 | This article may need clearer distinction between fact and fiction. (June 2019) |
| Founded | Mid 1990s |
|---|---|
| Founded by | Avon Barksdale and Stringer Bell |
| Founding location | Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Years active | Mid 1990s – 2004 |
| Territory | West Baltimore |
| Ethnicity | African American |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, bribery, conspiracy, contract killing, money laundering, witness intimidation, murder, and battery |
| Allies | New Day Co-Op |
| Rivals | Stanfield Organization, Omar's crew |
The Barksdale Organization is a fictional drug-dealing gang on the television series The Wire. Many of the characters featured in season one of The Wire belong to this organization. Season 1 largely deals with the Baltimore Police Department setting up a Major Crimes Unit to investigate the Barksdale Organization, led by Avon Barksdale who is portrayed as the most powerful drug kingpin in Baltimore.
The gang's criminal activities include heroin and cocaine dealing, homicides (including killing witnesses in criminal cases against the gang), and money laundering. Avon Barksdale's power in west Baltimore was established some time before the events of season 1. The Barksdale Organization started a turf war for the city's largest public housing project. When they won the war and got the prized Franklin Terrace Towers, they had the best drug territory in the city[1] and dominated the illicit heroin trade in west Baltimore. The show starts sometime after these events.
The Baltimore Police Department as a whole is portrayed as underfunded and apathetic. While the Major Crime Unit is able to arrest a number of people in the Barksdale Organization, including Avon, they lack the resources to build a strong enough case to permanently cripple the organization. All those arrested plead out and get light sentences (with the exception of Wee-Bey and D'Angelo). Avon's best friend and second in command Stringer Bell runs the organization until Avon is released from prison in season 3.
Ultimately, a second prolonged investigation by the Major Crimes Unit, a bloody turf war with the emerging Stanfield Organization, and internal dissent led to the Barksdale Organization's collapse in the fall of 2004. With most of the Barksdale Organization in prison or dead, the Stanfield Organization becomes the dominant heroin dealership in west Baltimore.