American Violet Page #5

---

- It's minimum wage,

no benefits.

- That's okay.

- [Speaking Spanish]

All right,

we'll try it for a month.

- Thank you.

I'll do a good job.

You'll see.

Look what I got.

- Mama!

- [Laughing]

Look what I got.

- Christmas tree!

We got a Christmas tree!

- We got a Christmas tree!

Who's gonna help me decorate?

Who's gonna help me decorate?

- Me!

- The whole truth

and nothing but the truth,

so help you God?

- I do.

- Mr. Porter,

on August the 14th, did you buy

drugs from the defendant?

- Yes.

- And did anyone

witness this?

- Yes.

Well, no-

not exactly.

I recorded it

on a tape recorder

that the police

had gave me.

Are you sure

there were drugs?

- Yes.

- How are you sure?

- Well, I taste them.

And when I brought them

to the police,

they put them

on a little piece of glass

and put the stuff on it

and it turned-

- Mr. Porter,

thank you.

That'll be all for now.

- Mr. Porter, have you ever been

in a mental institution?

- Objection, Your Honor,

this is-

- Overruled.

- Mr. Porter,

I repeat,

have you ever been

in a mental institution?

- Yes.

- And who sent you there?

- He did.

- Mr. Beckett?

- Yes.

- And were you afraid-

- I guess we just found

our first deposition.

- Your Honor,

I move we recess for lunch.

- Court is adjourned

until 1:
00 p.m.

- Well, hey, Sam.

- Hello, Calvin.

How are you?

- Calvin Beckett.

I don't believe I know you.

You visiting?

- David Cohen.

I'm gonna be here for a while.

- Well, I'll be

seeing you around.

- I look forward to that.

[Train horn blares]

- Hey, Mama.

Hey, Grace.

- Hello, sweetie.

- What you

doing here so soon?

I wasn't expecting you.

Everything all right?

- Yeah, everything's okay.

Where's Sherice at?

- She at basketball.

- Where the girls at?

Mama?

- That's their daddy, Dee.

Here, watch her

for a minute.

Dee!

That's their daddy!

Dee!

Grace, get the girls' bag.

Dee!

Wait a minute!

- Darrell, bring my girls

out here right now!

- Dee!

[Pounding on door]

- Darrell,

I know you hear me!

Darrell!

- Better for you

to stay with your daddy.

Your mama going back

to jail soon.

- Claudia.

- She gonna be gone

for a real long time.

- Claudia, you so much

as lay a hand on my girl-

- Yeah, what you gonna do, huh?

I got Laquisha in my arms

right now, Dee!

Holding her tight.

Ooh-hooh-hoo.

- I'm gonna kill you!

Open this damn door!

- Holding her tight.

- Yeah, she's out of control.

Apartment 213.

She's here right now.

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

- Darrell, if you do not bring

my children out here right now-

- Hold it now!

- Oh.

- Dee, wait!

Dee!

Dee Roberts,

they will throw your butt

back in jail in a heartbeat.

- You let him take them!

You let me

get them back!

- You best

listen to your mama, Dee.

- Uh-huh.

- You know

what friends I got.

Police gonna be here

in a minute.

You better stay away

from my truck, though.

Hey!

- I want my girls!

- All right,

now get off that truck.

You know

I need that for work.

Damn it!

Are you out your God damn mind?

- I said I want my girls,

Darrell!

- Get off my truck!

- Dee!

- Come on now, Dee.

You know you can't do-

Hey!

- I'm counting to three!

I want my damn kids back!

- Knock that sh*t off!

You better not.

- Two!

- Dee, cool yourself.

- Three!

Come on, Darrell!

Come on!

I want my damn kids!

- Dee!

- Stop!

- Goddamn it!

[Siren whoops]

- I want my damn kids.

Come on!

- Dee, get off that truck!

- I want my girls.

- You scaring them kids.

Come here.

- Go on and take 'em.

Take 'em!

- Don't cry, baby.

Baby, I'm sorry.

Come here, baby.

- I'm just

trying to protect them

from your

insane bullshit anyway.

- What?

Look at my Goddamn truck.

- You know the drill,

Miss Alma.

- Look at this sh*t.

- Come on.

- You don't

have to cuff her.

- Get my girls

out of here.

- I got 'em.

Dee, I'm gonna

come and get you.

- It's not like I won't

have 'em back soon anyway.

B*tch.

- Your mother told Darrell she'd

fix his car

if he dropped the charges.

Did she tell you that Claudia's

an accused child molester?

- No one can blame you

for protecting your girls.

But destroying Darrell's car

just wasn't smart.

- Worked, didn't it?

- Dee, we get

hundreds of letters every week

from people who need help,

people, frankly,

just as deserving as you.

We have the resources for

one major case on this issue,

and I chose you.

I need you

to stay out of trouble.

Can you do that?

Thank you.

- 35,000 thousand people

at eight official balls

hang between

$100 and $200 a pop.

- I don't know him that well,

but I know him well enough

to say I know him...

- Hello, Dee.

- Hello.

- Have a seat.

- Congratulations.

You made the paper.

- Yeah, lucky me.

- I just spoke

to David Higgins.

He should be here

any minute.

Did he listen

to that tape with you?

- Right there in jail.

Wasn't nothing

but a lot of crackling

and some men arguing.

Not a woman's voice

on the tape.

- Oh, speak of the devil.

Hello, David.

Have a seat.

I think you know Dee.

David Cohen,

David Higgins.

- I'm here

because of George Bush...

- I just can't find it.

- Are you telling me

you lost the tape?

- Well, did you call the DA

about a copy?

- It seems theirs

is missing too.

- Okay,

what about the arrest warrant

that Dee gave you?

- Well, I'm sure we'll

find it sooner or later.

- Oh, come on, David.

You can't really expect us

to believe this bullshit.

- Well, I don't really care what

you believe.

- Mr. Higgins,

at the very least,

you're guilty

of gross dereliction

of your responsibilities.

And you may

very well be guilty

of criminal obstruction

of justice.

- You be very careful

what you say, Mr. Cohen.

As Sam can tell you,

down here,

you make enemies for life.

Miss Roberts, let me

give you some free advice.

You take the plea.

You do a little time

on probation,

and you go back

to your family in peace.

Be careful

you don't get sent away

just so some

self-important a**hole

can play civil rights lawyer.

- Well, that went well.

[Knocking on door]

- I'll get it.

- Hi.

Is your mommy here?

Would you

tell her that Mr. Moss

from Child

Protective Services is here.

[Camera clicks]

Miss Roberts, our office has

received a number of complaints

from the girls' father,

a Mr. Darrell Hughes.

He claims you're negligent

and abusive.

- Do you see them,

Mr. Moss?

Do they look abused?

- Well, that's what

we're here to evaluate.

Here is your notice

for a custody hearing

before the district attorney.

- Calvin!

- Calvin, care to comment

on the jury's decision?

- The jury made a mistake.

Mr. Green should

never have been acquitted.

I'm convinced he's guilty,

and he should be in jail.

- Did the ACLU lawsuit

have anything to do

with your decision

to drop the charges

against the other defendants?

- Look, since the jury

made clear today

that they do not consider

Mr. Porter a credible witness,

I'm forced to drop the charges

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes