Jasper, Texas (2003) - full transcript

[singer] ♪ What a friend ♪

♪ We have in Jesus ♪

♪ All our sins ♪

♪ And grief's to bear ♪

♪ What a privilege ♪

♪ To carry ♪

♪ Everything ♪

♪ To God in prayer ♪

[Kathy] Billy?

Billy?

Billy, over?



This is Billy.

[Kathy] Yeah, Billy we're sorry
to ruin your day off,

but we got a bad hit and run.

You better come on back.

Okay, coming at ya.

Sorry ol' clubs.

Official business.

[siren wailing]

♪ Everything to God in prayer ♪

[Mary] I miss Ricky
going to church with us.

They're grown.
Can go where they want to.

♪ Is there trouble anywhere ♪

Hmm, I miss 'em too.

Mm-hmm.



You know the only reason
they made you mayor.

-Why?
-Is 'cause you so handsome.

-Oh.
-Mm-hmm.

Is that it?

And here I was trying
to figure out why.

Chin up.

[siren wailing]

How bad is this hit and run?

I don't know Billy.
I only been down here.

Victim in the hospital?

The body's up the road a piece.

Near the church, they say.

Look at that track.

Something damaged
in the vehicle.

Leak or a bent tire rubbing.

Take us right
to the guy's house.

Piece of cake.

See ya in a bit.

Even though I miss the kids,
it's nice to have the house

to ourselves sometime,
you know?

So we can, uh--

No-no-no, huh-uh.

R.C., we can't keep God waiting.

Woman, I been waiting on you.
Come on.

[laughs]

So baby, about dinner.

Ricky's coming around four.

We gonna eat 'round five,
so if you wanna help cook,

-come early.
-Mm-hmm.

And can I go home
and change after church?

Yes, you can do
whatever you want.

You a grown woman.

Got to go.

Official business.

See ya at the house later.

How you think it happened?

First, I thought
that when he got hit

he got caught up
under the vehicle--

Mm-hmm.

--that's how come these tracks
in the road.

His body?

May even be worse than that.

He had these gouge marks
on his ankles.

When I come back here
where the tracks started and...

-Mm-hm.
-...then down off onto

that logging road there,

and looked like a scene
of a scuffle.

[man groaning]

What-what are you saying, Billy?

He may have been dragged.

[R.C.] Let's see,
that's about uh...

three miles up to that church.

Are you saying that his body
was dumped up there?

Looks that way to me.

Damn.

You know who it was?

We found a wallet.

Checking the fingerprints now.

[dramatic music playing]

Still no answer.

Yeah, that's 'cause
he on his way over.

Here, put the greens out
on the table.

Okay.

-[Claire] Hi, Daddy.
-Hi, baby.

Hey.

Hey Mama.

-Look at you.
-Mama.

-Have you heard the news?
-Where's your brother?

Parking just as I walked up.

Terrible what we been hearing.

You know,
Son ain't answering the phone.

Probably hung over.

Hey Pop.

-My boy.
-How ya doin'?

-Damn good, and you?
-I'm alright, I'm alright.

-You hungry?
-You know that.

Hey baby, how ya doin'?

-Hey Ma.
-[Stella] Hi darling.

You hear they beheaded
a Black man last night?

It passed
through your church, too?

Mm, stopped the sermon.

Now Reverend Lyons
told all the young men

not to go out alone for now.

I think it was revenge.

-For that thing last week.
-[Thurman] Mm-hm.

[Claire] Black man shoots
his White boss

and somebody's head
gets cut off.

[James] C'mon it all
ain't nothin' but rumor yet.

[Stella] Well...

y'all wanna eat,
or wait for Son?

-No, I'm ready to eat now.
-No, I ain't waiting.

[knocks on door]

Oh, wait, there he is.

I'm-I'm tired
of waiting for him.

Can I have the bread, please?

[James] Playing his foolishness.

Mama, better fix him a plate
'cause you know

he's gonna be hungry.

Son--

Sheriff Rowles.

May-may I come in?

Yeah, yeah, come on in.

Just eatin' but--

Oh.

Afternoon, y'all.

You arrest Son again?

No, ma'am.

I'm afraid I have some bad news.

[clears throat]

I don't know
any easy way to say this.

Your son, James Junior,
was killed.

[James] What-
what happened, Sheriff?

We don't know all the details.

But we have reason to believe
he may have been murdered.

Oh, daddy. Oh, daddy.

Oh, no, God.

I give you my solemn promise
that I will not sleep

until we find out who did this.

[dramatic music playing]

I think we should
all pray together.

All right?

Let's hold hands.

Cigarette butts, baseball cap.

Nutdriver.

Nutdriver with S.B.
engraved in it,

and lighter,

lighter with Possum
on the bottom side

and some weird triangle
on the top.

S.B. think about it now.

S.B.

S.B. and Possum.
Sam Brown.

[Billy] Stu Bullock.

Son of a bitch must be
eighty years old.

I doubt it.

But good thinking.
Listen, we're thinking.

-That's the main thing.
-[Sgt. Carter] Billy...

we got something.

Y'all need to hear this.

This here's Steven Scott.

Go on and tell the sheriff
what you told me.

Go on now, you can tell him.

Steven, is it?

Yes, sir.

Well, Steven, go 'head tell me.
What you got?

Around one in the morning

I saw James Byrd walking,
hitching.

Then these men in a truck
picked him up.

[deputy] And you just happened
to be there then, boy

Charlie, will you shut
your mouth?

Steven don't pay n
o attention to him.

Did you see who it was?

They were White.

What about the truck, Steven?

-What about that truck?
-[Sgt Carter] What color was it?

It's okay.

Light, or white, or tan,
or somethin'.

Stepside.

Mufflers were loud.

Well, you done good, Steven,
to come here

and I wanna thank you for it.

Anything else you think about,
you get in touch

with Sergeant Carter here, okay?

You take him in,
get a little statement

and have him sign it.

You got it.

Thank you, Steven.

That's the first
good lead we got.

That's a hell of a lead.

It's just too easy.
I don't trust it.

What, you don't think
it could be a white man?

Okay we got something
to go with now.

What y'all working on
in here?

Take a look.

S.B. engraved on it.

What the heck
is this symbol, here? SGT.

Shawn Berry.

He got hisself
a gray primered pickup.

That could look light enough.

Now here's a man
who is thinking on the job.

Too bad I promoted you.

Yeah, you could do it again.

Don't push it.

Okay.

Shawn Berry lives
with Bill King, don't he?

That's right.

Bill King calls hisself
Possum sometimes.

-Has them tattoos.
-Yeah.

This here is a uh,
Klu Klux Klan deal.

Forget about the triangle.

This is three K's
with their ends joined together.

I think we got us
some trouble here.

Tell all units
to pick up Shawn Berry.

This is it now. Here we go.

[Mary] Why don't ya go on over
and visit the Byrds and...

we'll all wait 'til you get back

R.C., he'll be here any minute.

[R.C.] I know. I know that.

You know he probably
just stopped to get Mom

some flowers.

-[R.C.] Right.
-[chuckles]

[R.C.] You know uh...

word is folks are buying guns
for their protection

and they're gonna patrol
this side of town.

Lord knows
what that's gonna provoke.

Go on over to the Byrds'.

Boy's gonna be here any minute.

It don't help if you
keep saying that.

You think
you the only one worried?

Daddy, it's gonna be all right.

[Ricky] Something smell good.

-What's wrong?
-Where you been, boy?

-I had me a car trouble.
-And did you forget

your manners?

When you're late, you call.

You hear me?

-Do you hear me!
-I hear ya.

I hear ya.

[ominous music playing]

[James] Now we ain't never
gonna figure out why.

That's for the police
and the courts.

And why God chose for this
to happen

we ain't never gonna know.

We just gotta trust
and obey him.

Now ain't that right?

-[Claire] Oh, mama.
-Amen, amen.

[James] Amen.

Amen.

Y'all.

If ever you need anything,
please don't hesitate to--

-Uh, R.C.
-[R.C.] Mm?

Now sheriff look me
in my eye...

-Mm-hm.
-...told me he was gonna get

who did it. But--

Oh, I-- I hear ya.
Now, I'm gonna be on top of it.

Don't worry about it.

Y'hear?

Well, it's a lot of talk about
guns and revenge.

We don't want
no more violence, R.C.

-Me neither.
-We just want you to try

to keep the peace
no matter what.

I'll do it.

R.C.

Got to make some, uh,
some plans for at the funeral.

Will you take care of the body,

carry him on over
to your parlor?

You should be the one to do it.

He about growed up
with your kids.

[sobs]

Shh.

[dramatic music playing]

All right.

Shh. I'll take care of it.

[indistinct chatter]

How y'all doin'?

[laughter]

Need to talk about some things.

What things?

Why don't y'all come on down
to the station?

You don't want us to question
you here right

-in front your friends, now.
-[man] We don't care.

[man] Yeah, go 'head.

[clears throat]

Dispatch.

Well, we can sit here
and wait for this paperwork

or you can just come along.

[woman] This is Dispatch.

Your choice.

[woman] Officer,
do you need assistance?

Come in, Officer?

We ain't got no reason not to.

Cancel that.

[woman] We copy.

[man] We'll wait here.

Yeah, keep your beer
cold for ya.

[commentator] Lead down to one,
here they come the other way.

[Walter] I mean
did they know him?

Why'd they do it?
They're sticking to their story.

They were just out
driving last night.

[Walter] You know, folks
are saying they were,

uh, they found a note
on 'em talkin' about, uh,

one down, two to go.

Don't know nothin' about that.

Billy said when he finds out,
he'll let me know.

And you're sure
there's just the three of 'em.

I don't know nothing Walter.

Billy just wants me to help
reassure the people

that suspects are in custody.

And are you reassured R.C.?

Is Billy up to solving this?

And what happens if he isn't?

Walter...

you're real good on questions.

How you fixed
for answers tonight?

Huh? Mr. Social Activist?
Huh?

I'm sorry.

A'right.

Now they're questioning them
and they're gonna concentrate

on this, uh, boy Berry.

He seems to be the weakest link.

Now I hate to be rude,
but I gotta go to the--

the mortuary.

-Oh, you got James' um--
-Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

[Walter] Oh, that's all right.
I got to get home myself.

Ruth says she's scared, so...

[Billy] Follow my lead.

[Guy James]
It's your show, Billy.

You know who I am?

-You're the D.A.?
-Well, the sheriff the D.A.,

they don't come down here
in the middle of the night,

unless it's awful
serious bad trouble.

Shawn Berry,
look at me straight in the eye.

You're so scared
you can't even breathe.

And you got a good reason, too.

You got a damn good reason.
You know why?

Because we know.

We know.

We know, man.

We know the story, we know--
We know what happened.

Now let me share something
with you, son.

We ain't got a case
on them other two.

We got no case.

But we know they were there.

But we got
that Black guy's blood

on your truck,
and we got your tools

at the crime scene
and right now

you are facing
a capital murder charge.

You got that?

Let that just sit
with you awhile.

Capital murder.

And we know son,
that you ain't like

those other two guys.
We know that.

I mean look at you.
You can't even breathe.

But it's gonna be your ass!
It's your ass, son.

[Guy James] Now
if there's any deals to be made,

first person to talk
usually gets the best treatment.

-That right, Billy?
-[Billy] That's right.

Now you had best think
about that.

You tell us
from the beginning, Shawn.

We was driving.

[Shawn] Wait.

-What deal do I get?
-That's all you got to say?

That's the only thing you got
to say to save your ass?

Son, you are up
for a capital murder charge.

You know what that means?

You wanna try this again or not?

Now that's a little smarter.

Tell me
from the beginning, Shawn.

[Shawn] We was driving. [sniffs]

[car engine revving]

[Shawn] We picked up
a hitchhiker.

-Y'all going into town?
-[man] Yeah, man,

we're heading into town.

-Mind if I hop in?
-[man] Sure, why don't you hop

-on the back.
-Alright.

We stopped by ol' Huff Creek.

-Want a beer, man?
-[James Jr.] Yeah.

[man] Alright.

King, Brewer.

[ominous music playing]

[man] Hey man, you want me
to open that for you?

Yeah.

They said
they was just gonna whup him

and scare him.

-[glass shatters]
-[man] Fuck, yeah!

-[laughing]
-[man] Hell yeah!

[James Jr. groans]

[man] How 'bout that
there nigger, huh?

[man] Beat the motherfucker up
man, hit him.

It's the other guys
that started it.

I tried to leave
when they started

that other stuff.

[James Jr. groans]

[Shawn] The other guys
had started anyway.

[James Jr. screaming]

-[man] He looks bout played out.
-[man] Yeah,

guess he's tired.

-[man] Go, get the chain.
-[man] Right on.

[Shawn] Don't touch me, nigger!
Get off!

[Shawn] They started
chaining him to the truck

and I said I didn't think
it was such a good idea.

[man] Hold that
motherfucker still, will ya?

[man] Hey boss,
we'd all set up here.

[man] Alright, alright,
let's get going.

-[man] Ready?
-[man] Yeah, let's go.

[James Jr. screaming]

[car engine starts]

[Shawn]
And then we started driving

and next thing I knew,
I looked back,

he was not there.

Look we just wanted
to fuck with some nigger.

Just got outta hand, is all.

That's a start.

[Billy] One of these days
you're gonna wake up

in such pain,
'cause of what you done.

[door opens]

[R.C.] Let us
have this room, boy.

[man] Yes, sir.

-Come to you.
-Mm-hm.

-Instead of calling ya.
-Yeah.

-We got us a confession.
-Oh, yeah?

It was just them three

and it was racially motivated.

Anything going on between them
and James?

Just a random victim.

I don't know
what a hate crime is.

I mean, exactly
the strict legal wording,

but I think
that's what we got here.

We picked a hell of a time
to get elected, didn't we?

How many, uh,
murders you work on?

Just that one last week
and now this one.

Just two, huh?

Right.

We don't work no murders
in the Highway Patrol.

I called the F.B.I.
down in Beaumont and I told 'em,

I said, "This country boy
needs some help."

Well, I'm gonna send this body
down there,

get me some expert autopsy.

I'm going down there
first thing tomorrow.

They're sending agents up here.

This ain't gonna fall on us,
Mr. Mayor.

The Feds is takin'
this one over.

They damn well better.

[dramatic music playing]

[camera shutter clicks]

[Mike Lout] Good morning Jasper

K.J.A.S. Radio bringing you
the latest updates.

The police have still not
released the names

of the three white men
being held in custody

for the death of James Byrd
last night.

Sources inside
the Sheriff's Department

refuse to confirm
or deny racism as a possible

motive for his death.

They do confirm however
that no charges have been laid,

pending further investigation.

Sports and weather up next
after this classic

from 1975.

Kathy?

I'm almost to the office.

Get ready for a surprise.

-[Billy] What kind?
-Uh--

[Billy] Oh, shit.

Sheriff, Sheriff,
can you make a comment

on what these men
are being charged with, sir?

Sheriff, Sheriff,
are these three men

in the Klan, sir?

[Billy] I can't make a comment
on anything at this time.

Sir, do you believe
that there are more

suspects around, sir?

I just gotta get
to my office right now.

So, uh, Mr. Mayor,
is Huff Creek Road,

is that in the town
or in the county?

It's-- It's the county.
It sits right on the edge

of the city.

What that got to do
with what happened there down

-down the road?
-Now, is that maintained

using federal funds?

I don't rightly know.
You're gonna have to ask

the City Manager about that.

[Bradford] City Manager.
And how do I get hold of him?

Excuse me?

-Kathy, messages?
-[Kathy] Whole bunch.

-More to come.
-Ooh.

Sheriff, Don Clark,
F.B.I. Houston.

Hey, Don.
Good to see ya.

You're gonna have to hold
a press conference.

Oh, no, this is your deal now.
Not mine.

No, we're just up here to help
process the evidence.

I just come from your office
in Beaumont.

Until jurisdiction
is established, your--

This is a civil rights
violation.

It's onto you guys.

Good to see ya, Don.

He's over there at City Hall.
That's where all the

-all the City Managers are at.
-All right, so, uh,

-his number will--
-Wait a minute.

What does that have to do
with what happened

-down the road down there?
-The Attorney General's Office

doesn't think there're enough
facts yet for it to fall

-under Hate Crime Law.
-What kind of facts they need?

-Mr. Mayor, Don Clark, F.B.I.
-[Billy] I mean

the man was killed
'cause of his color, wasn't he?

Just 'cause he was Black.

It's plain and simple.
You heard that son of a bitch.

We went to fuck with an N.

There's no other reason,
and that's why...

-it belongs to the F.B.I.
-Not necessarily.

-Not necessarily?
-Still has to be

sorted out, Billy.

In the meantime
you need a press conference.

Who's your media person?

Look around.

I'm just a little bitty outfit.

Well, I brought my media
guy with me.

And based on the facts so far
he's drawn up

a standard statement.

All you have to do is read it.

And avoid specific answers.

Just say, no comment,
that sort of thing.

A full spectrum
of law enforcement agencies

on both the local
and federal level are involved

in this investigation
which will be exhaustive

and thorough.

But at this juncture
it would be premature

to speculate beyond
the he-inus--heinous nature

of the crime
as we understand it

at this point.

Well, you know,
given our employment rate,

we should be getting, you know,
more Section Eight

housing funds.

Excuse me, Walter.

I think you better turn on
K.J.A.S.

Okay, thank you.

Uh, well, I appreciate
your sympathy, but I would, uh,

prefer housing funds.

[Billy]
Other than murder--

[Walter] Yeah, well,
how long's that gonna take?

[Billy] No determination
has been made

-concerning this issue which--
-Wait. Is that Billy Rowles?

--may be brought against
the accused pending

further investigation
of their possible,

uh, connection
to extremist movements.

-That's it.
-Sheriff, sheriff,

-was this a hate crime?
-[camera shutters]

-No comment.
-[woman] Sheriff,

was this racial?

We're looking into
all this deal.

This is a case
under investigation.

Is there Ku Klux Klan
in Jasper?

I'm not aware of any Klan...

[Thelma]
He's not telling the truth.

Yeah, well, thank you,
Thelma Davis.

[reporter]
Mayor, what about you?

Do you agree
with the sheriff?

Is there Klan here?

[R.C.] Uh, ain't seen any
as long as uh, I live here.

[Thelma] He always sides
with the White man.

He ain't nothin'
but a Uncle Tom.

That's it. That's all we got
to say for right now.

[all talking at once]

[Billy]
Don't pay 'em no mind, R.C.

[R.C.] Uh, easy to say.
Wasn't said to you.

[Clark] You did good.

[Guy James] Oh, bullshit.
That was terrible.

[Billy] Are you guys gonna
take this thing over or what?

[Clark sighs] We can't say yet.

[Billy] Sounds like no to me.

Then we gotta do this
regular folks way.

-And that starts with--
-Hey.

--talking regular
English language.

-[Walter] R.C., man.
-No one understood

-one word of this. Here.
-Yeah.

[Walter] You okay?

Comes with the job.

-Hey, Walter.
-Billy.

-Good to see ya.
-[Walter] How ya doin', man?

-Was you out there?
-No I heard it on the radio.

Oh, some shit storm,
I'll tell ya.

[R.C.] Listen up y'all.
This here is Walter Diggles

from the Deep East Texas
Council of Governments.

If we're gonna get stuck
with this,

we gotta generate
some good will.

-You bet.
-He's a city boy,

like some of you all.
Used to live in Dallas...

'til he moved back here.

R.C., you know
what I'm thinkin'?

I'm thinkin' that the uh--
we should just give

the Affidavit of Probable Cause
to all them reporters.

What we got to do
is get in touch

with The Ministers' Alliance.
Tell them what we know.

Yeah, it's important
that we're all united.

Uh, and I hope you don't mind
Billy but uh,

is it okay if, uh--
Agent Clark, is that right?

If uh, if he comes along?

Oh, hell, I think this thing
should be wide open.

Why ministers, Mr. Mayor?

Well, let me put it this way.

Got eight thousand people
and forty churches.

-That give you a hint?
-[chuckles]

[Billy] Stick around.
Get some religion.

-[chuckles]
-Real fast.

[screaming]

Well, you all know,
that's the forensics stuff.

Now you all know everything
that I know.

[clears throat] And that's why
I believe it's, uh,

should be open,
wide open between us.

Course we ain't gonna go to
the press with all this but--

-[whispering]
---shared responsibility.

Uh, Sheriff, uh [clears throat]
um, excuse me.

This is kind of hard
to say uh...

but before we can uh, uh,
do anything you ask

and how do we know
that those are all the facts?

Ain't I always been straight
with you?

[Clark] Gentlemen,
what the sheriff has told you

was all anyone knows right now.

[Reverend] Look here,
if you want us just to go along

and say there ain't
no problem here,

well, there ain't no sense
in having this meeting.

[Walter] Now there's a time
and place for everything now.

-Come on.
-Hold it now, hold it now.

It's time
to cool things down now.

Everybody gotta stick together.
You got to go back

to your congregation
and tell the folks

that the law is on the job.
Now don't do nothing foolish.

We all have got to stick
together here.

I uh, I agree with Mayor Horn.

[R.C.] All right,
now we're in a bind here, y'all.

Jasper is in trouble.

It could go up
just like Los Angeles.

You hear me?

I need your help.

A'right?

[Billy] Press time again, R.C.?

-You do it, man.
-Thank you.

Will the men be tried
here in Jasper?

Actually we don't know that yet.

We're gonna do
what's best for the case.

Are you representing
all the people of the town?

Y'all need to give these people
a chance, now.

You know, we know them.
They represent us, we live here.

It's too early
to make a judgment, you know?

I mean we got to give time

for the system to work.
That's all.

Or more time
to beat around the bush.

You know what, you need to be
a lot more respectful.

-Somebody just died here today.
-Walter, how much time?

-[reporter] Mayor Horn?
-[R.C.] Yeah?

[reporter]
Is Jasper a racist town?

[camera shutter clicks]

Now look y'all.

And what happened on Sunday,
and that was horrible,

but that was just three men.

That were not the whole town
of Jasper.

Now we got a lot
of Black officials in this town.

We got the mayor,
we got the City Council Member,

we got the School Board
Superintendent,

Hospital Administrator.

Now Blacks and Whites
get along here.

This is a town about
loving each other.

Like those men loved Mr. Byrd?

[dramatic music playing]

[birds chirping]

They're looking to crucify us.

They come down here
looking for rednecks

and they damn sure're
gonna find them, no matter what.

Now that's why we're gonna just
keep standing behind ya Billy,

-that's all.
-You guys know what would've

-made this crime federal?
-What?

If they'd left him
right on the church steps,

preventing folks
their right to worship.

But they left him a hundred
and seven feet from there.

They measured it.
Now how close,

how close'd it have to be?

-Hi Billy.
-[R.C.] Hey.

-[Billy] Hey buns.
-[Jamie] You two-timing me

with these fellas?
Y'all seeing him more than I do.

-[Walter] How ya doin', Jamie?
-How's things over in Orange?

Whole department's waiting
to help y'all.

-Appreciate that.
-We could use it, I guess.

[R.C.] Well, we better
leave you two alone.

-[Jamie] All right.
-Good night y'all.

-[Jamie] Good night.
-Hey, thanks.

-Thanks, guys.
-[R.C.] You're welcome.

-[sighs]
-How you really doing?

Can't be worse.

[crickets chirping]

You gotta be more careful
with the reporters, R.C.

You don't tell 'em everything's
under control if it ain't.

If you don't know something,
just say, I don't know.

But I'm the first to say that
I don't know what I'm doing,

which could be most of the time,
but I'm just a mortuary owner

who just got lucky
and became mayor.

I can't do what you do.

Everything we each built here
is riding on how this comes out.

Everybody's watching to see
what we do.

[Walter] Yeah.

That atrocity shocked
the conscience of the country

and a strong response
is clearly needed.

I ask for your thoughts
and your prayers

to be with the family
of Mr. Byrd today,

and with the people
of that community.

[all talking at once]

[reporter] Mrs. Byrd,

Mr. Byrd, what would you like
to see done to them?

That they be punished
for what they did.

Would you like them
to get the death penalty?

That's up to the law to decide.

But they killed your son.

Don't you feel hatred
towards them?

[James] We angry, yes.

But we don't hate 'em.
What good would it do?

No matter what the law decides,
this is a test of our faith.

We have to keep our faith
in God.

[reporter] Mr. Byrd, do you uh,
do you blame the town--

[Thurman] Hey you know what,
we answered enough

of your questions.
All right, we gotta go.

-Come on.
-[reporter] Mr. Byrd Jr....

[Thurman] Come on.
Excuse me, please.

[reporter] Mr. Byrd,
one more question?

I lived here my whole life.

Never feared walking
the streets.

[reporter] Mrs. Byrd, Mrs. Byrd,
would you--would you agree

with people who say that
things are tough

for uh, Blacks here in Jasper?

Things are tough
for folks all over.

[reporter] Mr. Byrd, how do you
feel about Jesse Jackson

and Al Sharpton and the others
coming to your son's funeral?

My son is dead.

I don't wanna see his funeral
turned into some kind of circus!

Move that truck right there,
all right, move it!

[Walter] Now you know I've been
talking to the governor's office

and-and all they're concerned
about as far as the funeral goes

is whether Mr. Gore
is gonna show up or not.

I don't care if Gore
shows up or not.

He can stay home.

But Mr. Bush cares.
And that's the only thing

gonna get him down here

or anybody out of his office
down here.

-We got us a little problem.
-What's that?

You ever met any Black Panthers?

Billy, not all Black folks
know each other.

[clears throat]
Well, they're coming in tomorrow

from Houston,
according to F.B.I.

They're planning on
patrolling the streets armed.

On the day of the funeral?

-Cup o' Joe, please.
-We gotta figure out

what the hell
we're gonna do about it.

I'll tell ya what,
I don't want no Panthers

running around here
with guns, period.

[Guy James] Now we could arrest
'em all, take their guns away,

put 'em in jail
for this or that.

It's a Class A misdemeanor
to carry a firearm

with intent to cause
public alarm.

I do not know that
that is a good idea.

So we just let 'em come in here,
armed, walk around town,

-protecting the community.
-I'm not saying that either.

[R.C.] Wait, wait, wait, wait,
wait a minute, wait a minute.

[R.C.] Look.
And then now what if,

and I'm not saying
this is gonna happen,

but what if when we go
to disarm them

and they resist, and one of them
rifles goes off

and shoots one of us, hm,
or worse?

Shoots one of the kids
in the yard?

[Guy James] On the other hand,
all it takes is one redneck

to go and get his gun
and shoot someone

'cause everybody's
walking around with their guns,

and then we got some
serious problems.

[Billy] I want a pie, please?

[Waitress] It's coming up, baby.

R.C., What do you think
we oughta do?

Can we get some help
from the State?

-[scoffs]
-We already asked them.

They're not gonna be behind this

if it means
taking their guns away.

[Billy] Well, all we got left,

is to play some poker,
hope they don't call our bluff.

-Have one of them fries?
-Yeah.

[grunting]

You about as nervous
as a cat on a griddle.

I thought things
would be easier.

Say a few speeches,
cut a few ribbons,

maybe make things
a little bit better.

I should've listened to y'all.

Not let them nominate me.

It was a chance to have
a Black mayor, Dad.

You're the only one folks
could agree on.

Yeah, right.
I beat a town drunk,

and a crazy man.

If only Mayor Lindsey
hadn't retired.

Well, he did,
and you got it now.

What ya gonna do?

I don't know.

I got to represent
the whole town, I know that.

Can't speak my own mind.

People sayin' old mayor
still runs things.

Is that what you think, Ricky?

-Ricky.
-Come on now, Dad.

[R.C.] Is that what you think?

[Mary] What's wrong with you?

[Panther] Move out.
Go, go, go, go. Let's go.

Go.

[upbeat music playing]

[Billy] You all can't march
in downtown Jasper

without a parade permit.

And how long
is that gonna take?

[Billy] About a week.

But you're welcome to march
once you got one.

[Khalid X]
We're gonna march today.

I know my rights.

My constitutional right
to assemble, free assembly.

This here is just
a courtesy visit

to let you know
what we're going to do.

Well, you know
he does have a point,

about his rights.

What if they was to march
up here?

Would they need a permit?

Would they have to have a permit
to march up here?

In the back streets?

No I don't think so.

-Be all right with the city.
-[R.C.] Yeah-yeah, but uh...

you can't go marching
by the church.

Now you don't wanna upset
the family

-in their time of grief.
-Don't you think

that's up to them?

They might wanna march with us.

Let me just make this
one last point, about the guns.

You can march with signs
if you want to.

You can tell us
where we can march,

but you can't say nothin'
about the guns.

-[claps]
-This here

is my N.R.A. membership card.
All of my people got one too.

-[Walter] Brother, come on.
-[Khalid X] We know every comma

and period there is in the laws
of the State of Texas

about carrying guns.

And if you country boys,
brother,

think you're gonna take them
from us,

you are greatly mistaken.

Uh, we have not invited
these people here.

Uh, so I'm asking uh,

all you citizens of uh,
of Jasper

to stay out the way
and stay in your homes

and don't interfere in any way.

Uh, let them
do their thing.

Everything
is under control.

Listening audience
the same thing,

these people don't represent
Jasper.

-Right.
-It's time for us

to all pull together
and show our character.

Let them see exactly--
let the world see

who Jasper really is.
A city of love.

[Walter] That's right, and what
Reverend said is true.

I mean, the whole world
is watching us right now.

-That's right.
-[Walter] And they're all

looking at us to see
what we're gonna do

and see what kind of people
we are here.

You know, this is the time
for all of us to s