Roger & Me Page #6

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out of this depression?

There's as much opportunity here...

as when Billy Durant started

the motor company on Water Street.

Maybe more opportunities.

- You believe that?

- Yes, I do. Absolutely.

I saw the sign down on the street...

that said you're selling

rabbits and bunnies here?

- For sale?

- You want pets or meat?

Pets or meat?

Meaning I can buy the bunnies

to have as a pet...

or I can buy them for...

Meat. They're already dressed

and cleaned.

I butcher the babies

when they are four or five months old.

That's good.

If you butcher the older ones,

like these guys...

then they're stewers. They're not fryers.

A lot of people like fryers

better than they do the stewers.

- That makes sense.

- So I keep my personal stock.

When my babies get four or five

months old, and I have 15 to 20 babies...

you've got to get rid of them some way.

If they don't sell as pets,

you got to get rid of them as meat.

Them guys are all meat.

- See, they start doing this to each other.

- What's that?

Peeing on each other and stuff like that,

when they get older.

If you don't have separate cages for them,

then they start fighting.

Then the males castrate the other males.

They do. They chew their balls right off.

Then you have a bloody mess.

That's why you got to butcher them

when they're a certain age...

or you have a heck of a mess.

I'm on social security.

The only other income I have

is my rabbits...

for groceries, bills, and my dogs.

I also raise Doberman pinschers.

Because sometimes

I only make $10 to $15 a week...

but that's better than nothing. At least

I can buy $10 to $15 worth of groceries.

'Cause you only get paid once a month

from social security...

and that's not very much.

It's really popular.

A lot of people come down here.

Usually some people come down.

They're only open on Mondays, Tuesdays,

Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Saturday and Sunday, they're closed.

On the holidays, they get...

like, $1 to $2 bonus here and there.

If you're doing this every day,

isn't your arm filled with needle marks?

They only keep it in one certain spot.

You keep it right there. Doesn't look bad.

I take some rubbing alcohol

to get the scar tissue to heal up.

Can we see it?

I only do it in my right arm.

It's not so bad.

They only do it in a certain place,

in a certain spot.

It's right here.

They don't track it up.

They only do it in two places.

No! My baby!

Oh, God!

Flint is best known

for its principal industry.

But it's quickly gaining notoriety

as a major crime center.

It's a record year for homicides

in the Vehicle City.

According to the FBI, Flint now has

the highest violent crime rate in America.

... crime rate is one of the highest

on the continent.

A big part of the problem

is there aren't enough jail cells...

for all the criminals.

- got it.

- don't think that target would have lived.

I got two out of the ring there.

- You got three out the ring, son.

- Yes, sir.

Where is my third one?

Here's two here.

Where's the third one out of the ring?

Okay, that one's out of the ring.

Your biggest problem

is your barrel length.

We usually tell them that probably

their best protection for home...

is the short-barreled shotgun.

- Why is that?

- t's easy to handle...

and if you do have to shoot,

you're not liable to miss.

And when they hear that pump gun...

when you rack that,

there's no other sound like it.

Usually you don't have to fire it.

They get moving pretty fast.

They'll move away.

They don't like the sound.

They know exactly what you have.

You don't have to say,

"I have a gun in my hand."

They know it'll really tear them up.

With higher unemployment

creating more crime in Flint...

General Motors and the United Auto

Workers' union came up with a novel idea.

Train the ex-auto workers to be prison

guards and give them jobs in the jails...

now filling up

with their former line mates.

It's kind of sad in a way

to see somebody that you know...

or had done something with

on the outside being in jail...

or sentenced to prison

or something like that.

But I guess it's, you know...

The theory goes, you play, you pay.

And you get over it.

I'd have a possibility to move on.

That's what this 160-hour program

was all about.

I have a certificate now, stating that

I can apply anywhere in the United States.

The money's not an object right now.

If I can improve myself, morally,

the money will come later.

It's almost half

of what I was making at General Motors...

- But I like the work a lot better.

- You'll do what?

It's not as hot.

You don't scare me by saying that.

I'll screw your f***ing ass!

I don't care what you think! 'll screw you!

You'll cope with me in a few days,

I'm telling you that now!

You don't scare me! know my rights!

- went to school, okay?

- What's going on?

Someone in a heated discussion

down there, I guess.

I'm going to jump you! 'll get you, man!

...a staff member is a violation of that rule.

I don't respect you!

When you give me respect, I'll respect you.

- Take it easy.

- know my rights!

I really don't know the answer.

I feel sorry for people...

but you can't help them. I mean,

you have such a good welfare program.

So, they just don't want to work.

I don't think so. I really don't know.

- Good shot.

- That's nice.

All four of us have always lived in Flint

and gone to school here.

We just love it so.

- What do you love about it?

- personally love our friends, you know.

And we like our club, and we like...

all the stores and...

you know, what's left of them.

I think everybody should...

try to find another job, or do

something else in training, or something.

You think a lot of people are being lazy?

I think some of them.

I think a lot of them

take the easy way out.

Judge issued the order

to vacate the house.

- Right now?

- Yes, ma'am.

Okay, that's the least he can do.

I'll go get a truck.

- Today?

- Right now.

Can't you wait till we get a truck?

You can get the truck,

but they got a crew on the way here.

They stopped at the store to get a pop.

I'd get dressed if I was you.

We got to vacate the house.

We're doing more evictions,

more repossessions, and everything...

way behind, trying to catch up.

A lot of these people bought

school clothes and didn't pay the rent.

The system's got to change...

because if they didn't have enough money

to pay rent and buy clothes...

they're in trouble, anyway.

I've put out some of my best friends,

but it's nothing personal, you know.

They know me, they know what I do, so...

If they're lucky enough to draw me...

at least they got somebody to talk to.

What?

These people couldn't find a truck.

They called two or three different places.

They called U-Haul...

and they said all their trucks

were out for today.

They called Ryder Truck, and they said

all of theirs were out for today.

A gentleman came by, we hauled him

down, and he didn't want to get involved.

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