American Violet Page #3

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- We haven't counted them.

- The machine...

- Hey, y'all.

- Hi, Alma.

- Girl, how you doing?

- This is what

I called y'all about.

- Girl, how Dee doing?

We sure miss her.

- She-

she all right.

The judge say

he'll lower Dee's bail

if enough folks

sign this here.

It say you have never seened her

doing or selling drugs.

That color's

sure looking good on you, girl.

- I love it.

I love it.

- I think

I want to bump it up, though.

- Give Dee our love.

- And tell her we sure

miss her around here, okay?

- Y'all know I will.

Tamika,

I need you to sign.

[Chatter]

- Listen up.

Listen to me now.

Listen to me.

Year after year,

we have endured these raids

on our community.

And I, for one,

have had enough.

So I put in a call

to my old friend

Joe Fischer

up at Baylor Law School.

Professor Fischer

has a long history

of fighting

for what's right here in Texas.

And we thank him for that.

[Applause]

Well, Joe didn't let us down,

'cause next thing I know,

I'm talking to a Mr. David Cohen

at the ACLU.

Mr. Cohen,

thank you.

Thank you for coming.

- Thank you, Reverend.

My associate

Byron Hill and I

appreciate your inviting us

here tonight.

What's happening in Melody is

happening all over our country.

Drug task forces

use military tactics

to terrorize poor people.

And drug laws selectively target

people of color.

Meanwhile, federal money

goes to the counties

that convict

the most people.

And plea bargains

are aggressively pushed

to hasten those convictions.

Now, can anyone guess

what percentage

of the criminal cases

in our country

are settled

by plea bargains?

Just guess.

How many folks never see

a jury of their peers?

- Half.

- 95%.

For most people, the penalties

of not taking the plea

are so frightening

that even if they're innocent,

they plead guilty.

- My son James got arrested

up in the projects.

- Uh-huh.

- Can you

help him post bail?

- The ACLU

does not post bail money.

But we do offer

legal advice

and expert testimony.

- Young man,

I'm grateful for your offer,

but I don't know

that an ACLU Yankee lawyer

can help my child

with no Texas jury.

- Look, he's here,

and he wants to help.

'Cause there ain't no way

my son gonna get a fair trial

as long as Beckett

cuts the cords.

Now, the DA wants Brian

to take an eight-year plea.

If he doesn't,

they pushing for 25 years.

- The story you're telling

is exactly why we're here.

- Our oldest boy

fought charges three years ago.

He didn't stand a chance.

He's in for 15 years.

- Yeah, yeah, something

really exciting and fun.

- [Baby talk]

- Count to 17.

- That could be fun.

Well, do you want to start it

or shall I?

- I'll start it, Big Bird.

- Okay, you start.

- One...

- Two...

- Tanya, come on, so I can

change your diaper, girl.

Come on.

- Three?

- Three!

Yeah, three!

Then we have, um...

four!

- Come on, Tanya.

Your diaper got to be full.

- [Laughing]

- Five!

- Texas law says

a grand jury

can indict them on the word

of a single informant.

- So all I have to do

is accuse you...

- And then I can be indicted

and arrested,

and I'm told

to take the plea or else.

- And this system

is an abomination.

Poor black folks

are easy pickins.

- But we can

change the system.

We're gonna hit this DA

really hard.

- Up in the city,

a DA

may not be a big deal,

but down here,

he rules like a king.

Beckett's been the DA

for nine years.

White folks vote for him

'cause he keeps the town quiet.

Black folks...

half of 'em

are too lazy to vote,

and the other half can't vote

'cause they're felons.

I'll find you

your lead plaintiff,

but they gonna be in

for a hell of a ride.

- Roberts.

Your lawyer's here.

- You got

what I been asking for?

I really need 'em.

- You too good to wad up toilet

paper like everybody else?

Let's go.

- DA's

playing hardball with us.

He says he might

withdraw his plea offer

if you don't take it soon.

Look, I've learned a little bit

about their case.

All right,

the DA has an informant

and audio tapes

of people selling him drugs.

The informant claims

he bought crack from you.

The tapes confirm it.

And two police offers say

they witnessed the whole thing.

It's pretty strong stuff,

Miss Roberts.

- It's bullshit.

[Gunshots]

- Sam Conroy?

- Yeah.

- Hi, I'm David Cohen

with the ACLU.

Joe Fischer up at Baylor

told me I might find you here.

Do you have a second?

There's a case I'd like

to discuss with you.

- Girl, anyone that can make

Laquathia look that good

is a damn genius.

- You just jealous.

- [Chuckles]

- Gladys Williams?

Come on,

you're going home.

- Going home?

Gladys?

- I took the plea.

I'm sorry.

I'm just

not as strong as you are.

- Don't-

don't worry about it.

Gladys, you got to do

what you think is right.

So you know...

All right.

- Bye, girl.

- Say hi to my babies.

- Leona?

- Hey.

- Hey.

I got your medication.

How are you feeling?

- I'm good.

Thank you.

- [Mumbling]

- What are you reading?

You've been snortin'

and sputterin' over there

for an hour.

- Well,

this background on a case

Joe Fischer

recommended me for.

- Joe Fischer?

- Yeah.

- Well, that's flattering.

- Well, I suppose.

But what it is

is that the ACLU

is trying to sue

Calvin Beckett

and a whole lot

of other people,

including your employer,

the sheriff,

'cause of the raids

down in Melody.

They're claiming

it's a racial thing,

racial bias.

- You think it's true?

- Maybe.

Probably.

Maybe.

But you know, racist intent

is very hard to prove.

And I mean,

I got to work down here.

I don't want to get tagged

with the ACLU people.

That's...

- So you're not

gonna do it?

- I don't know.

I don't know.

Buzz!

[Indecipherable speech]

- I didn't order apple pie.

I ordered tuna on rye.

The pie

rhymes with the rye.

- Oh.

[Door opens]

- Mama!

- Oh.

[Laughing]

Come here.

Come to your mommy.

- They got me

watching Sesame Street,

and I don't like that show.

- [Laughs]

- Here's the sweetie one.

Oh, dang.

- Oh.

- That your mama?

- [Laughing]

- I told you

she was coming back.

Yeah.

- Where Sherice at?

Mm.

You been brushing this?

[Chuckles]

Looks like it need

a little bit of a treatment.

Mind if we work on it tonight?

You been scared

I wasn't coming home?

It's okay, baby.

I'm here now, okay?

I'll never...

ever leave you again.

I won't let

anything happen to you.

All right, baby?

- Let there be no doubt,

while I strongly disagree

with the court's decision,

I accept it.

- [Clears throat]

There she is.

- Whole system's crazy, Dee.

Take the Mexicans.

No one else

will work in the kitchen.

But if you hire them,

government comes and busts

for hiring illegals.

- Doreen,

I need my job back.

- Dee, how many years

you been working here?

Six?

- Seven.

- Dee, after the police

came and got you,

they came back...

twice.

First time,

looking for drugs in your stuff.

And then a week later,

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