Panther Page #7

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BOBBY SEALE:

Sure, those boojie jokers don't do

anything except print up a lotta

paper saying "Black is Beautiful."

TYRONE:

Sh*t, nothing but Paper Panthers.

HUEY:

(a smile)

Yeah... but it seems they're bringing

Malcolm's widow Betty Shabazz to

town, to speak at a rally, do an

interview for Ramparts.

(a pause)

And they want us to help with

security.

BOBBY:

Well if anyone's gonna protect

Malcolm's legacy it better be us.

HUEY:

Damn straight...

(rising)

Let's go check out these Paper

Panthers.

CUT TO:

EXT. BLACK PANTHER OFFICE - DAY

BOBBY'S PONTIAC sits in front of a rather upscale house, on

a street that would never be mistaken for Oakland.

INT. BLACK PANTHER OFFICE - DAY

Looking street and very tough, BOBBY, HUEY, TYRONE, LITTLE

BOBBY and GENE walk in. Spotting them, ROY -- the Paper

Panther President -- picks his afro and smoothes his DASHIKI

vainly.

In the background other men in AFRICAN GARB can be seen,

along with ALMA - a REGAL BLACK GIRL.

ROY:

Greetings African brothers... You're

here to help us with Sister Shabazz

no doubt?

TYRONE:

(under his breath)

F***ing boojie...

HUEY:

That's right. We'd be proud to provide

as escort for Malcolm's widow. How

many men you got?

ROY:

(to Alma)

Get the brothers a beer. Me too while

you're at it.

(to Huey)

Men? Well we can spare six for

security...

HUEY:

(to Alma, declining

the beer)

No thank you sister.

(to Roy)

Six?!! That seems a little light.

Cops are watching Betty, watching

her hard. We need at least twenty

men. And that's twenty armed Panthers

dig? You do have guns don't you?

ROY:

I assure you that we as the

revolutionary vanguard are as serious

about this as you are. We'll be

prepared.

EXT. BLACK PANTHER OFFICE - DAY

Disgusted, HUEY stalks to the car with the others.

TYRONE:

They ain't fit for the name Panthers.

BOBBY:

Twenty men? I don't know if we got

that.

HUEY:

We'll get them. Right now we got to

worry about being armed and ready to

protect Betty Shabazz. Those phonies

sure as hell can't. We need guns.

TYRONE:

We need money first...

HUEY:

Yeah... Bobby you gotta...

BOBBY:

(moving)

Got it covered Huey, that's what I

was trying to tell you before. Check

it out...

Bobby's pops the PONTIAC'S TRUNK. BOXES sit inside it,

overflowing with LITTLE RED BOOKS.

BOBBY:

Bought every copy in Chinatown. Got

us a discount too, thirty cents a

piece.

CUT TO:

EXT. SATHER GATE - BERKELEY CAMPUS - DAY

In the stream of students, Tyrone, Huey and THE PANTHERS

hold up Mao's LITTLE RED BOOK. A RADIO can be heard blaring

Gladys Knight's "Heard it through the Grapevine."

HUEY:

Here it is Brothers. The Lowdown

straight from comrade Mao's mouth.

(to Bobby)

If you open the minds, the bodies

will follow.

CARTER moves toward Huey with TWO WHITE STUDENTS

CARTER:

(looking confused)

Huey uhhh... these... these guys

want to join...

Huey smiles and shakes his head congenially.

HUEY:

I'm sorry boys. But right now The

Party feels it's important for Black

People to do it for themselves. We're

not signing up white folk.

(the trademark smile)

But, if you are down with what we're

doing, organize some righteous white

folks. I got a feeling we're gonna

need each other.

EXT. SATHER GATE - DAY

Judge, holding notes and SCHOOLBOOKS spots the Panthers. Cy

catches his eye.

JUDGE:

Hey, this what they got you doing

now?

CY:

Party needs the bread.

(to the students)

Be hip to the struggle, only a

dollar!!!

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