Blood Done Sign My Name Page #5

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a shooting tonight

at, um, Mr. Teel's store

out at Four Corners.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

He's with me.

I'll bring him in

a little later.

'Preciate it.

Do you still have people up in Berea?

Yeah.

Call'em. Tell them

you're gonna be staying

with'em

for a while.

Well, what you

want me to do?

Go upstairs.

Get yourself

a pillowcase.

Fill it with all the money

you can put your hands on.

You're gonna need it.

Excuse me, Sergeant.

This is

William Chavis.

He was shot this evening

by Mr. Robert Teel.

Mr. Teel and his sons

killed Dickie Marrow.

It was witnessed

by Mr. Chavis

and he'd like to report that murder,

his own assault, and swear out

a warrant for the Teels' arrest.

Have a seat.

Sorry.

[sigh]

All that time

he was in the service,

I prayed that nothing

would happen to him.

I prayed and prayed.

Somebody should've told me

I needed to be praying

he wouldn't get shot

in his own hometown.

Nothing I can do.

C'mon, Boo.

Let's go home.

John, I just heard.

What can I do?

It's too late vErnon. Too late.

Go on home.

Oh, nice one.

So close.

Hey, where you been?

Home. Y'all hear?

Daddy, Roger, and them

shot them a n*gger.

Why?

Said something he shouldn't

have to Larry's wife Judy.

Tim Tyson.

Come in for supper.

What're we having?

I am not announcing my

menu to the neighborhood.

Come in now.

[rumble of thunder]

Shh. It's only me.

Daddy.

Is everything

going to be okay?

Go to sleep,

little buck.

[indistinct shout]

Y'all, come on.

[shouting]

[shouting continues]

Let's go around back.

[siren approaches]

[shouting and noise fade]

(mayor)

Quiet, please.

This morning, I dispatched a

telegram to the Governor's office

informing him of the

events of last night,

as well as my intention to declare

the existence of a state of emergency

and the imposing of a

curfew for all citizens

from 7:
30 in the evening until 6

in the morning, beginning tonight.

Further, I requested from him

the assistance of State Troopers

to help enforce this curfew.

And most importantly,

to restore a safe, secure,

and law-abiding environment

for the hearing tomorrow

and for the trial

in the months to come.

All citizens my ass!

Damn right.

That curfew

ain't nothing

but a No N*ggers

After Nightfall Act.

(several)

That's right.

(teacher)

You can have...

whatever you can take.

(student)

Yeah.

That's right.

Yeah, Mr. Chavis.

But you can only keep...

what you can...

hold.

That's right.

We're gonna keep it!

Keep what, Darrel?

Beer? Cigarettes?

TV sets?

You think that's why the

State Troopers are here?

Because you broke some windows

and stole some groceries?

They're not.

You want to know

why they're here?

They're here because last night,

when you hit those streets,

you took something more valuable

than you could ever imagine.

Something our families have

been fighting for for years.

I'm talking about equality.

And they're not going to let

you keep it without a fight.

I ain't giving

it back.

Me, neither.

Good.

Mr. Chavis!

Mr. Chavis,

where you going?

What's going on?

Come on!

Please take a seat

quickly and quietly.

[gavel pounds]

[gavel pounds]

Proceed.

I saw three men

standing over Dickie.

Can you

identify those men?

Yes.

Two of them

are over there.

Robert Teel,

he had a shotgun,

and Larry Teel,

he had a rifle.

Where's the third man?

Your Honor, none of

the witnesses were able

to positively

identify the third man.

[sigh]

[birds chirping]

[sigh]

Hey, Momma.

Hey.

I took my students

to the Teel hearing today.

I heard.

Quite a show.

Yeah, it was

a show, all right.

I just wanted them to witness

the legal process, you know?

All they saw was

the same old Oxford.

Every rich businessman in

town sang that killer's praises

like he was

the Lord Jesus himself.

I made a

phone call today.

I called

Ralph Abernathy.

He's sending

someone to help.

[female voice sings

spiritual type song]

a Mmm a

a Oh, freedom a

a Oh, freedom over me a

a Before I'll be a slave a

a I'll be buried

ln my grave a

a And go home

To my Lord and be free a

Good morning, gentlemen.

I thought I was coming to a funeral.

You fellows look like

you're expecting an attack.

We're expecting a fellow from

out of state to stir things up.

Stir things up?

What's his name?

His name's Frinks.

Golden Frinks?

He's coming here?

Hoo-hoo, hell

of a speaker.

That man can flat-out

ring the bells of heaven

when you get him going.

You ever heard him preach?

No. Can't say

that we have.

Hot as a pepper.

He was with

the late Dr. King

in Selma, Montgomery,

and Birmingham.

I heard he been

arrested over 50 times

for his civil

rights involvement.

And on top of

all of that,

he's a hell of

a sharp dresser.

You boys ever seen

a picture of him?

No, sir.

He always wears

a dashiki

with a big cross

'round his neck.

But stir things up?

Now, I don't know how

you can stir up a funeral.

We can't let you in, Mr. Frinks.

I understand.

I understand completely.

I see them watches.

You boys get them in Vietnam?

Yes, sir.

Well, you know Dickie

Marrow was a vet, too.

He served.

He was a soldier,

just like y'all.

And he deserves a whole

lot better than all of this.

No, sir, Mr. Jones.

You're not too late.

Go right ahead.

(pastor) ...one of the

closest Scriptures in my heart,

and I say that...

[spectators]

Praise the Lord.

I n the name

of our Lord, the Almighty.

Amen.

(spectators)

Amen.

Amen.

Yes. Amen.

Pastor, could I

say a few words?

Thank you.

This young man...

was a husband,

he was a daddy.

He was a son, an uncle...

and a cousin.

For 30 years, l've been attending

the funerals of soldiers.

Soldiers of the movement.

And l've had

enough of it.

(several)

Yes, sir.

Now, I know we're here

to bury Dickie Marrow today,

but when I look

in your faces,

I see there's something

else that needs to be buried.

Discrimination.

(several)

Yes.

Segregation.

(several)

That's right.

(woman)

Amen. Yes.

Bigotry!

(several)

That's right!

And all the complicity

of pulling a people down.

(many)

Yeah!

(man)

That's right! Yes!

Now, to them downtown

who put that statue up,

this young man here

is just another

n*gger dead.

(man)

Yeah.

But it ain't

gonna end that way

'cause what's gonna

end up dead is Jim Crow!

Jim Crow's

gonna be dead.

(Boo)

Yes.

Now, I know we ain't got no permit.

We ain't got nothing.

But we are marching on.

(several) That's right. M m-hmm.

We're going to go march

to that Confederate

monument downtown,

and we're going to tell

that old soldier

it's time for him

to come down.

(many voices assent)

And that South

that he's guarding

for all those

years is dead.

And we will

tell him loud, like,

because he's a old man

and he has a hard time

hearing these kind of things.

(man) Preach it now, preach it.

You don't represent us,

and you never did!

(woman)

Yes! Go ahead!

This here is

our South, too!

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