Uncle Carlos Character Analysis

Carlos is Lisa’s older brother and a detective on the same police force as One-Fifteen. A second father figure to Starr, Carlos helped take care of the Carter children while Maverick was in jail—a fact that creates tension between him and his brother-in-law. Carlos is extremely close to Starr, and frequently has the family over for barbeques at his beautiful house in a gated community. Carlos initially questions why Starr was in the car with a drug dealer, and defends the actions of One-Fifteen. Throughout the story, however, he comes to realize that he was wrongly trying to justify Khalil’s death. He ultimately chooses his family over his squad and punches One-Fifteen in the face, resulting in a forced leave of absence. When Maverick enlists King Lords to guard the family the night before Starr testifies in front of a grand jury, Carlos is outraged. Maverick accuses him of not caring about the children, and Carlos details everything he did for them while Maverick was in jail. That evening, the two put aside their differences. Carlos also takes in DeVante, in part out of guilt for leaving Garden Heights and failing people like Khalil. He and his wife, Pam, grow to love DeVante and say he can stay with them for his entire senior year of school.