Godfather of Harlem (2019–…): Season 2, Episode 6 - The Ballot or the Bullet - full transcript

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You know,
there's enough work here

to keep these men busy
for years.

It's good for
the both of us, huh?

Look at this.

Shipped directly
to our doorstep.

Ellsworth Johnson is a lot more
influential than I thought.

Your father's convinced Bonanno
ordered the hit on Benny.

No! No!

He wants me to find out

whichever soldier did it
and take him out.

We're family, right?



He may be
the perfect patsy,

but, what, am I supposed to
pop someone out of the blue?

Yeah.

You know I can't end
the filibuster, Adam.

It's impossible.

There's a limit to
what I can do as president.

That motherfucking
Senator McCarran.

Mercy me.

- I need you to persuade.
- You want me to play dirty?

You want a honey trap.

Isn't that a little bit
hypocritical?

Yes.

Well, you got me by
the short-and-curlies, huh?

I am getting that bill passed
without stooping to blackmail.



What's going on?

I believe Brother Charles has it
in his mind to kill you.

Give that to Hoover.

Let him know how good a job
you're doing protecting me.

What'd you say, nigger?

This thing could fuck up
our arrangement.

You get your guy to leave town.
I-I'll handle my men.

- He ain't leavin'.
- What?

He said ain't no way the guineas

were gonna run him
out of Harlem.

Send 'em over.
Send them over!

- Chance!
- No!

No, Chance, no!

Aah!

Where are they?

It's been 15 weeks
since we've heard

from these three
brave young men,

these Freedom Riders
who came to Mississippi

and disappeared after
being arrested by the police.

They rode in buses
from all over...

Black, white, Jew, Christian...

to register Black voters
and show America

that we can attain equality
if we do it together.

- Amen!
- Amen!

They faced harassment
and danger,

and some, it seems,
paid the ultimate price

at the hands of the Klan.

Mm-hmm!

Although nobody would have
ever heard about this tragedy

if it were just three
Black men... went missing.

Amen!

But because two white boys
were involved,

the nation stood up
and has taken notice.

Even the FBI.

Amen!

That's all right.
That's all right.

We'll take it

if it wakes this nation
from its slumber.

Let us pray.

Lord, cover these boys

in the pure, white light
of the Christ.

Through your eternal
love and compassion,

travel them home safely
to their families.

Amen and amen.

And as a parent of one of
the three boys who are missing,

I am making this plea
to all parents everywhere,

particularly to
the parents of Mississippi.

I want to beg them to cooperate
in every way possible

in the search
for these three boys.

Two of those boys
are from New York City.

My wife helped organize
and pay for the buses

that sent them down there.

That was a suicide mission
if I ever saw one.

Those kids should have been
armed with machine guns,

not pamphlets.

One thing's for sure...
They're not alive.

Bodies ain't lost either.

The Klan know exactly
where they are,

but the Sheriff's Department
is the Klan, so no one talks.

Certainly not to the FBI.

I could make 'em talk.

Yeah, that you could.

But your methods wouldn't be
admissible in court.

Fuck court.

What we need is more of
that street justice.

Amen to that.

...east on Highway 19
about 10:30 Sunday night.

Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney
were pulled over for speeding

by Deputy Sheriff
Cecil Parmenter,

reputed to be a Klan member.

Nothing scares white people more
than Black people voting.

Look at you.

You remember what I said
about the Black gangster

gaining political consciousness

and then white America
will fall to its knees?

Indeed, I do.

The FBI, local and state
authorities, and...

Maybe you're
getting political.

Searching the area
for weeks.

♪ Goddamn it

Klansmen chanting "America
first! Love your race!"...

♪ Made me wanna grab
my fully automatic ♪

♪ Pull up, let 'em have it
They won't be happy ♪

♪ Till they see me hanging
from the bridges ♪

♪ I'm pushin' product, that's
a product of my circumstance ♪

♪ They wanna take me out the
game, I might take a chance ♪

♪ They violatin' me

♪ Now violence,
that's the only answer ♪

♪ I might just catch a KKK

♪ Take the crack for race

♪ We want justice, damn it!

♪ Goddamn it

♪ Goddamn it

♪ Goddamn it

♪ We want justice, damn it

♪ God damn it, yeah

♪ God damn it, yeah

♪ We want justice, damn it

♪ Yeah

♪ Change

♪ Yeah

♪ Open up my window again

♪ Open up
my window again ♪

♪ I can hear death
callin' my name ♪

♪ I can hear
death callin' again ♪

♪ I swear to God,
things ain't gon' change ♪

♪ I swear to God, things
ain't gon' change ♪

♪ I keep a revolver
with your name ♪

♪ I keep
a revolver with your name ♪

♪ Just in case

♪ Lay on my back
watchin' the ceilin' fan ♪

♪ I had a dream
to touch a kilo gram ♪

♪ Still at odds
with the Irish mob ♪

♪ Rolls-Royce down
Malcolm X Boulevard ♪

♪ Lord, these... really
out here Preyin' on me ♪

♪ Got the .40 on me
and his hand on me ♪

♪ Snow-white mink
like I'm Dutch Schultz ♪

♪ Run the books and let me
show you how the numbers look ♪

♪ You can't be Lucky
like you Luciano ♪

♪ The kilos slammin'
like they new pianos ♪

♪ And Fat Boy got the big body

♪ Coast-to-coast,
I could shoot product ♪

♪ Open up my window again

♪ Open up
my window again ♪

♪ I can hear death
callin' my name ♪

♪ I can hear
death callin' again ♪

♪ I swear to God,
things ain't gon' change ♪

♪ I swear to God, things
ain't gon' change ♪

♪ I keep a revolver
with your name ♪

♪ I keep
a revolver with your name ♪

♪ Just in case

Huh? You see
what I'm doing there?

Like, I'm drawing
the tic-tac-toe thing

over and over again.

You know what I mean?

And then I'm playing the game
over and over again.

- You get that?
- I don't like that one.

- That's... no.
- No?

No.

You know the guy stands on the
corner of Houston and Lafayette?

- Yeah.
- Been there forever.

Looks like he's gonna
cross the street.

He never goes anywhere.
He just stands there.

Pbbbbbht. Pbhhhht.

- Very good.
- Yeah?

- Yeah.
- Yeah?

So, it's like...

Pbhhht. Pbht.

- Okay, let me...
- That... That's good.

- Let me just say something.
- Would you stop?

- Not with the fucking...
- This robe smells like piss.

- I don't understand.
- And I need to get you

- a clean one, please.
- Would you stop with the...

Just stop with
the robe, all right?

Look, I could spend
the rest of my life in jail.

I'm about to
get arrested.

For what? Since when
are you getting arrested?

Since birth!
That's since when.

I got this under control.
I can handle it.

Just calm down.
Where are my slippers?

Go scratch your ass
with these frickin' slippers.

You leave them all over
the goddamn house. Come on.

I had my hands out. You could
have handed them to me.

Where's our fucking
Jew lawyer, anyway?

- I don't know where...
- Where is he? Where is he?

Listen.

I pay that guy
to be on a fucking leash.

- That's a long fucking leash.
- Those fucking Jews.

Those fuckin' Jews.

Open up! FBI!

Pbhhhhht.

Don't you see that my husband
is a sick man?

Have some respect
in front of his wife!

Vincent Gigante, I have
a warrant out for your arrest.

- Pbhhht.
- What the hell's...

- Get him in the car.
- He didn't do anything!

Pbhhht.

Hold on, officers.
Release that man. Release him.

I'm Mr. Gigante's lawyer,
Jonah Fineman.

This is a writ
from Judge Sawyer.

My client is non compos mentis

and is to be remanded
to Stony Hill Sanitarium

for an immediate
psychiatric evaluation.

Can't you see this man is sick?
Put your hand down.

Pbhhhht.

He didn't do
anything, okay?

Judge Sawyer, huh?

Good move, Fineman.

All right, let him go.

Yeah, "let him go"
is right.

Yeah, come here.
Come here.

You should be ashamed
of yourself.

You come to
my house like this?

Ashamed!

Game's not over,
Mr. Gigante.

Don't get too comfy
in those slippers.

Nice fuckin' suit and shoes,
too, you prick.

It's too dangerous.

I'll send Chance, Pettigrew,
and Junie Bird.

No, there's too many
FBI down there.

It's best you stay away.

The FBI can't do shit.

Nor can LBJ's Marines.

It's been
over three months.

Any Black man
from out of town

who steps foot in Mississippi
will get lynched.

- You know that.
- Maybe I need a white guy.

Powell says it is LBJ's
number-one priority.

It is the government's
problem now, not yours.

I need you to go to
Powell's office

and just ask him for a favor,
all right?

That's probably Elise.

She took Margaret
to the park.

Okay, I got it.

Thank you.

Ellsworth Johnson, we have
a warrant out for your arrest.

On what grounds?

Trafficking
500 kilos of heroin

from Marseilles
to New York City.

Cuff him.

What is happening?
What's going on here?

Call Duncan. Arrange bail.

And don't worry.
I'll be fine.

On the contrary.

You should be
very worried.

Oh, Ellsworth.

- Betty!
- Malcolm!

- Are you okay?
- Oh, God.

- Are you hurt?
- I'm fine.

Are you cut?

This is the third time.

Did you see anyone?

Who was it?

Oh, thank God
the children aren't here.

They're trying to
intimidate me.

They're trying to
keep me quiet.

And you won't let them,
will you?

I can't.

I can't back down now.

Those Freedom Riders
risked their lives

just to get people
to vote.

I cannot be expected
to do anything less.

Nor should you.

God, I'm just scared,
is all.

Malcolm.

Betty.

If you asked me
to stop...

to just be a minister,

to lead a calm, quiet
life somewhere

without struggling
for our freedoms,

our rights,
and our equalities,

Betty, I'd do it.

I'd do it.

I'm not
telling you that.

You're fighting
for us.

For our children.

For the future
of our people.

If anything, I want you
to fight twice as hard.

We'll get through this,
Malcolm.

Leave me alone.

That's mine.

We'll put Polly
right here for you.

Dr. Cooper to Room 214, please.

- Dr. Cooper to Room 214.
- I-I don't want any of those.

That's check,
not checkmate.

Could you...

Could you stop it?
Cut it out.

Mr. Gigante,
you have a visitor.

Doctor, can you get
this fucking guy to stop

banging his head against
the fucking wall?

All fucking day.
Come on.

If I could,
he wouldn't be here.

Well, maybe you could,
you know,

slice off his balls,
shove them up his ass.

You're a doctor,
right?

You know, gently, and then...
Fssht! up the wazoo.

Doctor.

Doctor!

Doc!

How you holding up?

Fucking miserable.

How long I gotta be
in this fucking place?

This place is keeping you
out of jail.

Unfortunately,
Judge Sawyer's just been

transferred out of state,

and his writ
of non compos mentis

has been invalidated.

They can do that?

Morgenthau.
He's playing dirty.

He also selected a new doctor
to determine your sanity.

You think they can
make this stick?

I think so.

Our discovery shows
they have a deposition

- from a confidential informant.
- Who?

We won't know that until
they take the stand...

Unless... you can
find out somehow.

Let me check.

I got a couple of Feds
in my pocket.

This is bad, huh?

Look, if there's
some reason you can't, uh...

I've been informed Morgenthau
might be willing to make a deal.

I'm not gonna
rat anybody out.

What, are you
fuckin' kidding me?

Come on, you let me
do what I do,

- and you just hold them off.
- Fine.

Meanwhile, you do everything
you can to stay here.

Try to convince this new doctor
that you're nuts, all right?

That shouldn't be
too difficult.

All I gotta do is bang
my head against the wall

like this fuckin'
sempliciottoover here.

Look at him.

Hey, a little faster.
Come on.

Thank you.

Sorry I arrested you
in front of your wife.

No, you're not.
You did it on purpose.

You have
much to lose,

which is why I am hoping
you'll listen to reason.

I don't snitch.

You and Chin Gigante
are guilty

of importing hundreds
of kilos of heroin.

We're talking
decades in jail.

I haven't seen
any evidence yet.

Got any witnesses?

Who? Jehan?

Monsieur 98?

I know it ain't
the Italians, so, uh...

Obviously, that information
is confidential,

but I can assure you that
we have multiple informants.

Mm-hmm.

I have a good case,
Johnson.

I urge you not to be
a martyr for a lost cause.

- What cause is that?
- This Omerta bullshit.

Stop protecting the mob.

Work with me.

The only cause
that I'm interested in

is my family
and their safety.

Though...

I understand you donated
money for the buses

that took the civil rights
activists down to Mississippi.

What's that got to do
with anything?

Schwerner and Goodman
are Jews, as am I.

In Jewish law,

if two men are thirsty
and only one has water,

it's allowable
for the man with water

to drink at the expense
of the other.

I appreciate you
citing Jewish law

to get me to snitch.

Blacks and Jews share
a common history of oppression.

We're survivors.

Mm.

I'm offering you
a lifeline, Ellsworth.

You offering Chin
a lifeline, too?

Not yet.

Hmm.

But I will do
whatever it takes

to see that justice
is served.

For Blacks and Jews,

justice is a dish
always served cold.

Hmm.

Jewish law also says
that life is precious

before the eyes of God

and before the eyes
of your children.

Don't let yours
have to see you

waste your precious life
behind bars.

That little fuck.

Six feet of chambered stone

the nation gives us for a home.

Ten feet from top to floor,
a barred-in gate serves as door.

The weak will perish
where they start.

The strong will
play a greater part,

and they leave behind them
when they pass

a monument in Alcatraz.

Stop right there.

There is nothing
in there.

- Give me that. Give me! Give me!
- No. Please.

No!

Ellsworth!

Oh, God.

You get off of him!

A special jail for special men

that someone hopes
won't rise again.

Yet be man low or be he great,

no one controls
a strong man's fate.

Well?

This is the most powerful
speech you've ever written.

Well, it's not
quite finished yet,

but it puts
the white man on notice.

And calls up civil rights
leaders and people of all faiths

from all over the world
to take action.

Now you'll have enemies on
all four corners of the earth.

Well,
the way I see it,

"freedom" shouldn't be
a word in our vocabulary

if we aren't willing
to die for it.

Like those
Freedom Riders?

Those kids were on
a bus ride to hell.

My speech is a bus ride

into the hearts
of the Black community.

Without Black nationalism,

we will never take charge
of our political future.

What's bothering you?

This speech could
get you killed,

especially if you
broadcast it on the radio.

I've dealt with
threats before.

I hear the way people
talk at the mosque.

I have seen the FBI
following you around

like a dog
chasing a bone.

When I look into
the eyes of my children,

there isn't anything
I wouldn't do to give them

the kind of justice
that's been denied us.

I feel the same way
when I look at Margaret.

Then you understand
my purpose.

- Hey.
- Thank goodness you made bail.

Daddy, I was so worried
about you.

Don't worry.

I'm okay, little one.

Your daddy's home now.

Everything is going to
be fine.

Will you have to
go back to jail?

No.

Margaret, why don't you
go finish your homework?

We'll all sit down to dinner
later and talk then, okay?

Okay.

I love you, Daddy.

Love you, too.

Honey, don't worry.

I ain't ever going
back to jail.

- Okay?
- Okay. Yeah.

Ain't never going
back to jail.

Okay.

What if you do go?

That little girl is
going to be devastated.

I will handle this,
all right?

It's that goddamn
drug business.

That's what gets you
sent to jail,

not the other things.

The government wants to
make me their puppet.

Tie strings to my limbs
and make me dance.

I won't do it.
That's not freedom.

That's...
That's enslavement.

I waited 11 years for you
while you were in Alcatraz.

Bumpy.

I'm not sure
I can do it again.

You won't have to.

I promise.

Who is that?

That...

is my new lawyer.

I, um... I must admit,

I was surprised
to get your call.

You're Chin Gigante's lawyer.
I want to make you mine.

Representing you might create
an acute conflict of interest.

Morgenthau already tried to
get me to snitch.

No doubt
he'll try with Chin.

We both need to
nip that in the bud.

Our interests
are the same.

With all due respect,
Mr. Gigante hates your guts.

Almost as much
as I hate his.

But there's something
we can do for each other

of mutual benefit.

I'm listening.

I'm not talking... yet.

Not until that attorney-client
privilege kicks in.

I'm very expensive.

I can afford it.

And I don't want to know
about anything illegal.

You're joking, right?

I have to say that.

Oh, man.

Here's
a $5,000 retainer.

That good enough
for you?

Bumpy Johnson,

I am very happy
to represent you.

Mm.

So, what do you
have in mind?

Mr. Gigante.
How you doing?

What the fuck you think?

Right.

Your appointment
with the government shrink,

uh, Dr. Susan Beck,
is in about an hour.

You need to convince her
that you belong here.

Yeah, I got that
under control.

I forced that fucking
finocchiodoctor

to give me
some crazy pills.

Good idea.

My mother was in
a place like this.

She was never the same
after the shock treatments.

What, is that supposed to
cheer me up?

Did you reach out to
my federal contacts?

I did. They confirmed
there's an informant,

one with immunity from both
the Feds and INTERPOL.

INTERPOL?

Well, then, it's gotta be
one of them frogs, no?

What are we gonna do?

Uh...

something interesting
came up.

I, uh...

I recently became counsel
to a man that you hate

more than anyone
in this world.

What are you
talking about?

Bumpy Johnson.

And he just might be
the key to your salvation.

I want to thank you
for seeing me

on such short notice,
Congressman Powell.

You know, Mayme, I would
do anything for you.

Glad to hear it, because
I have a big favor to ask.

If this has
anything to do

with your husband's problem
with Robert Morgenthau,

my hands are tied.

I know that.

But there might be something
your friendcan do.

My friend?
What friend is that?

The president of
the United States.

Oh, that friend.

The president won't have
anything to do

- with Bumpy Johnson.
- Of course.

I'm talking about what
Bumpy Johnson can do for him.

You and I both know
LBJ's top priority

is to find
those Freedom Riders.

What the hell does that
have to do with Bumpy?

He thinks he can do it.

He just needs to know
who the FBI thinks

are the chief suspects.

Oh, he thinks
that he can do

what 100 FBI agents
and Marines can't?

Well, they're
bound by the law.

Bumpy doesn't necessarily
have that problem.

That's right.
He's a criminal.

I shouldn't be having
this conversation.

Bumpy wanted to help
before he was arrested,

but I dissuaded him.

I thought it was
too dangerous.

But now, maybe you
can help him.

I would do anything
to help my husband.

You can understand that.

I-I've always thought

that justice delayed
is justice denied.

And those poor boys have been
missing for over four months.

Yeah,
I-I seem to recall

receiving an FBI file on
the latest leads in the case.

I just don't know
where I put it.

I seem to have
misplaced it.

L-Let me look.

Not there.

You know, it's not
there, either.

Well, perhaps you'll let
me know when you find it.

Of course I will.

"Klan members Cecil Parmenter
and Sam Crawford,

both local police officers,
were part of the crew

who murdered and hid the bodies
of the Freedom Riders."

Hello, Daddy.

I just stopped by
to have a word.

Do you have
a few minutes?

Elise, I always
have time for you.

So, what you got,
little one?

I remember the day
they took you to Alcatraz.

I think I was 12.

I said goodbye like you were
going off to dinner,

maybe a weekend
vacation.

Wasn't till
a whole week later

that I realized
you weren't coming back.

They ain't gon' get me
this time.

I promise.

I just feel like maybe
my whole world's falling apart.

I'm worried about you.

I'm worried
about Malcolm.

Why Malcolm?

He showed me this speech
he wants to give.

It's brilliant...

but so provocative.

You expect anything less?

He has
so many enemies.

And I tried to convince him
not to give the speech,

but he won't listen.

He's stubborn.

Yeah, like
someone else I know.

Well, maybe sometimes

you gotta let stubborn men
just do their thing.

You're gonna be all right.

Everything's gonna
be all right.

Promise?

I promise you.

Hello?

The brick was
just a warning.

Who is this?

Next time, we're gonna
firebomb your house.

Who is this, coward?

State your name,
coward!

You'd better shut up,
or we'll shut you up for good.

Hello? Hello?!

I been told
you wanted to see me.

That's right.

I asked Chin for three men.

This is all
he can spare.

Besides which, he has great
confidence in this man.

Take it or leave it.

You ever been down South?

No, sir.

Won't be easy getting
these Klansmen to talk.

I wouldn't
worry about that.

Hmm.

First picture you'll see
in there is Sam Crawford,

Sheriff of Neshoba County

and a Grand Wizard
of the Ku Klux Klan.

The other is of
Deputy Cecil Parmenter.

There's a plane ticket
that goes to Mississippi.

You arrive at
6:00 p.m. tonight.

The Feds believe that
these men know

where those missing kids
are buried.

I'll get it out of 'em.

I don't like the fuckin' Klan
any more than you do.

Oh, yeah?

I read an article
in LIFEmagazine.

Nazis, Klan...
All the same.

Just need someone to pick on
to feel good about themselves.

Show them no mercy,
then.

What's mercy?

Mr. Gigante wanted me
to give you a message.

What's this?

We found the rat.

That smells delicious.

My God,
it's to die for.

- Mmm.
- Ah, quit it!

Ooh, that's nice.

Makin' it for your father

so he doesn't have to eat
that shitty nuthouse food.

I ate that shitty nuthouse food
for two months, thanks to him.

Dear God, Stella,
when are you gonna stop, huh?

Don't you have any feelings
for your father?

He's facing
life in prison.

What?

What's on your mind?

You know when I was little,
I worshipped him.

He was so smart
and funny.

He'd listen to me.

He'd give me quarters out of
his pocket every now and then.

- You remember that?
- I certainly do.

I thought he could
do no wrong.

Clearly, I was
wrong about that,

but I never stopped
feeling that way about him.

He's my dad.

That's very sweet
of you, Stella.

At the same time,
I can't help feeling like

him in the nuthouse
is some kind of payback

for what he did to me.

Stella, your father is
not your enemy, okay?

He just wants
what's best for you.

You gotta know that.

Yeah, I want
what's best for him, too.

He'll find that out
soon enough.

It says here
Dr. Cooper diagnosed you

with psychotic
schizophrenia.

When did you first experience
symptoms, Mr. Gigante?

I mean, just look
over there for a second.

Can you see that?

Mr. Gigante,
I asked you a question.

Just...

Holy shit.

Did this doctor prescribe
anything for your condition?

Just... Just one second.

I'm answering
the frickin'...

The questions
as much as I can.

- Mr. Gigante...
- Just hang on one second,

because you're
reading my thoughts,

and that's a little
weird for me.

That's something that I
never been through before.

I... It's okay. There's no...
There's no problems here.

Did this doctor prescribe
anything for your condition?

Yes.

- And?
- Pills.

What pills?

Pills. Doop!

- What pills?
- Is it the "P"?

Is it the "P" in "pills"?

Pills. Doop.

That's weird.

Frills.

- Nothing.
- What pills?

I took
what he called "acid,"

but not the kind of acid you
throw on somebody's face.

LSD?

I think so, yes.

Who gave you LSD?

Did Dr. Cooper
give you LSD?

There's water.

Mr. Gigante,
you probably don't realize...

I think that you're...

LSD has many qualities
in common

with sodium pentothal,
a truth serum.

How do you do that
like that?

Am I doing that now?

Do I do it
as fast as you?

Watch.

- That's fuckin' wild.
- Mr. Gigante, did you take LSD

to try to convince me
you are legally insane?

Th...

In this reality
right here,

but the one over there
is different, okay?

That's different,
'cause there's a lamp.

Mr. Gigante,
I asked you a question.

Did you take LSD to
try to convince me

you are legally insane?

Yes. The answer
to that is yes.

Thank you.
I think we are done here.

That's amazing.
You're so sweet.

You're such a sweet person.

Betty Shabazz,
what are you doing?

It's...

It's magnificent.

You read it?

Every word.

The call to unity.

The political power that
they try to steal from us.

The call to
Black nationalism...

I can't give
this speech.

And why is that?

Broadcasting this speech

will only provoke
more violence against us.

I can't allow that for your sake
or the children.

Come here.

This is your path,
Malcolm.

It would be wrong
for you to deny it.

Hey.

The kids and I
will be just fine.

LBJ gifted me
a box of these Cubans.

Let me know
what you think of them.

I haven't smoked one yet.

Not entirely sure
I understand, Congressman.

What exactly are you
asking me to do?

Well, I'm not quite sure
I understand

why you've wrapped
Ellsworth Johnson

into this prosecution.

Well, because he's guilty
of drug trafficking.

Mm. Yes.

And that is
against the law.

But the purpose
of this investigation

was to loosen the hold of
the Italian mafia on this city.

Exactly.

Vincent Gigante
was just deemed sane

by one of our
certified doctors.

Gigante and Johnson
are in partnership.

Both men are
equally guilty.

I have to
follow the law.

Of course you do.

But, inasmuch as
the law on earth

is stamped in
black and white,

the laws of heaven,
perhaps, are more fluid.

With all due respect,
Congressman,

what the fuck
are you talking about?

Bumpy Johnson, it seems, is
doing some very valuable work

for the federal government
as we speak.

Let me be clear,
Congressman.

If Ellsworth Johnson
isn't prosecuted,

the case against Gigante
falls apart, too.

Well, I'm sure that
Mr. Gigante will give you

plenty of opportunities
to arrest him in the future.

Yeah, and, um...

I'm a little deaf
in my right ear here.

I'm not sure I...
I heard you correctly.

Are you saying that you
draw a distinction

between Black and white
criminals?

No, just a distinction
between good and bad people.

Well, I'm not
entirely interested

in judging someone's
character, Congressman.

More care about whether or not
they've broken the law.

And I am sworn to
uphold the law.

All I am saying
is that sometimes

there are criminals...

who do good deeds.

You're protecting
Ellsworth Johnson.

W-What exactly is he doing
that is so important?

I don't know.
Maybe nothing.

It's a gray area.
That's all.

Are you drunk?

I ain't drunk.

You're drunk.

Get a move on. The meetin'
starts in 15 minutes.

Change of plans, fellas.

You heard that Chin Gigante
and myself were arrested?

Absolument,
oui.

Which is why we're
leaving town tomorrow.

If they came after you,
it's most likely

that we were
compromised, no?

How do I know
you're not skipping town

'cause you cut a deal
with the Feds?

You must be out of
your mind.

No, no, no, no, no.

He has every right to
ask us these questions.

The Sicilian will track us down
and cut us to pieces.

We're not suicidal,
Bumpy,

and I'm surprised you can't
guess who is behind this.

Who's that?

Why, Bonanno,
of course.

He hasn't forgotten

that little show you
put on for him at your club.

Bonanno wouldn't snitch.

Against his own,
maybe.

But which rule or code
prevents him

from telling the FBI
about you?

We did not betray you.

Not "we."

You.

You're insane.

I've known this man
for years.

We fought
in Algeria together.

He would never
betray us.

He gave you up pretty quick
when I cut his face.

Maybe that's the reason.

You want to get back
at me for that?

If I thought he was doing that,
I'd kill him myself.

I have it on good information
that your man here

is cooperating with
Robert Morgenthau.

That's a lie.

Well, what proof
do you have?

You can't accuse a man
without proof.

According to my lawyer,
Morgenthau's informant

cut a deal with
the Feds and with INTERPOL

so that he could get immunity
here and in Marseilles.

You said you'd kill him
yourself, right?

Hold on.

Ellsworth Johnson's
behavior is immoral.

If we're being
religious now,

morality is the key
to mishpat, or Jewish law.

Jesus was a rabbi, so I've
made a study of your religion.

And in Judaism,

morality relates to man's
inner consciousness,

- not only his deeds.
- Mm.

Unless he is
importing heroin.

Congressman,
let me ask you.

Have you ever
stopped to consider

that the man
who you're protecting

is destroying this city?

Go on.

Pick it up.

Pick it up. Pick it up,

or Chance is gonna put a bullet
in your fuckin' head.

Pick it up!

I'm sorry.

I never thought that
you'd betray me.

Forgive me.

Your boss was a rat.

And don't worry.
The gun wasn't loaded.

Just wanted you to see
what kind of man he is.

What is this?

He was willing to kill you
to cover himself.

He's got warrants in
two different countries.

That's why he cut a deal,
the little piece of shit.

What do you want?

I want you to
come work for me.

1964 threatens to be

the most explosive year
America has ever witnessed.

Why?

Well, because it's
also a political year.

This is the year when all
of the white politicians

will be back in
the so-called Negro community

jiving you and me
for some votes.

Now, you never see 'em
until election time.

You can't find 'em
until election time,

but this is the year when all
of the white political crooks

will be right back in
the Negro community

building up our hopes
for a letdown

with their
trickery and treachery

and their false promises
which they don't intend to keep.

Now, as they nourish
these dissatisfactions,

it can only lead to one thing...
An explosion.

What the fuck
do you want?

All's you gotta do is tell me

where the Freedom Rider boys
are, dead or alive.

You just don't know who
you're messing with, boy.

Yeah, I do.

A couple of fuckin' hillbillies
dressed in bedsheets.

You're a dead man.

Sieg Heil, motherfuckers.

I'm no politician.

I'm not a Democrat nor a
Republican nor an American,

and I got sense enough
to know it.

I'm one of the 22 million
Black victims of the Democrats,

one of the 22 million Black
victims of the Republicans,

and one of the 22 million
Black victims of Americanism.

And when I speak, I don't speak
as a Democrat or a Republican.

I speak as a victim of
America's so-called democracy.

Why, you and I, we've
never seen any democracy.

All we've seen is hypocrisy.

We don't see any American dream.

We experience only
the American nightmare.

Bet this is what
a Negro feels like

when you got 'em
all tied up, huh?

If I had a ladder,
I'd have lynched you both,

but this'll have to do.

Where are they?

We don't know
nothin' about

no fuckin' Jewboys
or niggers from New York.

It's time for us
to submerge our differences

and realize that we all
have the same problem...

A problem that'll
make you catch hell

whether you're
a Baptist or a Methodist

or a Muslim or a Nationalist.

We all in the same bag,
we all in the same boat,

and we all gon' catch the same
hell from the same man.

That man just happens to be an
old blue-eyed, blond-haired,

bad-smelling white man.

And when he get ready
to wring your neck,

why, he's not going to
stop to inquire

about your religious beliefs.

No, he's gon' hang you
'cause you're black.

Now, in speaking like this,

it doesn't mean that
we are anti-white.

No.

But it does mean that
we are anti-oppression,

anti-degradation,
and anti-exploitation.

Now, you're startin'
to get me pissed off.

I'm gonna ask you again.
Where the fuck are they?

I don't know.

All right.

You take your time, boys.

I got all fuckin' night.

So, if the white man
doesn't want us to be anti-him,

then let him stop
socially degrading us,

politically oppressing us,
economically exploiting us.

Every time there's an election,

the races are so close that
they have to have a recount.

They had to recount over in
Massachusetts, it was so close.

Same thing with
Kennedy and Nixon

when they ran for president.

What does this mean?

Well, it means that every time

these old, white politicians
are evenly divided

and Black people have
a bloc of votes to their own,

it's left up to you and me
to decide

who's going to sit
in the White House

and who's going to be
in the doghouse.

The time is long overdue
for you and me

to become
more politically mature

and realize exactly
what the ballot is for...

What we're supposed to get
when we cast a ballot...

And that if we don't cast
a ballot,

it's going to
end up in a situation

where we going to
have to cast a bullet.

Last chance.
Where are they?

Fuck you.

Oh, shit! No! Aah!

There's a new type of Black man

on the scene in America today...

One who doesn't intend to
just sit around

and turn the other cheek.

It'll be a ballot,
or it'll be a bullet.

It'll be ballots,
or it'll be bullets.

It'll be liberty,
or it'll be death.

The only difference with
this kind of death...

is that it'll be reciprocal.

Now, if you never
hear from me again,

if you never see my face
another time in your life,

if I happen to
die in the morning,

why, you better believe
I'll die saying one thing...

The ballot or the bullet.

The ballot or the bullet.

Where are the Freedom Riders?

No! Aah! No!

Ending four months
of speculation,

the bodies of
James Chaney, Andrew Goodman,

and Michael Schwerner

were found underneath
an earthen dam

on Burges Farm in
Neshoba County, Mississippi.

The activists were found
after an informant...

Discussed in FBI reports
only as "Mr. X"...

Passed along a tip to
federal authorities.

The focus shift...

I was hoping they would
find them alive.

When their burned-out
station wagon...

We all were, honey.

Thank God for Mr. X.

Mr. X did a good job, right?

I'm gonna get ready
for school.

In the process,
the remains of eight other...

So?

The Feds just dropped the case
against you and Chin?

For now.

The witness
disappeared on 'em...

from what I understand.

But I don't think
we can rest easy.

There might be
more than one of them.

Garner sympathy for
the Civil Rights Movement.

Listen, my case has fallen apart
for the time being.

As soon as I can,
I'm gonna re-file.

But next time,
you're gonna need to testify.

I already told you
everything I know.

Don't you ever
call me again.

We're home!

Stella!