Boycott (2001) Movie Script | Subs like Script

There comes a time

when time itself

is ready for a change.

Yes.

And that time has come

in Montgomery.

- I got the right to sit here!

Leave me alone!

Gonna need that seat.

Need that seat.

Go on, move back

to the colored section.

Move.

- No.

I am sitting in no man's land.

It's not white.

It's not colored.

Anybody can sit here.

- By my discretion,

and I am telling you to move.

I got to enforce

the segregation laws.

It's my duty.

A white person wants this seat.

She's the one.

- You go on.

You do what you got to do.

She's the one.

- Come on, baby.

- Mr. Parks,

we have a real chance here

to challenge

the bus segregation law.

- Your wife is smart.

She's educated.

- You and Mrs. Parks are so

well-respected in the community.

Why, she's been the secretary

of the Montgomery NAACP

for the past ten years.

- She'd be most impressive

to a white jury.

- We've been down

this road before,

and Rosa is

the perfect plaintiff.

- Raymond, you have struggled

with us all these years.

Now here's a chance

for some good

to finally come of it all.

- Ain't no good gonna come

out of this situation.

Now, you mark my words.

- Please excuse us,

just for a moment.

Please excuse us.

Raymond, I'm asking you

to support me.

- You're asking,

or is your mind made up?

- Both things.

- If they ever find out

we using state property...

- I know.

- To run off these leaflets...

- We will both be fired.

This is our best opportunity

to start a boycott,

and we're gonna do it.

- You discussed this

with Mr. Nixon?

- Well, not in as many words.

- Then we don't even know

for sure

if there is gonna be

a bus boycott on Monday.

- Oh, now,

there will be a boycott.

You can count on that.

- Coretta, honey, give me

that baby so you can eat.

- Are you sure, Juanita?

- See, the problem is, brother,

you've been working

a little too hard.

- Come here, you're so precious.

- It's a sermon.

It's not some

doctoral dissertation.

Let me demonstrate this for you.

What you do, you get up

in front of the pulpit,

you get a nice look around,

see all the people,

fill your lungs

with a whole mess of air,

turn yourself heavenward and...

and let that Spirit fill you,

and then...

- And whatever come flyin' out,

that's what you say!

- No, no, no, not at my church,

not at Dexter Baptist.

Folks over there

don't go in for a whole lot

of hootin' and hollerin'.

Folks at Dexter Baptist

are kind of fancy.

Now, at Ralph's church...

- They're downright

noisy and rude sometimes.

You can't get through

half of your sermon

without them causing a ruckus.

- That fellow who shines shoes

over at the barbershop

is a member of your church,

I think, Ralph.

He said, "Reverend King,

you just should've heard."

"Reverend Abernathy last Sunday.

"He just preached

his you-know-what off.

He... he was just... oh,

just amazing out there."

I said, "Well, what did

Reverend Abernathy say?"

And he said, "I don't

recall what he said,

but, brother, we laughed."

What about the ministers?

- Oh, Brother Ed,

you know our ministers.

They're well-fed,

comfortable men

with good shoes.

Ain't one of them

ever even been on a bus.

Boycott, sir.

- We got two days

to tell every Negro

in Montgomery to stay

off of the buses.

One of them's a Sunday.

I don't see how we can do that

without the ministers.

- Well... hey, hey, young man.

Now, take this home here.

Nobody rides the buses Monday.

- Got that?

- Bus boycott on Monday.

We can't succeed unless

we have their support.

- Hello, E.D.

Well, that's very interesting.

Boycotts work, Coretta.

It worked in Baton Rouge,

and Rosa Parks' trial

is on Monday.

People want to call

attention to it.

- Now, why are they having

the meeting at your church?

- E.D. asked.

He thought it'd be

neutral ground.

- Neutral ground?

- And we have

a nicer meeting room.

- Martin,

you're a new pastor and a new father.

And we agreed that you wouldn't

take on too many

responsibilities.

- But as a pastor,

this is part of what I do.

It's just a meeting.

- Where were we?

Where were we?

We were talking about...

- I thought we came here

to talk about boycotts.

- We only have two days

to get everyone...

- So what I think we ought to...

I'd like to make

a motion, all right?

The motion is denied.

- I didn't make the motion yet.

- Well, you were fixin' to.

- See, that's what happen.

- All right.

- Welcome to Montgomery,

brother.

- I'd like to make

a motion that we elect

ourselves a board.

- Get our...

- Denied.

- But, now, Reverend,

I mean, point of order here.

- Denied.

- Oh, come on, now.

- Sister Robinson,

I know how to run a boycott.

- He sure does.

He's about to start one

right now.

Folks gonna boycott the boycott.

I have a question.

How are folks

supposed to get to work?

Oh, good Lord, this is

no time for questions, man.

This is a time for action.

Well, that's...

that's a legitimate question.

That's a legitimate question.

- I just want to say, we gonna

need a leader eventually,

and since I have the largest

congregation here...

- We're not ready

for nothing like that.

That's why I say

I nominate my church...

- I'd like to leave too,

brother,

but it's my church.

- Brothers and sisters,

brother... can... can we simplify...

brothers and sisters, please,

can I get your attention

for a minute?

Now, look,

can we just simply agree

for a one-day boycott

of the buses?

Just one day just to see

what happens, okay?

- Martin.

Martin, here it comes.

- It's empty.

- It's empty, not a soul.

- Good morning,

Reverend King, Mrs. King!

- Good morning.

- A very good morning.

- Good day for walkin'.

Yes, yes.

Sweetheart,

you might want to go on inside

and get dressed.

- They gave me this

and said Negroes are supposed

to stay off the bus.

- "If you work,

"take a cab or walk,

"but please,

children and grown-ups,

don't get on a bus at all

on Monday."

- What?

- We got a ambush.

- Quiet.

We got an ambush going.

- Based on the evidence

presented here this morning,

I find you, Rosa Parks,

guilty of violating

the state segregation statute,

and I hereby fine you $10,

plus $4 court cost.

Your Honor, Mrs. Parks

will refuse to pay the fine

and hereby notices her appeal.

Very well.

I'm setting her appeal bond

at $100.

Pay the clerk.

- Folks just gonna have

to get smart and join the Klan.

Order!

Order.

Order!

Now, there's

a motion on the floor

to suspend the boycott.

- Now, now, it's too soon

to quit, now.

It's too soon to quit.

Now, we just getting started.

- That's right.

- Now, I tell you

what we need to do.

We need to have a little bit

more faith in our people

and ourselves.

- That's right.

Order!

We... Now, now, we talkin' about

whether or not

to end the boycott.

Now, that's putting the cart

before the horse.

What we need to be talkin' about

is electing us a leader

to represent us;

Then we can go on...

- He's had his eyes

on that seat for a while.

- You think?

- Somebody to negotiate

with the city

and present our demands.

I like him, though.

- Old union man.

- Christ, Lewis, I don't care.

I got something to say!

- You don't have the floor.

- Now...

- Rufus Lewis, he's a...

what you might say

a man of the classes.

- Now, you ministers

have been living off

these washwomen

for the last 100 years

and ain't done nothing for 'em.

- These are men of the masses.

Let's tell the truth.

Let's tell the truth!

It's our women

who've been carrying the torch.

It's our women

who've been getting arrested

while y'all hide behind

their skirts

like a bunch of damn cowards!

Brother Nixon,

Brother Nixon, Brother Nixon.

Brother Nixon, I'm not

a coward, and I don't want

anybody calling me a coward,

but I agree with you.

The time has come

to stop hiding.

Now, Mrs. Parks

didn't hide this morning

before that judge,

and we should act openly.

Now, as for the question

of whether or not

to suspend the boycott,

well, it seems to me

that ought to be left up

to the folks

who attend that meeting tonight.

After all, they're the ones who

gonna be doing that walking.

- While I respect

Mr. Nixon's years

of service to the struggle,

I feel

we need a minister

to unite our entire community.

I think he ought to be,

a young man,

a strong man.

'Cause we know this job

is gonna take a lot of energy.

Amen, that's right.

- Therefore, I nominate,

as president of the Montgomery

Improvement Association,

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

May I have a second

on my nomination?

- Yeah, I second

that nomination.

Why, thank you,

Reverend Abernathy.

You ain't see

that one comin', did you?

No, Ralph, not at all.

- You the perfect choice.

You been in Montgomery,

what, a year?

That ain't nearly long enough

to make any real enemies.

- So you don't think they think

I'm the best man for the job?

- No, of course they do.

'Cause you fail,

ain't they ass

in the ringer, is it?

It's yours.

Who are you, anyway?

Just some young hotshot preacher

from Atlanta

with a big old divinity degree

from some fancy

Northern university.

You're just an outsider,

brother,

with a powerful daddy.

They'll send you home and be

back to business as usual.

You think so?

- Well, thank you, Ralph.

- You're very welcome.

You worried

about leading this thing?

- No.

I'm worried about

telling this woman.

- And what did you say?

- I said yes.

- You said yes?

- I said yes.

I didn't ask for it.

I just made a few remarks

to clarify a situation,

and before I knew it...

- You were trying to bite off

a little piece,

and you wound up

with the whole pie.

- That's more or less

what happened.

- Let's have dinner.

No.

No time.

I have to give this

speech in an hour,

and you know it usually takes me

two days for my sermons.

Now I've only got... good Lord.

- You'll think of something.

You always do.

- Now, brothers and sisters,

today I want you

to put on the whole armor

of God.

The whole armor of God!

Yes!

- Against the wrong

done against you.

- Yes!

- This is Dr. King.

He's president of the

Montgomery

Improvement Association.

This is Dr. King, yeah.

Let him through here.

Let him through.

Let him through here.

- Dr. King, this is the day

we have waited for.

It's now all up to you.

- That hold us in high places.

- Yes!

- That's right.

- And now I introduce to you

the president

of the newly founded Montgomery

Improvement Association,

Reverend King.

Good evening.

First, I would like

to thank, Brother Fields

for sharing his pulpit

this evening,

and I'd like to thank you all

for coming out.

You didn't have to do that.

But, I know you know that

we are here this evening

for serious business.

We are here in a general sense

because, first and foremost,

we're American citizens.

And we are determined

to apply our citizenship

to the fullness of its meaning.

Right.

- But we're here

in a specific sense

because of the bus situation

in Montgomery.

Right. Yes.

- Now, just the other day,

one of the finest citizens

in Montgomery...

not one of the finest

Negro citizens,

but one of the finest citizens

in Montgomery...

was taken from a bus

and carried to jail

and arrested

because she refused to get up

and give her seat

to a white person.

Right. Yes.

- And, you know, my friends,

there comes a time

when people get tired

of being trampled

by the iron feet of oppression.

Yes.

- There comes a time,

my friends,

when people get tired

of being thrown

across the abyss of humiliation,

where they experience

the bleakness

of nagging despair.

There comes a time

when people get tired

of being pushed out

of the glittering sunlight

of life's July and left standing

amidst the piercing chill

of an alpine November.

We're here... we're here

because we're tired now.

Yes.

- And we're not wrong

in what we're doing.

If we are wrong,

the Supreme Court

of this nation is wrong.

If we are wrong,

the Constitution

of the United States is wrong.

If we are wrong,

God Almighty is wrong.

If we are wrong,

Jesus of Nazareth

was merely a utopian dreamer

and never came down to Earth.

If we are wrong,

justice is a lie.

And we are determined

to work together here

in Montgomery,

to work and to fight

until justice

rolls down like water

and righteousness

like a mighty stream!

- Ain't nothing wrong

with wanting what's right.

People around here been

wanting what's right all along.

- I have here a resolution

drafted by attorney Fred Gray

for your consideration.

And it reads,

"Be it resolved that the members

"of the Montgomery

Improvement Association

"will continue the

boycott "indefinitely

until such time as a fair

and just agreement is reached."

Now, all those in favor,

please signify by standing up.

God be praised.

- Our Negroes did not

stay off the buses by choice.

We have proof that Negro

goon squads are intimidating

coloreds that would otherwise

go right on ridin'.

I intend to make sure that law

and order are maintained,

and coloreds that want

to go on riding our buses

will not be constrained

by outside agitators

or unlawful elements.

- Come on now, come on.

- Denied!

- We... we... we got people

out here who've been...

who've been walking

for three days,

and we can't even

get ourselves together

to make up a list of demands.

- Look, now,

we should ask for the deal

they got down in Mobile.

There's a precedent for it.

- First come,

first serve seating.

- The city council would have

to give us that at least.

Write this down now.

Negroes from back to front,

white folks from front to back.

- Plus courtesy and respect

for the Negro passengers

from the drivers.

When hell freeze over.

- Pardon me, reverends.

- Can we agree?

- Now, we need to add

that we want Negro bus drivers

to service Negro routes.

- Robinson, they're never

gonna agree to that.

- Well, we can ask.

There's no harm in asking.

- If we can't agree

amongst ourselves,

we gonna waste this opportunity.

- They have Negro bus drivers

in other cities.

- Miss Robinson,

you know this is Montgomery,

and they are never gonna

grant us that demand.

- Maybe that's why

we should ask for it then.

- So they can reject it.

- Reverend King.

- Look, now,

we've emptied their buses

for three days.

Not a single Negro

has broken the boycott.

So they know they have

to accept some changes,

but now, at the same time...

They have to save face.

So we offer them

an unreasonable provision

so they can reject it.

- It's not unreasonable.

- It is to them, understand?

- It's just, we have to be

willing to give up something.

- Give up something?

We hardly ask them for anything

in the first place.

- It's a foothold until we can

appeal Mrs. Parks' conviction.

- Martin.

Excuse me.

- Could you please not do that?

- Oh, Fred, come on.

- Please.

Oh, Fred...

- Don't ever call this house again.

- Who was that?

- Nobody.

- Well, what did he say?

- Nothing I care to repeat.

They're just words, Coretta.

I've heard them before,

and so have you.

- Martin, this isn't Atlanta.

This is Montgomery.

And you do not take those words

lightly around here.

- This will all be over soon.

The mayor convened

a special meeting tomorrow

with the city council.

He'll compromise.

They have to.

Let me respond to your demand.

Part one,

first come, first serve seating.

Now, we at the Montgomery

city line are subject

to the law of the state

of Alabama,

which, as we all know, requires

segregation of the races.

Look. If I may?

The Alabama segregation

statute states,

"City authorities

may require segregation,"

not "must."

- Point two, courtesy

and respect from the drivers.

Now, as far as we know,

our drivers

are hard-working, courteous.

- Drivers are abusive.

They physically throw

Negro women off of the buses

for sitting

in an empty white section.

- That is gossip.

- I've seen it with my own eyes.

The buses stop at every corner

in the white neighborhoods

and every other corner

in the colored neighborhoods.

- Well, I won't say there

isn't room for improvement.

Point three,

hiring Negro drivers.

We won't tell the bus company

who to hire,

and we certainly won't stand

for first come,

first serve system.

- They've done it in Mobile.

Even if we wanted to, we can't.

That would require

the abolition of segregation.

- Which is a law.

Is that what you're asking for?

- And other cities

throughout the South?

- You're not answering

our question, Mr. King.

Are you and your people

calling for the abolition

of the segregation laws?

- No, what we're arguing for

is a more humane system.

I've got something to say.

Most of y'all know

most of my life

I've been fighting

to kill Jim Crow,

whether it's through the union

or the NAACP,

and I'ma tell you one thing:

The NAACP will never support

what we doing down here.

- I do not agree.

- Reverend King, the NAACP will

never support an organization

that's only asking for

a more humane system, never!

- Now, obviously,

I have a great deal of respect

for the NAACP, but this is

the Montgomery

Improvement Association,

and the Montgomery

Improvement Association

has done more in four days

for Negroes in this city

than the NAACP

has done in ten years.

Now, I don't mean

to be harsh in this, E.D.,

but, we need to move

beyond this now.

This is a... this is a...

We share the same goals.

We have the same aspirations.

We just have different ways

of going about it.

That's all.

- The chicken's almost ready.

- There's a minimum fare

ordinance.

Taxis must charge

a minimum of 45¢.

- That's bullshit!

How am I supposed to see?

Peoples can't pay 45¢

for no taxi.

- People can't pay 45¢

for a taxi.

The drivers were

charging a dime,

same as the buses.

- Which is why they want

to raise the minimum fare.

- But if the drivers charge

less than 45¢,

they liable to lose their

license and they livelihood.

- I hope this don't make

Miss King jealous, Reverend.

- People aren't gonna

give up their cars.

- Yes, they will.

- They're too important to 'em.

- It worked in Baton Rouge.

The taxis there weren't allowed

to lower their fares either.

Carpools kept the boycott alive.

- That's all well and good,

but ain't too many car owners

in my flock.

- Well, I tell you what, Ralph.

You keep 'em walking,

I'll get us some cars.

- Now, I'm hearing stories,

inspiring stories.

We have Mother Pollard here,

70-year-old woman,

walking to and fro to work

and back home 12 miles every day

with a cane, unbent.

Now, I feel an unstoppable

conviction right now.

And I know you feel it too.

- So we gon' keep on walking.

- Yes!

- We gon' keep on walking.

We'll walk to work

every morning,

and we'll walk back home

every night.

We'll wear a groove

in the footpath of our cities.

Wear a groove in the pavement

until they see the depths

of our conviction.

We are not walking.

We are marching.

"And he said unto them,

'Which of you shall

"'have a friend and shall go

unto him at midnight

"'and say unto him,

"Friend, lend me three loaves,

"'" for a friend of mine

in his journey has come to me,

and I have nothing

to set before him. "'"

Many in this congregation

are very fortunate

in their material possessions.

Material things

can be very nice.

Many of us have fancy cars,

Cadillac cars,

and that's all right.

But now God is calling on us

to use these things

to a greater purpose than simply

to drive along the highway

on a Sunday afternoon

or cruise through the city

at ten miles an hour

to impress the neighbors.

Right.

- We on the committee

have decided on a system

to ease our burden.

Morning, Mr. Sands.

His car broke down.

We're asking you, if you have

a car, to share it.

We're not asking

for any outside help in this.

We gonna do this ourselves.

And we are going to pool

our monies from all the churches

to share the costs

of maintaining the automobile

and the cost of gasoline

and such.

And here's the...

here's the good news now.

We gonna take up

a second collection today.

Amen.

- And I'll tell you

something else.

If a couple of farmhands get mud

on his precious upholstery,

old Dr. Johnson's

gonna have a heart attack

on the spot.

- Now, you be careful, there.

- You really think that people

will just give up their cars?

- Well, I've been told

I have certain powers

of persuasion.

- Who told you that?

- My beautiful wife.

It didn't last in Baton Rouge.

- What?

- Boycott.

Carpool ended in two weeks.

We're guessing

the bus company losing about

30,000 Negro fares every day.

We subtract some

for the folks who walk.

Some just stay home.

It's about 20,000 people,

20,000 rides a day,

that's what we need.

Now, with the number of cars

we have volunteered,

that works out to be

about 130 rides a day,

every single car.

- Every car?

- Every car.

All right.

All you riding out

near Madison Street,

you gonna ride

with Dr. Johnson here.

Come on, get in.

Everybody go in here nicely,

please.

- Now, now, you all

be careful, please.

- Let's go.

Everybody, everybody get in.

- Please.

- Dr. Johnson,

you still co-ride, sir?

We sure appreciate what you're

doing for the cause, sir.

No, sir.

It's taken us all by surprise.

I... I will bear that in mind.

Yes, sir.

Good night.

That was Mr. Milton.

From the Dexter board?

- Yeah.

Reminding me that I'm still

the pastor of a church.

- And did he also remind you

that the last pastor

was fired for his radical views?

- Not in so many words.

But it was very much implied.

- You found five?

God bless you.

- Now, you got to be there

at 6:00 p.m. sharp, now.

6:00 p.m. sharp.

- Oh, Lord. Okay.

All right.

I'll get back to you.

Got some trouble

at the Day Street lot.

Vandals done slashed some tires.

- They asked us to watch over

these here vehicles

after some of the tires

got slashed.

Said we could even sleep in 'em

if we want to,

long as that don't

happen to them.

We got to do our part too,

you understand?

- And then you raised

the taxi fares by 45¢.

- Cars been vandalized

all over town.

- Sorry I'm late.

- Who is this?

Luther Ingalls,

secretary of White Citizens.

- Is that who I think it is?

- Guess he left his robe

at home.

Mr. Mayor,

we were not informed

that, Mr. Ingalls

was a member of your committee.

- I don't think it's our job

to inform you, Mr. King.

- Well, what is our purpose

if certain members

have come

with preconceived ideas?

- Reverend King,

I came here prepared

to vote in favor

of Negro bus drivers.

I resent very deeply

your statement that we

as white people have come here

with certain preconceived ideas.

I most certainly did not.

Nor did I.

- Well, I apologize

to those of you who have come

with more open minds,

but I would also

like to state for the record

that we of the MIA

strongly protest the presence

of the White Citizens' Council

at this meeting.

- You're here representing

the Negroes.

No difference me

representing my people.

- Don't compare

our two organizations.

- Why not?

- The White Citizens' Council

is openly racist.

- That is your opinion,

Reverend King.

Now, I suggest you exercise

the same tolerance

for a different opinion.

- I don't think it's

a question of my tolerance.

- Well, it seems you've got

a real problem

with other people expressing

their opinions,

don't you, Mr. King?

This man, this man here

speaks for you all?

- All right, let me

make one thing very clear.

Let there be no mistake

that Reverend King

is the voice of every Negro

in this room,

but he's also the voice

of 50,000 Negroes in Montgomery.

- I walked right into that.

- Amen.

- Now, see, they think

they're slick.

They're not negotiating

on good faith,

and they think we foolish enough

not to know the difference.

- Brother, this is a siege.

This is a battle to see

who's gonna give in first.

They just wore you down.

- I guess you're right.

- Soon as you concede

even one point to the Negroes,

you... you open the floodgates.

They're like children, W.A.

You got to be firm with 'em.

- We're doing the right thing

just waiting 'em out.

- Well, boycott'll

be over today.

Negroes will never

keep on walking.

They do not have

the stomach for it.

- You can smell that rain.

- Ain't a cloud in the sky.

Good evening.

In the year 1619,

the first Negro slaves

landed in ships on the shores

of this nation.

Nearly 400 years later,

the Negro in America

still is not free.

Yeah, that's right.

No, Miss Stone and her daughters

have been waiting

for 45 minutes.

You need to send

a car over there

to Jackson Street right now.

- I can't guarantee your car

won't get a little bit muddy.

- All right.

- Well, it is raining.

Well, we will clean

your car for you.

But we need it right now.

Yet the substance of America

is expressed

in the sublime words,

"We hold these truths to be

self-evident, that all men..."

- Everybody.

We need everyone we can get.

So we can count on you, then?

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

- Hey, baby.

Yes?

No, the boycott's not suspended.

Just a little rain.

- A little rain?

It's a typhoon.

- Yeah.

All right.

Where you going?

- Well, we need drivers.

- It held, in spite of the rain.

- Jesus.

Numbers about the same

as yesterday.

Nobody's riding the buses.

The boycott held.

- Hello?

Martin?

Hello?

Who is this?

It is time

for the white community

to stop providing taxi service

to their Negro maids and cooks.

They're only prolonging

the boycott.

- The only reason they're

helping is so they don't

have to do they own laundry.

- If you really want to hit 'em

where they live,

make the cooks and the maids

go on strike.

- Martin, phone call.

Think that they can force

the white people

in this community

to submit to their...

Thank you, Rufus.

- Hello?

Hello,

hello, Mr. Rowan.

Oh, of course.

I admire your work.

- They think that it's funny

that whites

who oppose the boycott

will act as chauffeurs

to the very Negroes

that are boycotting.

Well, no,

that's... that's a false rumor.

No, I'm quite sure.

That's definitely a lie.

No member of the MIA

met with the city.

Thank you.

That was Carl Rowan.

Lead story in tomorrow's paper

says the boycott's over.

- Wait, wait, who said that?

No, no, no!

Well, according to the story,

some ministers

from the Montgomery

Improvement Association

came to terms

with the city council.

- People read something

like that,

it could break the boycott.

- Well, they can't just say

it's over.

- Well, they called it

a negotiated settlement.

- Negotiated by who?

We got us a Judas in our midst.

- We got 30-some-odd hours

to get the word out

before the first bus

Monday morning.

- Everybody don't go

to church on Sunday.

All right, watch yourself.

- Now, how do you know

about these places?

- You hear things,

word gets out, you know?

- Hey, Rev, where you at, man?

- Hey, Bubba.

- Everybody, please remember

to stay off the buses, okay?

- Hey, Rev,

you want to shoot some stick?

- So I'll see you in church

tomorrow, right, boy?

- Damn, you some shooter, Rev.

- Y'all gonna play again?

- Nah, that's all right.

I think my best pool shooting

days' behind me,

but I appreciate you

taking it easy on me.

- Wasn't going easy on you.

Guess maybe you had

some divine help.

- Maybe so.

I think by the time

some of these folks leave

out of here tonight,

the boycott may be over.

- It's time for church.

- That King fella,

he's a... he's a troublemaker,

if you want my opinion.

- Don't believe what you read

and only half of what you hear.

- Who you think it was?

- Well, I'm afraid

somebody from our board

is talking to the city

behind our back.

- You're kidding me.

We got our Judas.

- We didn't know.

We were summoned by the mayor.

They said it was

an insurance matter.

- Well, so then you never

volunteered a settlement

on behalf of the MIA?

- No, sir.

They made like it was something

that already been settled,

asked us to sign it.

- Well, Reverend,

it's vital you make

the truth public.

- I think it would be

to your best interest to do so.

- Yes, sir.

I could see how that would be.

- Well, all right.

Good evening, now.

- Good evening.

- You take care.

God bless.

- Yes, sir.

- Now, if we expose this story,

we're calling

the most powerful men

in Montgomery liars.

- If the shoe fits, wear it.

- But you know these white folks

won't see it that way.

Bad enough they cut a deal

with a bunch of Negroes,

then the whole thing

falls through anyway.

- That's not our problem.

- No, it is our problem.

Makes them look weak.

In order to look strong now,

they got to strike back.

- Negroes can get where they're

going from the back of the bus.

- Sam here sits up front

with me all the time.

Am I lying, Sam?

- The White Citizens' Council

just got three

brand-new members.

Imagine that.

- Imagine that.

- We believed

we had an agreement,

but the Negro leaders

have betrayed us.

The Negro radicals

think that they can force

the white people

in this community

to submit to their demands.

They don't really care

about a better bus service

for their people.

What they are after

is the destruction

of our social fabric,

our way of life.

- And we will.

- We'll show them crackers.

- You are not gonna

believe this.

Ten traffic tickets,

seven of them for speeding.

Let 'em walk

till the end of time.

- Miss Robinson likes

to get where she going.

- These three here

are for going too slow,

and that's just

in the last two days.

They are ticketing everybody

who's riding the boycotts.

And believe me,

they're not cheap.

And let them know

in Washington, D.C.,

that we got something

going on down here.

Now, this can only

end badly for all of us.

This goes to the heart of our...

- MIA?

Yes.

Oh, yes,

you can sign up for a ride.

Women, our children...

- Well, just leave us your name,

and I'll let you know about it.

Just... will somebody please

pick up the other phone?

- Hello?

- We're asking you

to pay the fine yourself.

- Not at this time.

We can't.

Well, we're figuring out

a system to reimburse people.

- These tickets are gonna send

their insurance premiums

through the roof

as a provision in the law

that allows a state

to take action against drivers

who are deemed to be hazardous.

And too many traffic tickets

and...

- They gonna confiscate cars.

- They could confiscate

their cars.

- Tell all my friends that

Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

was my own personal driver.

You tell 'em, sister.

- Be careful now.

- Oh, I see 'em.

- Oh, shit.

Pardon me, Reverend.

- That's quite all right,

sister.

I share your sentiment.

Can I help you, Officer?

- Step out of the car.

Just him.

Martin King.

- I've done something wrong?

- You were doin'

30 miles an hour

in a 25 mile speed zone.

- Then write me a ticket.

- Shut up.

Get up against the car.

- He didn't do anything!

- What are you doing?

- I'm arresting you.

You get back in the car!

Give me your hands.

- Oh, I hope he don't hurt him.

- Look, take me with you.

He didn't do anything!

- You back away!

Step away from my car!

- Find Coretta.

Find my wife and let her know

what happened.

Yes, Reverend.

You see, within the belly

of that first slave ship,

you didn't have to worry

about whether or not you were

sitting in the proper section.

You didn't have to worry

about getting up

to give your seat

to a white person.

You were loaded

into the belly of that ship

on a first come,

first to serve basis.

And then a Negro who dared

to reject the circumstances

under which he suffered, well,

that Negro was a problem.

- They took him out of his car,

and he didn't do nothing wrong!

This your first time?

Never been here before?

Well, no, never before.

You see that hook there?

Where?

You know what that's for.

40 days, 40 days.

And he went up,

and he looked over.

But, see, you have not yielded

to the possibility

of the inevitable.

That's not for you.

That's not for you yet.

- This is a property bond.

- Only way to make

bail's with cash.

- This is an accepted form

of bail payment

throughout the entire state

of Alabama, sir.

- Not this time of night.

- Well, this is

an acceptable way...

- Take a look at this.

- Reverend Martin,

this is Harry Phillips.

- Evening, Brother Phillips.

- Evening, Reverend King.

- He's gonna be your driver.

- What do I need

with a chauffeur?

- Look, we can't have you

driving anymore.

It just ain't worth the risk.

- Well, let's go on home.

- Yes?

Yes?

Do not threaten my family.

Lord...

I'm here taking a stand

for what I believe is right.

But now I'm afraid.

People are looking

at me for leadership.

But I'm at the end of my power.

If we are wrong...

I don't think

I can do it anymore.

If we are wrong,

Jesus of Nazareth...

Help me, Lord.

Was merely a utopian dreamer

and never came down to Earth.

Help.

If we are wrong,

justice is a lie.

And we are determined

to work here in Montgomery,

to work and to fight

until justice rolls down

like waters and righteousness

like a mighty stream,

and when the history books

are written,

somebody will have to say,

"There lived a race of people,

"a black people, fleecy locks

and black complexion,

"who had the moral courage

to stand up for their rights,

"and thereby they injected

a new meaning

into the veins of history

and civilization."

And we are going to do that

here in Montgomery.

God grant that we will do it

before it's too late.

- I have today instructed

the police department

to break up congregations

of Negroes

that are loitering

in white residential districts.

The Bible's very clear about

the separation of the races.

Animals in the woods don't mix.

The fish in the rivers

don't mix.

I don't care what the Bible says

or what the Bible doesn't say.

This will only lead to

a mongrelization of the races.

Furthermore,

many, local businessmen

have promised me they're

gonna lay off Negro workers

who are being used

by outside agitators

from the NAACP

as instruments in this boycott.

- Ain't no good

gonna come out of this.

People getting all riled up.

- Well, I'm sorry it happened.

But we still urgently

need your car.

No, you're not expected

to pay for it.

We have a fund that covers it.

Just send your repair bill

to our treasurer,

Mr. E.D. Nixon.

- Repair bill?

Fine.

How much money you got in your

pocketbook, Miss Robinson?

Reverend.

- How long has that police car

been sitting out there?

- I don't know.

Long enough, I suppose.

Tell me something.

Is your landlord a white man?

- Listen, everybody.

We moving out of here right now.

- What?

- Grab everything

that you can carry.

Get everything out of here.

- What's going on,

Reverend Abernathy?

- The police are out there,

and if they evict us,

they get to keep

everything in here.

- They've got no reason.

- They will find a reason.

They always find reasons.

Where we moving to?

Anywhere, as long

as it's owned by a Negro.

- Go, go, go, go!

- Let's go, come on.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

- Good day, officers.

- It's supporting

an illegal boycott.

- What do you expect me to do?

She has a limp, poor thing.

She's lame.

She can't walk to work.

- Well, what she does

is her problem.

Now, every time I see you

driving her,

I'm gonna give you a ticket.

- My white lady always

be asking me about the boycott,

but I don't tell her nothing.

Better she don't know.

But I will tell you this...

- Joanna, we have things to do.

- Yes.

- The city isn't offering

anything more

than the same old segregation

with increased bus fares.

Now, we've walked for months,

and I say we keep on walking

until our city fathers

give us what we're asking for.

- The latest proposal by

the city now is just ludicrous.

- I agree with E.D.

I agree with E.D.

- Ladies and gentlemen,

now, we've been at this

for 56 days now.

And I think the boycott

has succeeded

- beyond our wildest...

- Succeeded?

- I do believe it is time

for us to be reasonable.

- Reasonable for what?

- What is reasonable?

- Now, let Reverend Banyon

finish his point, please!

- Now, let me tell you

what is reasonable.

If they give us two

out of three of our demands,

I think we ought to take that.

- We'd be at the same place

as we were before.

- Hold on, now.

Hold on, now.

Look, it seems to me

that were we tonight

to tell the people

that it's time for them

to get back on the buses,

we would be ostracized,

completely laughed at.

- Yes, yes.

- Exactly right.

- Look, they have had

the courage

to continue walking.

We should have the courage

to hold the line.

- Hold the line.

- Continue, continue, continue,

continue, continue.

- Here we are trying

to lead a movement

we can't ever seem

to catch up to.

Is there some way we can bypass

the state courts?

Not in Rosa's case,

but we could file

a separate suit

at the federal level

and go after segregation

on a constitutional ground.

- We've been waiting

for an opportunity like that.

The success of the boycott

might just

give us the leverage we need

to pull it off.

- If we go federal,

we gonna bring down

a lot more heat on ourselves,

a whole lot.

You can't deny that.

If we're asking the federal

court to overrule segregation,

we gonna need some

additional plaintiffs

to strengthen our case,

and certain folks gonna have

to put themselves at risk.

- So Attorney Gray

is drafting a lawsuit

demanding that the city

segregation laws

be declared null and void.

- On the grounds that it

violates the 14th Amendment.

- And which one

was that, brother?

- The right to equal protection

under the law.

The suit will be filed

this afternoon.

- Are you saying we going to

the Supreme Court or something?

- No, no, no.

- Reverend King...

- Federal court?

- No, it's a separate matter.

- Now, you gonna sabotage

our negotiations with the city.

- The city already sabotaged

the negotiations themselves

by not being willing

to negotiate.

I mean, they didn't come

to the table in good faith.

- Now, that's a declaration

of war.

You gonna give them reason

to kill us.

- Well, look, Reverend Banyon,

from the beginning,

the only thing we have asked for

is a modified system

of segregation, and they already

want to kill us.

So it seems to me they leave us

with two choices.

Either we give in,

or we just go in

over their heads

and rid ourselves

of segregation altogether.

Reverend King, you walking out

on a very dangerous limb,

and you asking us

to go with you.

- At this point,

our only plaintiffs are women.

However, we would like

to include some of our men

as part of the lawsuit,

and at least one minister.

A minister has great symbolic

value in the community.

Now, the Reverends

King and Abernathy

wouldn't be good choices

because they are too much

in the limelight.

- My... my grievances

are not personal.

- That's right.

They're on behalf

of my parishioners.

I agree with that.

- Will not one of you volunteer?

We gonna have to make this work

with the plaintiffs we have.

If we keep the boycott running,

the court's gonna have

a hard time avoiding us.

- Let's hope.

- The Negroes are trying

to make this a federal case,

but we're not gonna

let that happen.

We don't want

Washington politicians

telling us

how to run our business

and how to live our lives.

We have rights too.

This boycott is illegal.

Now, the Negroes can either

accept our final offer

or suffer the consequences.

- You see, in the belly

of those slave ships,

it didn't matter whether you sat

in the right section or not.

You see, you didn't have

to worry about getting up

to give your seat

to a white person.

You were loaded into the belly

of that slave ship

on a first come,

first to serve basis.

Yeah.

- And any Negro who dared

question the circumstance

under which he suffered, well,

now that Negro was a problem.

- There comes a time

when time itself

is ready for a change.

Yes.

- And that time has come

in Montgomery.

Our opponents...

and I hate to think

of our government officers

as opponents,

but that's what they

are... Yes. Yeah.

- They have tried all sorts

of things to break us.

But we still hold steadfast,

resolute.

And still,

we don't advocate violence.

We don't have to.

Yes.

- The Lord is with us.

- Yes.

- And we are a chain.

We are linked together

indivisible.

I cannot be what I ought to be

unless you are

what you ought to be.

Amen. Right.

- We are a chain.

- Now, we have good news

in Montgomery right now.

Now, how do we protect our feet?

We have all kinds of shoes

from all kinds of folks

from all over the country.

Yes.

- Shoes to replace the shoes

that has been worn down

by us walking, shoes to help

keep us all walking.

- Yes.

- All right.

- But we got

something else also.

I have here a check

from our brothers and sisters

in Mobile, Alabama,

for $500.43.

They sent a letter with it,

I guess to keep us encouraged.

They said,

"Please accept this check

"for $500.43 for your cause

and our cause.

"We here in Mobile, Alabama,

support your fight.

The 43¢ is to let you know

that some more is coming."

This new "get tough" policy...

- Yeah?

- This ain't gon' stop us.

We all know the state

of Alabama's motto.

Heart of Dixie.

Heart of Dixie?

Well, I say let's keep on

walking until Dixie has a heart.

Amen.

- Brothers and sisters,

what do we do?

Fight on.

- We fight on.

And no matter

what the other side does,

it's one thing

that they cannot do,

and that is force us

back on them buses.

Amen.

- What is it?

- Your house has been bombed,

Martin.

- Coretta, Yolanda?

- We don't know yet.

- No, it ain't all over.

It's just started.

- We ain't goin' nowhere.

- Reverend King,

I can assure you

that this type of activity

will not be tolerated.

My boys will look into this.

Want to know what

you're gonna do about...

- Coretta?

This ain't right.

- You all right?

- I'm all right.

- Yoki?

- She's fine.

She's in the back.

We're both fine.

- They ain't goin'.

We are gonna have

a riot on our hands.

- I promise you

a full investigation.

We're offering $500

for information

leading to the arrest

of the bomber.

I understand your concerns,

but there's nothing else

to be done.

It's time for y'all

to go on back to your home.

- This is our home.

- You go home!

- That's right.

You know, everybody know

what we're fighting for

is right.

And we're gonna win,

'cause y'all white folk,

y'all don't scare us no longer,

and you can't kill all of us.

- Yeah!

- I... I want to...

I thank you all

for showing your support.

Everybody's all right.

If you have weapons,

please take them home.

We must not meet violence

with retaliatory violence.

We must love our white brothers,

love our...

Love our enemies.

This is what we must live by.

We must meet their hate

with our love.

And God is with us.

- Well, show us Coretta.

- Yeah.

- Show us Coretta.

- You hit somebody

with that stick,

and we all gonna die

out here tonight, Jack.

That's right!

- Hell, I know it ain't right

to attack a man's family.

I know they're angry.

Let him go!

- I got a job to do.

- Let's go.

All right, I want

that car out of here.

We just want to know

if she's all right.

That's right.

- She's all right.

- All right.

Amen.

- All right.

Go on home now.

- When do we get to fight back?

Brother King.

Brother King,

there are people out there,

they want to take matters

into their own hands,

fight back,

show 'em we're not afraid.

If the whites bring guns,

then we bring guns.

- We won't win a battle

with guns.

They've got more guns.

They'll get tired of beating us

when they see it won't break us.

- Damn it, they don't seem

to be getting tired.

Seems like they're getting

stronger than ever.

Seems... seems they like it.

- Brother Phillips,

we won't stoop to their level.

We believe in the Bible.

- An eye for an eye, boss.

That's in there too.

- I'm right down the hall

if you need anything.

- Thank you, Juanita.

- You're welcome.

Bye-bye.

Hi.

Mommy?

- Martin, I don't pretend

to understand

why you've been chosen.

I really don't.

But you have.

And you are the right man.

- But that crowd out there,

that...

that hatred can't be contained.

I'm beginning to question

whether...

It just runs too deep.

If you or the baby

had been hurt,

there would've been bloodshed.

I want you to take Yolanda

and leave Montgomery.

- Martin...

- Go to Atlanta

and stay with my parents...

- Martin.

- Until this is resolved.

- We are family.

- I will not have the blood

of my family on my hand.

- Don't let them intimidate you.

- They bombed the house.

I think they already have.

I got it.

Anybody got a hammer?

- Reverend King.

- Hello, Coretta.

Looks like you're doing

a little redecorating.

- You could call it that.

It's good to see you.

- Good to see you too and safe.

You've done important

work here, son.

There's nobody prouder of what

you've done here than I am.

But there's no reason you can't

run this boycott from Atlanta.

You push for too much

here in Montgomery,

you'll lose everything...

your position, your reputation.

- Daddy, I won't leave.

- Martin, they bombed your home.

You are in peril.

Your family is in peril.

This city is set to explode.

If you're not careful,

there's gonna be a race war.

- I can't walk away.

I won't.

I've started something here,

and I intend to finish it.

- Coretta,

talk some sense into my son.

- Baby, what do you want to do?

- I'm staying here.

- Then so am I.

- My name is Bayard Rustin,

R-U-S-T-I-N.

I believe you have a room

reserved for me.

Well, put your John Hancock

down there

and give me three nights

in advance,

and we'll be in business.

- Tell me, how far a walk is it

to the home of Reverend King?

Well, I don't know

what y'all, do up there

in, New York City,

but you don't want to be

walking alone

down here at night,

especially with this,

bus business going on.

- And here I thought

all black people

walked in Montgomery.

- Not at night.

- Oh... I'll take my chances.

- But who are you?

- It's Bayard Rustin.

- What are you doing here?

Why'd you come all the way

down here from New York City?

- It's a business trip.

- You here to stir up something

with that Negro boycott?

- Well, I do intend

to avoid the buses.

- What kind of business

you do at night?

- I'm a journalist.

I am working for "Le Figaro"

and the "Manchester Guardian."

Those are European

journals or newspapers.

Is there anything else?

- What do you want?

- I'm here to see Dr. King.

- Need to go on home.

- My home is a long way

from here,

and I don't really care

to return to it at the moment

since I just left it

to come to Montgomery

to see Dr. King.

- Reverend King's

not seeing any visitors.

Now go on.

- Nelson, who is it?

- Nobody, ma'am.

Somebody just leaving.

He can come back in the morning.

- Good evening, Mrs. King.

Bayard Rustin.

- Bayard Rustin.

- Excuse me.

How are you?

- I heard you speak

on nonviolence

when I was a student

at Antioch College.

And I will never forget it,

because you said something

about history that

has stayed with me.

- Is that so?

What did I say?

- That history

wasn't an accident,

that history is a choice.

- And why did that

make such an impression?

- Because it means that

we can do something

about our lives

and we're not stuck

with the way things are.

So now you're down South.

Aren't you a long way from home?

- No, no, I'm from Marion.

That's not too far from here.

Didn't like

our Northern customs?

- Actually, I did.

Quite a bit.

- Well,

if Bayard Rustin is here,

then I guess we've arrived.

- Excuse me.

Dr. King.

I wouldn't miss a moment

that's gonna

change our country forever.

- Yes, yes.

So a policeman

says to him, says,

"Well, can you describe

these turtles?"

And... and the snail says,

"No, sir, I can't.

It all happened so fast."

Well, see, that's how we feel.

Here we are, 77 days

into a 1-day boycott.

- You've managed

to sow the seeds of Gandhi

in the soil of the South.

- Well, it's not just

about Gandhi.

It's also about the teachings

of Jesus Christ.

- Mass action and

black social gospel,

it's a new form of protest.

I mean, it's... it's... it's Negro.

It's jazz.

- Well, whatever it is,

it's taken us all by surprise.

- Might just take the whole

country by surprise.

That's why I'm here.

Reverend King,

I'm gonna be blunt.

You're straying from

the principles of nonviolence.

- In what way?

- You're the leader

of a nonviolent movement,

and yet you have guns

in your home

and these armed guards outside.

- Let me ask you something,

Mr. Rustin.

Would you risk your family

for a tactic?

- Nonviolence is not a tactic.

- Would you risk your family?

- Nonviolence is an ideology;

It's a movement.

- I have an obligation

to protect my family...

- A way of life, a religion.

- And defend my home.

- Well, the guns don't make me

feel any safer.

- Look, the movement is

in its very early stages.

And I hope with all my heart

that, it remains

peaceful, but...

- Peaceful change is healing.

- There is a very definite

possibility of violence.

Oh, hey, Reverend.

I didn't know you were...

- After tonight,

I want you to find

a safe place to put that.

- But, boss...

School officials

later suspended Autherine Lucy

for her own safety

after she and her NAACP escorts

were surrounded

by angry white students.

Democratic presidential

candidate Adlai Stevenson,

speaking to a Negro audience,

suggested that

only gradual means

would satisfactorily

settle the school's crisis

and other problems

affecting equal rights

for all Americans.

Boycott (2001) - full transcript