I think the people that made the Wire wanted to make a realistic show about the low level drug trade (I know they hired ex-cops, dealer Melvin Williams - who is the shit by the way). I have to agree with MikeySunset that the dockworkers plot line didn't do much for me. But I think the guys making the show wanted to go beyond the African American dealers that control the street level and show who brings huge multi-kilo loads into cities - and that's typically not African Americans. A lot of times it's white people or South Americans bringing in the big loads. In any case...I think that's what they were trying to do...even though I still got really sick of the dock workers. The only dock worker I liked was Uncle Frank's nephew.