"[Crowd humming "The Battle Hymn of Republic"]" "[Tambourine playing]" "MAN:" "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God with liberty and justice for all?" "My name is Jimmy Carter, and I'm running for president." "[Cheers and applause]" "1976 will not be a year of politics as usual." "Yes!" "It can be a year of inspiration and hope." "And it will be a year of concern..." "Hey, Jimmy, check this out, man." "And sober reassessment of our nation's character and purpose, a year when voters have already confounded the experts." "And I guarantee you that it will be the year when we give the government of this country back to the people of this country." "[Cheers and applause]" "WOMAN:" "Honey, is that for me?" "What is it?" "MAN:" "For you." "Honey, you didn't wrap this yourself." "You know I did." "Gary!" "It's beautiful." "I mean, it's too much." "No." "McMillan's leaving." "So it's definite." "It's my case now." "Oh!" "[Laughs]" " Congratulations." " Thank you." "And I want you to handle it." "Are you sure?" "Because I can be difficult." "Hey, thanks a lot." "Drive safe." "Make a left up on Sheldon." "That'll take you right back to where you're going." "Got everything?" "All right, be safe." "[Siren walls in distance]" "Be safe, all right?" "[Piano playing slow gospel music]" "WOMAN:" "?" "Oh, Jesus, please?" "?" "Accept my prayer?" "?" "Oh, without your guidance?" "?" "I can't find peace anywhere?" "?" "The love I have for you?" "?" "Is like no other love I've ever known?" "[Singing continues faintly]" "MAN:" "I didn't think you'd show up." "This is Asheema." "A'salaam alaikum, sister." "This is Marcus." "My brother." "Come on, boy!" "Iris!" "Do you want to make a dollar?" " Two." " $1.25." "$1.50." "So listen..." "I got a new contract out in Pottstown." "Try to get me at least 1 0 pounds more next time." "I'll see what I can do." "Hey!" "Hey, hey, hey, Harrison!" "Where's the rest?" "Rates keep dropping, Jim." "Guys like us are taking the hit." "[Door closes]" "[Engine starts]" "You, bastard." "[Siren wailing in distance]" "Guy pop hired doing a shitty job." "Everybody's heading over to the funeral home." "You coming?" "How much is he charging you?" "Why?" "I could do it for you." "For free." "Put a little money back in your pocket." "Already got a buyer." "But, um, if you want to clean up around here, you could stay a few days." "He left you the house." "Well, no one's heard from you for four years, so, yeah, he left me the house." "We ain't even got him in the ground yet, and you got a buyer?" "It's just the way things worked out." "And I changed it back." "The?" "Ible verse?" "I put it back the way it was." "Surprised you still care." "Genesis 42:21 is what he wanted." "It's your world, Bos." "Can I get through?" "What's that say?" "I know the owners." "It says I can take what I want when I want it." "Leave the cart, kid, and take off before you get yourself in trouble." "I got business to run, man." "You don't listen too good, do you, kid?" "I said get outta here." "Asshole." "What did you call me?" "Hey!" "What did you call me?" "!" "Come over here!" "Come here." "Come on, Frank." "It's lunch." "Kid's got a mouth." "I got a right to know my charges." "And he's still talking." "So I talked to Judge Thomas about my cousin Jimmy's case." "They want to hold him till he pays the full fine." "The court charged him with what?" "Verbal assault." "And awarded the city... mm-hmm." "$400?" "Thank you, Bean." "[Laughs]" "So I want to try to get him out tonight." "And you know I wouldn't ask unless I had to." "Well, you know, a couple days in county might not be so bad." "I mean, it might traighten him out." "Or he might not survive it." "Thank you." "Thank you, Bean." "I can't, Patricia." "Not this time." "I don't know how much more of this I have in me, Jimmy." "I can't keep doing this for you, you know?" "I can't just bail you out." "It's not like I have it in me to keep showing up, making it okay when you screw up!" "This is stupid shit, Jimmy!" "It's really stupid shit!" "[Radio playing indistinctly]" "[Shouting indistinctly]" "[Door closes]" "[Gospel music playing on radio]" " Ma?" " Hmm?" "Who's this?" "CARTER:" "Our people are searching for new voices and new ideas..." "Were you in my office?" "No." "What's his name?" "Marcus." "Daddy's friend?" "Go brush your teeth." "How come we never can talk about dad?" "We just talked about him." " No, we didn't." " Iris." "He was here, you know." " Who?" " Guy in the picture." "You know, I don't like when you lie." "Not lying." "He was out there in the street." "I know it was him." "Was he a Panther?" "Yeah." "...realists who still know the old dreams of justice and liberty of country and our community." "Was wondering when you'd show up." "Here I am, baby." "What can I do for you, Dwayne?" "Oh, that's how it's gonna be?" "That's your name, ain't it?" "I got a message from the brothers." "[Chuckles] They sent you?" "Things done changed, Snitch." "I'm in charge now." "Same old Dwayne." "Got everybody fooled, huh?" "Look, I'm only here for a week." "Then I'll be gone." "Oh, you think that changes things?" "Go home..." "Dwayne." "Call me that again." "Go ahead, say it again." "See what happens." "You're not even gonna see it coming, Snitch." "One day the light just gonna go out." "Pop." "Nobody's forgotten what you did to Neal." "[RB music playing]" "Hey." "[Chuckles]" "Wasn't expecting anybody." "[Click, music stops]" "I'm sorry about the Reverend." "Things are good?" "Yes." "You know." "You?" "She's a curious one, isn't she?" "What, 8?" "9?" "No, no." "You might offend her." "She almost 10." "[Both chuckle]" "She looks just like him, Pattie." "Nobody calls me Pattie anymore." "I don't know you as anything else." "Iris?" "It's time to say good-bye." "Find anything interesting?" "No." "I have this box of comics I was gonna throw away." "But if you want it..." " Say thank you." " Thank you." "You're welcome." "Thank you." "REPORTER:" "FBI director J. Edgar Hoover today asserted the hostile black extremist group the Black Panthers represent the greatest internal threat to the nation...." "MAN:" "Are you listening, people, to what I'm saying?" "'Cause it sure looks to me like them niggers ain't playing." "WOMAN:" "Them niggers ain't playing." "MAN:" "America taught the black people to be violent." "We will use that violence..." "[Crowd cheering and shouting]" "[Crowd noise fades]" "[Telephone rings]" "Hello?" "It's Patricia." "So we're having a potluck tomorrow." "If you don't have plans, you should come by." "It's a fundraiser for one of my cases that can't make bail." "I will." "Thanks." "A-and it was good seeing you, Pattie." "Take care." "[Indistinct conversations]" "[Disco music playing]" "Where you off to?" "Haven't decided if I'm gonna leave yet." "I can talk to them if you want me to." "They listen to me." "I can take care of myself." "Let me, uh..." "[Indistinct conversations]" "[Spray can rattles]" "[Spray can sprays, man hoots]" "Motherfucker." "[Tires screech]" "Where's DoRight?" "He ain't here." "If I was you, I'd get outta here." "I'm right here, T. You don't know who that is?" "We are in the presence of royalty." "You know, Neal was the pretty one, but this nigger, this nigger was the workhorse." "Stay away." "I'm asking you nice." "What?" "You want to start some shit?" "Wanna start some shit..." "We can get it on." "My daddy loved that car." "[Chuckles]" "Come here." "What the fuck is going on here?" "Nothing, I got 'em lined up." "What the fuck you talking about, they lined up?" "You got 'em on the curb without their fucking shirts and shit?" "Undressed?" "Strip-searched?" "What the fuck are you doing?" "I'm doing my job." "Don't you fucking walk away from me." "Step here." "You better step back, motherfucker." "You cannot do this shit." "We got some constitutional issues here, motherfucker." "God damn it, let 'em go." "Get up!" "You heard him!" "Up!" "All of 'em." "Come on, fellas." "You can go." "Come on, man." "I can't make it on this!" "What, you think I can?" "I'm paying you a quarter above market rate, Jim." "Aw!" "What are you doing?" "Today's the last day you're gonna cheat me." "Cheat you?" "What do you mean cheat you?" "I can take my shit over to Freddie up on Wayne Avenue!" "Guy's a thief." "He'll pay you half what I pay you." "From now on, I only do business with the brothers." "Why y'all just standing there?" "!" "He's one stupid-ass nigger." "You look thin." "How long you been back?" "Come on, Marcus." "[Chuckles]" "I'm not the enemy." "In fact, I came here to tell you you still got a friend." "Can I go?" "If I was you, I'd stay away from that bar." "DoRight's a criminal." "He's putting guns in the hands of children." "And Pattie?" "[Scoffs]" "[Chuckles]" "You two used to be tight, right?" "Well, now..." "She's getting DoRight and his crew off on technicalities." "They have lost their way." "You finished?" "I asked you to clean up." "That's it." "This is not your house." "You don't get to come in here and do what you want." "Put it back the way it was." "You're out of your mind." " Hey, what the hell is wrong with you?" "!" " This is not your house!" "You don't come in here and make decisions!" "You don't get a say!" "Run." "It's all you ever been good at anyway." "I now it was hard for you when I left, Bos." "But it wasn't my fault." "I had to go." "You understand that?" "I didn't have a choice." "And now?" "Whose fault is it now?" "Stop asking me qu stions." "Sit down." " Hello, my siste " " Where is he?" "Where's the boss?" "DoRight?" "!" "Where you at?" "You know why I'm here, right?" "Are you serious?" "Yeah, I mean it." "Stay away from him." "Motherfucker comes into my place, you come laying this shit on me?" "You went after him." "I know you, Dwayne." "You've never liked him." "Why you taking up for this guy?" "'Cause that's what I do." "For all of you." "Are you with him?" "I'm just asking." "Look, you know he always had something for you." "Do you have something for him?" "It's always the same shit with you." "You're paranoid." "The feds own him." "He's their inside man, their boy." "So you bought the same bullshit story everybody else did." "No, I know!" "I know!" "Tell me what you think you know." "I know that he sold Neal to the feds." "I know they pumped 16 bullets into my best friend in your living room on his information, I know that." "It wasn't Marcus." "Okay, so, then, who was it, then, huh?" "Maybe it was you." "You know what?" "No one is gonna lay a hand on that brother's head." "You satisfied?" "But let's be clear, do not come back in here asking for any favors." "[Laughs]" "She didn't say anything about my case, did she?" " T.T., are you seri us?" " Just checking." "What are you doing here?" "Did Bostic kick you out?" "We have an extra room." "No, thanks." "So you're just gonna cont nue sleeping in your car?" " I've done it before." " Then why would you do it again?" "I'm fine, Pattie." "Thanks." "[Scoffs, chuckles]" "[Car door opens, closes]" "[Engine starts]" "There's too many pigs, man." "There's too many pigs." "Jimmy, right?" "Peace, brother." "Right on." "Come on, Colin." "BOY:" "All right, guys, see you later." "All right, see you later." "You again." "Iris." "That work?" "Sometimes." "Ma's in the kitchen feeding the whole neighborhood." "[Laughter]" "PATRICIA:" "Amy, you need to slow down while you eat." "You don't need to stuff your face like that." "A lion!" "A tiger!" "That was my" "I like--I like tigers." "[Growls] And a jaguar." "And monkeys." "And chimpanzees." "I like a ferret." "[Indistinct conversations]" "Okay, all right, celery and carrots, and who wants some fruit?" " Me!" " I do." "Well, come on and get a bowl, then." "Didn't I tell you to finish your milk before you have any more sweets?" "What are you doing?" "There's something very f-f-fishy about this ship." "[Screams]" "[Click]" "[Click, cartoon soundtrack]" "[Laughter]" "I won't tell if you won't." "How you learn to do that?" "Been on the road awhile." "Learn a few things." "It's what you do for a living?" "This and that." " Odds and ends?" " Yeah, odds and ends." "That means you do nothing." "[Laughs] Yeah?" "Is that what it means?" "It true you were in prison?" "Yes, it is." "What'd you do?" "I sold guns." "I got caught." "My father sell guns, too?" "Sometimes, yes." " You're lying." " I don't lie." " Did he get caught?" " No, he was smarter than I was." "What was he like?" "Well..." "You look just like him, but you act like your mom." "I want to know how he died." "What did your mama tell you?" "She won't talk about it." "She probably has good reason." "She keeps secrets, you know." "That's what mom-mom and pop-pop used to say." "One time, I heard them call her a communist like it was a dirty word." "Then they started following us." "Who's they?" "The F?" "I. They follow us home sometimes." "Then they started tapping our phones." "Still do." "See?" "Hear that?" "[Dial tone]" "If you listen for a long time, you can hear it goes like, click... click... pop." "Can't you hear it?" "He was killed here, you know." "Ma thinks I don't know." "It was in here in the living room." "Jimmy says he shot 50 cops before they got him." " He has nowhere to go." " Could you put us first for once?" "That's not fair." "No, what's not fair are those grubby kids who steal my change when I'm not looking." "Gary!" "Or your cousin Jimmy who lived on the third floor for over a year so we can never have sex." "Is that what you want now?" " No, that's not what I want." " Then, prove it." "You could, uh, you could always move in with me." "[Laughs] No." "No, I live here." "This is my home." "I have roots here." "You're living in the past, Patricia." "This house..." "this neighborhood..." "You're all fighting imaginary enemies." "He loves you, Iris, and that's not gonna change." "No, he doesn't, and I'm glad he's gone." "You're the one who's upset." "I'm upset because I care about him, and I think you do, too." "No, I don't." "You're lying." "You always lie." "Hey." "Look at me." "Look at me!" "Have a little respect." "Now how are we supposed to pay the electric bill?" "Go get ready for bed." "[Engine idles, stops]" "[Chatter over police radio]" "What you doing?" "Marcus..." "Somebody's watching the house." "Feds aren't interested in us anymore, Pattie." "It's Gordon." "He's out there because of me." "But if you wanted to get me alone in the dark all you had to do was ask." "[Chuckles]" "I don't have to ask you anything." "Hm." "Ma!" "Did you brush?" "I brushed, and I'm ready for bed." "I'll be up in a minute." "What are you looking at?" "Well, we don't have a lot of rules around here." "But we don't talk about the past." "It's too painful." "For her or for you?" "For both of us." "Thank you, comrade." "[Clears throat]" "Good night, Marcus." "Come on, man, leave him alone, man." " He ain't do nothing wrong." " Just gimme my bicycle." "You don't think I didn't see you yesterday?" " That was my cousin's bike." " Whose bike is this?" "My bike." "I just told you it's my bike." "Can I just have my bike back?" "I'm not lying to y u." "That's my bike." " Got any drugs on you?" " No." "Why would I have drugs?" "I got a little girl crying, saying it's her bike and you stole it." " What little girl?" " Little girl up the street." " Whose bike did you have yesterday?" " That was my cousin's bike." "You don't think I didn't see you yesterday?" "Hey, looky here, man!" "You ain't got to answer no questions!" "They got no authority!" "Hey!" "You!" "Mouth, shut up!" "You don't got to tell them nothing!" "You don't got to show them no I.D.!" "You--you don't to tell them who you are or where you live!" "Tell me something, kid." "How many dimes did you have to scrape together to pay that fine?" "Come on!" "Pig motherfucker!" "Jimmy!" "Jimmy, what are you doing?" " Get off me!" " What are you doing?" " Defending our neighborhood." " And when he busts open your head?" "My neighborhood." "Not theirs." "You hear that, pig?" "!" "Don't come back to our neighborhood!" "The vanguard has declared all-out war on your ass!" "Get down!" "Let's go!" "Come on!" "Let's go!" "[Crowd]" "?" "The revolution has come?" "?" "Stop the pigs!" "?" "?" "It's time to pick up a gun?" "?" "Stop the pigs!" "?" "?" "It's time to pick up a gun..." "?" "I let her go to the corner store with me today and..." "Jimmy got into it with a few cops." "Some cats drove by and shot out their back window." "She's fine." "Everybody was fine." "I just wanted to tell you." "I didn't think it'd be right if I didn't tell you." "Thank you." "Jimmy is crazy, Pattie." "He's got a brick between his ears." "And that's putting it nicely." "[Chuckles]" "Kid's walking around talking about the vanguard, calling cops pigs like he knows what he's talking about." "I don't think you should let Iris work with him anymore." "She could really benefit from having you around." "She's never had that before, you know?" "A man." "I, uh..." "I work night court on Wednesdays, but, otherwise, I'm home by 6:00, and I could pay you" "I can't take your money." "What about Jimmy?" "I'll take care of it." "How are you gonna do that?" "[Clears throat] Don't worry about it." "JIMMY:" "Look at that." "Wow." "Man, the Panthers, they were like my family, man." "I mean, our family, you know?" "[Chuckles]" "They defended us against the pigs." "They didn't want us to have nothing, didn't want us to live." "Pigs ruin everything." "How old are you now, Jim?" "18?" "19?" " It's just you and your brother, right?" " Yeah." "So?" "Your old man, what happened to him?" "Wayne?" "That was his name, right?" "Used to run the body shop down on Germantown Avenue?" "Go on outside." "I'll meet you out there." "Go outside." "Don't talk to him." "He'll be out when we done." "So you knew the old drunk." "Are we supposed to be friends now?" "We ain't friends, Jim." "Don't come back here." "And stay away from Iris." " You don't scare me, Marcus." " I ain't trying to scare you." "I don't give a damn who you used to be." "I don't give a damn about any of you." "Got my own plans." " Plans." " Big plans." "That comic, where'd you get it?" "I took it." "So what?" "Give it back." "This ain't your house, man." "You know why I loved Neal?" "'Cause he killed some cops." "He went out like a man." "And what'd you do?" "I survived." "Surviving ain't worth much if it's in another man's blood." "You don't know shit!" "I know you a snitch." "I know you a chump." "I'm a chump?" "The feds printed these comics for people just like you." "Now you call me a snitch again." "You don't know shit." "[Footsteps approach]" "Where do you get o f threatening him?" "I talked to him." "I told you I would handle that, right?" "You think you can make him act nice when you want to?" "A kid like that with so much to prove?" "Iris is all you have." "Nothing else should matter." "Stop trying to tell me how to raise my kid!" "Then stop acting like Mother Theresa every time an orphan walks through the door!" "You, of all people, lecturing me on commitment." "Where you been, Marcus?" "All this time." "Where did you go?" "It must be nice... to just..." "Pack only what you can take in that little black bag of yours." "If you want to have a say about how things go around here, that's available, but you have to stay." "Are you ready for that?" "!" " I'm done waiting." " Pattie" "Stop calling me "Pattie"!" "That is not my name!" "What should I call you, then?" "Hm?" "I'm sorry." "[Groans]" "[Panting] Oh, God!" "Aah!" "[Moans]" "Jimmy can't come he e anymore, Patricia." "Pattie." "[Gunshot]" " Ma?" " Hmm?" "How come we never move?" "What do you mean?" "Ever since dad died, how come we stayed here?" "It's complicated." "A lot of reasons, I guess." "It's strange, though." "I mean, it's not normal." "Ma?" "Okay, Iris, I just-- give me a second." "I need to finish this, okay?" "[Siren wailing in distance]" "[Men shouting, gunfire]" "[Indistinct radio chatter]" "[Helicopter whirs]" "[Crowd shouts]" "[Siren walls]" "The year you were born two Panthers were killed by the police." "And your father... was outraged." "So he and some oth r Panther members, they decided they were gonna kill a police officer." "And I tried to convince him not to." "We all did, Marcus and uncle DoRight." "But he wouldn't listen." "Did he do it?" "But that's not who we were." "That's not what we did." "Your father became angry." "Disillusioned maybe." "You were 8 months old, and nobody was safe." "I didn't know how I was gonna keep this family together." "The night they caught me, we were taking you to my parents." "We?" "Me and Marcus." "I loved your father so much." "They were going to send me to prison, baby." "And you would have been put in the system, and I couldn't lose you, so I" "So I gave him up." "I told the cops..." "he was the one." "That was the deal." "Neal for you and your mom." "I didn't know they were gonna kill him, Iris." "Iris." "They're all around us." "Ghosts." "They're everywhere." "[Siren approaching]" "Down on the ground." "Okay, [grunts] all ri ht." "[Handcuffs click]" "Aw, fuck." "Hello, Marcus." "Get the fuck off me!" "Fuck." "Now, this is what we gonna do." "DoRight and his crew shot up a patrol car." "They going after cops now." "I'm gonna bust 'em, and you gonna help me." "Plant this piece behind the bar." "Fuck you." "You plant it yourself." "Okay, now, who do you think you're talking to, boy?" "I own you." "So do what you're told, or I'm gonna make sure everybody knows that she's the real snitch." "Huh?" "[Sighs]" "Yeah." "She and the kid are gonna be run out of town." "There's gonna be a big bull's-eye on her back." "And maybe just one of these young bucks with a lot to prove is gonna put a bullet in her head one night." "You gonna place this piece behind the bar." "And we gonna keep our little secrets." "Ah, that's right." "Wipe it down." "Now, you took the blame for something you didn't do." "Now, what kind of man does that for a woman who's carrying a torch for somebody else?" "Fuck you." "You plant that piece, boy." "[Indistinct conversations]" "You know what I think, T.T.?" "I think he just misses me." "Are you here to set me up?" "Son of a bitch!" "T.T.!" "Come here!" " Are you wearing a wire?" " No!" "I threw it in the gutter before I came in here." " The wire?" " A gun." "They wanted me to bring it in here so they could set you up." "I knew it." "I knew it!" "Get out of here." "What?" "Go, go." "Go on." "[Door closes]" "Why didn't you go through with it?" "[Exhales sharply]" "[Woman screams]" "MAN:" "Oh, shit!" "MAN:" "We need everybody to clear out of this area." "[Siren wailing, indistinct conversations]" "Iris!" "What did mama tell you to do right now?" "When face to face with a policeman," "I should keep my mouth shut, say nothing unless asked, answer questions with "yes, sir, no, sir,"" "unless they violate my civil rights." "Then put my hands on my hand where they can clearly see them and ask for a lawyer and never make sudden moves and never get angry." "What were you doing in the kitchen?" "What were you doing in the kitchen?" "!" "Marcus!" "Move!" "What are you doing here?" "What did you do?" "What did you do?" "You gotta get out." "You gotta go out the back door, go." " Mom, please" " No, shh!" " Where am I supposed to go?" " I don't know!" "[Pounding on door] You're supposed to help me!" " Please, Ma!" " No!" "Stop!" "Shit!" "Wait, wait!" "Wait, wait!" "[Pounding continues]" "Shit!" "Pattie?" "Okay, after this, I do not ever want to see you again." "Go." "[Pounding continues]" "Pattie!" "I need to search your house, Pattie." "It's just me and Iris." "Look, I want to find out who's responsible for this." "Responsible for what?" "A cop is dead!" "This is fucking critical!" "I'm very sorry about your police officer, but I don't know anything about it." "So unless we're under martial law, you're gonna need a warrant to get in here." "What the fuck you looking at?" "Fuck you!" "I ain't gotta answer to you!" "Fuck you!" "[Siren wailing, indistinct chatter on police radio]" "MAN:" "Hey,?" "en!" "Gordon!" "We need you over here now!" "I'll be back." "WOMAN:" "Harassing us again." "Get out of our neighborhood!" "I want you to go out that back door and don't come back." "[Sirens wailing]" "Iris, Iris, come here." " Police!" "Police!" "Open the door!" " It's gonna be okay." " Let's get this over with." " Police!" "Police, open up!" "[Shotgun cocking]" "Open up!" "[Thudding on door] Stand back!" "You stay close to me, you don't say a word." "Police!" "Open up!" "[All shouting]" "Get down, baby, shh." "[Shouting continues] Get down!" "Get down!" "Get your hands in the air, now!" "Shh, shh, it's okay." "Get down on the ground now!" "[Handcuffs click, Marcus groans]" "Ohh!" "Aah!" "Agh!" "[Siren wailing in distance]" "[Indistinct chatter on police radio]" "[Tires screech]" "[Gunshots, thud]" "[Gunshots]" "[Patricia crying]" " Job came up." " Hmm." "It's a good job." "I was gonna tell you." "I told the guy if it came through, I'd come back." "It came through." "Probably should have told you before, but I'd like it if you and Iris could come with me." "We're never gonna be happy here, are we?" "I can't go with you." "I can't stay." "'Cause this is not the life you want to live." "Because I want more." "For both of us." "But all you have to do is call me, Pattie." "Whenever you're ready." "See you later." "What about your TV?" "Keep it." "It's yours." "You sure?" "Why not?" "Good-bye, Marcus."