The Wire (2002–2008): Season 3, Episode 5 - Straight and True - full transcript

Johnny pressures Bubbles to stop snitching for the detail. Cutty lies to his grandmother about going straight. McNulty realizes pursuing Barksdale and Bell is a losing cause, so he turns ...

No, Bubs. I mean, there's gotta be rules,
or else things get fucked up.

Ain't no rules with dope fiends.

When the police got you shackled up,
you make a move, right?

You help yourself out.

But you just start snitching for no reason,
that doesn't make no...

Whoa, whoa! Let me track this.

You hypopulating that you can tattletale
when you locked up...

but you can't do it
straight up for the money?

I mean, no offense, son,
but that's some weak-ass thinking.

You equivocating like a motherfuck.

Okay, so a snitch is a snitch, right?

- There you go.
- So why be one, man?

I mean, we're getting by with our capers.

We getting by out here every damn day
ripping and running...

and ain't got shit to show for it.

It's part of being a soldier. I mean,
that's you, right, that's what you says.

Yeah, that's why I put all this mileage
on these feet.

You wait.
You wait till you ain't a pup no more.

See if you ain't looking for something
a little more steady for your own self.

What the fuck? You ill already?

It's not even past morning.

I'm cool, man. I'm fine, I'm fine.

Look, we hook up with my girl Kima,
we get paid, you gonna be better.

Fuck that, Bubs, all right?
I'm not a fucking snitch.

You know I could argue the other side.

Say that if you drop dime
to duck a charge, then you a snitch.

You do it as a living, you a professional.

Hold up, hold up, hold up.
You see that ladder right there?

Just like old times, man.
I'll be the bad guy, you be the Lone Ranger.

Leave that man be.
We get paid more hooking up to my girl.

But that's cash money right there.

With the white man, I best be the bad guy.
That way he ain't confused.

All right, meet me in the alley.

Fuck.

- Yo, mister.
- Yo.

Throw down your wallet,
or I'm gonna jerk this ladder right out.

- What? No, no.
- I'm a poor man who ain't playing.

- Throw down the goddamn money.
- No, please. Help!

- Okay.
- Hey! Hey! Leave that man alone.

Oh, thank you.

It's crazy, man.

- What's that guy doing?
- Shit.

- Here, here.
- I can't, I can't, I can't.

No, you saved my ass.

It's appreciated, you know.

Yo, Bubs, you won't fucking believe this.

Bubs...

Dennis, you up? Dennis!

Mee-maw, hey.

- Guess you're not working today, huh?
- I'm working nights now.

At a bar. Working the door.

You know, it's just...

- Just till I find something a little bit better.
- Yeah, huh?

Reminds me.
Your friend called again this morning.

She said for you to remember
your appointment.

Says there's a job in it, if you still looking.

So Marlo, right?

He got this one boy watching his back,
name be Chris Partlow.

Bartlow with a "B"?

"Part," like white people got in their hair.

- And "low," like a low-bottom dope fiend.
- Partlow.

- Yeah, what I said.
- So he's Marlo's muscle.

They say...

- How much is that worth?
- $5, if I can work up a photo ID.

The boy, Fruit, he used that.

Fruit who runs one of Marlo's corners?

- Careful, it's got prints.
- Prints, huh? Look at you...

getting all CSI on me and shit.

Now, a burner with prints,
that's gotta mean cash money, right?

If I could pull a print, get Fruit ID'd,
I can go to $10.

And if I show you
where Marlo hides his Mercedes?

Benz would go for $15.

I mean, you don't know it,
but these are hard times in a hard land.

You killing me out here, girl.

All right. $25 for the Benz.

You good peoples.

So let's total up. We at $40, right?

- Here, bank that for me.
- Bank it? For what?

Got me a plan, girl.

The hoppers out here, they only be
wearing them big, white T-shirts...

a couple of times before they chuck them.

So I'm thinking, while I'm out here
working for y'all, I get my ends up...

sell them shirts on the corner.
I'll make my nut coming and going.

Truthfully, I don't know what more
you could have done.

Charlie's right, boss.

- You tried.
- Fucking hoodleheads won't cooperate.

Here you are
giving them their own block or two...

offering them a place to sell drugs
in peace, and do they even fucking listen?

It's a damn shame, too,
'cause if it worked...

you might have had a positive effect
on the community.

Shift commander, call the front desk.

You guys are some lying sacks of shit.

- I'm saying, sir...
- I'm guessing...

that you have some thoughts
on where we should go from here.

Well, sir, we were thinking
a modified zebra operation.

Jump-outs rotating from sector to sector,
combined with a zero-tolerance approach.

We detail a couple of men from each shift,
build a flex unit...

double up on the head-knocking
and corner-clearing.

- More of the same, you mean.
- But better.

Better?

Better than nothing.

Fuck this bullshit already.

Man, they gave us 15 cases of legal...

but they shorted us on the colored bonds.
What's going on there?

I got this.

- Officer.
- Detective, String.

You remember. Bird trial.
Detective McNulty.

You want something copied, man?
Search warrant, court papers?

- Anything I can do to help, you know.
- I ain't seen you around the way.

I'm not around the way no more.
You wanna find me, I'm right here.

Right here, huh?

This and some real estate
I'm working on is all.

You know, more than enough
to occupy me, really.

- Say, where you living, man?
- Where am I living?

Well, if you thinking of coming downtown...

I got some condos
about to come on the line in eight months.

You say the word, I'm gonna hook you up
something nice down there...

by the Hippodrome. Loft apartments.
Real nice.

You disappoint me, String.
I had such fucking hopes for us.

Have a nice day, Officer.

You see this shit?

Remember that kid
who got shot in the parking lot...

- in Lake Clifton a couple months back?
- Drug feud, right? What about it?

Well, last night,
they just found the only eyewitness...

- in an alleyway, bunch of holes in him.
- And?

What do you mean, "And?"
You're talking about a state's witness.

You let a witness get killed
in a high-profile case like this, it says...

"The city's broke and can't be fixed."

- Sounds like we found an issue.
- No, fuck the politics for a minute.

You know, this is something
we all need to be on the same page with.

I'm serious, Tony.

You let shit like this stand,
pretty soon you got nothing left.

You gonna go public
and bang the Mayor with it?

You gonna bang Burrell
and the state's attorney then?

I ain't gonna bang nobody.

Like I said, fuck the politics for once.

But there is a problem here,
and I'm gonna do something to fix it.

You want your cape
and the little red underpants...

or you stash that shit in the phone booth?

I always wondered about that.

- Man, I'd like a piece of that.
- You'd like any piece at all.

- Nigga, I'd like a piece of your mother.
- Yo, stop fucking around.

I ain't started that shit.

Yo, now she got our boy
with his nose wide open.

He's stealing from us,
and she most likely the reason for it.

Y'all stay with the girl.
She'll soon enough show us the money.

Hey, where you going?

Yo, I got something I got to do.

You supposed to be here
on this shit with us.

Y'all stay with the girl.
I'll get back with y'all down the way.

- Say what?
- Yo, I made a date a while back...

got to keep.

Man made a date, got to keep.

Hey, we find out he pussy-whipped
like this motherfucker over here.

Now, once again, from the data...

- when are most cars stolen?
- Sir, at night.

And your unit, which I believe...

is charged with deterring
the theft of autos...

when do you work?

The day shift, 8:00 to 4:00.
But, sir, as I tried to explain...

Your position is clear.
You effect more arrests of car thieves...

during the daylight than at night.

You see, our ears work. We heard you.

But the question becomes,
why the fuck can't you hear us?

Sir, I don't...

The Commissioner is attempting...

to move this department
from the Dark Ages into the 21st century.

That means preventing crime
by relying on computer-generated data...

not on your
fly-by-your-fucked-up-ass instinct.

Give me the auto-theft numbers
for downtown parking lots...

on Friday nights.

Sir, I have to check that.

Where are we with the gun?

Colonel, I was made to understand...

that recovering Officer Dozerman's
lost weapon was a priority.

The gun, yes, we're on it, sir.
Making progress as we speak.

Lieutenant?

Sir, I now understand
that prevention is the way to go...

and we'll immediately
change our hours to reflect the data.

All right, Lieutenant.

Fecal gravity.

You beat on the right people
and the shit rolls down the hill.

- Dennis, is it?
- Cutty works for me.

Cutty then.

So it's just gonna be us here?

- You know, I mean, Grace...
- Sister Grace called on your behalf...

but to my knowledge,
she didn't plan to be here.

She's a beautiful woman.

A man might say things he didn't mean
to stand closer to a woman like that.

You're in the job market though,
I understand.

A couple of questions.

You got a high-school diploma, GED?

Any work experience?

I worked in a warehouse
for a couple of months...

back in, like, '86.

How do you see the church helping you?

Maybe get me some jobs
or put my name on a list or something.

I don't know.

I should tell you up front,
we don't do like that here.

You want a job,
you're gonna have to work to get it.

We'll help, but it's gonna be your sweat.

With that said, then, the first thing
is to get you enrolled in a GED program.

Look, I don't mean to put you out,
but this...

This ain't how I thought it was gonna play.

Me, Oscar, a bunch of the guys...

we seen it.

Couldn't help it.

They practically ran right past us.

And the victim, the girl, had a gun.

Whose side was she on?

Couldn't tell.
They weren't doing slow motion.

Did any of them have a big scar?

Do you think you'd be able to recognize
any of them again if you saw them?

- Just Omar.
- So you know Omar?

Omar came up around here.

That's good, Bruiser, very good.

- You do know Omar has a scar, right?
- He do?

I think we better go to my office,
put this down on paper. Come on.

Officer. Excuse me, Officer.

Is this North and Pulaski?

'Cause I could fucking swear Dozerman
was shot up at North and Pulaski.

No, no, wait, wait, let me guess.

The pursuit of your fellow officer's
service weapon...

has led you to this fine citizen.

Tell me, kind sir, do you know
the whereabouts of said officer's weapon?

I didn't think so.

Calls from the detention center.

Some kind souls begging to assist you...

in your foundering investigation.

Let me just grand-jury my man here,
lock in his story.

Now for the gun. Later for his story.
And that's your sergeant talking.

Yo, wipe your nose, yo.

- What the fuck?
- Oh, shit.

Motherfucker, you scared the shit
out of us coming up like that.

This shit do make you paranoid, yo.

- Go on, nigga, hit this shit.
- No, man, I gotta drop urine tomorrow.

Yo, you worried about that?

Go ahead, nigga. We got that covered.

Oh, you got that covered?

What, you think
you're the only motherfucker on parole?

- Yo, nigga, give me that shit.
- There you go.

All right. What was her day?

She caught a hack
up to Towson Town Mall.

Hit two jewelry stores
and came back with bags from both.

By the time she caught up with our boy...

she was wearing one of them shits
around her neck.

- Gave the other one to him.
- You know, his and hers, like.

Yeah, Cutty. She was on that shit, man.

It's been a week, McNulty.

Either you got something on Stringer
or you don't.

He tried to sell me a condo.

Cocksucker.

Might as well join the Rotary
and take up golf or some shit.

He's running with the hounds,
though I'll bet his heart is still with the fox.

Stringer's out of the game?

Mr. Bell has become the bank.

The bank?

The bank plays it legit.
He generates a good bit of honest income.

But at the same time,
his money finances packages...

that he himself will never touch.

He won't go near the street.

He's insulated
from the everyday operations of the corner.

The money that comes back
is then laundered through...

enough straight business investments
that there's no way to trace it.

A player gets to that point,
there ain't no way in hell...

a working police
is going to tie a can to his tail.

Oh, man.

So, Kintel Williamson,
the prince of Pimlico.

- Where we at on this mope?
- DNRs on a couple of payphones.

That got it?

All right.

You gonna help or what, boy?

Might as well not even take a whistle...

if all I'm doing
is standing in the fucking alley.

Back's where you belong.

Thataway I ain't got to be worrying
about getting my damn head blown off...

- 'cause you all scared and shit.
- Enough.

Y'all hear me? I said enough.

Come over here and put some pumpkin
balls in this shotgun, man. Kimmy!

Both of y'all learn to live with it,
or y'all out, man.

Now, this time we gonna do it right.
Y'all feel me?

Boss, you gotta let this go.
It ain't gonna work.

You said in COMSTAT shit rolls down.

Now, we tried to talk to all the hoppers.
What the hell can they do about anything?

We need to bring it to the dealers.

Sergeant...

I need a list of names of all
the mid-level dealers running my corners.

Sir?

You are my DEU, Sergeant, right?
I need a list of names.

Maybe Narcotics downtown
has something like that. I don't know.

We're knocking heads, taking bodies.

I didn't know I was supposed
to be doing a census or nothing.

Hey, yo, miss.
Miss, where the pee-pot at? Thanks.

Come on, this way.

- Yo, my man need to drop a negative.
- Yeah.

- $5.
- Motherfucker, they was just $2.

You try finding clean piss in Baltimore.
$5 a go.

- Yo, how I know it's clean?
- I get mine from daycare.

I need you to put the chicken
in the oven at 375.

Yes, and after you're done that, I need you
to help me put your sister down...

Excuse me, miss.

Put your thumb on the scanner.

Hold on a second.

- What's your name?
- Wise, Dennis Wise.

Take one of those.
Go around the corner to the second door.

No, you cannot go outside.

Are you listening to what I'm saying?

That's all we got on the Westside dealers.

George. I'm looking
at a sprinkling of rap sheets here.

Well, you telling me
nobody in this department know...

who controls
West Baltimore corners anymore?

Hey, Rawls has my people doing street rips.

You want up-to-date info,
you should try the intelligence unit.

- Shit, they sent me to you, George.
- What the fuck can I tell you?

With all the street work, ain't nobody
left doing the high-end drug stuff.

From what I'm hearing,
the guy comes in of his own accord...

and he gets betrayed by us.

Protection in this city amounts
to nothing more than getting dumped...

in a fleabag joint on Route 40
and calling it a plan.

No monitoring, no assistance.

Nothing. Just a bundle of clothes
and a toothbrush.

- Jesus.
- No way to treat a cooperator.

I know someone could get
a lot of mileage out of this with the press.

But fuck that, right,
because if I go that way...

then everybody gets defensive
and nothing gets fixed.

- I'm coming to you with this, straight up.
- Agreed.

Where do we stand on this?

You've already called for a meeting
on this with the state's attorney...

and the Police Commissioner.
It's penciled in for next Wednesday.

No, no, Tommy's right on this.
We need to act quickly.

I'm glad you came to us with this.
I'll light a fire, believe me.

All right, thanks.

- You will keep me in the loop on this?
- Yeah, absolutely. Councilman.

Hey, slow up, girlfriend,
we need to talk for a minute.

- Yeah, sweet thing.
- We met before?

- No, baby, but that can happen.
- We ain't met, excuse me.

- Hey, it's just talk, baby.
- Get the fuck out the way.

Look, girl,
all we need for you to do is talk...

Is you deaf or just stone stupid?

- Look, hold on, girl, all we wanna do...
- Whoa!

Damn.

Now, we gonna talk.

How the fuck is this little runt of a unit...

holding all this drug intelligence?

I made the rounds down at headquarters
and came up with jack...

and y'all holding all this.

Well, you run a couple of wiretaps,
you fill up a file cabinet pretty fast.

This is great. Thanks.

Oh, shit! God damn it!

I heard this was where you landed.

This pretty boy, I broke his ass in.

I wrote more on ID complaints
on Bushy-top here...

than on the whole goddamn squad.
That is, till he scuffed himself up.

Now where you at, McNulty?

1911 South Clinton Street, first floor.

There you go.

Yeah. I know you got to keep him close...

but still,
that's a good goddamn police right here.

So what brings you to our shop?

I'm trying to find out
who running my corners.

My own DEU is just about street rips,
and headquarters wasn't no help, neither.

- Y'all saved my ass, though.
- You tell him about your boy Marlo?

It's in the files, along with
every other mid-level player we know.

You don't mind me asking,
what are you gonna do with all that, Major?

Well...

we'll round up these young men...

and put a little COMSTAT on their ass.

Gentlemen. Ma'am. Bushy-top.

Bushy-top?

Uh, point of order and shit.

Chair recognize the esteemed rep
of the Veronica Avenue boys.

All right, look,
we done talked this shit to death, all right?

- When we gonna vote?
- Rick do have a point.

All right, then.
All those in favor of going together...

so we can get the best discount
on a New York package, raise up.

- All right, then.
- There it is.

Look like we gonna make
more money, together.

Got to say I'm proud of y'all
for putting aside petty grievances...

and putting this thing together.

For a cold-ass crew of gangsters,
y'all carried it like Republicans and shit.

Yo, remember, man,
talk this shit up when you hit them bricks.

Best way to get more involved
is to tell people...

about the benefits of this here thing.

No beefing, no drama, just business.

Anybody got problems
with anybody else here...

we bring it to the group.
We ain't gotta take it to the streets.

All right. Let's do it.

- All right.
- Yo.

Motherfucker, what is that?

The Robert Rules say we gotta have
minutes for a meeting, right?

These the minutes.

Nigga, is you taking notes
on a criminal fucking conspiracy?

What the fuck is you thinking, man?

- That's cool.
- Dad, he's cheating.

Michael, take it easy on your brother.

How are you two getting along
with Mom's new friend?

- We call him Dennis. He's not new.
- Okay, how are you doing with him?

Mom says we can't talk to you
about family stuff.

Dad, you going to the open house?

Yeah, I'll try.
I've been real busy at work though.

- New case and all.
- Mom says you have to go, Dad.

Yeah, all the other kids' fathers
are gonna be there.

Get his legs.

- Steal from us, motherfucker, huh?
- Get the ring, too, yo.

- Shit won't come off, yo.
- Drop him.

You know the man works for us.

You keep going at him like that...

ain't gonna be nothing left of him
to make right what he owes.

Bitch got to pay.

- Hey, yo, check his pockets, yo.
- Right.

- That dog's mine, yo.
- Fuck off! Get the fuck off!

What's up, baby?

Yo, man, I been in here for 26 months...

you come pick me up
in a motherfucking Ford?

I'm just fucking with you. What's up, baby?

What up, man?

Man, I'm feeling real good to be out
of this motherfucker. You know what?

There's a sign on the other side
of this gate that say, "Never again."

And that's the only fucking thing
I'm gonna take with me from this place.

First things first, man.
Let's get you looking right.

You know what I mean?

You got my shit. Oh, yes. Yes.
Good looking, baby.

Start with Sector One.

Bring as many as you can down to the
Vincent Street area by the end of the shift.

Don't use your wagons.

Bring as many as you can in your cars.

The hoppers wouldn't listen.
What makes you think these guys will?

These are lieutenants running the corners...

and I personally feel their pain.

Now, middle-management means
that you have just enough responsibility...

that you got to listen when people talk...

and not so much...

that you can tell anybody
to go fuck themselves.

Look, my major just wants to talk.
That's all, I promise.

- We'll bring you right back.
- That ain't gonna happen.

What the fuck you say?

What the fuck you mean,
it ain't gonna happen?

Let me tell you something, motherfucker.
We got orders to bring your sorry ass...

down the way for a sit down with our boss.

Now we're prepared
to take you with us right now.

- We can either do this the easy way...
- Brain-dead fucks.

It's up to you.

- Hello.
- Prez, it's me.

I think we got a little situation here.
Stay with me. 10-6.

Major wants the dickhead, you gotta go.

I think he gets a pass this time.

You sure? I mean, you want, he goes.

Another time, Herc.

We're on the Major's clock here.

Don't forget the face, cocksucker.
It's gonna be here tomorrow.

- You need me to call dispatch?
- No, it's okay. I'll tell you later.

I say we get the troops
and fuck these assholes up.

- Come on, let's go again.
- Come on, Tommy, it's just a game.

Look, sounds like you got what
you want, anyway. From the Mayor, I mean.

Yeah, well, he's played me before.

But so help me...

if he farts around on this...

I'm going after him. Big time.

- For real?
- Trust me on this.

He keeps ducking me,
I'm gonna fuck him good.

That's the good part.

It's what I call the carrot.

Now you move your people
into any designated area I told you about...

and you'll have immunity
from arrest and prosecution.

You're free to make your drops,
collect what need collecting...

won't nobody bother you.
You got my word on it.

- What do you get out of this?
- That's a fair question.

I want to salvage
what's still worth salvaging in my district.

And I can't do that with a bunch
of young hoppers running around...

scaring the hell out of decent people.

Now, these kids ain't gonna listen to me,
but they will listen to y'all.

Now, you tell them to move down here,
set up a shop, and they will.

So the way I got it figured, I motivate you...

- and you motivate them.
- No, this is a trap.

No, you check out the spot.

There ain't no cameras,
ain't no microphones, nothing.

Any cops you see
going to be down right on the perimeter.

Just to make sure there's no violence.
And you watch.

You see if it don't work out the way I say.

Nothing personal against you, Chief...

- but what happens if we buck?
- You remember the carrot, right?

Well, you choose the stick instead...

you gonna feel that stick
like you ain't never felt before.

We gonna indict every corner, every day.

I got over 200 sworn personnel,
and I plan to free up every one of them...

to knock every one of y'all down they can.

You're on a corner in my district,
it ain't gonna be about no humble...

it ain't gonna be about no loitering charge,
nothing like that.

There gonna be some biblical shit
happening to you on the way...

to that motherfucking jail wagon.
You understand me?

And while you're bucking the new system,
the smart ones among you...

gonna be down here,
making money hand over fist.

So think it over.

But I swear to God, come Monday...

your world and mine
ain't gonna be the same.

I thought you said
these goddamn houses were vacant.

- We must have missed her.
- There's one more thing I gotta do then.

Little man, up on B tier,
one of his boys in the dormitory...

his brother's tight with the girlfriend
of the boy that shot that police.

Little man saying,
"If you sprung the three of us...

"we can get her talking."
You know, find the gun.

Yo, I'm hearing the boy, Dink,
got that man's gun.

Now, I ain't sure yet if that Dink be...

Dink Dink or Inky Dink or maybe Fat Dink.

Then again, it might be Flatnose Dink.
No, wait.

Nah, nah, that can't be him, that Dink dead.

Look, man, I can help you.

But first you gotta get me out
from under these murder beefs.

Yeah. How many murders are we talking?

Look, man, do it have to be the cop's gun?

'Cause if it's guns you want,
I can get you guns.

I remember this. Sixth grade.

Mrs. Holley's science class. Box lunches.
Taste like shit.

You got something so important, man,
you can't go through the proper channels?

Well, no. I don't know.

I just figured if I told anybody but you,
you might think I'm riding the rock.

What makes me think you ain't?

Yeah, right. That's a good point.

Look, today, me, Tuckie, Little Mikey...

man, we all, a bunch of us
got scooped up by the police.

Well, you shouldn't sell drugs.

All right, all right.

Nah, see, they didn't take us to the station.

They took us down to the bottom
of Vincent Street...

where all the houses is boarded up,
and they let us out.

And then, on top of all of that, like,
the whole while they was being...

all like decent and shit,
and you know that fucked me up.

And then, like,
the police chief, he come out...

and this is the crazy part...

he say that he got it set up
so where we could sell stuff...

in certain spots,
and the police won't bother us.

I know, I know. It's fucked up...

but I just thought you should know.

- That's it?
- Yeah, just that and the boy Marlo.

Yeah, I'm on it.

Yep.

23-03 to KGA.

Have Foxtrot meet me on six, Adam.

- Foxtrot, 10-4.
- 23-03 to Foxtrot.

- Foxtrot, standing by.
- It's a black Mercedes, pulling out the lot.

Copy that, we got the eyeball.

This here the spot? 'Cause Tuckie says
we supposed to set up shop here.

- Hamsterdam.
- Yeah, this is it.

Set up anywhere inside
where we got the white flags.

- Yo, I'm getting ready to roll out.
- You just got here. What's wrong?

Ain't nobody around to buy.

Good point.

- Man needs customers.
- I'm saying...

No. I mean, you can't make me.
I'm a sworn fucking police officer.

What's up, man?
You got that Body Bag still? Two.

Narco.

- Give it up, motherfucker.
- Money comes back, right now.

Boss, you fucking up, man.

You didn't let me cop
before you snatch me up.

Is that some fucking rule?

You call, we haul. You clean?

Yeah, of course I'm clean.

Stupid-ass rookie
didn't even give me a chance to cop.

This corner's indicted.

You move over to Vincent Street,
or we come back with the bracelets.

Anybody available for...

- What you got?
- 10-11 me at Riggs and Calhoun.

Despite unforeseen delays...

we will begin an academy class
this January...

which leaves us in good shape
for the coming year.

Thank you, Commissioner.

The chair pleases,
I have a couple of questions.

Commissioner, I know that you are aware
that a state witness...

in a recent city homicide prosecution
was killed.

We are treating that incident
with the highest priority.

Homicide has set up a task force...

and Narcotics is working
the informant angle.

We have also asked both the FBI
and DEA for support.

It sounds like a full-court press,
but you must admit...

it's a bit like closing the barn door
after the horse is out.

I mean, the shooting of the boy
on a lot at Lake Clifton High School...

was a high-profile case,
wasn't it, Commissioner?

Yes, it was.

And yet a key witness in the case
was allowed... One moment.

Excuse me, Commissioner, but the chair
was good enough to remind me...

that you have a pressing engagement.

So if it's all right with you,
we can continue this at a later date.

Meeting adjourned.

Did you see Burrell sweat?

- The man's collar almost melted.
- What the hell got into you?

You did, old buddy. You did.

End of the line, all out.

We got that Rockefeller, yo.
We got that Rockefeller over here, yo.

- Over here we got that Rockefeller, yo.
- What the fuck?

Yo, yo, we got that Rockefeller, yo.

We got that WMD. Right here, right here.

- I hear the WMD is the bomb.
- WMD. Right here.

WMD.

Give me two, yo.

WMD. Right here.

WMD, right here. Right here.

Right here.

- We got that Rockefeller over here.
- Yo.

We got that Rockefeller, yo.

- What do we got?
- There's binoculars on the floor.

- Marlo making a move?
- Just watch.

Forget everything the boy Bodie told you.

Forget the beating, it ain't about that.

You smart, man, I can see that.

I wanted you to choose somewhere safe
for us to speak.

But God damn...

only bugs in this motherfucker
gonna have legs.

Now, I appreciate smart...

but you gotta know in this game, man,
it ain't enough.

You a student of history?

You know this town had its share
of smart players, man?

Melvin, Little Wil, Big Head Brother,
Peanut, Warren.

All real smart, man, real smart.

But you know,
soon as their names rang out...

the feds was on them.
You know what I mean?

Government ain't want you to be organized.
No, they want you...

scrimping and scraping, killing each other
on the corner on some bullshit.

Not me.

That's why me and Prop Joe,
we getting ready to put this co-op together.

Different crews, one package.
Best dope, best coke.

Share and share alike.

- Been hearing about that.
- You been hearing about that?

That's good. That's a start, right?

You know that Mercedes
you got riding out there, man...

you got that titled in your aunt's name
or some shit?

Now, when they come get you,
that straw purchase out there...

gonna come bite you in the ass, boy.
That's what they do.

They turn your money against you.

Now, you,
I'm thinking with the corners that you got...

- you close to $1 mil, right?
- I'm doing all right.

You doing all right, but all right
ain't got your name on a crib, right?

Ain't got you a little spot for you
to wash that dirty money.

That what I'm offering you, man.

- Come on, who's he in there with?
- I told you, keep watching.

Bunk put you up to this?

Tell you what, how about a case
of that PBR piss you drink...

against a touch of the Irish
that he went out the back...

and you're watching that house
for nothing.

Here comes your nothing.

Whoa!

I like my piss in bottles.

Anyway you like, darling.

Chris. Tell our people to tool up.

I'm on it.

I got that WMD. Got that WMD.

I got that WMD. Got that WMD.

They get comfortable with it pretty quick.

- Yeah, it's like we ain't even standing here.
- The hoppers call it Hamsterdam.

Like from Amsterdam.

Hamsterdam.

...by the use of integrated math concepts
such as algebraic reasoning...

and number sense,
geometry and probability.

Very impressive.

Now what we try to do is keep
the class size under 10, 12 at the very most.

- And there are three levels?
- Yes, so that if...

Sorry, I'm Jim McNulty. I'm a little late,
'cause of developments at work.

Mr. McNulty.

I have some concerns
about the integrated math program.

In their previous schools,
Michael took introductory algebra...

but I understand that this school
is doing something different.

- We are. The integrated math program...
- Excuse me, I'm thirsty.

Can I get either of you something to drink?

The integrated math program here
consists...

Not much of a spread,
but you can't go wrong with crudit?s.

Crudity?

I'm sorry. You know, I came straight
from work, or I'd have changed.

No need to call names, right?

- What do you do, Mr...
- I'm on the board at Legg Mason.

- Jim McNulty.
- Legg Mason?

Either that or I'm a cop in the city.
I keep forgetting.

Terri D'Agostino.

I'm an alumni and one of the school's
dreaded fundraisers.

The math program
offers tutoring possibilities.

So if Michael finds it difficult adjusting...

we can have classes
on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

- So how do you find the school?
- It's good.

Good.

My ex and I are thinking
of sending our boys here.

- Any problems, difficulties?
- No, not really.

I mean, there's the math integration class
for my oldest.

He's in sixth, seventh, and...

I'm just not sure he's ready, you know,
for all that math.

- Careful, I'm only a country boy.
- Shut up.

- Hey, sweetie, welcome home.
- How's it going?

- What's up, man?
- How you doing?

Welcome back.

Hey, sis.

Man, I just wish I wasn't the only one
coming home, you know.

I know.

Enjoy tonight. We'll talk later.

- Welcome home.
- What up, Prop? How you doing, man?

All right. You looking fit.

Hell, yeah, I've been working out in there.
That's all you gonna do, is work out.

Might be a good place
for a fat man to find his inner self.

Yo. I got some downtown suits
who wanna holler at you real quick.

Take me to see suits,
I'm trying to see some skirts.

So what do you do?

You should get dressed.

I got a lot of work here.
It's a long day for me tomorrow.

I'll be really quiet.

You never know,
you might get bored working.

I gotta work.

You gotta go.

What Stringer has done
with all that property downtown, Avon...

I cannot tell the kind of profit
you're looking at...

once all the federal redevelopment
money lands.

That whole Howard Street thing
is gonna take off...

and you're gonna be right there
to cut the pie yourself.

Any dollar you spend now
is gonna come back to you 10 times.

And the thing is, I know
you don't wanna go back to them streets.

Not after what you been through.

I know, 'cause I'm from them same streets.

And once I had the chance
to play a different game...

it wasn't a question in my mind how to go.

The government is going
to be looking at you hard, too.

No sense in giving them
what they're looking for.

You take what you have, you build on it.

It's all good.

Just put it up on the calendar.
We should meet.

Yo, Slim.
You see them two niggas right there?

They over there getting high
in the middle of all this.

Now where the fucking discipline at, yo?

Fuck, toss them niggas.

Can I talk to you for a second?
Don't you know not to stare at me like that?

Hey, yo.

I gotta show you something.
Pardon me, sweetie.

Yo, man.
You know I've been locked down, man.

You gonna love this. Trust me.

Okay.

Yeah.

Shit, this ain't my little place
down in Jessup.

But you know what I mean,
what the fuck is, right?

This is all you, B.
All you, in your name, too.

You know what I mean?
This piece of paper right here make it legit.

Keys to the Navigator in the basement.

It's just a rental
until you pick out something nice.

Damn, all this, huh?

You did good.

Yeah, I mean we're making
so much straight money, man...

we can carry shit like this out in the open,
in our own names.

Yo, you remember when we used to sit
on the top of 734 building, man...

Iooking at the city,
used to talk about what we gonna do?

And you was all heavy
into that black pride bullshit...

talking like you gonna get you two
grocery stores, make motherfuckers proud.

Sure was, man,
you was out hunting on a AK-47...

talking about "I'm gonna go get warrin'."

Man.

Yeah.

- We brothers, B.
- Always, baby.

Always.

And just one more thing, though, man.
You know...

I don't mean to be picky with you
about this...

especially not after you did
all this shit for me...

but, look, man, I've been locked down.
You know what I mean?

Yeah, you know what?
I got to take this meet.

- You know...
- I'm gonna get at you. Welcome home, man.

Yo, it's me, man. I left something.

Shit. My man.