Maurice “Peanut” King was a successful drug dealer in East Baltimore and a transitional figure in the drug trade. He bridged the world of the old school gangsters and the kid gangstas of today. He was the first to recruit children to work for him -- ten-, eleven- and twelve-year-olds equipped with mopeds. After the addict gave his money to the “corner man”, one of Peanut’s kids would speed by and toss him the drugs. The kids easily eluded the cops and, if they were caught, didn’t require any outlay in bail or lawyer’s fees. Deborah George tells the story of the Baltimore drug trade 30 years ago, before it was common for children to sell drugs or carry guns.
Peanut King's Children was produced by Deborah George and mixed by Jared Weissbrot. Special thanks to Seth Ferranti for media content.
Links:
NYC gang used torture to rob rival drug dealers
Unlike the times of 'Peanut' king, drug related activity has become a brutal game.
'The Wire' at Harvard.
The complexities and inequalities from the drug trade depicted in HBO's 'The Wire' is being taught as a course at Harvard.
The Peanut King Mob
A raw depiction of Maurice King.
Books:
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by: David Simon 2006 A straight forward, non-sugar coating detail of events spanning a year on a Homicide Unit.
Street Legends Vol. 2 Original Gangsters by: Seth Ferranti: Gorilla Convict Publications 2010 An introduction to the original drug players.
Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice by: Alexandra Natapoff 2011 A winner of the 2010 ABA Silver Gavel Award Honorable Mention for Books, Natapoff recounts the
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