Marvin Lee Robinson

Marvin Lee “Burundi” Robinson is a fictional character on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was played by Roger Robinson.

A former officer in the Baltimore Police Department, Robinson resigned due to a scandal involving missing heroin and founded the African Revival Movement, a black militant organization that had an influential community following in West Baltimore.

Biography

Robinson first joined the department in 1962 and was partnered with James C. Harris. The two had established a reputation as narcotics officers in the West Baltimore Housing projects throughout the 1960s. In 1972, Robinson and Harris were involved in a narcotics scandal involving missing heroin which Harris had sold back to a West Baltimore drug dealer. On the decision of a coin flip, Robinson resigned taking the full blame for the missing heroin as Harris remained in the department. ^[1]

Harris eventually rose to become the department's deputy commissioner of operations. Robinson in the meantime founded the African Revival Movement where the male members took names of various African countries. The A.R.M. became quite influential in providing vital services and was drawing support from the local African American residents. In the meantime, Robinson had often called on Harris for various favors by means of blackmail over the exposure of the 1972 heroin scandal. During a shootout between the A.R.M. and BPD QRT team, Harris ordered the shooting of Robinson but not before Homicide Lieutenant Al Giardello managed to get into the A.R.M. headquarters as a means of negotiating with Robinson. Remembering Giardello, Robinson revealed the heroin scandal and led the A.R.M. to commit mass suicide shortly afterwards.

Giardello, angry at the discovery of Harris' corrupt involvement leading to the death of his ex-partner then reported Harris' wrong doings to the Baltimore Mayor. This led to a federal investigation which forced Harris' resignation from the force. ^[1]

The TV Movie

Although Robinson was dead by the time of the events of the TV movie, the shooting of Lt. Giardello resulted in John Munch and Stanley Bolander investigating the African Revival Movement as a possible source of suspects. However, the movement was shown to have been almost entirely destroyed by the events of the series, with only a skeleton crew of people still visiting it. The movement's new leader was angered by the shooting feeling that it reflected America's history of assassinating black men who spoke the truth. They believed that the shooting was instigated by white bankers who were looking to profit from gentrification of poor black neighborhoods, a conspiracy theory that John Munch saw a possibility in (and also mirrored a racially-constructed conspiracy theory that local neo-Nazis had for Giardello's shooting). However, the shooter was eventually revealed to be unconnected to either the Movement or the local banking system.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} J Bobby. "The HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET Glossary". http://novemberrain.free.fr/GlossaireHLOTS.htm.