The Wire (TV Series)

Middle Ground (2004)

Wood Harris: Avon Barksdale

Photos 

Quotes 

• Stringer Bell : Where Avon at?

  Slim Charles : He'll be along shortly.

  Stringer Bell : That's good, 'cause I came to see you anyway.

  Slim Charles : What you need?

  Stringer Bell : I need you to hit somebody.

  Slim Charles : Who we hittin'?

  Stringer Bell : Clay Davis.

  Slim Charles : THE Clay Davis? Downtown Clay Davis?

  Stringer Bell : That s'posed to mean somethin' to me, man? That nigga need to be got.

  Slim Charles : Shit, String, murder ain't no thing, but this here is some assassination shit, man.

  Stringer Bell : Look, I tell you to get somebody, you gettin' him. I ain't askin'.

  Slim Charles : Damn, String, I don't know...

  Stringer Bell : [cutting him off]  Nigga, I gotta remind you who the fuck you work for?

  [Avon, who has been watching from a side room, steps in] 

  Avon Barksdale : Ayo. I think Slim gonna have to sit this one out, boss. So you finna go hit a state senator now, huh? Yo, you kill a downtown nigga like that, the whole world gonna stand up and take notice. I'm talkin' 'bout the state police, federals... all of that! You need a "Day of the Jackal"-type muthafucka, basically, to do some shit like that, not a rumble-tumble nigga like Slim!

  Stringer Bell : That nigga took our money, man.

  Avon Barksdale : I seen it comin'.

  Stringer Bell : Well, he gotta go.

  Avon Barksdale : Naw, you a fuckin' businessman, you wanna handle it like that! You don't wanna get all gangsta-wild with it and shit, right? What I tell you about playin' them fuckin' away games?

  [Stringer looks at Slim, but he won't look him in the eye; Stringer gets up to leave] 

  Avon Barksdale : Yeah. They saw your ghetto ass comin' from miles away, nigga! You got a fuckin' beef with them? That shit is on YOU!

  [Stringer stares at Avon for a moment, then walks out] 

• [Brother Mouzone confronts Avon at the barber shop] 

  Avon Barksdale : You look healthy.

  Brother Mouzone : For a man who was gut-shot. You reached out to a third party who engaged me in the purpose of holding your towers. That third person's word was your word, as he represented you.

  Avon Barksdale : That's right.

  Brother Mouzone : And I ran those East Baltimore gentlemen off. I held up my end of the agreement... at least, for as long as I was physically able.

  Avon Barksdale : You did.

  Brother Mouzone : Your man then set up a meet at Butchie's bar. Your man told Omar Little that I was responsible for the torture of a young boy who was close to Mr. Little's heart. Your man, in effect, sought to have me hit.

  Avon Barksdale : Omar told you that, and you believe that muhfucka?

  Brother Mouzone : He doesn't strike me as a man who would tell stories, even at the point of dying.

  Avon Barksdale : [quietly]  Shit. Proposition Joe package.

  Brother Mouzone : The inner workings of your organization don't concern me.

  Avon Barksdale : If there's a way - I mean, if my man... if he made a mistake here, then I'm willin' to pay the cost.

  [Mouzone doesn't respond] 

  Avon Barksdale : How can we fix it? You want money?

  Brother Mouzone : Money?

  Avon Barksdale : Yeah. This is business.

  Brother Mouzone : Business is where you are now. But what got you here is your word and your reputation. With that alone, you've still got an open line to New York. Without it, you're done.

  [Avon says nothing, realizing what he has to do] 

• [Cutty meets with Avon about funding for his gym] 

  Avon Barksdale : A boxin' gym, huh?

  Dennis 'Cutty' Wise : Ain't a proper one yet. That's why I asked to see you.

  Avon Barksdale : What you know about takin' care of somethin' like that?

  Dennis 'Cutty' Wise : Not a damn thing, but I know that sweet science, and I got some kids who are interested. But what I got a need for, bro, is equipment. Man, these kids gonna get rained on. They need headgear, they need guards, cups, you know, so they can take the hit. Shit, you know what I'm sayin', man. I seen your picture on them Globe posters back in the day.

  Avon Barksdale : [dismissively]  Little undercard shit, maybe, you know.

  Dennis 'Cutty' Wise : Yeah, but still, you was Golden Gloves.

  Avon Barksdale : For a minute, but I had a physical defect.

  Dennis 'Cutty' Wise : What, you got a glass jaw?

  Avon Barksdale : [chuckling]  Nah, forehead, nigga.

  Slim Charles : [chuckling]  Cranium shot'll do you wrong, man.

  [Cutty shows Avon an equipment catalog and flips through it] 

  Dennis 'Cutty' Wise : Yo, look here, man. You see the new heavy bags? Look, freestanding, man. All you gotta do is add water. Then you got speed bags right there, right? You got this headgear right here? It's new. Look, protect the cheek AND the chin, you know? And I know I can go around and collect a dollar here and a dollar there, but I'm tryin' to put together a select group of people, right? I call 'em my, my Gold Circle Club, and they gonna make a substantial contribution and just get this thing rollin' right. I mean, I'm gonna put their name and picture up on the wall in the gym.

  Avon Barksdale : What, you tryin' to get me to join a club?

  Dennis 'Cutty' Wise : No, man, I'm just sayin'. There's all sorts of levels. We got the, we got the Silver Club, we got the Bronze Club, man, for muhfuckas who really don't wanna dig that deep. Come on, man, check it out.

  Avon Barksdale : Nah, man, I ain't got no time for this bullshit, man. You know I don't want my fuckin' name and face on no damn wall, you crazy, nigga? How much money you talkin' about?

  [Cutty looks down and works up his courage] 

  Dennis 'Cutty' Wise : Ten thousand.

  [Avon and Slim look at each other, then burst out laughing] 

  Avon Barksdale : See him go through all that for ten thousand? Man, Slim, go get him fifteen thousand cash, man.