Duquan "Dukie" Weems
| Duquan Weems | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| First appearance | "Boys of Summer" (episode 4.01) |
| Last appearance | "–30–" (episode 5.10) |
| Created by | David Simon |
| Portrayed by | Jermaine Crawford |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Dukie |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Student |
Duquan "Dukie" Weems is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Jermaine Crawford. Dukie is a student at Edward Tilghman Middle School. He has a difficult home life because the adults in his home are either alcoholics or drug addicts. He is a recurrent target for teasing and bullying because of his lack of personal hygiene, his offensive body odor and his dirty clothes; there is no running water in his house. "" is also a slang term for feces. He has to depend upon on his three friends – Namond Brice, Michael Lee and Randy Wagstaff – for emotional and sometimes financial support. Namond has a tendency to bully him. Michael remains constantly loyal to Dukie.
Dukie faces bullying and beatings from a rival gang of boys, from whom his friends fiercely protect him. Following Dukie receiving a beating, his friends plan a retaliation. Dukie takes part but the plan backfires and some of his friends are caught and beaten. Namond rewards his efforts with an ice cream at Michael's urging.
The assistant principal at Dukie's middle school, Marcia Donnelly, provides him with second-hand school supplies. She has one of his peers, Crystal, deliver it to him at home but is careful to instruct her to give it directly to Dukie to be sure that it reaches him and not his drug-addicted parents who are inclined to sell his possessions.
When the school year begins, Dukie walks to school with his eighth grade classmates Randy, Michael and Namond. Rather than them calling for him he waits for them and then joins them. Randy gives Dukie his packed lunches to eat. De'Londa Brice refuses to let Dukie into her home when the boys visit Namond. Outside school Dukie finds a discarded electric fan and he spends his free time on the first day of school repairing it. He is teased by his classmates for his lack of personal hygiene. In particular, a girl named Chiquan refuses to sit next to him in Mr. Pryzbylewski's math class. Chiquan is attacked with a boxcutter by a female classmate whom she bullied earlier in the season. The girl injures Chiquan and is then disarmed by Mrs. Sampson. Dukie approaches the girl who had the boxcutter as she sits on the floor fuming. He turns on the fan and allows it to blow gently on her face before giving it to her.
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