Omar Little - A Street Anomaly

Season One of HBO’s drama series “The Wire” shows Baltimore police officials trying to take down a very well-run drug gang ran by Avon Barksdale (played by Wood Harris). The show utilizes dynamic and complex characters. One of the most complex characters is Omar Little (played by Michael Williams). Omar shatters the typical idea of a street stick-up artist: while ruthless when it comes to payback, Omar goes by a strict moral code that keeps him from harming anyone outside of “The Game.” Omar is also a homosexual, which challenges the idea that someone so well-respected and feared on the streets has to be a macho-man. Omar’s character is very smart and observant. We first see Omar staking out the Pit, looking for the stash house and the weaknesses of the group. Omar calls the operation “very sloppy” while lighting a cigarette at 22:33 minutes into “The Buys.” This scene demonstrates his knowledge and confidence when it comes to robbing drug-dealers. We also see Omar’s strict moral code when we see him in action for the first time. While robbing the Pit stash house, Omar shoots one of Barksdale’s pawns in the leg with his sawed-off shotgun. Omar could have killed the boy, but instead chose to shoot him in the leg (44:04 into “The Buys”). This scene is also important when juxtaposing it with the police raid that follows it. The police turn up empty handed after their raid because they lack the instinct to find the stash house despite constant surveillance. The stealing of the stash by Omar and his crew shows that he is well ahead of the police because they don’t know where the stash house is on their raid. While certainly not the main character of the show, Omar Little proves to be important. The street-smart stick-up man will later aid the police in advancing their case against Avon Barksdale and his crew.