The Wire (2002–2008): Season 4, Episode 11 - A New Day - full transcript

Uh, yeah...

can I get the mixed
vegetables and white rice?

Okay, mixed vegetables,
white rice.

Damn, Du'.

You actin' like this
some fancy-ass spot.

It ain't nothing
but a Chink joint.

I'm-a order.

Then do it.
I said I got it.

Look at this nigger
flashin' his shit

Iike some big-time
gangster.

Yeah, Na'
a righteous hustler.

Man, I'm just treating
y'all, that's all.

You know I like to keep it
real with the little people.

Man, fuck you, man.

- I was talking about you.
- I was talking about you.

May I help you?

Can I order the yakame
with turkey grease?

Yakame, noodles--

- This nigger ordered turkey grease.
- What's wrong, yo?

I mean, my mom,
she get it all the time.

Yo, you is really one of
them at-risk children,

- you know that, Dukie?
- Yo, man, leave him alone, son.

Yeah, I got it.
How much?

- $4.00.
- Why is it so funny?

They just
goofin' on you.

What's wrong with
me ordering yakame?

Nothing wrong with
you ordering yakame.

It's just the turkey grease
that makes the drunks,

you know, throw up all that
liquor they was drinking,

go back to swilling
that shit.

Man, this shit is good.

Why don't you
buy your own food?

This is all you getting.

Don't ask for
no more of that.

That shit
tastes good as hell.

Yo, y'all heard about
what happened to Little Kevin?

What?

He be dead.

- He up in them vacants.
- Why?

Fucked up somewhere,
I suppose.

Uh-oh.

What the fuck you little
hoppers doing on my avenue?

- Eating.
- Shit you are.

You're probably setting up
to snatch a purse.

Get the fuck back
on the reservation

where your
black asses belong.

How you feeling,
little man?

Need a hand with that food:

I said get.

Yo, y'all hear that shit?
"My avenue."

It's just as much
ours as it is his.

Walker be evil, yo.

He be thieving and
smackin' folk down.

Yo, we should
get him back

on the payback tip
for all the dirt he do.

You want to throw
down with police?

I don't mean
go at him direct,

but, you know, hurt him.

Like, slash his tires
or some shit.

We could stick
condoms on his car.

That'd send a message.

Yeah, but what kind?

We should slap bumper stickers
on his windshield.

I mean, they
is hard to get off.

Hold on,
wait wait wait.

Do Officer Walker
go to that club on Stockton,

the one where
the Western police party?

I seen his car there.

I got this one.

And as much as I empathize,

I can only tell you
that there is a process

for complaints
like this one.

Don't sell us on process,
Mr. Mayor.

We've had years of this kind
of treatment from city police.

You need to understand

we view this as an affront
to the cloth.

We've asked for
a civilian review board

for decades now.
Absent that, how can we trust

any investigation
of any complaint?

Forgive me, gentlemen,
but last I checked,

the department had
a black commissioner

and a black
l.I.D. director.

The problem is systemic.

And as to
Commissioner Burrell--

we understand that
his authority is now limited.

Mr. Mayor, when it comes
to matters like this one,

do you expect us to have
faith in Deputy Rawls?

I expect you'll
be good enough

not to prejudge
the department's response

before the investigation
even begins,

as I won't prejudge it.

I can only tell you that l
take this incident very seriously,

and that I will pursue
all of the facts.

Well, Mr. Mayor,

you said you would
have an open door,

and so far I credit you
for keeping that promise.

And my door will always
be open to you.

Thank you.

If they couldn't get civilian review
out of a Royce administration,

how can they think
they're gonna get it from me?

They're just
testing you here,

trying to see how vulnerable
you feel on the racial stuff.

On Burrell, too,
for what it's worth.

Well, civilian review
is a nonstarter.

You go now there now,

you'll be bending over
for four years for the ministers.

So what?
I throw them a bone

and fire some idiot cop?

By pressing that,
the average beat cop's

gonna hate my guts,
and I ain't gonna change

anything around without
rank-and-file support.

You don't fire him,
you're going to piss off

most of the black
political infrastructure.

Mm, yummy.
My first bowl of shit.

Circle that
right there.

And you press
that right there.

It's work time.

You guys got work to do?
You write down that data?

- Yeah.
- All right.

Charlene, what don't
you understand?

None of it.

Okay, let's see if we can find a way
you can get it, okay?

What's the diameter?

- Huh:
- It's seven.

Good. Okay,
what's half of that?

You can't take half of it.

Okay, let's say
you have $10

and you gave
half of it to Jasmine.

Why I do that?

Well, just pretend, okay?

You give her half,
how much does she have?

- Duh, $5.
- Good.

Now let's say this
time you have $7

and you give her half,
how much does she have?

$3.50.

Good, so...

Yo, Mr. Prez,
check this out.

Oh!

Why we no pick him up at his casa,
follow him from there?

Why, so we can
lose him here again?

Papa, nothin' say he got to come back
through this way, you know?

What if he take
another road...?

All right.

We pick him up
from his casa tomorrow.

Poutin'.
Don't pout.

Omar, I'm tired
of this, bro.

Lo siento, baby.
Lo siento.

Hey, now...

there she blow.

All right, then.

So we agree staring down

a stick-up boy on a corner
takes courage,

and we agree it takes
courage to go overnight

to Cheltenham or Hickey.

This is a good list,

but are there any
examples we can make

outside of being
on a corner?

I need a volunteer.

Not me.

What about you, Albert?

No.

You volunteer
and you don't know what for,

you ain't got brains.

All right, then,

I need a volunteer
to stand on this box

blindfolded, fall off,
and let us catch him

before he hits the ground.

Albert?

That's fucking stupid.

What about you, Namond?

Wait wait wait,
let me get this right.

So you want me to stand up
on that box,

put a blindfold on, fall,

and expect these
weak-ass clowns to catch me?

Hell, no.

Hey, yo, y'all drop me,

and we gonna have
more than words.

A'ight.

All right, everybody
gather around.

Oh, shit.

You ready? On three.

One, two, three.

Let him drop.

Whoa! Shit!
Oh, that shit was right.

All right,
who wants to go next?

Albert?

I ain't doing no
stupid shit like that!

Fuck you, and fuck all
y'all bitches.

We don't like
your ass anyway.

Settle down,
settle down.

Yo, today's specials
are those little Hershey bars,

three for a dime.

And I got all your
other favorites, too.

Yo, Deante,
I got your licorice--

red and black both.

Snitchin' Randy.

Well, I'll be blessed, yo.
Lookit.

This is good?
We put him here?

That tall man with Prop Joe:

Yo, for real,
on this caper

the more we learn,
the less we know.

- We can go?
- No, we stay.

Papa, I need to go.

I say we stay, Renaldo.
What's wrong, yo?

No no, I mean "go."

We been in the car
too many hours.

Whether you squat in an alley

or sittin' on
a porcelain throne,

don't really change
the moment, now do it?

Rough day?

Doesn't help to hold it in.

What the fuck you know?

If you tell me,
maybe we can help.

Ain't nothing.

Look, come on, Albert, you been
doing real good in this class.

Real good till today.

Just give it a try.

I went home yesterday.
My mom's on the couch.

She dead.

Me-maw said best l
come to school, but...

Oh.

Yeah, you wanted
to be with your mom.

Of course you did.

Some of you know me
from narcotics work,

some from earlier if you
worked the Western district,

and some of you I'm meeting
for the first time.

But the only point l'd
really like to make here today

is that this is
a transitional time

for this department
and for the city as a whole.

We have a new mayor
and a new state's attorney,

and they both feel like
they have a mandate for change.

The point is that given
the mayor's position on crime

and given the outcome of the election,
we can expect certain enhancements.

Oh, really?

Certain improvements may be
forthcoming in the near future.

So we're looking
for feedback here,

some input
as to what we need

more of or less of
to better work murders.

- Better witness protection.
- More proactive investigation.

Pay raise.

Yeah!

Better lab work. More techs
on duty. More overtime.

More Scotch!

More time for case prep.
Seriously.

More women.
Loose women.

Pay hike, double-digits.

Mo' better,
mo' better, mo' better.

That's what we want.

Sounds like a new day,
don't it?

Department's finally gonna
get what it needs.

State's attorney's
office, too.

A new day.

They make a nice
couple, anyway.

Looking forward to working
with you, Colonel.

That's signed by
a now-inaugurated mayor

ordering his police commanders
to avoid mass arrests.

Community-based policing

and high-end enforcements
are to be emphasized.

I take it Burrell
got a copy.

In person.

I don't see it.

Why not just fire
the fucking asshole?

The mayor is weighing
his options.

What the fuck
does that mean?

To fire Burrell,
we're going to need more

political capital
than we have right now.

Speaking of which,
it brings us to another

Iittle piece of business.

- The thing with the minister.
- It's a delicate situation.

The ministers are pressing
for a civilian review,

which I know the rank and file
don't want to hear,

but it speaks directly to
the situation with Burrell.

If we expend capital
defending this incident--

I get it.
You want the cop fired.

No, we're not saying
that at all.

The mayor doesn't
want to interfere with

the everyday workings
of the department.

But it's a balancing act.

Our response has to be
smart and evenhanded,

in a racial sense, especially.

If I'm hearing you,
it's about perception.

Exactly.

I.I.D. has
a black commander,

but he's beholden to Burrell.

He'll stir shit
with this if he can.

The sergeant in question
is assigned to C.I.D.

His new commander
is Daniels.

He's smart, he's black,
and politically neutral.

- That work for you?
- Works for us.

Who that?
I said, who's that?

You home or you
just visiting?

Home if I can.

All right. Get by the fire
if you want.

I got a couple of dogs left.
You hungry?

Shit weren't working
out with Jo-Jo and them.

Said I owed him some cheddar
on some shit some other boy did.

I don't want to make
no noise on that, though.

They pressin' you.

You know...

get with me, and we pay
'em right back, okay?

No, all that shit
you been sayin' to me

goin' through my head.

Forget about that.
Forget about all that.

If I wouldn't have
pushed you off,

you would have never
been up on that corner.

But everything I do
I be fucking up.

Whole time it feel like it
wasn't me on that corner.

I just wanted to get away.

Well, you're here now,
ain't you? Right?

This is you, right here,
right now, okay?

You're burning a hole
in that shirt, man.

Fuck-- you fucked me
all up when

I saw you walking through
the door, Sherrod.

Oh, shit.

What you think, huh?

You know, I get
half price for this.

All right,
take your hat off, man.

Don't burn them
pimp steaks, huh:

Took long enough.

Yo, Dukie,
you sure about this?

I mean,
I'm with y'all.

Y'all my boys like that.

Y'all there for me,
I'm there for y'all.

I'm really starting to think
this is some fucked-up shit.

I mean, Officer Walker's
a shady motherfucker,

but he's police.

We do it Michael's way,
we send a message.

You ain't got to do
what I got to do.

We drew straws, Na'.

Let's go.

This is everything?

Sergeant Hauk's statement,
the ministers',

statements of the other
officers-- it's all there.

No independent witnesses, huh:

It's a lot of smoke,

but I'm not feeling much
in the way of fire.

It was a strong case
for discourtesy.

True, but no indication of
racial or religious overtones.

And the brutality
allegation is a stretch.

I've gone over G.O.C.-7.

I'm up to speed
with the matrix,

but since the buck stops
with me on this one,

walk me through my options.

Minor offenses, you can
issue a summary judgment--

a period of extra
duty without pay,

guidance and counseling,
the like.

Or if Sergeant Hauk
fights your decision

or if there's a more
substantive charge,

it goes downstairs
to a trial board.

And possible termination?

Let me ask you--

if the minister's connected,

and if all eyes
are on this one,

what does command
want to see happen?

What does City Hall
want to see happen?

City Hall just wants
someone to do the right thing,

whatever that is.

You're sitting here, Deputy,

telling me to just
do the right thing?

Doesn't happen often,
I know.

Hey! What are you doing?
Come here!

You motherfucker,
I'll get your little ass!

Hey hey hey!

Come on,
show me hands, bitch.

Back the fuck up,
little hopper, I'm police.

Yeah, I know,
you the police who like

to fuck with a nigger.
Turn around.

Hey hey, yo!

You ain't gonna
hear the next one.

Get on your knees,
cross them legs,

knit them hands, come on.

Ooh, hold on.

Yo, what the
fuck you doing?

What the fuck
is wrong with you, man?

Hey, give up that ring, man.

Come on.

Yeah.

Aah!

Ha ha ha!
Payback.

That's right.
Run, motherfuckers!

Shit!

I'm telling you,
right there,

this horse is a winner.
Look at it, okay?

How you doing?

- Hey.
- Excuse me.

Mr. Mayor.

On my way downtown today
I saw an abandoned car.

Tow it right away.

Where is-- Mr. Mayor,
the location?

Oh, fucking Christ.
Call Transpo!

Get the fucking
trucks moving!

Uh-- Mr. Mayor.

I got a constituent call.

She said the playground
near her house was a hazard.

- Rusted metal.
- We'll get right on it.

The location:

Sir, I need a location.

Mr. Mayor, I understand your concern,
but you've got to understand,

we have more
than 9,100 hydrants.

And one of them's leaking.

Sensitivity counseling,

two week's extra duty,
no punishment past that.

They sliced it
into the rough.

Does Daniels know the bind
this puts his boy Carcetti in?

Well, Wilson briefed Rawls,
Rawls briefed Daniels.

It's Carcetti
doing Pontius Pilate,

putting it on Daniels,
who was a safe choice

as far as
the rank and file goes.

But that won't be enough
for the ministers,

not by a long shot.

Am I the only one that knows
how to play this game?

Let's go,
get that hydrant sealed.

Three of them with shotguns

got me coming
outside the club.

I made 'em for bloods.

The paint's supposed to be some
kind of declaration of war.

Sounds like we get
to stomp some ass.

The Western District way.

Yellow paint
a declaration of war?

That's a new one.

So what I heard was
that these wild-ass boys--

I ain't saying no names--
but they past crazy.

They robbed him.

They threw paint on his ass--
yellow paint.

Shit, I ain't lying.

Well, I don't know
about that,

but you showed me something
getting on that box like that.

That wasn't nothing.

No, don't sell yourself short.

Ms. Duquette,
Mr. Parenti,

we all thought
it took courage,

especially considering
how y'all do each other.

You think?

Yeah.

No, look, you're showing
a lot of progress in class.

I mean, you know that,
don't you?

You know, you're doing
the work. You're not acting out.

It's getting
to the point where

You can go back to regular
class, no problem.

- Back to genpop?
- Mm-hmm.

You want me to go?

Well,
if you're ready.

I ain't going back there.

Why not?

Shit they teach
there be deadly.

But I know
you know that, Bunny.

All right, all right!
All right, all right!

We can squeeze a little
money from here and there

but nothing on the scale
for what you're asking.

Maybe free up
some operating money

by shifting some of these
PAYGO projects

into the capital program.

I can steal a little from
the budget stabilization fund,

but we still got to absorb
1 20 grant positions

in the police department,
mostly officers.

Christ, don't let
those go unfunded.

A lot of balls in the air, and I still
haven't seen the schools' budget.

What about
the revenue surplus?

As I said,
that's one-time money.

If I'm going to give
the police a 5% raise, that's forever.

If I'm going to ask the police
department to get up

on its hind legs and fight

I got to throw some money.

You're telling me how I can't
do it, not how I can.

There's the rainy day fund,

but you really shouldn't
draw that down.

The bond rating houses want
at least 5% of the budget in reserve.

Feels like a rainy day to me.

Cloudy like a motherfucker.

Yo, yo, wait up, yo.

- Fuck is up with y'all?
- Ain't you, Mike?

We wanna have a word
with your boy here.

- Ain't nothing stopping you. Talk.
- You know what we mean.

Yo, the little bitch
was talking to the police.

That's a lie.
I ain't been doin' no snitching.

The fuck you ain't.

He look like he about to pee
on hisself right now, man.

You ain't gonna stand by
no rat motherfucker, is you?

Naw, I ain't standing
with no rat.

These here be them
18-hour junks.

Go to bed, wake up,
still be hot.

Man, feel this one
from three hours ago.

See what I'm saying?
Two for one.

Each pack come with two pads.
Buy five, I give you six.

Gimmie six then.

Five.
Keep toasty.

Obliged, sir, obliged.

Take this side,
I'll take this side.

Bubbles Depot.

Bubbles Depot
got what you need.

Back on the scene.
Come see me.

Oh, looky,
looky-- hey, Sherrod!

Whoo-ooh. What up?

Car must've hit it
or some shit.

- How much you think?
- Aluminum?

Aluminum about
30-40c a pound.

We've got a Benjamin
here easy, baby.

Teamwork payin' off today,
ain't it, baby?

Yeah.

Go get the heavy side.
Let me try it.

Get out of the way!

That's enough!

Get out of here!

That's enough!
Break it up!

Hey, Randy, you bitch.

We ain't even done
with your snitchin' ass.

Come on, man.

Guess them books
are good for something.

Somebody call the nurse.

Yo, why they bank me?

- I ain't no snitch.
- Randy, Randy, it's okay.

Thanks a lot.

Health Department shut
Chicken George again?

No, I had to duck
in here for cover.

Your boys are
off the hook today.

Not a good day to be
cross-eyed in West Baltimore.

What, y'all behind on your
quotas or some shit?

What the fuck?

Seems one of my side
got jumped last night.

Yeah, Walker.
I heard about that shit.

Threw paint on him.

Walker's an asshole.

Hey, you play in dirt,
you get dirty.

7-Adam-14, do you copy?

Go ahead, KGA.

Report of a burglary
19 North Monroe.

Copy.

We should do this again.

Don't go making
any furtive moves.

No doubt.

Don't break a pencil point.

Mr. P, I swear I only told
the police what everybody knows.

Does that make me
a snitch, Michael?

Shouldn't oughta
told nobody nothing.

But that don't make you a snitch,
not if you ain't put nobody in.

Jesus. I should have
stopped this.

It ain't your fault, Mr. P.

All this come up because
of what Tiffany said

happened in the bathroom.

What did you tell them, Randy?
What do they know?

I just told them about Lex going up
to the playground behind Fulton,

and how everybody
said he got killed

and put in one of them
boarded-up houses.

That's all you told them?

I mean, they wanted me
to say that I was there, but...

I just told them
that Little Kevin told me.

- Little Kevin?
- He killed, too.

I mean, Marlo got him, too. That's
what everybody saying, anyway.

Marlo Stanfield:

I heard Kevin got
locked up just last week,

now he's supposed to be up
in a house somewhere.

They put him in
a vacant, too, huh?

Okay, Randy, for now
I want to say Michael's right.

If anyone tries
to talk to you again,

say nothing to anyone,
understand?

Will that make it better?

So in sum, gentlemen,
the gods have spoken.

No longer do we live
and die by stats.

From this day forward
we are about quality arrests--

felonies, serious misdemeanors,

the back-to-basics police work
of our sainted fathers.

Still, the truth is
it would be easier

to turn an oil tanker
around in a puddle.

Our people were
raised on stats.

If you can't bend patrol
to the mission, Eugene,

I'll damn sure find
someone who can.

Gentlemen.

Sir.

Along the line
of what you propose,

I'd like to reconstitute
the Major Crimes Unit,

bring it under the
umbrella of Homicide.

And let me guess, you'd like
to shake up the personnel.

Where appropriate.

Go for it, Colonel.

What?

Smart move,
accepting any ideas

whatsoever come from
the anointed fella.

Daniels.
The next commissioner.

Any cocksucker that
manages to go from

Iieutenant to full bird in
a little more than a year

is getting groomed.

Wait. You didn't for
a minute think that--

Jesus, Bill,
it's Baltimore.

You ain't one
of the natives, are ya?

You see where they went?

El gordo and tall man,
they go in a big room,

first floor.

Sign outside
say "New Day Coop."

Coop?
What's a coop?

"New Day Coop."
That's what it say.

Hey, yo, was there like a bar
between the two O's?

Si, exacto.

Yeah, that's co-op.

Prop Joe in a co-op:

Joe go in with
the man we robbed.

Remember, he fell
down on his knees,

wept like a little baby.

Yeah, Fat Face Ricky.
Anybody else?

Si, como eight or nine
others I never see before,

but all the same to me,
you know?

Narcotraficantes.

Prop Joe done
sat down to the table.

Oh, do tell.

The worm done
came full circle.

Marlo.

Que?

If that is what
I think it is,

our little clutch of
chickens might be putting

all their eggs
up in one basket.

Is good?

Muy bueno, baby.

I know one thing--
I wouldn't walk around

with it on my neck
for Walker to find.

He ain't gonna find it.

You crazy even
taking a chance.

If he catch you with it,

he gonna break more
than them fingers.

Man, what up with you?

It's like lately
you gone all...

Iike taking off
the mask, yo.

What up with that?
If Walker got a look--

He didn't.

Well, what about the thing
with you and Randy?

Everybody now is sayin'
you threw down with him.

Busted up the boy
Dimples, and them.

Yo, you wouldn't
have stood tall?

That's not what I'm saying.

It's not that you do shit,
It's how you do it.

Yo, look, I'm not
trying to stand around

and let no chump-ass
niggers think I'm shook.

I ain't.

And?

And I want you to sign up.

Colonel,
there's the matter of--

You find
yourself incompatible

with a certain lieutenant?

Detective Freamon,

you have carte blanche
in picking your squad.

In fact, you can pick your
supervisor for all I care.

Motherfucker,
as far as I'm concerned,

you are the Major
Crimes Unit.

It's morning
in Baltimore, Lester.

Wake up and smell the coffee.

Reinforcements:

Carver.

Damn, boy, what brings you
back to the plantation?

I trusted you. Trusted Daniels.
My fucking mistake, huh?

Whoa, hold up.
What's wrong?

The kid you were
supposed to protect,

you put his
name on the street.

They were beating him in
front of the school today,

stomping on him
for snitching.

- Jesus. He all right?
- It's always the same.

I should have fucking
seen this coming.

I swear to you,
I don't know what happened.

I hooked the kid into
Bunk Moreland and Herc.

I can't believe--

where's the kid now?

Home.

Let me go give this
to the night commander.

We'll park a plainclothes
unit on the house.

You think that
makes it better?

We'll be discreet, set up down
the block or some shit.

Come on inside.
I swear to you--

I'm gonna find out
what happened.

- Ed Bowers.
- Pleasure to meet you.

You surprised us all.

- Congratulations, Mr. Mayor.
- Thanks.

I'd like to introduce
you to Dorothy.

You heard about Ed Nully?

I've heard great things about what
you've been doing, so keep it up.

I'm delighted you made it,
Mr. Mayor.

Well, it's for
a good cause, right?

I am getting
the evil eye, however.

I gotta keep him circulating.

Okay.
This way.

- See you later.
- Take care.

The Washington crowd is driving
the local real estate market now,

and if the harbor promenade

could extend
to the south branch--

- We're looking at that.
- Should be.

Everything from here
to Hanover Street is money.

Mr. Mayor,
play a little poker?

I'm not very lucky.

Luck can change.

Mr. Mayor, I'd like you
to meet Ray Chandler.

Pleasure to meet you.

Boy, either you gonna do it,
or I'm gonna.

There's a reason the police
keep jumping out on you, Na'.

So, was it the Bunk's
cologne, huh?

Oh...
pussy.

I'm gonna miss you,
too, bitch.

Lester do love listening
to other people's

phone calls, don't you?
A bit of a pervert that way.

You could use
a wiretap case or two--

broaden your horizons.

Oh, no no.

The Bunk is strictly
a suit-and-tie motherfucker.

At all hazards, a man
must keep up appearances.

Dignity, I say.
Dignity above all,

Governor. Hear, hear!

Bunk,
you got a minute?

What's up?

The Wagstaff kid
I sent your way.

Wagstaff?
He one of mine?

Yeah, you were looking
for the boy Lex,

shot someone outside a nightclub
a couple of three months back.

This kid knew about
Lex getting killed.

Herc brought him to you.

Herc:

This kid is a witness,
and Herc was supposed

- to bring him to me?
- That was the plan.

I'm gonna skin
that motherfucker.

Jesus, Herc.
The fuck did you do?

Something happen to that boy?

Well, young man,
your wish has come true.

So this mean I can
finally get out of here?

Yes, Monnel, paperwork was slow
coming in from North Avenue,

but you five
are at the age

where we feel
it's to your advantage

to join your peers
in the ninth grade.

Yo, we in high school!

- When we bump?
- The end of this marking period.

Congratulations.

You're excused.

Mr. Johnson, you have a visitor
in the front office.

Mr. Johnson, please come
down to the front office.

Bad news:

Plenty more to go around.

They pulled the pin
on your program.

As I've been saying
this week at every roll call

in every damn district, if I could
scrape together any more, I would.

But for starters, it's a
5% salary year, and that's a given.

I know it's not half
what you deserve,

but if the revenue estimates stay good,
I promise you'll be seeing more.

Mr. Mayor,

my wife thanks you,
my children thank you,

my dog thanks you.

Hey, Santy, how you able to
tell your wife from your mutt?

His wife, she's the one
that's got the fleas.

Shit, Bobby,
with your old lady,

fleas would
be an improvement.

At ease. We got the mayor
here, gentlemen.

When they sit in one place
too long they get a little feisty.

I'm not going to stand here and
pretend I know how to do your job.

I don't. But what I can tell you
is that during the past few weeks

I have spoken with
many of your peers,

with your union reps, with
the representatives of the FOP,

and the biggest single
complaint I'm hearing

concerns the department's
obsession with stats.

The fucking numbers game.

Well, under my watch
the numbers game is over.

You will no longer be under
the gun to meet monthly quotas

of ineffective, meaningless
arrests and citations.

Thank you.

Excuse me, Your Worship.
You're not the first person

who stood at the podium
making promises.

Jimmy, I'm sure the mayor
has some pressing business.

No, I'm just saying,
the first community activist

who pitches a bitch about
the corner activity

in her neighborhood,

aren't we gonna go right back
to rounding up bodies?

Yeah, well, we need to educate
our citizens to the new approach.

Well, they're not the only
ones who need educating.

We got bosses that wouldn't know
police work if it bit 'em in the ass.

They been juking stats for years,
and they'll do it again

once the neighborhoods complain.
It's all they know.

Well, if the old dogs
can't get the job done,

I'll find new ones who can.

Look, for years I sat on
the back bench of the council

and watched our city
deteriorate.

It was business as usual
with the same old ideas

producing the same
old results.

Well, I'm here now, as you are,
and I'm asking you

to put aside your reservations
and give it a go.

All told.

You did good.

You got 'em pumped.
They love you.

Of course, the wrong
decision on Sergeant Hauk,

and who knows?

Carv said the kid had something
on it. I talked to him.

He had nothing,
just a bunch of hearsay

and some shit about zombies.

The boy was
to come to me.

You know the goddamn GO--
it's Homicide's call.

You don't go putting your paws
in my murder, you simple fuck.

Hey! You're talking
to a sergeant.

Oh, fuck your fucking stripes!

Whoa whoa,
take it easy, Bunk.

Now Herc is trying
to help us here.

Man, he messed
in my murder, he pays.

Give him a chance.
We can work something out.

That's easy for you to say.
You ain't the primary on this.

Motherfucker...

What got into him?

He's emotional.

He's been working this case
for a long time.

So the thing right now
is for you to remember

everything
you did on this case...

from the beginning.

He's out there,
hat in hand, literally.

Well, he can wait
till hell freezes over.

A wise man does not
burn his bridges

until he first knows
he can part the waters.

Old Ashanti saying.

Norman, you grew up
in Catonsville.

Show the motherfucker in.

Mr. Mayor,

I don't want to take time
out of your busy schedule.

Look, if this is about me countermanding
your orders for more arrests--

No, sir. You should proceed
as you feel the situation warrants.

Overall, policing strategies
may not be my strongest suit.

I'm here about
what I do know.

A recommendation from
Sergeant Hauk's commander

will cross your
desk tomorrow.

Colonel Daniels,
with Rawls concurring,

recommends sensitivity
training.

It may be
a fair decision,

it may even be
the right decision.

But we both know it won't
fly with the ministers,

not even with
Daniels behind it.

Hmm.

600 pages of rules,

regulations,
directives, orders.

You fire a white police
for a bad car stop

on a black minister, you'll
lose the rank and file.

It's not cause enough.
But if a commander can't find

grounds for firing
a saint in here...

The man has worked
Narcotics for six years,

and in Narcotics
there are no virgins.

And herein lies
your expertise?

Hmm.

I've always been comfortable
delegating strategic elements.

It's what
the Deputy Ops is for.

Me, I know what
a mayor needs.

- It was a Chevy Tahoe.
- Mm-hmm.

License Mike-460-654.

And I searched it good,
figuring I'd find some iron, but--

How'd they react?

Chris and Snoop?
They didn't do shit.

Was there anything
in the car?

Registration and crap
in the glove box,

empty chicken boxes, trash.

They had one of those
plastic milk crates--

Mm-hmm.

--in the back with
some tools in it.

What kind of tools?

I don't know,
carpenter tools.

Did you check the crate
for weapons?

Nail gun.

Nail gun?

Yeah, one of them bitches
that shoots nails.

They rig it to shoot
rounds maybe?

Naw, I shot it.
A nail came out.

Look, Lester, seriously,
is any of this helping?

Naw, you're doing good.

Tell me about jacking Marlo
at the train station.

I'm short four, right?

Yeah,
I remember your ass.

Here's my four.
You like that?

- Okay!
- I'm gonna beat your ass.

Okay, no more!
Stop stop stop stop.

Take the money,
take the money, all right?

Stop.

Make me work
this hard again,

I'm gonna
skin one of y'all!

Okay. Just go, man.

I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, man.

You know who got the fattest
asses and the best pussy?

- Who that?
- Midgets, nigger.

They're all that,
you know what I'm saying?

The fuck happened
to our boy on the door?

Siesta, Papa.

You fix this, Joe?

What's the problem?

Ran out of time.

Now, Joe, you've been
so busy being devious,

you done messed around and got
yourself caught up in a web.

Omar, I don't know what
you been hearing, now--

Joe, ain't no time
for no lies now.

Now see, I need you
to be straight,

just like you did on that
New Day Co-op sit down.

Oh, yeah,
I know about that.

I know you the one got Marlo
up in this mess too.

Hey, Omar,
take a deep breath.

A proposition might fall
kindly on your ear.

Well, tickle my fancy,
fat man.

Money, drugs-- your call.

Come on, now, Joe,
you can do better than that.

Hey, we-- we coming
at this all wrong.

See, you the one
with the high card.

You should speak your mind.

You going to serve up Marlo.

You gonna take out
Marlo Stanfield?

No no, but I got
a real powerful urge

to take everything he owns,

and I'm quite confident you
the man can make that happen.

That might take some doing.

Naw naw, see,
we got to have it simple.

See, Omar like it simple.

So how we gonna
do this, yo?

Huh:

My sister's boy.

He do the drop.

We call you
and give up the spot.

- That simple enough:
- That's what it is.

See now, Joe, I need you to
resist your natural inclination

to do anything twisted up
in this here play. You feel me?

I even catch a whiff of you
doing something foul, Joe,

I mean, I might got to go
tell Marlo you the one

put me up on that card game.

We understood?

Now go ahead and write
my ticket so I can tip on out.

Come on now.

Gentlemen.

I'll see to Tremaine.

- You can't be serious.
- Was you listening?

Omar to one side
holding a spade,

and maybe Marlo
to the other with a shovel.

And just at this moment,

I managed to crawl out
my own damn grave.

No way do I crawl back in.

What the fuck was
you doing out here, man?

You trust him?

- I trust his fear.
- Now we go, si?

Not till I teach Prop Joe
a thing or two about devious.

We on him now.

Sorry, guys, that's all
I got to say. Talk to the mom.

I hear you, but we just came
from his foster mother's house,

and she said it was you
that told him not to talk.

She said you told her
to get a lawyer.

That's right.

All right, look,
something got messed up.

We know that,
but whatever else happened,

we got a murder here.

Even if it's off the record,

it would help us
just to talk to the boy.

If you understand
what happened here,

you know I'm not
gonna do that.

If you go at it like that,
then you end up

siding with the motherfuckers
doing the dirt.

No, I'm siding
with my kids.

You're right.
You're right.

For you,
the kids come first.

We'll find another road.

Well, glad this
is working out for you.

Oh, man, you two...

makin' me all
weepy and shit.

Be safe, guys.

All right.

Hey, Roland, man,

you know, I hate
coming all this way

and not getting
a little something...

you know,
for old times' sake?

The playground behind
Fulton and Monroe,

unit block.

He told this fella Lex
to meet a girl there.

That's all he did.

What's up, Shorty?
Can you give me three?

Bitch, get the fuck
across the street

and plant your ass
on a stoop.

Kenard!

Yo, how do you think I look
with no tail on my head?

Do I look like a faggy?

Yo, Na'.

Yo, Mrs. Lee,
you looking for Michael?

Um, Namond, I don't want
to be no trouble to you,

but I got this friend
who been ailing,

you know,
and she gave me $6.

So I was hoping you
could, you know...

Yeah, we cover her.
Go see my man.

The fuck you do that for?

It's Michael's moms, yo.

Shit, she
a fucking dope fiend.

Namond said I could. Na':

Naw, it's cool.

Gimme Yellow Bird.

All right, but you ain't
got to be all up on me.

I know, I know!
I'm late, you know?

Sometimes it's just too much
damn fun being in charge.

Where you been, boss?

Announcing my presence
with authority.

Sorry I'm late.
Please sit down. Sit.

Sir, we scarfed up
52 vehicles.

Good.
But you missed my car.

We have new equipment
at school 45,

school 52, and school 58
installed.

Well, I got no calls on those, but keep
at it. You'll get there, I'm sure.

Mr. Mayor, all hydrants
are fully capped as of today,

and solid waste has
pulled 32 tons of trash

from the alleys, and, sir,
that's a single-day record.

That's what I want to hear.

Thank you, gentlemen,
and keep up the good work.

Finance, of course,
doesn't deal with

the dirt-under-
the-nails tangibles,

unless you consider the money
itself to be dirty.

- So what's in your agenda today?
- The school audit.

Well, how bad could that be?

The system is running
a $54 million deficit.

54 million?

Yes, Mr. Mayor.

Jesus Christ.
Did Royce know this?

How the fuck do we
deal with that?

Frankly, I'm not
sure just yet.

Our attendance is excellent,

and as to suspensions,
we don't have any.

We intervene immediately,

and we show success
in stabilizing behavior.

Not to mention the world of good
we're doing for the classes

these kids were wrecking
before the program.

In January we could
expand to four classes,

cover the whole eighth grade.

Any complaints about
the tracking,

- anything from the parents?
- Not a one.

This isn't a group where we see
a lot of parental intervention.

What about test scores?

I can't speak to
the program itself,

but it has to help
the rest of the eighth grade.

Next week will tell.

Right now the system

is under a lot of scrutiny.

We have certain fiscal issues
that are of great concern

to the new administration,
and what you're proposing here

is a radical shift
in curricula.

Meaning?

If City Hall were
to sign off on this,

we could go forward,

but now
is not the time

to rock any boats.

Hear that?
That's my joint right there.

So you all got your
work up to date, right?

Yeah
yeah yeah.

I heard you took care
of your puppy's problems.

Oh, he most definitely made
that go away, you hear me?

It's all good.

You know, some of
the young'uns been saying

your pup stood tall
with a snitchin' boy.

Michael:

Yeah, that's what
they saying.

- Huh.
- Yeah.

Lester, you really starting
to scare me, man.

- Need a crowbar.
- For what:

This is a tomb.

Lex is in there.

Oh...

fuck me.