Through The Wire

Amidst the current controversy over the future of DC's gun laws, The Wire's Slim Charles, otherwise known as Big G in the DMV stopped by the Washingtonian to offer these insights:

Shoot or be shot—the reality on some Washington streets—has played out in Anwan Glover’s life.

“I was fascinated by guns at a young age,” says Glover. “I took my brother’s gun from him when I was 13. I just liked to fiddle around with it after school.”

One day Glover was hanging out on a street corner in DC’s Columbia Heights when he heard shots. “I found myself on the ground,” he says. It was the first of some nine occasions, by his count, on which he took a bullet. At 35, he’s been arrested multiple times for gun possession.

“If you are brought up in that atmosphere with guns and gunfire, guns get under your skin,” he says. “Some feel they need a gun for protection, some because it makes them feel like a bigger person.”

Tall and lanky, Glover is known on the streets as Big G. Fans of the HBO series The Wire know him as Slim Charles, an enforcer with a gravelly voice. He’s also played roles on NBC’s Law & Order.

Offscreen, Big G has joined Peaceaholics, a DC nonprofit dedicated to making peace on the streets. He goes into schools and housing projects to preach against gun violence. A few months ago, his younger brother was killed by gunfire.

“There are more guns on the streets than ever before,” he says. “If they lift that ban, it will be even more horrible.”

That’s Big G’s forecast if residents can get licenses to carry guns. But the current challenge to DC’s law asks that guns be legal only in the home.

“I would love to have one at home to protect my wife,” says Big G. “Then again, there might be a kid in the home who’s fascinated by guns like I was. You would have to find a way to keep them safe.

“This is a tough debate.”

In the event you thought the hood-appointed "Prince of DC" was just "rappin and tappin" or "skittin and shittin"...


Hit up the good people at Peaceoholics for more info...