The city of Baltimore is known for the Ravens football team, unique accents of city natives and most notably, the early 2000s hit drama "The Wire." But underneath all of the culture and delicious seafood, Baltimore's reputation has been plagued with violent crime. Now, after generations of a high crime, there's hope since the Black mayor has been working overtime towards change.
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Mayor Brandon Scott's hard work has been paying off, as 2025 marks another year with the city's murder rate at a historic low. In fact, homicides are the lowest its been in 50 years. The city once named "Mobtown" is having a renaissance of sorts, and if you look back to 50 years ago, you'd never see it coming.
The majority Black city has dealt with violence since the 1970s, according to The Washington Post. In 1992, the city reported 333 killings, breaking its own record set the year before. This issue was only exacerbated with the 2015 death of Freddie Grey, a Black man killed by Baltimore police. News of his murder sparked nation-wide civil unrest, especially in Baltimore. The city reported 45 homicides in July of that year alone, according to The Baltimore Banner.
Despite crime remaining a pressing issue for residents, it's crime television shows like "The Wire" and "Homicide" which brought Baltimore's violent past to the forefront of Hollywood.
"The Wire--" starring Michael K. Williams and Idris Elba-- follows detectives and gangsters as their paths in Baltimore's meanest streets intersect, often ending in tragedy. The series is arguably one of the best from the early 2000s, but over the years, city natives have expressed the true damage it's done to their home.
Sonja Sohn, who played police detective Kima Greggs in the show, said several city officials had beef with the show. "They really were not pleased with the depiction of Baltimore and some of them took the storylines personally," Sohn told The Guardian in 2017.
The critically-acclaimed show never won an Emmy, but somehow, Baltimore's bad reputation became cemented nation-wide because of it. "I think it has left a lasting negative stereotype about Baltimore City," user @instantcoffee69 said on Reddit. "Baltimore has some bad aspects, but also vast array of amazing and unique aspects. But it's been boiled down to 'is just like the wire?'"
That's why Baltimore's historic change since the "The Wire" ended in 2008 is worth more than simple praise. "The City has seen a 23.6 percent drop in homicides and a 23.4 percent drop in non-fatal shootings" in 2025 alone, the mayor's office reported.
Mayor Scott gives much of the credit to his administration's Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan. It includes a five-year strategy to make the city's streets safer while expanding services for victims and anti-human trafficking efforts. According to Mayor Scott, this has been integral to establishing trust within the community and also investing in the youth, who is disproportionately tied to crime.
"Baltimore has seen one of the most significant drops in violent crime in the country," Md. Gov. Wes Moore said on X. "We have more work to do, but the data is clear: Our approach to improving public safety is working."
Mayor Scott championed this, saying his work isn't over. "This is not a time for celebration. One death is one too many," he declared. "We will continue to double down on evidence-based strategies, as we work to finally cure the disease of violence that has plagued our communities for far too long."
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