brutal necessary compromise and guided by a learned community history. What would our Baltimore forefathers do?

[@audiosurfarchive]

It literally did happen.

[@Onigirli]

Oh god why can't misuse of the phrase 'jump the shark' be a punishable offense

[@BeeKay2715]

@@audiosurfarchive exactly but people swear they are sociologists and know how to fix the world’s problems

[@rocliggins1366]

The series jumped the shark when they broke up the major crimes unit in the 1st episode of season 5.

[@shawndimery]

And Hamsterdam was born

[@7hezo]

truth, truth, truth. we need it. here and now.

[@lou4brew]

Carver will be the next Bunny Colvin

[@jaspdx63]

Public policy makers fail most often when they lack the humility and the self awareness to preserve flexibility and discretion for the front line workers who know best.

[@Aivottaja]

Colvin saw the big picture. He is the example of someone trying to both uphold the law and trying to control crime. But he was careless by trusting his career wouldn't take a hit because of his years of service. Truly an example of resourcefulness getting assraped by politics.

[@tommybrown187]

a great moment of civic compromise

[@luckybenny8871]

Is this THE best scene in the history of.........history? I mean, an entire season, (the best season) of the the greatest show of all time, is based on this trascendentally brilliant speech. There are 4 shows that stand atop the TV Olympus (The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Sopranos). This scene may be Exhibit A as to why The Wire wears the label of the GOAT.

[@DaleRobby]

Calm down.

[@bobbysealejunior6590]

Calm down my ass....!!! I say Amen brother, your list is my list, just missing Boardwalk Empire and TWD.....#1 The Wire #2 Sopranos #3 TWD #4 Boardwalk Empire #5 Breaking Bad #6 Mad Men.....Best Shows Ever.

[@jihigh482]

​@@bobbysealejunior6590 The Walking Dead???? Really???

[@dpayO2]

@uwlwsrpm Because people were getting busted for drinking in public, they then put paper bags on their drinks so that others couldn't see they were drinking alcohol, and the police would let them go (as a compromise). There is no "paper bag" for drugs means there is no compromise. Nice speech.

[@Zfahidy1066]

Why should we compromise on heroin?

[@dpayO2]

@@Zfahidy1066 Lol 9 years ago i made that comment. I'm wondering if youtube will still be around when I'm an old man and people are still responding to 50 year-old comments

[@mrdarkshoe]

@@Zfahidy1066 Because its none of our business if someone decides to take some

[@illflip]

@Killoea i think the daniels lecture def put some sense into him. but when daniels and him had a fallout in season 2 he went back to being a "rip and run" detective in the beginning of season 3. i think this speech,plus the lecture about real police that you speak of REALLY hammer home the point of how to "protectf a community"

[@illflip]

@Molijn well said bro. this speech is the turning point in carvers career

[@malachdorell656]

this season was masterful

[@TheSoldier0fortunE]

Great. Fucking. Speech.

[@Killoea]

@illflip There was a lot of turning points in Carvs career. If you can remember in S1 when Daniels lectured him about being a leader, and later on in this season when Colvin lectured him about "real" police and how they need to be able to talk to the community instead of busting heads all day

[@uwlwsrpm]

I don't get it, what's the "paper bag" for drugs that he's referring to?

[@HighLordBlazeReborn]

A legitimate reason/justification for the police to ignore the drug trade. If they could remove the violence and the bodies from the equation and localize the trade to one area out of the way of ordinary decent folks, the police could ignore it and get on with more important shit, and have an excuse if city hall or higher up questioned them why the drug arrests weren't being made.

[@FreePlayMode]

Later on in the season, Colvin offers a "truce/compromise" to the local players in the Western District of Baltimore. Move your operations down to these designated areas where there are nothing but strips of vacant houses/lots away from the normal working class people, and we will leave you alone. That way, the low level street dealers can do what they do without the worry of police intervention, and the police can spend their time, effort, and resources on things that truly matter instead of just coming down on some teenager for dealing, or some junkie buying trying to get high.

[@kaii231]

Eat that George Costanza... THIS is how you get fired....

[@akhodagu]

That’s strange, I suddenly want a beer…

[@getreadytotube]

Bunny Colvin for President!

[@lokeshsharma741]

Hamsterdam was paper bag for drugs. it did great for targeting the group ,often evasive, and help them through diffrent interventions like medical etc.

[@johnhughes3625]

Good TV or movie speech until it's a corner where you live, and the deterioration starts with a "highlife" and the next time you notice it's Paterson N.J., and dangerous to walk past that corner.

[@user-vl5qg5rf4n]

This is why his paper bag for drugs was to move the dealing to uninhabited areas of the city and have 24/7 surveillance to prevent any violence. He kept most of the dealers and addicts in one place and greatly cut down on the number of violent crimes being committed by all involved.

[@kurthandrews6206]

Department policies affect the way cops do their jobs. Whatever that policy might be.

[@benjaminkell3726]

Imagine arresting drug dealers thinking you are doing anything 😂😂😂 😂 ya you are going to win the drug war any day bro

[@budders9958]

So why does someone invent a liquid drug?

[@osmoze47300]

already done ,its call alcohol...

[@FreePlayMode]

drugs sold in liquid form do exist

[@santos8468]

I like that the characters hardly ever use the word "cop". Sure, Colvin uses it once here and there may have been other times as well (I can't remember), but overall everyone (including the criminals) says "police". I think that''s great.. It shows that the writers have respect for the profession.

[@readyrose3558]

is this where hamsterdam starts??

[@slimithy12]

@danielhiryu there are plenty of colvins in the real world but there just not high enough on the pyramid to make a real difference

[@samfilmkid]

*Mic drop*

[@nemopunk15]

see L.E.A.P

[@bushido108]

1:10

[@getreadytotube]

Bunny Colvin for President!