Panther Page #2

---

SABU:

I'm telling you, man. The perfect

gift for the sophisticated lady in

your life. Light up her flame with

some solid gold satisfaction and get

a second one half price for your

wife. Can't beat my price with a

stick, baby.

CY, a large man with an eye-patch, walks up and tries, in

vain, to get one of Sabu's bogus lighters to light.

CY:

Sabu, why're you still tryin' to

sell these raggedy ass, non workin'

Korean lighters man?

The HARD HATS drive off laughing as Sabu curses CY out. The

boy continues on heading for the corner.

END TITLE SEQUENCE:

EXT. INTERSECTION - 55TH AND MARKET STREETS - DAY

Suddenly a HORN blares, BRAKES screech.

Brutal, fast, a CAR plows into the child, sending him and

the bike bouncing against the windshield and back on the

pavement, bleeding... dead.

EXT. APARTMENT HOUSE - 55TH STREET - DAY

JUDGE (20's) -- an intense young man wearing a FATIGUE JACKET --

STARES numbly at the child in the street. Neighborhood people

move toward the scene.

A WOMAN, perhaps the boy's mother, WAILS next to the body.

Judge's Mom, RITA (50's) -- raw boned and sharp eyed --

stands, drawn toward the tragedy.

RITA:

Oh lord... not again...

EXT. INTERSECTION - DAY

A CROWD -- including Reverend Slocum, Cy and the DRINKERS --

gathers near the child and the wailing woman. Across from

Judge, TYRONE keeps an angry distance from the horror.

CY:

God damn... Kid never had a chance...

ROSE:

Mothafuck... Hey!!! What the hell!!!

The CAR backs up, trying to leave the scene.

Market street regulars SWARM around the retreating vehicle,

hitting it with fists, sticks, bottles. Young and old move

together, their faces contorted with RAGE.

JUDGE:

(over)

People were pissed off. Neighborhood

had been begging for a stoplight

since before dirt was invented. Way

I saw it then, that boy dying was

another shitty thing in a world full

of sh*t.

CUT TO:

EXT. APARTMENT HOUSE - DAY

Eyes locked on the dead child, JUDGE stands, angry and

impassive.

JUDGE:

(over)

Way I see it now... That day. That

intersection. That's where it started

for me.

(a pause)

Only, I didn't know it then...

EXT. CLOSE UP:
INTERSECTION PAVEMENT - DAY

Running red past a SMALL sneakered foot, BLOOD streams toward

the gutter.

CUT TO:

EXT. CLOSE UP:
BASKETBALL COURT - NIGHT

A BASKETBALL bounces off the cement, SNEAKERED FEET scramble

past.

EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - NIGHT

JUDGE drives in for a basket, pursued by CY. It's a friendly

three on three street game. The MARKET STREET DRINKERS --

including ROSE -- fill out Cy and Judge's teams.

Young neighborhood MEN watch the game and shoot the sh*t.

One of them, JAMAL, sports a beard and a DASHIKI.

Somewhere a RADIO plays James Brown's "Say it Loud"

EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - NIGHT

Gliding around Cy, Judge sinks a basket. ROSE retrieves the

ball.

ROSE:

You supposed to be a wounded vet,

Motherfucka. What you do in 'Nam

anyway, shoot gooks or shoot hoops?

JUDGE:

All of the above, man...

(a pause)

And then some.

Shaking off the memory, Judge takes the ball in, PASSING it

to a teammate. The BALL arcs through the air...

EXT. BASKETBALL GAME - NIGHT

HANDS grab the ball before the teammate can. TYRONE'S hands.

The GAME stops dead. Tyrone holds the ball, eyeing the players

with contempt. At his side stands LITTLE BOBBY (16) hyper,

childlike.

TYRONE:

Tell me, don't you fine black men

got anything better to do than play

games?

ROSE:

Sure I do, but your sister's busy.

Gimme the damn ball.

Tyrone passes the ball HARD to Rose.

TYRONE:

Here... Take it. I thought some

righteous brothers like you might

help us out, but I guess that ain't

you...

JAMAL:

(stepping forward)

Help who? With what?

TYRONE:

Your community! That's who. Maybe

you didn't know but a kid died today.

LITTLE BOBBY:

That's three this year... same spot.

TYRONE:

Damn straight. And old Reverend

Slocum's having a vigil on that

corner, trying to get a stoplight

put in.

JUDGE:

(to Cy)

My Mom's at that.

ROSE:

Funny you don't look like church

folk to me.

Rate this script:4.0 / 1 vote