Stars from HBO's 'The Wire' plead for an end to Baltimore riots

Stars from HBO's "The Wire" have joined the ranks of people pleading for the violent riots in Baltimore to come to an end.

Andre Royo, Wendell Pierce, and show creator David Simon spoke out online against the angry mobs terrorizing the city following the death of Freddie Gray, who suffered a fatal spinal injury while in city police custody. The critically acclaimed show was filmed almost entirely in Baltimore.

Pierce, who played detective Bunk Moreland; and Royo, who played a junkie named Bubbles, both took to Twitter to vent their sadness and outrage over the looting and destruction.

Simon, who once worked as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun, railed on his website against the violent mobs.

"The anger and the selfishness and the brutality of those claiming the right to violence in Freddie Gray’s name needs to cease. Here was real power and potential in the peaceful protests that spoke in Mr. Gray’s name initially, and there was real unity at his homegoing today," wrote Simon. "But this, now, in the streets, is an affront to that man’s memory and a dimunition of the absolute moral lesson that underlies his unnecessary death."

"If you can’t seek redress and demand reform without a brick in your hand, you risk losing this moment for all of us in Baltimore. Turn around. Go home. Please."

"The Wire" centered around the Baltimore police's efforts to rid the city of drugs and corruption but also the department's own internal failings and those of other institutions. The gritty five-season drama is considered by many to be the greatest television show of all-time.

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