Stanfield Organization
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On the fictional television drama The Wire, the Stanfield Organization is a criminal organization led by Marlo Stanfield. It is introduced in Season three of The Wire. In Season four, when the rival Barksdale Organization is deconstructed, they become the most powerful drug dealers in West Baltimore.
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[edit] Marlo Stanfield
Rising Gang Leader who got into a turf war with the Barksdale crew following Avon Barksdale's release, becoming the key West Baltimore drug kingpin following Barksdale's arrest.
[edit] Soldiers
[edit] Chris Partlow
- Played by: Gbenga Akinnagbe
- Appears in:
- Season three: "Straight and True"; "Homecoming"; "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished".
- Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Home Rooms"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error"; "Unto Others" (uncredited); "Misgivings;" "A New Day;" "That's Got His Own".
Partlow is Marlo Stanfield's friend, and the primary enforcer in his drug dealing operation. He was a key player in the turf war with the Barksdale organization and was always looking out for Stanfield's safety. He often met with Marlo and his advisor Vinson to discuss their strategy. Partlow's cautious observation revealed Avon Barksdale's car when he tried to set a trap for Stanfield. Partlow fired upon the car in a drive by shooting, wounding Avon and killing one of his soldiers. When Stringer Bell was murdered Partlow and Snoop were accredited responsibility and they did nothing to dispel rumours about their involvement. The turf war came to a close when Avon was arrested and Stanfield assumed control of most of the drug dealing in Western Baltimore.[1]
Partlow carries out murders as Stanfield orders them. Working alongside young female soldier "Snoop" he disposes of bodies by opening up vacant buildings, covering the corpses in quicklime and sheeting and then nailing the buildings shut. When Stanfield dealer Fruit is killed, Partlow advises restraint suggesting they kill the perpetrator instead of the whole of the independent drug dealing crew he works with. Marlo sees the sense in Chris' approach and gives him the go ahead to kill Fruits murderer, Lex. Chris arranges for Lex to be ambushed by paying one of his fellow drug dealers to tell him his girlfriend wants to meet him at night in a secluded spot. Once the trap is sprung Lex is disposed of in Chris' reliable way. Chris is also responsible for the murder of a security guard who talked back to Marlo. Rumours on the street tie Chris to several other murders including victims known as Pookie and Byron.
Partlow continues to be Marlo's key advisor. He tries to dissuade Marlo from playing at a high stakes card game where he is losing a lot of money. When the card game is robbed by Omar Little, Marlo asks Partlow for his input in dealing with Omar. Partlow suggests a more subtle approach than simply placing a bounty on Omar. They plan to stage a robbery of their associate Old Face Andre and blame the robbery on Omar, having Andre identify him. Partlow carries out the robbery himself and kills a delivery woman and beats Andre to lend credence to their scenario.
Marlo entrusts Partlow with cultivating new prospect Michael Lee. Michael is a middle school child who Marlo believes would make a good soldier. Partlow is responsible for intimidating Lex's superior Bodie Broadus into giving up his corner because Marlo notices that he has turned it into a successful location. Partlow forces Bodie to accept Marlo's package. He asks Bodie about Michael having noticed that he worked with him for a time. Partlow tracks Michael to his home and then approaches him when he is talking with friends in an alley. He offers him cash and promises of protection if he joins the organization but Michael tells him he has to care for his brother. Chris has taken Michael on as a protege, Chris seems to relate to Michael and decided to protect him and teach him the rules of the Drug Game.[2]
[edit] Felicia "Snoop" Pearson
- Played by: Felicia Pearson
- Appears in
- Season three: "Back Burners"; "Moral Midgetry"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished".
- Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Home Rooms"; "Refugees"; "Alliances"; "Margin of Error"; "Unto Others" (uncredited); "Corner Boys"; "Know Your Place"; "Misgivings"; "A New Day;" "That's Got His Own"; "Final Grades".
Snoop is a young female soldier in Marlo Stanfield's drug dealing organization, the earliest protege of Chris Partlow. She is heavily involved in the turf war with the rival Barksdale organization. She also has a younger sister who attends Edward Tilghman Middle School alongside Naymond Brice, in the class of Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski.
In the third season, she was responsible for killing Barksdale soldier Rico in a drive by shooting on Poot Carr's corner. She also took part in Chris's efforts to foil an assassination attempt against Marlo.[1] After Stringer Bell was killed by Omar Little, Snoop boasted that she and Partlow had murdered him.
In season four, she assists Partlow in many murders on behalf of Marlo, though she is never shown killing anybody. They dispose of the bodies by depositing them in abandoned buildings, covering them with quicklime and tarps, and boarding up the buildings again. When they re-board the doors, they use a distinctive nail gun which Snoop purchases in the first scene of the season; later, these nails are key clues for the police to find the bodies. After Sergeant Hauk pulls them over and spots the nail gun, Chris discards of it, to Snoop's chagrin.
Among the people murdered by Chris and Snoop are "Lex" Anderson, Little Kevin, several New York drug dealers, and a security guard to talked back to Marlo. Tired of always concealing her crimes, Snoop tries to keep the guard's badge as a souvenir, but Chris throws the badge away. The pair were also responsible for intimidating Bodie Broadus into accepting Marlo's package and for recruiting middle school child Michael Lee into their organization. They also train the next generation of soldiers for Stanfield's organization, including O-Dog.
Snoop's real name is belatedly established as Felicia Pearson, which is also the name of the actress who plays her.[1][3] "Snoop" is that actress's nickname in real life.[4] Several critics have picked out Pearson's performance as frightening because she portrays a female youth who is also a cold hearted killer.[5][6][7] Writer Stephen King called the character "perhaps the most terrifying female villain to ever appear in a television series."[7]
[edit] "Monk" Metcalf
- Played by: Kwame Patterson
- Appears in:
- Season four: "Boys of Summer"; "Soft Eyes"; "Refugees"; "Alliances" (uncredited); "Margin of Error;" "Misgivings" (uncredited); "That's Got His Own" (uncredited).
Monk is Marlo's Stanfield's Lieutenant in his organization. Marlo tasked Monk with handing out money to school children to enhance his reputation. Monk is also responsible for all phone activity in the organization and often acts as an intermediary between Marlo and the rest of the organization. He also noticed the camera that the major crimes unit was using to spy on Marlo. When Cutty attempts to talk to Michael Lee about his conduct at Cutty's gym, Monk shoots Cutty in the leg for refusing to back off, only refraining from killing him at Michael's insistence. Also, Monk was partly responsible for the death of Preston "Bodie" Broadus as he saw him with Jimmy McNulty and reported it to Marlo, who then ordered Bodie's killing and accompany's Marlo to Co-Op meetings as his second in command.
[edit] O-Dog
- Played by: Darrell Britt-Gibson
- Appears in
- Season four: "Corner Boys;" "That's Got His Own" (uncredited) and "Final Grades."
O-Dog is a soldier being trained by Chris and Snoop. He is hanging out with Michael Lee when Monk Metcalf shoots Dennis "Cutty" Wise. Later, after Bodie Broadus becomes an informant for the police, O-Dog murders him.
[edit] Dealers
[edit] Bodie Broadus
Bodie was a dealer who came of age working for Avon Barksdale. After the Barksdale organization dissolves, he is briefly independent until Marlo forces him to join his crew.
[edit] Fruit
- Played by: Brandon Fobbs
- Appears in:
- Season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Amsterdam"; "Homecoming"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished".
- Season four: "Boys of Summer".
In season three Fruit is the head of one of Marlo Stanfield's drug dealing crews, and works with Jamal and Justin. He is identifiable by his ever-present Kangol hat. He is first seen negotiating with Dennis "Cutty" Wise over how to distribute a package of dope; he seems to be fair, but he later rips Cutty off, saying the package was taken by the police. Cutty protests, Fruit pulls a gun on him and forces Cutty to withdraw. Later in the season, his crew's territory is encroached upon by Bodie Broadus and his crew, which sparks the turf war with the Barksdale organization. Cutty, now working for the Barksdale organization. takes part in a strike against Fruit's corner. Fruit escapes because Cutty is unable to bring himself to shoot Fruit.
In "Boys of Summer", the season four premiere, Fruit is seen leaving an afterhours nightspot with a woman, Patrice. He is then shot to death by a young dealer from Bodie's crew named Lex, the jealous father of Patrice's baby.[1]
[edit] Michael Lee
Michael Lee is a soft-spoken middle school pupil who gets taken under the wing of Marlo and Chris in Season four.
[edit] Jamal
- Played by: Melvin T. Russell
- Appears in season three: "Time After Time"; "All Due Respect"; "Dead Soldiers"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished".
Jamal is a young drug dealer in Fruit's crew in Marlo Stanfield's organization. He is often seen with Justin. Jamal took part in the beating of Puddin as part of a turf war between Stanfield and the Barksdale organization. His role in the beating earned him the respect of Fruit. Justin and Jamal later discovered the body of Stanfield drug dealer LaTroy and the two fled the streets in fear of their own safety.[1]
[edit] Justin
- Played by: Justin Burley
- Appears in:
- Season three: "Time After Time" (uncredited); "Amsterdam" (uncredited); "Reformation" (uncredited); "Middle Ground" and "Mission Accomplished".
- Season four: "Soft Eyes"; "Refugees"; "Unto Others" (uncredited).
Justin is a young drug dealer Fruit's crew in Marlo Stanfield's organization. He is identifiable by his baseball cap, which he wears sideways (and had a brief conversation with Thomas "Herc" Hauk and Ellis Carver about). He discovered the body of Stanfield drug dealer LaTroy with his colleague Jamal and the two fled the streets in fear of their own safety. Toward the end of season three, he gets involved with Dennis "Cutty" Wise and his boxing gym. At first, he resists Cutty's attempts to teach and instill discipline, but he eventually settles down and is seen sparring with (and losing to) a smaller boxer from another gym. In season 4 Justin continues to attend Cutty's gym and train as a boxer. As the gym grows Justin develops a superior attitude to more casual users of the equipment. He provokes a fight with Michael Lee over use of the heavy bag when he is preapring for a fight but Cutty calmly breaks the pair up. Justin became more accepting of Michael over time and the two attended a professional boxing match along with Cutty.[1]
[edit] Little Kevin
- Played by: Tyrell Baker
- Appears in:
Season 4: "Boys of Summer;" "Know Your Place;" "That's Got His Own" and "Misgivings."
Little Kevin is a teenage drug dealer working for Bodie Broadus in Season 4. Kevin's nickname is a joke on his weight; he is in fact the most obese drug dealer in their crew. Detectives Herc and Dozerman brought everyone in Bodie's crew under 5'6" and 150 lbs while looking for Little Kevin. He first appears telling Randy to send a rival drug dealer Lex "up the way" where Marlo's crew then murder Lex. When Kevin's identity is confirmed, he is sent to Central Booking after refusing to cooperate in Herc's interrogation. Marlo Stanfield then believes Kevin to be working with the police and he is then murdered by Stanfield's crew. Kevin's murder contributes to Bodie deciding to give up Stanfield's crew to police officer Jimmy McNulty.
[edit] Fronts
[edit] Vinson
- Played by: Norris Davis
- Appears in season three: "Homecoming"; "Slapstick"; "Reformation" and "Mission Accomplished".
Vinson is an advisor to Marlo Stanfield, and also runs a rim shop that Marlo often operates out of. During season three, he gives Stanfield advice on how to deal with his rival Avon Barksdale when Avon is released from prison. He continues to counsel Stanfield once he becomes embroiled in a turf war with Barksdale. He also acts as a liaison between Stanfield and Proposition Joe as Joe attempts to negotiate an end to the turf war. It is Vinson who identifies Omar Little to Brother Mouzone on Mouzone's return to Baltimore seeking revenge. In season four, Marlo continues to use Vinson's rim shop as an occasional meeting place, though Vinson never appears.[1]
[edit] Old Face Andre
- Played by: Alfonso Christian Lover
- Appears in season four: "Soft Eyes"; "Home Rooms"; "Refugees"; "Alliances".
Andre is a West side convenience store owner whose store serves as a stash house for Marlo. He gets into Marlo's debt when the stash is robbed by Omar Little. Marlo is unforgiving and takes Andre's prized ring as a punishment. When Marlo is robbed by Omar himself (losing Andre's ring in the process), he includes Andre in his plan to get revenge on Omar. Chris Partlow murderes a delivery woman, telling Andre to call the police and say Omar did it. At an interrogation with Detectives Crutchfield and Holley give him a photo array of suspects where Andre quickly identifies Omar as responsible. Detective Bunk Moreland believes Omar is innocent, and visits Andre's store. After seeing the crime scene, Bunk disproves Andre's identification of Omar. Holley and Bunk bring Andre in on a subpoena to court. Bunk asks a judge what a perjury charge carries (10 year minimum)causing Andre to back up on his original story. Andre looks to Proposition Joe for protection from Marlo, not realizing Marlo has recently joined Joe's New Day Co-Op. Andre grudgingly gives Joe ownership his store in exchange for $2,000 dollars and a safe ride out of Baltimore. Instead of taking Andre out town, Slim Charles escorts him to a back alley where he is greeted by Marlo's enforcers Chris and Snoop. Chris rebukes Andre's plea to not kill him and hide his body in a vacant building but promises to keep it quick as they walk off into the night. [8]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Org Chart - The Street. HBO (2004). Retrieved on 2006-07-27.
- ^ Character profile - Chris Partlow. HBO (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-15.
- ^ Character profile - Snoop. HBO (2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-15.
- ^ HBO series The Wire's Snoop Pearson. Danaroc.com (2006). Retrieved on 2006-9-17.
- ^ Ken Tucker (2006). 5 Reasons to Live. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Michael Endelman (2006). "Wire" education. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ a b Stephen King (2006). Setting Off a 'Wire' Alarm. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-09-26.
- ^ Character profile – Old Face Andre. HBO (2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-29.
