South Central Page #4

---

A what?

Um, a helper.

Oh...

Well, cigarettes,

lots of cigarettes.

Give me a specific

number, Buddha.

How many cigarettes?

15 box, plus interest.

You don't have to...

Quiet!

What interest?

Yeah, laundry,

shoeshines, errands.

I want his dessert for 15 years.

Let's be reasonable.

Let's say 3 months.

All of the above for 3 months.

Ok.

Let's eat breakfast.

Jimmie?

Oh, I'm sorry

to interrupt your game.

I'm out of here.

I'll see you, Jimmie.

Jimmie,

this is Dr. King.

He'd like to talk with you, ok?

Why don't we

have a seat over here

by the window?

All right?

Ok.

Do you know

what child abuse means?

Sure. That's parents

riding down on their kids.

Does your mama ride down on you?

She used to.

She's a sherm head now.

A what?

PCP.

Yeah, she smokes it

in her cigarettes. You know.

Does she fix meals

for you at home?

Nope.

Not ever?

I take care of myself.

What about school?

Does your mama send you

to school every day?

School's for squares.

A fool can't make

no money at school.

So how many parole hearings

you been denied on?

Whew.

This brother, Ray Ray,

you trying to kill him?

Yeah... maybe.

'Cause you think

he shot your boy?

No, because he's responsible,

because he had Jimmie

out stealing for him,

because he used me,

and he used my son.

So where were you...

the boy's daddy,

while Ray Ray was abusing him?

I was in here.

Mmm-hmm.

In prison.

What you saying?

You saying it was

my fault he got shot?

You saying I should have

been there?

I ain't saying a damn thing.

You doing all the saying.

Why do you even give a sh*t?

What is it to you?

I'll tell you.

I had a boy.

Now you going to

preach to me, right?

Yeah, I'm going to preach...

And you going to listen!

I had a boy...

And I was on him.

I was on him about

how he dressed for school,

and I was on him

about leaving his toys

cluttered around the house.

He'd say, "Hi, daddy,"

and wave his hand.

I'd say,

"Hold your shoulders back."

Later on in school,

I kept him from his friends

'cause his grades were too low.

I embarrassed him by marching

him home in front of me.

I loved my job and my women

more than my own son!

Behaved like that

his whole young life.

He ran away

when he was 13...

Hooked up with

a tough bunch of hardheads

and got killed not much later.

Shot down dead.

So I took their lives,

3 of them,

and I ended up in here...

for life, man.

I was some daddy.

See...

That's a problem

in our community, man.

Black man is in prison

Or dodging prison,

and his kids suffer.

It's the anger in the black man,

the cycle of hate.

You in that cycle,

little brother.

Did you grow up with your daddy?

No.

I see inside you, man.

You still got some time

before it eats you up,

but you've got to break

your cycle.

Hate is broken by giving.

I give to you,

and I break my own hate cycle.

Why do I give a sh*t?

Me... and you...

we brothers, and we got

to be there for our children.

For me, it's too late,

but not for you.

You owe me 15 box of cigarettes.

You repay me by reading.

2 hours every day.

I owe everybody in this joint,

and all I did was help

my homeboy Loco.

Helping is costly.

Hello.

I'm nurse Shelly.

I'm sorry I'm late.

I've been taking care of Jimmie.

Excuse me.

All healed up.

The pain gone?

You know, we're going

to miss you, Jimmie.

You've been like one

of the family around here.

I'm real proud of you.

Jimmie...

These people are here

to help you.

I know you don't

think so right now,

but you need help, baby.

They're going to help you

have a better life,

so you can grow up

to be a good man.

You understand what I'm saying?

Do you trust me?

Then trust them, too.

Ok?

Come on.

I'm going to miss you

most of all, nurse Shelly.

I'm going to

miss you, too, baby.

I got pretty good

at honky ball, didn't I?

You sure did, honey.

I'm real proud of you.

Bye, nurse Shelly.

Goodbye, Jimmie.

All right, guys, listen up.

This is Jimmie.

He's our new boy.

This bunk will be yours,

all right?

Breakfast around here

is at 7:
00.

Lunch is at noon.

Dinner is at 6:
30.

If you're late, you miss it.

Lights out

at 9 P.M. sharp.

Get yourself situated,

and we'll talk later.

Off that bunk, Rodriguez,

or your ass is in a sling.

Deuce here!

I feel like my brain's

swelling, Ali.

Look at all this stuff

I never knew about,

All these people

I never heard of...

Adam Powell, Garvey,

Elijah, W.E.B. Du Bois.

Man!

Lights are coming on inside you.

Man, that's a glorious

feeling when that happens.

Listen to this.

"You may tie my hands

with chains

"and my feet with shackles

"and put me in a dark prison,

"but you shall not

enslave my thinking,

"for it is free,

like a breeze..."

"in the spacious sky."

Mmm.

That's a little beautiful

poetry about attitude.

Bobby.

You remember I asked you

about your parole denials?

Yeah.

You know why you keep

getting turned down?

No.

Attitude.

See, you can sit there

before the parole board

and lie with your mouth,

say you're going to be good,

you're going to go

straight forever,

but your attitude

is saying the truth...

"I'm going to kill you.

I'm going to

rape your daughter."

Ain't nobody going

to let you out of this cage,

and ain't nobody going

to let you

into their confidence

until you change your attitude.

Truly change your thinking.

Like this says,

"My thinking is mine.

I choose."

That's it.

Buddha said shine those.

Tell Buddha it's done.

A salaam Aleichem.

Aleichem salaam.

How's it going?

We're about there.

He wanted Ferrari Red,

But I talked him

into soul-brother brown.

Ow!

This will be the final

touch of the new you,

Jitterbug.

Aah!

Come on, let's get

your mind off the pain.

Author.

"One day on

the red hills of Georgia,

"the sons of former slaves

"and the sons

of former slave owners

will sit together at

the table of brotherhood."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Author. "You can't

hold a man down

without staying down

with him."

Booker T. Washington.

Good.

Author. "We have allowed

death to change its name

"from southern rope

to northern dope.

"Too many black youths

have been victimized

"by pushing dope

into their veins

instead of hope

into their brains."

Finish.

Jesse Jackson.

You sure don't look much

like a killer no more

with that badge of shame

off your face.

Ali...

Thank you...

For helping me.

You repay me...

by helping another.

Bless yourself

by helping someone else.

Faith...

Hard work...

Help.

You got it?

I got it.

You got parole?

I got parole.

Congratulations.

Thank you very much.

You got your second chance.

Don't blow it, brother.

I won't blow it.

Are you a Deuce?

No, I am not.

Can you stand alone

like a man has to?

Yes.

Go find your boy.

Save his life.

I'll do it.

If it takes my life, I'll do it.

I believe you, Bobby.

Hey.

Carole.

Hey...

Bobby?

Why didn't you tell me

you was getting out, Bobby?

I would have done

my hair up or something.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes