American actor Wendell Pierce has opened up about returning to the US after living abroad for several years.
Pierce, who starred in shows such as <em>The Wire</em> and Suits, has starred in Death of a Salesman on the West End in London.
Over the weekend, he explained on Twitter that he has travelled back to the US for November.
“I have lived abroad for 4 of the last 5 years. Sadly, what I’ll be thankful for this holiday is leaving the US for a more peaceful life,” he wrote. “The violence in America has been normalized. Violent crime, political violence, open-carry [gun] laws.”
He added: “My trip home was a palpable feeling of danger. In all parts of the country, small town, big city. The realisation is that we have always been violent but decided to evolve away from it. Now we have embraced it full on.”
In another thread, Pierce said he is “not abandoning my country, community, or family”.
“I’m an American citizen. I take ownership in that because I know my family and community built this country and its wealth,” he wrote. “Because of work I have lived abroad and it’s a comfort knowing not everyone is carrying a gun.”
He said he has sensed a “real change” during this current visit in his home country, and pointed to the number of people he has seen carrying guns.
Citing witness testimony from Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial, Pierce added: “As a witness said in trial last week ‘Keys, Wallet, Phone, Gun. That’s natural.’ I don’t want to live in that world. I still get to vote and effect change but living abroad has been a Godsend.”
“I’m in America once a month,” he shared. “I’m home enough that friends, family, my church, and others assume I’m just away a lot on business, not realizing I’m living abroad. It gives me an opportunity to see the shift in America. Conflict resolution with guns is becoming acceptable.”
