All in the game

October 19, 2017 6:29 AM

Davon Mayer was a smalltime dealer in west Baltimore who made an illicit deal with local police. When they turned on him, he decided to get out – but escaping that life would not prove as easy as falling into it
posted by fearfulsymmetry (5 comments total)

This was a good story. I know those places. The writer doesn't mention a crucial factor in his success: he never takes drugs.
posted by headnsouth at 7:44 AM on October 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

I'm watching The Wire right now for the first time (it's excellent - highly recommend) so this is of interest to me. Thanks for posting.
posted by twilightlost at 9:25 AM on October 19, 2017

The story is great. However I'm skeptical of the amounts the protagonist claims to have made while working as a low-level drug dealer--rents are incredibly low in those Baltimore neighborhoods. The part about his grandmother working as a bank for drug dealers who didn't want to lose their cash when they got busted in their own homes was an interesting tidbit. The article also made me think about the problems of the poverty traps that we have in our country's welfare/social service/taxation rules.
posted by GregorWill at 9:55 AM on October 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

Recordings Capture Brutal FBI Tactics to Recruit a Potential Informant

Envisioning an America Free From Police Violence and Control
posted by jeffburdges at 10:26 AM on October 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

I am neither surprised by what he claims to have made, though there could be some exaggeration involved, nor by the speed with which it went right back out the door. Maybe the happy ending is a bit pat, but the law of large numbers pushes me toward believing that at least a few people make it out.
posted by wierdo at 4:19 PM on October 19, 2017