Bubbles is a well loved character as well as Omar, the man whose self defined vocation is to " Rip and Run". And D, who may always have my heart. We love them. Why? I propose it is for two reasons:
- Through their 'flip' we get to see a more human side of them. Their character is developed beyond 'the game'
- They make things happen. Without these characters the McNulty and the rest would be stone walled for leads and advances in the cases.
Throughout the series we have seen McNulty object to the FBI's proposition to let off Barskdale and Stringer if they share their knowledge of the congressional money line. Then we see the dock police woman object to the state's attorney using one known criminal to gain more information and offering him a deal. As the show presents the circumstances it is hard to see what other options the police have when working to get to the bottom of something. However it appears that each arrest comes with the assumption that the police can budge on their charges if given what they need. This is demonstrated by Bird's request and then White Mike's demand for a meal, strawberry soda to be precise. This kind of informant and snitching leads to the release of known and possibly violent criminals back into our neighborhoods and communities. Natapoff cites various incidents when these individuals commit new crimes once their released due to this kind of bargain.
However we seen another kind of informant snitching in the Wire. That is Bubbles' more common pattern; street surveillance. Police set someone out to get in close on an issue by offering them reduced charges but often in exchange for dangerous, risky or compromising work to gain information. Natapoff discussed the case of a woman under drug distribution charges was offered to have her charged dropped if she participated in oral sex with another suspect in order to charge him with prostitution (Natapoff, 4).
The show demonstrates the need for a break through, a criminal insider to 'flip' in order to bust the case open, but how far is too far in the criminal justice system. We can see that Sobatka was killed to due to an unidentified leak, D'Angelo because he couldn't resist his 'family duty' but never put his heart back in the game. However their tends to be a sloppy effort with such an essential component to the progress of a case.
Natapoff, A. (2009) Snitching: criminal informants and the erosion of American justice. NYU Press, Forthcoming; Loyola-LA Legal Studies Paper No. 2009-39.
Nice post and nice reading selection. You make some great points about why we love these particular characters...I hadn't thought of it in terms of how they "flip". Of course, Stringer Bell was a fan favorite (esp. among women) when the show originally aired. I guess there would be a different explanation for that.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the intimate seen between Stinger and D's baby mama is the most popular and one of the only clips available on youtube... yeah i'd say less character development goes into that degree of fan enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think it sucks that in order to get at higher level criminals we sometimes have to use and then let go, or at least reduce the charges of, a variety of lower level offenders---is it better to try to take out those at the top or to start working from the bottom and possibly not reach those at the top? In any case, I think it is much easier to agree with using those as Bubbles, and overlooking their offenses. :)
ReplyDeleteI actually think its good that we use these people in order to get to the top level criminals. Our justice system is not designed to be infiltrated by every single person who has every committed a crime. Our system would never work if we didn't cut deals, lower sentences, and avoid prosecuting lower level criminals. And looking at the people that the police work with, such as Bubbles, I hardly believe that he deserves to go to jail for his indiscretions...if only our system had more therapeutic options to help people with drug addictions.
ReplyDelete