It hurts when you have to report on a person who you have some admiration for. Though objectivity is supposed to be the very air that we breath, we’re also human. On Saturday, actor Wendell Pierce was arrested in Atlanta at the Loews Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia on simple assault charges. He was released on Saturday on $1,000 bond.
According to TMZ, the incident reportedly occurred early Saturday morning when a casual conversation with a couple who were also Bernie Sanders supporters exploded into an altercation in which Pierce, an ardent Clinton supporter, is said to have been the aggressor and is alleged to have struck a woman and pulled her hair.
Many recall his role on the critically-acclaimed drama “The Wire”, and more recently as Clarence Thomas on HBO’s “Confirmation.” Not only has he been a great actor but a successful businessman and philanthropist as well. The situation doesn’t sound like something Wendell Pierce would be involved in.
However, fandom aside, I don’t know this brother, his tolerance for alcohol or his anger threshold either.
Back in 2013, Pierce received a lot of positive press for his initiative to open fresh fruit and vegetable stores in the inner city of New Orleans, a community that has historically had a hard time getting access to healthy food in close proximity to their homes. Though that endeavor eventually folded, he recently closed a $20 million deal to develop a housing project in Baltimore.
After playing Detective William “Bunk” Moreland for years, Pierce came back to the streets he fake- protected by bringing a positive, 103-unit apartment complex, saying he wanted to work with,”disaffected folks that we saw uprising last year so that they can be a part of the labor force.”
No conspiracy theories to offer here, no sensational video to post, and no damning commentary to publish either. The fact that the police were called on Pierce isn’t indicative of any wrongdoing, but it goes to show you that just about anyone is capable of losing his or temper in the heat of the moment.
Going oops upside the head of a Bernie Sanders supporter shouldn’t erase any of the good that he has tried to do. This is a perfect “nobody’s perfect” moment. I’m just glad they’re not saying he punched anybody upside the head.
