John Johnson, report to Edgemar Station in dress uniform.
Lucky you. You're about to make history.
Hey, Can't you read? It says "Employees only,"
- I am an employee, - No, it don't mean trustees,
Your lives are at stake, so pay attention.
Your number-one responsibility out there is to stay alive
and protect the lives of your partners,
Now, on a brighter note,
Bush has decided to finally get rid of that rice-burnin' piece of crap
and ride American,
Thank you, Chuck, Good morning, gentlemen,
I'd like to introduce to you John Johnson, fresh out of the academy,
and he's been assigned to, uh, to join us,
- Meet some of the boys, - OK,
- Deputy Bono, - Hey,
- Jim Ryan, Pleasure, - Jim, how ya doin'? Good to meet you,
- Smith, Deputy Bush, - Yeah, we met in the parking lot,
- Right, - Detective Baker back here, my right arm,
- Just call me Gene, I've gotta roll, - Gene, good to meet you,
- Chuck, This is Chuck Gilmore, - Hey, Chuck,
He's been assigned to show you the ropes, so to speak, You'll ride with him,
- OK, - Bring your Dramamine, kid,
These guys are all workin' overtime just to keep up,
- Huh, Do you two know each other? - No,
- I'm Foster, - John Johnson,
- Nice to meet you, Welcome aboard, - Thanks, Good to be here,
Look, Larry, it isn't going to work, You know we don't have the money,
- Officer Deborah Fields, - John Johnson, Good to meet you,
- How you doin'? - I'm all right,
Bye,
I don't know what to say except, um,,,
this is your job, not mine,
- I suggest you come up with some ideas, - We'll see ya,
- Good luck, - OK,
Thanks a lot,
- Well... - Well...
- Good, Thanks a lot, - Thank you,
Did you know you were traveling well over the speed limit, ma'am?
Officer, my speedometer's broken, I had no idea how fast I was going,
And besides, what's a handsome man like you doing
hiding in bushes, trying to trap single young women?
Well, ma'am, it's times like these, I hate who I am,
You have a nice day, ma'am, Drive safely,
Ohh, Mmm!
- Why didn't you write her? - Oh, man, she was,,, she was nice,
"Nice," Get in,
Huh?
Get in the car! Now!
Back me up,
Keep both of your hands on the wheel, ma'am,
License and registration, please,
She will be late for work now,
Stay in your car, lady,
I guess this makes you feel like a big man,
Press firmly, There's three copies, ma'am,
- You have a nice day, - Yeah, right,
They can be ugly as sin or they can look like Miss America,
In this station, once you stop 'em, you write 'em or you cuff 'em,
Leave your hormones out of it, young blood,
'cause while you're daydreamin' about some good-Iookin' skirt,
you will get your head blown off,
Don't trust anybody,
We're here bridging two communities with common troubles,
Now, in both cases, there have been coroner findings
that absolutely contradict the sheriff's report,
All these young men who died while in police custody
had no prior criminal records,
And this kind of police policy says a lot about these times,
Now I'd like for Mr, and Mrs, Ernie Marshall,
whose son died while in custody inside the sheriff's station,
to talk to you,
Why do you persist in this when there was not enough evidence to bring charges?
I'm going by physical evidence,
The coroner's report said that my son died at the hands of another,
Surely that means he did not hang himself,
Easy, sister, It's all right,
- I'm gonna go check on the neighborhood, - All right,
J, J,, get rid of that piece of junk and get you a real car,
I'm tired of this, I can't keep doin' this every morning,
- Yeah? - Yeah,
- But you will, - I will?
- Mm-hm, - And why is that?
- 'Cause you love me, baby, - I do love you,
- Mm-hm, - Mm-hm,
- Bye, I'll see you later, - OK,
- Have a good one, - All right,
But you gonna find out just how much I love you tomorrow morning,
Deputy, I hope you're more alert when you're out in the field,
Uh, I'm sorry, sir, I was,,, I was reading this book,
One would think you're reading Gone with the Wind.
No, No, no, It's the code book, sir,
It's still fiction,
- Did you fill out this arrest report? - Yes, sir,
Well, I've seen three-year-olds that spell and use grammar better than that,
That document may have to be used in a court of law,
One little error, and criminals can walk,
So, Mr, Johnson, will you get it right?
Excuse me, sir, What words did I misspell?
"Sepulveda," Here,
Now, what's the subject of this sentence?
"Group" is the subject, not "people," so the verb is "is,"
Intelligent people will be looking at that report somewhere down the line,
Yes, sir,
- Sir, - Oh, Deputy Fields,
I've been meaning to talk to you,
Some of the men are complaining about your heavy use of perfume,
Well, sir, I will lower my voice and start wearin' Old Spice
- if it makes those men happy, - Oh,
It's not a question of a leopard changing his spots,
It's the animal,
People,,, people have to,,, fit in,
Sir,
- Morning, Trooper, - Hi,
I see that Massey's got someone else to pick on for a while,
I'm their first female deputy, and besides trustees,
you're the only black face around,
I was picked by the Commissioner's Office,
Look, Trooper, we were both picked for our jobs,
That and a dollar will get you on the bus,
Uh-oh,
What sign are you?
12-Adam- 131, possible 211 burglary
at warehouse at 5-2-0-0 Wood Avenue.
12-Adam-131, we're rolling,
Here we go, kid,
- What the hell are you doin'? - Gettin' ready,
No! Hey! Hey!
Get off! Don't! Argh!
Get him off me!
Get him!
Hold him down!
Freeze!
Are you coverin' the back, mister?
Massey wants you,
Who's ahead? Certainly not you, Jesse,
Deputy, you endangered the lives of your fellow officers,
You were assigned to watch the back of a building,
There was a burglary in progress,
I thought we had captured the suspect,
Did it occur to you there might be another suspect?
It occurred to me, yes,
Did it occur to you that that suspect may have been carrying a gun?
We just can't seem to get people around here to do their job,
Now, if criminals don't fear God, they will this badge and this division,
- Now, do you want to be part of this force? - Yes, sir,
All right! Your job won't make you soft, it will harden you to the facts of our time,
And when you're on backup, you back up, sir!
Yes, sir,
So, Mr, Johnson, you still wanna be a peace officer?
Well, where else can I make this kind of money, hm?
You could... sell junk bonds,
I thought this was supposed to be a man's job,
Well, Trooper, you'd better turn your shield in, then,
Or am I talkin' to the future sheriff in these here parts?
They're gonna name this station after me one day,
I'm sorry,
What?
- You can't be married, - Look who is calling the pot black,
You know, you'd better lay off the steak and doughnuts... honey,
- Good morning, everybody, Frank, - Hey, how's it going, James?
- Rev, how you doin'? I'm sorry I'm late, - James Locket, what kept you?
Let me tell you something, Rev, Saving souls is a lot less time-consuming
than defending the innocent,
- All you gotta do is pray, - But you get the guilty off too,
- They're easier to get off, - Well, speaking of the guilty,,,
Ms, Marshall tells me the sheriff's department is still following her,
- The sheriff's harassing you? - Mm-hm,
Every day, They won't leave us alone,
Hey,
Anything I can help you with?
- I got the results of the tests back, - And?
They want me to start the treatments again,
Get another opinion,
This time the cancer's in my liver, my back - it's everywhere,
I need to leave the wife and kids somethin',
- Oh-ho! - Hey, baby,
Hey, sweetie, how ya doin'? Wanna see my night stick, huh?
What do ya think? Yeah, I'd like to get busted by that,
Any unit, man down. Possible homicide at 2-4-0- 1 West 125th.
What you got?
Well, he says he was stopped in the intersection,
Two blacks got out of their car, pulled a gun and asked for money,
When Mr, Greenspan there said all he had was credit cards,
the man standing near his window fired and killed his wife,
Let's get another unit down to the north end,
Let's get a lineup,
Get the other streets blocked off,
It looks like they used a nine-millimeter,
- I didn't find any casings, - No witnesses,
And I'm sure you'll notice that the shot came from down below,
Come here,
Save your judgments for when you make detective,
In the meantime, just keep the traffic flowing,
Sir,
I was the second officer on the scene,
I'm sure I can be of some assistance,
We don't need a Jewish mother tellin' us how to do our job,
so you just move on,
- Bush! - Yes, sir?
- You the first officer on the scene? - Yes, sir,
Ma'am, do you know what's going on in your sheriff's department? This will tell you,
- Ma'am, would you like to know,,, - No, I don't have time,
As you know, the Attorney General's Office did not agree with
the findings of the Internal Affairs Commission
regarding charges against this station,
So I'm happy to report that the four detectives who were on leave
are now back on the force,
Many of you also know two officers in the city are being sued for $ 7 million
for wrongful death,
The city council is cracking down,
Budgetary reasons, They wanna take our bullets away,
And as for Officer Collins, he's involved in a lawsuit,
and many of you will be asked to testify,
Now, remember, he's one of us,
so,,, talk to no one,
That's all,
You remember that, J, J,
You're one of us, not a "brother,"
You know, you oughta learn how to surf, Know what I mean?
I got your surfboard,
J, J,, I just appreciate you being my best man more than anything else,
- It meant a lot to me to see you up there, - Make sure it sticks,
- I look forward to standing by you one day, - Hope it's catching!
Yeah, well, um,,,
I don't know if I belong in the department, Pop,
He should quit, It's dangerous,
It's not the danger, it's all that B, S, and racism,
Stress gettin' to you, huh, son?
- Reverend Banks, - Brother Johnson,
Glad you could make it, I hope you enjoyed the wedding,
- I most certainly did, - Let me introduce you to my son,
J, J,, have you met the Reverend Banks of the Greater Green Baptist Church?
- Reverend, - I know of you,
I'm sure Mr, Massey told you not to talk to me,
Did you ever ask why?
- Ernie Marshall,,, - You don't waste any time, do you?
- He was murdered in that jail, - There's no evidence of that,
And I'm not supposed to talk about this with anybody anyway,
- I know where you stand, - On my own two feet,
Excuse me,
Oh, boy,
He always wanted to be a cop,
Hmm,
- Ten on six, - Hold it right there,
- How you doin' tonight? - All right,
Can I see your driver's license, please?
It's in my back pocket,
All right, just put your hands on top of your head,
Just put your hands on top of your head, turn around,
- How you doin' tonight, ma'am? - I'm just gonna take your driver's license,
- You mind turning the stereo down? - Yes, I do mind,
Turn your stereo down, please, ma'am,
All right, Mr, Woods, you can relax,
Give me a wants and warrants on a California driver's license, Charlie-325486,
- Where you headed? - To the movies,
You goin' to the movies? You goin' to a party?
I said I was goin' to the movies, How am I goin' to a party if I'm goin' to the movies?
- Where'd you get that attitude, man? - Why you stoppin' me, man? I did nothin',
- What do you do for a living, Teddy? - I work, like you,
You work, How do you afford that car? It's a nice car,
- 'Cause I work, like you, - You work, like me,
Yeah,
- You sell drugs? - If you do,
122, roger, that's a 709 gone to warrant.
That's a rog, You know you got a warrant out for your arrest?
Traffic violation,
No,
Forgot to go to court, huh?
- Do you mind if I search the car? - Not unless you got a warrant,
- What do you got in the car, Teddy? - I know my rights,
Hey, man, if I arrest you, that car is mine!
I can rip it apart, take the seats out, Is that what you want?
Keep your hands where I can see 'em, brother!
Now, what do you got in the car, man? You got drugs? What do you got?
I borrowed my girlfriend's father's gun, It's under the driver's seat,
Partner, we got a gun in the car, Put your hands behind your head,
- Turn around slow, lock your fingers! - Ma'am, exit the driver's side,
Step out of the vehicle, Don't look anywhere else, Look at me,
- I am gettin' out, - Oww!
- Spread your legs, - You got any razor blades?
Lock your fingers behind your head, ma'am, Spread your legs,
If I find anything sharp and I get cut, I'm gonna be real pissed off,
- You ain't got nothin' better to do, huh? - I ain't got nothin' better to do,
Neither do you, brother,
- No goin' to the movies tonight, - Oww!
- These are too tight, man, - They ain't made for comfort, Teddy,
- I'll go get the gun, - Stay right there,
- These handcuffs are too tight! - Shut up,
- Partner, I have a gun! - Punk,
Jesse,
"Theodore Woods,"
Check out the caliber and make of the gun,
Nine-millimeter,
You sit down,
Thank you, Officer,
What are you lookin' at?
How long have you had the gun?
I don't know, Took it a long time ago,
Your girlfriend's father, Mr,,, Taylor,
says last time he looked at it was three months ago,
Whatever.
- What have you been doin' with it? - Did nothin' with it,
I use it for protection only,
What if I told you it was used in a murder?
Man, you crazy,
What were you doin' September 7? Let me refresh your memory,
You tried to rob a man named Greenspan, you ended up killin' his wife,
You're goin' to need a lawyer,
You're lookin' at attempted robbery, attempted murder, and murder,
Teddy,
nobody wants to drag it all out with a trial,
What we'll do is get you only second-degree murder,
I didn't kill nobody! I didn't rob nobody!
I've never even used a gun,
All the state wants is to close the books,
The state doesn't care if you get seven years or,,, life,
Think about it,
Like the song says,,, "My skin is my sin,"
Mr, José Castro, You were here before me three years ago
and you haven't learned English in that time?
Uh, Mr, Rodrigo, You are interpreting his case?
Yes, Your Honor,
La acusación se trata de homicidio, ponerle fuego a un edificio.
- ¿ Qué dice usted? - Tienen un hombre que no es.
He says that you've got the wrong man,
Then he pleads "not guilty" to both charges?
- Entonces cómo contesta usted. - Quiero explicarle.
- He says that he would like to explain, - Only when he is on trial,
Can I have a moment to speak to Mr, Castro?
Sure, Mr, Lawson, Add to the backlog,
People vs, Theodore Woods,
Case number 293-8336,
Mr, Woods, you are charged with violating penal code section 187: Murder,
Section 21 a: Attempted murder,
And section 211: Attempted robbery,
Your Honor, good morning, I'm James Locket,
Carmen Muñoz, for the defendant Theodore Woods, Your Honor,
How do you plead?
- Man, I didn't do it, - Guilty or not guilty?
He pleads "not guilty," please,
We ask the court for an O, R, release here,
Mr, Woods has been in the community his whole life,
- he's been employed for three years,,, - Denied,
You must think I'm not playing with a full deck,
This is a potential death penalty case,
No, the best I can do is $500,000 bail,
How did you come to represent Mr, Woods?
Every time I look up, I see you,
Well, Your Honor, I,,, I hope it's not a problem,
Next case,
People vs, Lyndon Dent, Case number 657,,,
Listen, if it wasn't for J, J,, the police might not have caught Teddy Woods,
That is right, That's true, All right, J, J,
- Stand up, baby! - OK, enough is enough, Sit down, now,
Honey, I feel so proud, having two strong sons,
- Where's the other one? I only count one, - Don't try it!
So what are you waitin' on, J. J.?
What am I waiting on? Uh... What am I waitin' on?
Buddy, explain to your brother what I mean,
- Mama's tired of you livin' in sin, - Shut up, Buddy,
- It's the truth, - Shut up,
You're gonna be surprised when Barbara finds herself a nice guy,
Barbara's not goin' anywhere,
J, J,
Don't look that way to me,
What'd I do with my keys? I know I left 'em...
They're in your hand,
It was a domestic call, They're fightin' like cats and dogs,
Hirsch looks at this guy... boom! Hits him in the side of the head,
The guy starts to cry, says, "What'd ya hit me for? I'm the one who called ya,"
Drug deal gone bad,
You know him?
Just thinkin' about the choices a man makes in his life,
Teddy, Mr, Greenspan identified you as the one who shot his wife,
He's straight lyin',
Where my mom at, man? Why she didn't bail me out?
Where do you think your parents are gonna get that kind of money?
I don't know, but I can't stay in here all day,
They have a witness,
a gun,
and your funky attitude,
- I didn't ask you to be my lawyer, - Look, you killed someone,
A white woman,
I was talking to the prosecution,
trying to see if they'd be interested in doing a deal,
They are so high, This is a notch in their gun,
I knew my mama shoulda got me a white lawyer,
I'm going to try this one more time,
Where were you on September 7?
I don't remember,
I don't remember where I was, I don't remember what I was doin',
but I damn sure didn't kill no white woman,
OK?
Did the arresting officer read you your rights?
I don't remember,
Did anyone other than you have access to the gun?
No,
Are you protecting anyone?
Do I look like a fool?
- Believe in the death penalty? - Yes, sir, I do,
Have you ever been around or worked with black people?
No, sir,
I would like to thank and dismiss Miss Roberts, please,
- Mr, Locket, the line is getting thin, - I think it is highly unusual
that every potential juror believes in the death penalty,
No one stacked the deck, People in this state believe in the death penalty,
Are you trying to assume my duties, Mr, Kern?
No, Your Honor,
Look at this, Greenspan, testifying,
said that he would never forget Teddy Woods was the man who shot his wife,
When we questioned him on the scene he was very vague about everything,
The man just saw his wife get shot, He was in shock,
- The man was lying through his teeth! - I think Baker's right,
Women are just naturally more suspicious,
Baker didn't say "women," Baker said "Jews,"
Well, I'm sure Baker's called me worse names behind my back,
I gotta go, give some tickets,
- All right, - I'll see you later,
- Be safe, Trooper, - That's another thing,
Why do you call me that? "Trooper"? What does that mean?
That's what we call state policemen where I come from,
OK,
Bye,
Deputy Bono, the record is vague,
What reason did you have to stop this car?
- Well, it's a policy that if we see,,, - You didn't stop him 'cause he's black?
Well...
Uh, yeah,
- I mean, it's a policy,,, - No, wait! Wait a minute,
There can be no racial motive,
Now, what reason did you have to stop his car?
Traffic violation?
Beautiful, Traffic violation,
It was a traffic violation,
Yeah,
Way to go, Rich,
Let's go,
J, J,
- We might lose that Teddy Woods case, - What?
Yeah, the prosecution says I had no legal right to stop Teddy,
that it was just luck that I stopped him
and you happened to be there to make the search,
So I, uh,,,
I told 'em that he made an illegal turn,
Yeah, well, uh...
I got no sympathy for lowlife scum, so,,,
I'll tell 'em he ran four or five red lights,
- Yeah? - Yeah,
That's great, man,
Thanks,
Listen, man, if you ever need anybody to back you up,
I'll be there, man,
OK,
Great,
On the evening of September 7, why did you stop Teddy Woods?
- Was he doing something suspicious? - Yes, sir,
- He made an illegal turn, - That was the reason?
- And no other reason? - I object, Your Honor, It's argumentative,
- Sustained, - No further questions,
This isn't looking good,
Let's not give up now,
We gotta have the faith that it's gonna be all right,
Did Teddy Woods tell you where he got the gun?
Yes, He said he got it from his girlfriend's father,
Did he say that he took it, or that he stole it?
He said, "I stole it,"
Would you please speak up, Deputy Johnson?
Deputy Johnson, please speak up so that the jury members can hear you,
- He said, "I stole it," - "I stole the gun,"
- Objection!
No further questions,
Deputy Bono said you witnessed the illegal turn?
Yes, sir,
Hmm,
You were closer to the scene,
but Deputy Bono made the arrest?
Well, I was in the process of taking his license plate and calling it in
when Deputy Bono pulled in behind him,
I see,
No further questions,
Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
Mr, Greenspan, would you say that you and your wife got along?
- We enjoyed each other's company, - I see,
- We were married for 20 years, - Mm-hm,
I loved my wife,
You testified that on September 7,
Teddy Woods shot your wife from your side of the car,
How is it, sir, that the bullet traveled from a lower angle?
He would've had to have been on his knees with the car door open
- for that to happen, - I don't know,,,
I am not done with the questioning here, Mr, Greenspan,
You said that a man approached your wife on the passenger side,
and the shooter stuck a gun to your head,
And when your wife refused to surrender her purse,
the shooter then turned his gun and shot your wife in the head,
Now, how could that happen and you not sustain any hearing damage?
You had no powder burns on your shirt,
Objection! Let him answer the question,
Sustained, Mr, Locket, you're badgering the witness,
This is all very curious to me,
And frankly, I'm puzzled,
Well, l-I had no damage to my ear, and I wasn't checked for powder traces,
Mr, Greenspan,
if I put a gun to your head and then turn and shoot your wife,
how could the bullet travel at an upward angle?
Objection! Mr, Greenspan is not an expert in ballistics,
Sustained,
Mr, Locket, if you continue in this line, I will hold you in contempt,
I'm trying to establish here, with all the evidence at hand,
- that this man is probably lying! - Objection! Move to strike,
Sustained, The jury will disregard the last statement,
Thank you, Your Honor,
Why do you always have to carry your gun?
'Cause I'm always on duty,
- You've changed, - Look, don't start that again, please,
Please,
Why are you trying to look older, tougher?
'Cause I am older,
Wiser, too,
You know, you might have to kill someone in the line of duty,
Damn! I'm a peace officer,
Why can't we ever have a conversation without my job coming up?
OK?
- OK, - Thank you,
- Looking good, Ryan, - Thank you, sir,
Deputy Fields, you do not impress anybody
with the amount of words that you use in your report,
It's not supposed to look like a personal diary,
Yes, sir,
- How are you, Deputy Bono? - Very good, sir,
- Looking good, Hold your stomach in, - Thank you, sir,
Mr, Johnson, I understand that you will be off probation soon,
Your work has improved,
There will be a final review, so get everything together,
- I'm very proud of you, - Yes, sir,
Thank you, sir, Have a nice day,
Yeah, you do the same,
- Troop, - Hey,
- You shoot somebody? - In a way,
You did or you didn't?
The, uh, serial number on the gun I picked up with Teddy Woods
has been changed on my arrest report,
- Damn, - Why would somebody do that?
Because Teddy Woods is a perfect suspect,
Because nobody's gonna give a hoot or holler if Teddy Woods is put to death,
- He's got to be guilty, He's got to be guilty, - Why does he got to be guilty?
'Cause I,,, I lied about his arrest,
- We had no reason to pick him up, - J, J,!
Hey, Foster, This the cell where Ernie Marshall hung himself?
Yeah,
How can a man hang himself in one of these cells?
- Give anybody enough rope, J, J, - What?
J, J,, don't go stickin' your nose into anything,
I'm gonna tell you somethin',
There are some decent deputies here, but don't go looking into a loaded gun,
I hope you understand what I'm sayin',
If you know anything, just keep your mouth shut, No more questions,
- You never told anybody? - There is no one to tell,
Don't you understand?
A councilperson's wife gets picked up for shoplifting,
A prominent citizen involved in a hit-and-run,
No investigations, no charges,
A state senator can't stop pickin' up young boys,
No charges, But they pay,
And you multiply that by days and nights,
and you'll understand what kind of a dark hole this place is,
- But everybody's not corrupt, - Everybody makes mistakes!
- Jane? - Yeah?
That was your sister, She wants you to call her back,
Oh, All right,
You wanna come get him? I think he's wet,
I'll take over, Oh, come here,
Well, you know, she probably wants to know
if we've decided to go with them on the cruise,
What do you think?
You know, that's a hell of a lot of money and trouble
to end up on a boat with a bunch of people that you don't really care a lot about,
It's not a bunch of people, It's just family, Hm?
Let's go get you taken care of, huh?
We get you a new diaper, huh?
Get rid of that wet one,
I still haven't found the registration, Make yourself at home,
OK, thank you, Take your time,
I'd rather not ask the police for it if I can help it,
Whoo!
If it's not in here, I don't know where it is,
Juan, una cita el 18 de este mes.
Dispense. When you get a moment, please,
- Yeah, I got your message, - We'll talk about it,
All right,
Well, gentlemen, we almost shot ourselves in the foot with this one,
Look, a nine-millimeter is a very, very common pistol,
In fact, it'd be very difficult to tell which gun is which
without close examination of the serial number,
Excuse me, Mr, Sears is on line two,
- Westgate Life Insurance, - Thank you, Joyce,
With the Ernie Marshall case and the Cruz case,,,
Hello? Yes, Mr, Sears,
Thank you for calling me back, I appreciate that,
Yes, sir,
Mr, Greenspan's the sole beneficiary?
Well, now, sir, wait a minute,
There is a possibility that someone in the sheriff's department is involved in all this,
Do you understand what I'm saying to you? Mm-hm,
Very well, Yes, we'll talk again,
Thanks for calling,
I,,, It,,,
You know, you give 'em a chance to smell a rat,
and they all begin to dig with picks and shovels - it's amazing,
I think Officer Johnson is the one who tipped us on this,
Well, then, James, we're just gonna have to bring him back to the witness stand,
Carmen, you'll put that man's life in danger,
So be it,
Life is about making hard choices,
Mr, Taylor,
the bullet that killed Mrs, Greenspan came from this gun,
Teddy Woods said he stole your gun,
This is the weapon said to be in his possession when he was arrested,
- This your gun? - It looks like mine,
- But is it your gun? - I'll have to check the serial number,
This is not my gun, The gun I bought has a different number,
- And what's in your hand, sir? - This is my original registration,
May I see it, please? Thank you,
This is his original registration,
It does not match this gun,
Folks, this is not his gun,
I would like to admit this gun registration into evidence,
Very well, Mr, Locket,
Any objection, Mr, Kern?
Mr, Taylor, this, then, obviously is not your gun,
But let's not be confused,
This is the murder weapon that Teddy Woods was picked up with,
No further questions,
I checked every hit-and-run case from five years before Marshall's death,
- Nothing, - You may be reading too much into Foster,
No! Foster was saying that somebody in the department
was blackmailing somebody on the city council,
So what if we find something? What do we do?
- Hey, - Hey,
What time?
What do you think the deal is with Johnson and Fields?
Hanky-panky, I caught 'em back there acting pretty suspicious,
I'd better not catch 'em,
I would like to call Mr, Greenspan to the stand,
Mr, Greenspan has suffered a great loss,
Would Mr, Greenspan please take the stand?
You are still under oath, Mr, Greenspan,
did you know anyone working at the Edgemar Station
before your wife was murdered?
No, I didn't,
You never met Deputies Baker or Hall?
Your Honor, I believe Mr, Greenspan answered that,
Mr, Locket, Mr, Greenspan answered the question,
I want it on record that he includes Deputies Hall and Baker,
That will be all, Mr, Greenspan,
Thank you,
The court will recess until after lunch, which will be 2:30,
Mr, Greenspan, I'm George Beaten and this is Robert Hill,
We're both from Westgate Life Insurance,
Can we have a moment? We can order lunch,
- This isn't a good time, - It would help our investigation,
- What investigation? - We look into large death benefit claims,
Well, your company indicated everything was satisfactory,
In cases involving murder, Mr, Greenspan, nothing is totally satisfactory,
I'll be glad to talk with you, so long as my lawyer is present, Thank you,
- What happened? - I don't know,
Well, why don't you find out and fix it? You got this subpoena, just like I did,
That oughta tell you something,
Jesse, you can't go into court looking like this,
Oh, I'II,,, I'll spruce myself up, you know,
Pinch my cheeks, take in a bottle of Geritol,
I hope you last that long,
Fix it,
Officer is requesting assistance on a California license plate 3ACU,,,
Roger, we copy request...
Driver, step out of the car!
Hey! Driver, step out of the car!
- Oh, man, get down! - Let's go, let's go!
- You were lucky you had this on, - My girlfriend made me wear it,
- How many rounds you get off? - Uh...
About a load and a half,
We need to know the exact number of bullets,
We'll take some x-rays, make sure the impact didn't cause any internal damage,
I know it hurts, It's like getting hit with a bat,
Just hang in there, man,
Hold on, You're doin' fine, man,
- It's all right, - I'll put down 18,
Death was caused by repeated blows to the head,
Face and hands burnt with acid solution,
making identification impossible, except with dental records,
John Doe, white male, aged 50 to 55,
How is it that Deputy Johnson made a mistake on the serial number of the gun?
Deputy Johnson constantly makes error after error,
- Look at these work sheets, - Oh, OK, good, That's good,
How is it possible that the gun that the department had in its possession
was used to murder Mrs, Greenspan?
All right, we're investigating several people within the department,
For example, trustees who may have had a special relationship with Teddy Woods,
What about the rumors that some of your officers are prone to excessive violence?
Ira, I can simply say, this department operates within the law,
No, No, Clarence, That,,, that is not a good answer,
Well, give me a better one,
Look, when we get into the courtroom, we are a team,
OK, Now everything from here on out is off the record, all right?
Why do you say you don't make mistakes?
'Cause Watch Commander Massey is always on my case,
I check every arrest report several times before I file it,
If you look at my reports, all of 'em except for the Teddy Woods report,
you'll see that they're very clear,
That will contradict Massey, of course,
Sears is on line one,
Excuse me,
Hello,
- Which line is it? - Line one,
- You are a very lucky young man, - Hello,
- I don't feel so lucky, - Greenspan is missing?
That's bad news, That is very bad news,
Why didn't you, Mr, Kern, inform me that Greenspan was missing?
- No one knew that he was missing, - I was talking to Mr, Kern here,
You have a bad habit of hiding information from us,
The body that was found is Mr, Greenspan?
That's correct, Your Honor,
Please don't smoke, sir,
Westgate Life Insurance had been investigating Greenspan
for trying to hire someone to kill his wife,
Mr, Greenspan was having an affair for many years,
- Having a mistress isn't against the law, - It is in my book,
What?
Uh, this case should now be under the jurisdiction of the FBI,
- Mr, Williams fled the state to avoid,,, - Give it to me,
I'll look after it,
You know it's the old man's birthday comin' up,
Yeah, I got something picked out,
Here he comes,
How can a man abuse his own child?
Or any child?
Any news on the gun that was used on Johnson?
Yeah, it's clean, So's the car,
- You heard about Greenspan? - Yeah, it was in all the newspapers,
What kind of a man was he?
- What, Greenspan? - Greenspan, yes,
Like any victim,
My wife,,,
Watch his head,
Stop trying to talk, Just be quiet,
- Somebody get some water! - Call the hospital!
- Jesus God, he stopped breathing, - No pulse,
- Is he taking any medication? - Yes, it's in his drawer there,
Call a paramedic!
They're on the way,
One, two, three, four, five...
One, two, three, four, five,
Gilmore, get over here,
- One, two, three,,, - Come on, Jesse,
- ,,, four, five,,, - Breathe!
- Gene, - C'mon, Jesse, C'mon, Jesse,
Come on, Pops, breathe,
- Gene, - Yeah?
Gene,
He's gone,
Will someone go out,,,
lower the flag?
Hey, sarge, What you doin' back there?
Budget cuts, J, J, They got me fillin' in again,
Why's the flag at half-mast?
Hall died,
Well, that's too bad,
That depends,
Come on, man, I thought you guys were gonna push me down there!
- It'll be the first time you hit the pins, - Oh, right, thanks a lot,
Hey, I got three to pick up, Where you goin'?
- Come on, fellas! - Pick 'em up, Gilmore,
Easy spare, Roll her up,
Why weren't you at Hall's funeral?
- I had a bad case of diarrhea, - Diarrhea, my ass,
- What's the problem? - Murder!
Don't make accusations you can't prove,
You guys are turning this place into a bloodbath,
- Those people were scum! - You think we're any better than they are?
You're damn right!
You don't want to be an outsider,
Maybe I do,
Puttin' in a little overtime, Fields?
You know, all our files are public property,
All you have to do is ask,
This is an account of a criminal case that went nowhere,
What,,,
Uh, "The witness states that the defendant is not the one she'd originally I, D,'d,"
She thought she'd identified the driver in a lineup,
But the man on trial was not the same man,
The only thing she remembered about the original suspect was his license plate:
"L-T-S-G-T-11,"
The whole case got thrown out of court,
But the hit-and-run driver in the lineup must have been booked and fingerprinted,
Chuck was the officer on the scene,
And his original report would be in storage,
Who says detective work is hard?
- The natives are restless, - We received information
that drugs are going to be transferred at 408 Pine Road,
the house that Scott and Peters have been watching,
Now, get this, gentlemen, The D, E, A, is going to back us up this time,
This is going to be our prize,
The assignment? Baker and the Rough Riders,
All right, everybody, Listen up,
I want you all to report to me individually for your work assignments,
Now let's hit some home runs on this one, huh?
Let's do it, Let's do it,
I don't know why S, W, A, T, didn't take this place,
Massey needs a trophy,
Sheriff's department! We got a warrant,
Hit it!
Go! Go! Go! Go!
All clear. Repeat. All clear.
What?
Tell 'em we're at the back door, comin' in,
Baker, we're at the back door,
What are you guys doing here?
- It's over, - Over? Nobody informed us,
Didn't you just hear Baker say it was over?
We were told to hold this position, period,
- What channel are you guys on? - Three,
Tell me, why is this walkie-talkie on four?
Look, three's the channel, Everything's been going over on three,
Now get back to that house, It's not secured,
Go!
Stupid rookies,
- You owe me one, Troop, - Oh, what do I owe you?
Imagine what would have happened if I hadn't smelled a rat,
I'm filing a report, We could've been killed by somebody's stupid mistake,
Yeah, well, I'm not going back in there till the lights come on
and the chief comes out that back door,
Code four. Code four.
Yes, Yes, I know,
Yeah, OK,
- It was a bad night, What is it? - Baker gave us the wrong information,
- What are you talking about? - We were told, on a separate channel,
to make entry through the rear of the premises while the situation was still hot,
- Everybody was on channel three, - We were on channel four,
Did you check your walkie-talkies?
The walkie-talkies were given to us on that channel,
- By Baker? - No, sir, By a deputy,
And if we had come in through that back door at that instant, we would've been shot,
What are you getting at?
It looked as if somebody was hoping we were stupid enough
to walk in through that back door while the operation was still in progress,
If you had done your job, you would have checked your walkie-talkie,
It seems to me as though you made a mistake, almost paid for it,
- and now you're looking for a conspiracy, - No, sir, No, sir,
The situation felt strange from the very beginning,
Don't you talk to me about strange,
- I am requesting an investigation, - If you don't like it here, transfer,
Stop trying to be a missionary and save the natives,
Let the professionals police this jungle!
I have the right to work here, sir,
You have the right to work here, but you don't fit in,
- Fit into what? - I run this damn station,
and I have the right to keep you from slandering it,
I have the right to have a competent staff of dedicated men who like their work,
This department will change, Mr, Massey,
Really? Would you care to give me a time frame?
- It will be soon, sir, - This meeting is over,
Over,
I had asked the city council to investigate the Edgemar Station,
But Massey came down on me hard in the council chamber,
Councilman Ross, how could a city government
be hustled by the sheriff's department?
Well, in the case of Ernie Marshall, we knew something was fishy,
but the city just couldn't afford a lawsuit,
That, at least, should tell you whose side we were on,
And because the sheriff's in-house investigation
cleared themselves of any wrongdoing,
And you will testify to that in court?
I'd like to, but,,, the city would be up the ying-yang,
I believe in Teddy's innocence,
Now, do you want him to go to jail for something he did not do?
No,
But you have to understand city government,
- Hey, - Hi,
- I checked out the house on Pine Street, - Mm-hm,
It had been raided three times,
There was a sting operation there once,
and two people have been murdered on the front lawn,
Now, what drug dealer would operate out of that house?
Still not enough to prove it was a setup,
I checked through Chuck's old records, Nothin' there,
- So all we have is that license plate, - Maybe,
But there's a picture in the old criminal records of this guy,
I,,, I swear I've seen this guy somewhere before, but I can't,,,
- Oh, it's probably nothing, - All right, See you in court, big boy,
Hey, I am a big boy,
- That is sexual harassment, young man, - Ha! You wish,
- Bye, - Be safe,
Yeah,
All rise, The Honorable Helen Lewis presiding,
You may be seated,
I understand you have a request, Mr, Kern,
- Yes, Your Honor, - Counsel may approach the bench,
Your Honor, Detective Baker is here now,
Rather than have him stay here waiting to testify,
the People request he be placed on a two-hour call,
Mr, Locket, is that agreeable with you?
Can I decide on this, uh,,, later?
Mr, Locket, I say we pick up where we left off,
Yes,
- Just call your next witness, Mr, Locket, - Let's go,
- Thank you, Your Honor, - Thank you, Your Honor,
- Yes, it looked suspicious, - Mm-hm,
Mr, Greenspan's actions were suspicious to me,
How long have you been with the department?
At that time, eight months,
And in eight months, you had become a homicide expert,
And in spite of Sergeant Baker's 20 years' experience, you felt he was wrong,
- Yes, I felt he was wrong, - You became an expert that night?
I became aware that Mr, Greenspan's statements and actions
were inconsistent with the facts,
- In only eight months, - Yes!
It was obvious,
No further questions,
Deputy Fields, before you joined the sheriff's department, didn't you study law?
I practiced law in Minnesota,
and decided to move to California to study for the bar,
In the meantime, I joined the sheriff's department,
It starts off paying very well,
Thank you, No more questions,
Deputy Foster, is there any reason Detective Baker would say you're lying?
Yes, Baker,,, and Massey,,,
wanted me to go along with the official line on the Ernie Marshall case,
I object, Your Honor, Move to strike that response,
Deputy Foster was a witness who testified he knew nothing at the time,
Will counsel approach the bench?
We'll go off the record here,
Mr, Locket, what case are you trying?
Your Honor, Chief Massey testified
that Deputy Foster had a problem because he had not been promoted,
Well, the problem is the department made him lie
about the Ernie Marshall case,
Well, then get to where you're going with this, Mr, Locket,
The Marshall case has nothing to do with this case,
Well, it seems that it does, Mr, Kern,
Since you brought it up in the presence of the jury,
You may proceed with your line of questioning, Mr, Locket,
Thank you, Your Honor,
Deputy Foster, is the department covering up evidence?
- Yes, - Objection,
The witness admits to lying to the grand jury,
and now he has a different version of the truth,
- Overruled, - Deputy Foster,
did Detective Baker ever threaten you?
Yes,
You were coached on what to say in this case
the way you were coached on what to say in the Ernie Marshall case, isn't that so?
Yes,
Deputy, have you ever heard of an organization in the department
- known as "The Rough Riders"? - Yes,
It's a group of men that formed around Baker and Hall,
They're all transfers from other stations,
Men who had been cited for excessive use of force,
- Objection, Hearsay, - Overruled,
Check their personnel folders,
Your Honor, I have no further questions, And, Deputy, thank you,
Indeed,
Isn't The Rough Riders a bowling team, with Detective Baker as captain?
- That's what they do on their off-hours, - You didn't answer my question,
Mr, Foster,,, you lied to the grand jury,
I was encouraged by the department
to back up statements made by Baker and Massey,
But you lied,
- You're a liar, - Mr, Kern,
- Objection, Your Honor, - Sustained,
Withdrawn, Sorry, Your Honor,
The jury will disregard that last statement,
I make mistakes, but I always make two copies,
The one I turn in is always free of errors
because Chief Massey's on my case about the least little thing,
This is not the gun you picked up with Teddy Woods, is it?
No,
- Mr, Johnson, have you lied to this jury? - What are you talking about?
- Just a yes or no answer, - No!
I would like to recall this witness at a later date,
Who is this guy? I've seen him before,
Where'd you get that?
You told me where to look,
- You can ruin his career, - Man, it's already ruined!
Jay Livingston, head of Business Affairs,
He's booked under "James Drake,"
You're telling me he's the one that keeps picking up minors?
Chief Massey, you've served the department for over 30 years,
the last ten years as chief,
And you've received numerous citations and awards,
- Is that not so? - That's correct,
Did you ever tell Deputy Foster what to say to the grand jury?
No, sir,
What's your evaluation of Deputy Johnson?
In my opinion?
He never would have made the department,
if the city council hadn't made a special case
of getting him into the department,
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, you have heard both sides of the argument,
As jurors, it is your duty to determine the effect and value of the evidence,
and to decide all questions of fact,
You must not be influenced by sympathy, prejudice or passion,
It is your duty to follow the law.
You are instructed to bring in a verdict,
- Here comes the chief, - Everybody, get ready,
♪ For he's a jolly good fellow ♪
♪ Which nobody can deny ♪
Happy birthday!
Speech!
- Now, whose idea was this? - It was all of us, Chief,
Look at that - a vanilla cake, How did you know I like vanilla, huh?
We hired a private investigator,
He also told us that you like deep-sea fishing,
so we all got together and we got you this rod and reel,
- So, what'd you get him? - That's for deep-sea fishin',
That's where the real men go to fish,
Not like that fly-fishing - for ladies,
Well, I'II, uh,,, I'll catch a big marlin with this one,
Thank you,
Happy birthday,
No luck with those license plates,
I tried every possible combination,
Has the jury reached a decision?
The jury was not able to reach a verdict,
How could that be?
We can't go through another trial,
Don't you know somebody in the D, A,'s Office?
What for? They're not happy with the case,
The Greenspan family wants money from the insurance company,
The insurance company is feeding the D, A, a lot of bull,
I don't want this ship to sink,
- You know how to swim, don't ya? - No time for jokes, pal,
I'm not laughing, They will believe anything you tell them,
Jesus, What now?
All right, that's enough, Come on, knock it off,
All right, knock it off!
I said hold it! Break it up!
- Now, what happened here? - I caught him puttin' a note on my locker!
What are you talkin' about? I found a piece of paper on the floor and thought it came,,,
- You're a damn liar! - Hold it,
All right, let him go, Come to my office, Johnson,
Yeah? What?
You have a problem, mister, you come to me -
you don't take the law in your own hands,
You are really becoming a pain in the ass,
I asked him what he was doing, putting notes in my locker,
He started calling me names and pushing me around,
Your attitude is wrong for this department,
You're damn right, my attitude is wrong!
I'm not gonna put up with that garbage!
Fighting is something I will not have here,
Now, you are assigned to a desk until we look into this matter,
- What?! - I'll take care of Kurt,
Now get the hell out of here,
- I'm gonna appeal this, - I don't care what you do,
Yeah,
But, of course, you're not a member of the Harrington Club,
No, I'm not, You see, the good old boys only allowed us blacks to wait tables,
But now and again you'll see a rare minority as a guest,
- But you are, Mr, Kern? - Yes, I am,
- And are you a member, Judge? - My husband was once,
One day he took our adopted son with him to the club,
It was a painful experience,
We've decided it's in the best interest of the city
to drop the murder charge and not pursue another lengthy trial,
Isn't there evidence to prosecute?
Oh, yes, We still believe Teddy Woods killed Mrs, Greenspan,
Then take the case to court, Mr, Locket?
Well, I think it would best serve the city and Mr, Woods,
yes, if the case went to trial,
Are you going to ask for a jury trial?
- Are you going to be the judge? - Yes,
This is car 7-8 requesting a tow truck,
I'm just north of the inter,,,
First she has to have a nose job. But then she doesn't like men.
Then why all the trouble?
Say, Bob, did I detect a slight lisp in your voice?
Oh, Stevie, I didn't think you'd notice, big boy.
Would you like to meet me in an alley?
I'm getting back into law,,, soon,
You know, when I was a kid, this was the only thing I ever dreamed about being,
Trooper, you're supposed to become chief, remember?
I just want to last long enough to get a pension and get out,
- Yeah, - It's too crazy out there,
Let's go,
- Let's get high, - What?
No, no, I mean...
The "11," On the license plate, It's not an "11," it's an "H,"
"Let's get high,"
Hey, it's me!
Deborah, what the hell are you doing?
- What is the matter with you? - I'm a nervous wreck!
Someone is tapping my phone, I,,,
- I don't know, I'm going crazy, - Yeah, maybe,
Thank you,
This,,, is the file we've been looking for,
L-T-S-G-T-H,
Councilman Reese's son,
- I gotta go call Locket, - Wait,
Go ahead,
Oh, man, it's cold out there,
- No answer, - God,
I'm afraid to go to sleep,
- I'll follow you home, - No,
No, huh?
No, Don't worry, I got this, right?
I'll be fine,
- Seriously, - Call me if you need me,
I'll call you,
OK,
Be safe,
- That is Councilman Reese's son, - Yeah, I know,
He was involved in a hit-and-run, and the department covered it up,
Hmm,
- You know him? - Yeah, Business Affairs,
That's one reason we couldn't get the Commission to do anything
about Ernie Marshall's death,
Massey was pulling the strings,
Hello,
Hey, Foster, What's up?
What?
That can't have happened,
Next time, why don't you have your gang jump on me like they jumped on Deborah?
Huh?
You're gonna shoot me now, huh? Cold-blooded killer, right?
Cold-blooded, You got that right,
I'll put a bullet in you, blow you all over the walls,
All right, that's it! Johnson, out of here,
No, no, no, no, no! Don't worry about him, He can't shoot me,
My hands aren't tied behind my back, right, Bake?
And if he does shoot you, I will testify in a court of law that it was self-defense,
Self-defense? I'm not carrying a gun,
Oh, but I guess you can always find a gun to plant on me,
- You wanna try me? Huh? - Hey!
J, J,, chill out, man,
- Come on, J, J,! - Get him off me!
Break it! Just relax!
- Don't make me break it! - Jesus, Baker!
Please, for God's sake!
Don't be a fool,
Now, give me the gun,
Put him in a cell,
- Come on, Come on, - Don't, Don't, Don't!
I have the right to make a phone call,
- You're not under arrest, - Then let me out of here,
What are you doin' here?
Foster's downstairs in Booking, tryin' to be some kind of a boy scout,
We can't keep Johnson locked up forever,
I would,
Chuck... Get Jack Bono in here,
You brought your army,
- What in the hell is this? - Police blackmail,
Councilman Reese's son was positively identified
as the driver of a hit-and-run vehicle,
'Course, there were no charges,
Councilman Reese is on the Police Commission,
Livingston here,,, child molestation,
No charges,
I don't know if this is true or not,
You could ruin these people's careers,
You think about what you're doing before you get involved in all this mess,
I have thought about it, and you're protecting the wrong group of people,
- I know these people, - Councilman,
When I leave here, I'm going straight to the newspapers,
Get me the Attorney General's Office,
Did you, um...
get Massey's files to anybody?
Locket and Reverend Banks,
- They're gonna take care of it, - We got one,
Just one,
We should probably let her rest,
- You take care of him, - OK, I will,
Yeah, We should go,
- We'll see you, - OK,
- Get some rest, - See you later,
It's a search warrant, The U, S, Attorney's Office is seizing all our records,
What?
They just sit around and watch paint dry,
What's the matter?
Dad,
Mom,
Barbara and I decided that, well, since I'm out of a job now,
that we should...
- go ahead and get married, - Well, congratulations!
I knew you wouldn't let your little brother outdo you,
Who is that at this hour?
- Johnny Johnson? - No, I'm Harold Johnson,
- Is Johnny Johnson here? - Yes, he is,
I'm his father, Is there some kind of trouble?
No problem, Mr, Johnson, I'd like to speak to your son, please,
- Is everything all right? - Everything is fine, May I speak to him?
- I hope you're happy, - Oh, I am, You know I am,
- Mm-hmm, I know you are, - J, J,!
There's a marshal at the door for you,
- Are you Johnny Johnson? - Yeah,
Here's a date and time to appear in court,
Sign right here for me, please,
- What did I do? - Read what it says,
J, J,, you have been charged by the government
with violating Teddy Woods' civil rights,
under the color of authority,
- Do you know what that means? - I didn't violate anybody's civil rights,
Then sit down and talk to us, J, J,
Please,
Mr, Bono said he stopped Teddy Woods because he was a black male,
Bono asked me to support his report, which I did,
- You lied? - Baby,,,
I was doin' what I thought was right at the time,
- I can't believe you did that, - Barbara, I was a cop,
I was thinkin' like a cop,
- I'm sorry, - You said he had been stopped
because he made a traffic violation,
J, J,, you lied on the witness stand,
The conclusion from the internal investigation
just has you nailed to the floor, man,
And Bono, because he cooperated, has no charges,
- Bono is in the clear? - Yeah, he gave you up,
So he was granted immunity from prosecution,
Stupid,
Stupid, stupid, stupid,
What happened to rescuing innocent people from the bad guys?
You were so bright-eyed not long ago!
Your eyes are like looking down the barrel of a gun now,
- I was doin' my damn job, - I don't owe you sympathy,
You know what? Just once I wish you could hear something from my point of view,
You're supposed to be my woman!
I'm not your property!
Look, I'm not gonna say you were right just because I love you,
I can see through that badge,
It doesn't hide the evilness,
I thought I was doin' right,
You know, uh,,,
I really thought I was doin' the right thing,
Could you just leave me alone right now?
I need to be alone,
No, you don't,
Kick it,
♪ Wade in the water ♪
♪ Children ♪
♪ The sins of the father taken over by the son ♪
♪ The way it's gone down since the time begun ♪
♪ Plymouth Rock landed on the black man's soul ♪
♪ Just like the way most history's told ♪
♪ Broken spirit, broken face ♪
♪ Slavery dropped down on a noble race ♪
♪ African warrior wipin' the boots ♪
♪ Of a white slave master who stole his roots ♪
♪ Don't let him read, don't let him write ♪
♪ Don't let him stand up long enough to fight ♪
♪ And just in case that's what he's got in mind ♪
♪ Hang him from a tree with a piece of twine ♪
♪ He's half a human, three-fifths of a man ♪
♪ Southern God don't even give a goddamn ♪
♪ And if you think this is all old news ♪
♪ The black men today are still singin' the blues ♪
♪ Wade in the water ♪
♪ Children ♪
♪ Yesterday it was a plantation ♪
♪ Today it's a city street ♪
♪ See the homeless brothers and sisters ♪
♪ Livin' in a cardboard, nothin' to eat ♪
♪ Can't get no home without a job ♪
♪ Can't get no job without a home ♪
♪ Can't get no car without some credit ♪
♪ Can't get a damn thing, I already said it ♪
♪ America's built on the back of the black ♪
♪ Raped Indian land and won't never give it back ♪
♪ Founding fathers took affirmative action ♪
♪ For white males only got the satisfaction ♪
♪ Ownin' lands, castin' votes ♪
♪ Shuckin' off the shadows on the black scapegoats ♪
♪ It ain't no puzzle, needs no clues ♪
♪ To see why the black man sings the blues ♪
♪ Wade in the water ♪
♪ Children ♪
♪ A wave of crime sweeps across the nation ♪
♪ Many black men in incarceration ♪
♪ Dangerous thugs could start a riot ♪
♪ So build more jails to keep 'em quiet ♪
♪ Or give 'em drugs to sell to one another ♪
♪ Then watch the black man kill his brother ♪
♪ He swallowed his rage for 400 years ♪
♪ Now he packs a nine instead of a spear ♪
♪ So what would you do in such a situation? ♪
♪ No money, no job, no education ♪
♪ No respect, no self-esteem ♪
♪ Just pickin' up the crumbs of the American dream ♪
♪ Don't know jack from where he came ♪
♪ He's never to know his tribal name ♪
♪ Ready to blow like a red-hot fuse ♪
♪ The black man still is singin' the blues ♪
♪ Wade in the water ♪
♪ Wade in the water, brothers and sisters ♪
- ♪ Wade in the water ♪ - ♪ Stolen roots, black boots ♪
- ♪ Children - ♪ Wade in the water, baby ♪
♪ It just don't make sense ♪
♪ Wade in the water ♪
♪ You better wade in the water, brothers and sisters ♪
♪ Wade in the water ♪
- ♪ Children ♪ - ♪ Wade in the water, baby ♪
♪ 'Cause we still singin' the blues ♪
♪ Wade in the water ♪
♪ Wade in the water, brothers and sisters ♪
- ♪ Wade in the water ♪ - ♪ Yeah ♪
- ♪ Children ♪ - ♪ Wade in the water, baby ♪
♪ In the water ♪
♪ Wade in the water ♪
♪ Children ♪