Stanfield Organization

Lore & Background

By Season Four, Marlo's crew becomes the most powerful drug organization in West Baltimore, and forms an alliance with the New Day Co-Op while ruling its streets through fear. In Season Five, after a period of aggressive expansion which culminates in Marlo seizing control of the Co-Op, a series of arrests and deaths destroy the organization. The organization is led by Marlo Stanfield, a rising gang leader who gets into a turf war with the Barksdale Organization, becoming the key West Baltimore drug kingpin following Stringer Bell's death and Avon Barksdale's arrest. His second-in-command is Chris Partlow, and the third most recognized leader is Monk Metcalf. Soldiers include Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, one of the chief enforcers. Michael Lee is a middle school pupil taken under the wing of Chris Partlow and Snoop Pearson in season four and trained as a soldier, with Marlo's approval but not direct training. O-Dog (a different character from Darius Hill) is a teenage soldier trained to kill by Snoop Pearson.

Reader's Guide

The Stanfield Organization violently clashes with the Barksdale crew after the latter is forced to move on from the demolished Franklin Terrace Towers and tries to reclaim the streets the gang once dominated. The organization is the most violent and ruthless of the street-level drug trade organizations portrayed in The Wire. Key figures include Marlo Stanfield (played by Jamie Hector), Chris Partlow (played by Gbenga Akinnagbe), and Monk Metcalf. Soldiers include Savino Bratton (played by Chris Clanton), Felicia "Snoop" Pearson (played by Felicia Pearson), Michael Lee (played by Tristan Wilds), and O-Dog (played by Darrell Britt-Gibson). Dealers include Bodie Broadus, who was a dealer for Avon Barksdale, then briefly independent, until Marlo forces him to join his crew. He is shot and killed by O-Dog, after Monk sees Bodie having a conversation with McNulty.

Did You Know?

• O-Dog (not Darius Hill) and another soldier executed Bodie Broadus, but the killing was not carried out solely by Darius Hill with two shots to the head.
• Cheese Wagstaff, nephew of Proposition Joe, joined Marlo for a short time before Marlo's retirement and was ultimately killed by Slim Charles as revenge for Proposition Joe.

Leadership Structure and Key Figures

Marlo Stanfield is a rising gang leader who gets into a turf war with the Barksdale Organization, becoming the key West Baltimore drug kingpin following Stringer Bell's death and Avon Barksdale's arrest. Stanfield is played by Jamie Hector. Chris Partlow is Marlo Stanfield's second-in-command in his drug dealing operation. He is played by Gbenga Akinnagbe. Monk Metcalf is a lieutenant in the Stanfield organization, and the third most recognized leader of the Stanfield Organization. Felicia "Snoop" Pearson is one of the chief enforcers in the Stanfield Organization, along with Chris Partlow. Michael Lee is a soft-spoken middle school pupil who gets taken under the wing of Stanfield and Partlow in season four and trained as a soldier. Michael is played by Tristan Wilds. O-Dog, real name Darius Hill, is a teenage soldier who is being trained to kill by Snoop Pearson in the fourth season.

The Most Violent Era

The Stanfield Organization is the most violent and ruthless of the street-level drug trade organizations portrayed in The Wire. By Season Four, Marlo's crew becomes the most powerful drug organization in West Baltimore, and forms an alliance with the New Day Co-Op while ruling its streets through fear. In Season Five, after a period of aggressive expansion which culminates in Marlo seizing control of the Co-Op, a series of arrests and deaths destroy the organization. O-Dog is one of the soldiers responsible for subduing Little Kevin and sending him to his death. Along with Chris and Snoop, he is responsible for the execution of Bodie at the end of season 4. O-Dog exits a vacant and fires a shot to Bodie's head while he focuses on defending himself from Chris and Snoop, and fires another shot to the head once Bodie is down, earning him the nods of respect from Chris and Snoop.

The Fall and Final Casualties

In Season Five, after a period of aggressive expansion which culminates in Marlo seizing control of the Co-Op, a series of arrests and deaths destroy the organization. Savino Bratton, a former Barksdale soldier who joined the Stanfield Organization after his release from prison, was ambushed in a corner by Omar Little, who after a brief conversation, killed Savino with a single gunshot to the head, in revenge for the torture-murder of Butchie by Chris Partlow and Snoop. Omar identified him as a past Barksdale soldier and, knowing his violent history, refused to accept Savino's explanation that he was not present at the incident, reasoning that if Savino had been there he would have joined in with the others. After Omar's own death, the police found his "hit-list" and discover all the upper-tier members of the Stanfield Organization he planned to kill. Savino's name was the only one crossed out, which means he was ultimately the only major casualty of Omar's gang war, and ironically the last casualty of his past hatred of the Barksdale Organization.