Panther Page #8

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STUDENT:

A dollar? Far out! Is it authentic?

CY:

Comrade, this here's the real deal,

straight from Revolution HQ.

STUDENT:

Huh?

(catching on)

Hey, I can dig it man.

(buying book)

Thanks! Long live the revolution,

brother.

CY:

(to Judge, pocketing

the bills)

Money's cool, but what the party

really needs is brothers like you.

(hands Judge a RED

BOOK)

Judge I could use someone like you.

These books, hell I don't know half

the words. You might.

JUDGE:

Have to pass on the revolution today

man, I got class... But how about

tonight, I was gonna check out "Cloud

Nine." Just like old times.

CY:

Can't... they're having a PE meeting

at Headquarters tonight, come on

down. Check it out.

JUDGE:

PE? What? You guys doing gym class?

CY:

No man. PE -- "political education."

TYRONE moves closer to Cy, checking out Judge

TYRONE:

You're a smart brother... you should

dig what Huey and Bobby got to say...

JUDGE:

Maybe...

TYRONE:

(a smile)

F*** maybe... be there.

Judge grins back at Tyrone, holding ground.

JUDGE:

Like I said... maybe.

EXT. PANTHER HEADQUARTERS - 56TH AND GROVE - NIGHT

Essentially a storefront, the PANTHER HQ's a rag-tag, hipster

shrine. POSTERS hangs in the window -- "BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL,"

the BLACK PANTHER LOGO, an upraised BLACK FIST.

CY and JUDGE walk past a couple of loitering street folk.

ROSE is there, happily munching on a paper plate of stew.

JUDGE:

Rose, what the hell you doing here?

ROSE:

Just come for the food, man. Ain't

quite sure what their bag is but...

Rose POINTS through the doorway to BOBBY SEALE standing at a

podium speaking front of a very small GROUP.

ROSE:

That one's one hell of a cook...

INT. PANTHER HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT

Little Bobby and Tyrone PASS out LEAFLETS labeled with "What

we want" and What we Believe" to a SMALL ASSEMBLY.

At the podium, Bobby SPEAKS passionately. Judge and Cy make

for empty secondhand seat.

BOBBY:

...We... the Black Panther Party are

not anarchists. We want a government

that serves the people. In the black

community we want a government that

serves black people. Black cops for

Black People. Not the Army we have

occupying the community "Army?" you

ask. "What army? This isn't Vietnam."

Well the Army's right out your door

folks. They're the cops.

A chorus of "Yeahs," "Right Ons and APPLAUSE."

BOBBY:

They're pigs brothers and sisters.

And these pigs are soldiers fighting

against us. Whether you got an Afro

or a process on. Whether a sister's

got her hair straightened or whether

she's got a natural on. Whether it's

a brother in a dashiki or a pimp

with a sharp suit on. Whether a

sister's prostituting or teaching

kids to read. The pig will murder

you because you're black. No matter

what kind of hair you wear. So we

best get ourselves together, organize,

learn our history and put the power

in the hands of the black community

before this army, these pigs wipe

this community out.

Applause rings out. Even JUDGE claps.

INT. PANTHER HQ - NIGHT

Political Education over, the small group of Panthers and

neighborhood folk, chat as Judge makes his way over to Cy.

CY:

...Glad you came man.

JUDGE:

Yeah, only I figure you'd be the one

doing the speaking.

CY:

Not yet, one of these day's maybe.

Bobby's party chairman. Political

Education's really his bag.

Huey steps up with TYRONE.

HUEY:

You're Cy's Vietnam buddy right?

(Judge nods)

C'mere I'd like to talk with you...

Huey pulls Judge toward a BACK ROOM, Tyrone watches them

leave, protective, suspicious...

HUEY:

You were. infantry right?

JUDGE:

Yeah.

HUEY:

So I guess it's safe to say you know

about firepower.

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