61st Street (2022) s02e01 Episode Script
After the Morning After
1
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
Oh.
You made me look 10 years younger.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Do you mind if I say something?
No, not at all.
I am so proud of you, sir.
What you did? Mm.
Amazing.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
Just like being in court.
[CHUCKLES]
Relax. You got this.
- MAN: Eight seconds!
- Okay.
And live in 5, 4, 3
♪♪
NEARY: Tonight's guest has just won
one of the most important
trials in this great city's history.
You good?
The acquittal of Moses Johnson
is a landmark moment
for how we think about
the administration of justice.
And Franklin Roberts
was right at the heart
of the making of this moment.
[MID-TEMPO BLUES PLAYING]
NEWSCASTER: Celebration erupted
on the South Side
as the not-guilty verdict was read
in the Moses Johnson murder trial
of slain CPD officer Michael Rossi.
People took to the streets,
prompted by the unexpected acquittal
of the 19-year-old track phenom.
A CPD spokesman, when asked to comment,
said that the verdict
♪♪
BRANNIGAN: What does it mean,
a verdict like that?
It means you're entitled to run
from a police officer.
And you're entitled to fight us
when we're doing our duty.
Only one thing you need
to have all that going for you.
Your skin has to be the right colour.
So here's my question.
Given that 90% of the people
committing crimes in this city
have that same skin colour
how are we supposed to do our job?
[VOICE ECHOING] Who are we?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
Somebody tell these motherfuckers ♪
Keep they hands off me ♪
I ain't a motherfuckin' slave ♪
Keep your chains off me ♪
You better hope
this 9-millimetre jam on me ♪
Or get blown ♪
I hope you got your body cam
turnt on ♪
Fuck a Black cop, too;
that's the same fight ♪
You got a badge, bitch,
but you still ain't white ♪
This for Laquan on sight
when you see Van Dyke ♪
Hey!
Turn that off.
9, 10, 11, fuck 12 ♪
Not tonight.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ♪
9, 10, 11, fuck 12 ♪
- Sixteen shots ♪
- You police?
And we buckin' back ♪
Sixteen shots ♪
Yeah. I ain't breaking no law, so
- And we buckin' back ♪
- fuck 12.
Sixteen shots ♪
And fuck you.
There's a war on drugs,
but the drugs keep winnin' ♪
What next for Franklin Roberts?
People come on your show
to plug things
A new TV show, a-a book.
Well, I'm selling something as well
Truth and reconciliation.
That's two things.
Well, you can't have one
without the other.
[MUSIC CONTINUES, ECHOING]
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ♪
9, 10, 11, fuck 12 ♪
Segregation, torture, apartheid.
My people have been
on the wrong end of all of them
right here in Chicago.
[GRUNTS]
I want a segregated city
and a divided country
to come together
by agreeing about its past,
not denying it.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
It's not a witch hunt.
It's an opening of a gate
to transparency.
I'm not going after bad cops.
[GRUNTS]
I'm inviting police officers
to talk about their experiences,
their culture Truthfully.
Why would they do that?
♪♪
"Not everything that is faced
can be changed.
But nothing will be changed
until it is faced."
James Baldwin.
Is he right?
♪♪
[GROANS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Sixteen shots ♪
And we buckin' back ♪
How about you, sir? Yes. Yes. You.
The sound man. How about you?
What do you think?
- Is he right?
- He's right.
And how about you, Mr. Cameraman?
Is he right?
Sure. Absolutely.
♪♪
And how about you?
Shall we do this?
♪♪
Chicago ♪
Where the dollar and
blue collar go hand in hand ♪
City of Dreams so big ♪
Nightmares don't stand a chance ♪
A concrete paradise where roses grow ♪
See the smile from a child ♪
Light up the Magnificent Mile ♪
And melt the coldest snow ♪
This is home ♪
Find the brightest minds
on these dark streets ♪
See the heart and soul
on these old blocks ♪
Where we grow, we call it the Go ♪
'Cause we don't stop ♪
I remember it was one hot day in July.
I'm on my way to my boy's crib.
We about to have a barbecue.
I was driving home
from my sister's house,
because it was Sunday and we
always have dinner on Sundays.
Behind me, I heard, "whoop-whoop!"
- And I thought, "Oh, shoot."
- "Here we go."
WOMAN: I knew I hadn't done
anything wrong,
and I also knew that it probably
wouldn't matter.
First thing I thought was,
"Damn. I'm gonna be late now."
I put my hands on the dash.
Took my hands out of my pockets.
He talkin' about I fit a description.
I guess we all look alike.
Plus I got on a tank top and shorts.
If I stole something,
where was I gonna put it?
Hm.
I answered all the questions, but
he still made me get out the car.
Had to get off the train.
I just asked him
if I was still being detained.
WOMAN: This is the worst part.
He lifted up my skirt
with his nightstick.
Told me I could consent to
a search or he could take me in.
And before I knew it Pop! Pop! Pop!
I started to lose consciousness.
I just felt helpless.
Because who was I gonna call to save me?
The police?
[CHUCKLES] Nah.
[DOG BARKING, HORNS HONKING IN DISTANCE]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[CELLPHONE BUZZING]
♪♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
♪♪
[BUZZING CONTINUES]
♪♪
[BUZZING STOPS]
♪♪
♪♪
[FIST THUDDING, MEN GRUNTING]
♪♪
♪♪
My gun.
Where's my gun? Where's my gun?
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Where's my gun?
♪♪
♪♪
Are you worried about triggering
or retraumatising?
I had a
professor in law school.
Mm. When was that, 1940s?
[CHUCKLES]
Rudolf Klein.
He liked me. I liked him.
He was my mentor.
Six members of his family were murdered
in the Nazi death camps
Three grandparents, two aunts,
and an uncle.
Rebecca, Ewald, Elisabeth,
Anya, Gerta, and Robert.
You know all their names?
The only thing keeping
Rudolf going was his job.
Teaching law?
Telling everyone those six names
and making sure no one
could ever say it didn't happen.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
How do you make sure the world
doesn't hide from the shame
of the past?
By recounting again and again
the story of what happened.
Rudolf died a year ago.
The last thing he said to me
"The names.
Pass them on."
These testimonies don't hold back.
Let the voices go.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
Close the door.
Sit down.
Where's your gun?
I, uh, I don't know.
You don't know or you don't remember?
What happened?
You tell me.
I-I was at the Low Bar, and, um
I was drinking, you know?
And, uh I kept drinking.
Then what?
Nothing?
You got into an altercation
outside the bar.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
An altercation?
That sounds like police-speak.
You got me worried.
The other guy got the worst of it.
♪♪
♪♪
Where's my gun?
We took care of everything.
What What did I do?
You don't remember.
♪♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Okay. Dog won't stop barking on 57th.
- The Dachshund again?
- Street lamp on the fritz on King.
Woman says it's triggering
her husband's PTSD?
Mm.
The neighbourhood council
at Nicholas Park
wants more speed bumps,
but the block association wants less.
- Fewer.
- Huh?
Not "less." "Fewer." Language matters.
Good morning, Marisol.
Good morning, Mia.
[BOTH LAUGH]
I haven't washed or changed in 60 hours.
Okay. Why is that?
Housing problems? Uh, water off?
My husband's in the hospital.
He's fighting for his life.
- I'm sorry.
- Beaten senseless outside a cop bar.
And what did the cops do?
It's like it didn't happen.
I didn't know where else to go.
That's what we're here for.
I tried leaving messages
for Mr. Roberts,
but he probably thought I was crazy.
So I thought
"Mrs. Roberts is the way to go."
Am I right?
People say she's one of us.
Well, people are right.
It's okay.
[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
LEONARD: You hate this, right?
Driving me?
Street cop like you, man of action.
I get all the bad boys.
Also known as the best cops.
Look.
The idea is you drive me around
for six months,
cool off, calm down,
and return to duty a saner, quieter cop.
What do you think?
It's okay.
You can be honest with me.
You hate this, right?
I guess I just miss the fresh air.
[LAUGHS]
I'll see you back here
in the morning, 8:00 a.m.
I don't want to hear how you
forgot and went to my place.
Hey.
Some people use a driving detail
to turn inwards
and think too much.
Others use it to empty the mind
and reset.
I'm betting you're the second type.
Let it go, Logan. [DOOR OPENS]
We'll get you back out there.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS, MAN GROANING]
♪♪
♪♪
Excuse me.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
TELEPHONE RINGING]
♪♪
MAN: My wife is
My wife is in need of a doctor
right now.
Nurse? Nurse?
♪♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
MONITORS BEEPING]
♪♪
♪♪
[MUSIC BUILDS]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[RESPIRATOR HISSING]
♪♪
[MONITOR BEEPING]
Excuse me. Can I help you?
I was just, uh
um, doing some follow-up.
Follow-up to what?
You're the first cop to come see him.
Right. Uh
No forensic exam, no nothing.
Has he spoken?
No.
Is he gonna make it?
Can we step outside?
When I talk in front of my patient,
I like to assume he can hear
what's being said.
Can he?
That's not the point.
It's about dignity.
What's the answer to my question?
He took a hell of a beatin'.
But then you already know that, right?
- Yeah.
- Any leads?
Uh Uh, no.
No. Not Not Not yet.
His wife She'll be back soon.
I think she'd appreciate it
if you talk to her.
Part of the job. Right?
Sure.
♪♪
So, I'm thinking next up for you
could be vice.
[BIRDS CRYING]
Okay.
Don't sound so excited.
Yeah, 'cause I I don't know
that I'm done with this job.
This job?
Or this woman?
It's the same thing, all right?
She's a player now.
Come on. Norma and Franklin Roberts?
They stayed tight. He talks to her.
I mean, he really talks to her,
and I can be in on that.
This is the guy
who wants to bring us down.
I mean, I don't know.
Maybe me moving on from her
is I don't know premature.
The personal and the professional, Phil.
- It's separate.
- Sure?
I'm sure.
Okay.
Ah, ah-ah ♪
Step on stairs like I won a medal ♪
Somewhere here,
but we don't need a middle ♪
Get your money ♪
I'm'a win the battle ♪
Nah, nah, can you hear me? Hello ♪
Go ahead, boy. Mm.
Can you hear me? Hello ♪
I ain't never fell off ♪
Can you hear me? Hello ♪
Nah, nah, can you hear me? Hello ♪
PHIL: Oh!
Oh, yeah. All right.
♪♪
Yes, yes. Thank you, son.
Well, we had an idea.
Actually, it's Phil's idea.
Well? What is it?
My family owes you a debt of gratitude.
- Paid in full.
- Franklin.
Don't be "Franklining" me,
Norma Johnson.
Paid in full. Nothing owed.
Well, consider it me being selfish then.
W-What does that mean?
The community needs you
and Martha to be out there
doing what you're doing.
You can't do that if there's nobody
to pick David up from school
and be with him.
I can do that.
I won't take no for an answer.
Mm-hmm, and don't fight her,
'cause you won't win.
Like I said, it's Phil's idea.
Well, where did you get this man from?
Got a heart of gold and plumbing skills.
Yeah.
- But can he dance?
- Ooh.
Oh, God. Don't em
The Stylistics, remember?
No. Stop.
PHIL: What you sayin'?
Oh!
He got some skills.
[LAUGHS] What you saying, though?
What you saying, though?
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
♪♪
DEVINS: This is an application
for full public disclosure
of Chicago Police Department records
of complaints against police
officers over the last 25 years.
Any last submissions
before I make my ruling?
No.
I'm asking you to open up
our collective capacity
to reflect on who we are
and who we've been, Your Honour,
so we can learn to be better.
I asked for legal submissions,
not sound bites for the press,
Counselor.
Maybe just once,
just once in the lifetime
of a lawyer, Your Honour,
the two are the same thing.
Let me be really straight
with you, Counsellor.
What is being asked of
this court is a very big deal
on so many levels.
Too big
were it not for the fact that
the timing of the application
is matched by the importance
of this moment in our history.
I'm giving you what you want, Counselor.
MAN: Yes! [SPECTATORS MURMURING]
And I'm giving the city
18 months to get this done.
Eighteen months, Your Honour?
Citizen data is private.
Redactions on this scale take time.
145,000 recorded complaints
over the last 25 years.
- Right.
- Court is adjourned.
[GAVEL TAPS]
Eighteen months.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS, DOOR OPENS]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
MAN: All right, you guys.
One, two, three, four. Lift.
All right. All right. Other side up.
So now it's a murder,
you'll want to start paying attention.
Uh, we're, uh
we're on this.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
MONITORS BEEPING]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[GURNEY RATTLING]
Yo, hold the elevator.
- You a cop?
- Yeah. Yeah.
So we're good?
Yeah. I'm good. Yeah.
♪♪
♪♪
Service elevator's down.
Wouldn't do this
with a member of the public.
♪♪
[BELL CHIMING]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[MID-TEMPO BLUES PLAYING]
Life is a prayer, Alex.
I hope you're right, Franklin.
♪♪
How long you got?
That should be my question, really.
♪♪
Less than 18 months.
Miracles happen.
Prayers get answered.
I hope you're right, Franklin.
♪♪
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
[HINGES CREAKING]
[VEHICLES PASSING IN DISTANCE]
[CELLPHONE CLICKING]
["LET IT WHIP" PLAYS]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Wanna see you with it ♪
Sure could treat you right ♪
Give me just a minute
of your time tonight ♪
We both are here to have good fun ♪
So let it [EXHALES DEEPLY]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
[GRUNTING]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
CHAINS RATTLING]
♪♪
[BREATHING HEAVILY] MAN: Move your feet.
When I was a boy, my parents
took me home to Ireland.
Looking for family roots, you know?
We spent a lot of time in churches,
digging out records of dead Brannigans.
They let me wander around
the churchyards,
looking at the names of the dead
on the gravestones.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
It snowed in May, I remember.
A great blanket of snow
came down on all the dead.
And I discovered the Irish have a talent
for calling death something gentler.
"At rest in the arms of Jesus."
Jalil Watts is at rest.
Passed this afternoon.
I thought you should know.
♪♪
Or maybe you knew already.
No.
♪♪
When it stopped snowing finally,
all the graves were covered
and the names hidden.
Like they weren't there.
Or hadn't ever been there.
♪♪
♪♪
[GRUNTING]
♪♪
♪♪
[ZIPPER OPENS]
[HINGE CREAKING]
♪♪
[TOILET FLUSHES]
♪♪
♪♪
FRANKLIN: [GROANING]
♪♪
♪♪
What are you doing?
Come on. Get up there. Come on.
[GRUNTS]
Here we go.
Martha, no. No.
Martha, I don't want my wife
taking off my dirty socks.
Marth
In sickness and in health, remember?
I meant that.
And I'm not just talking about
your dirty, smelly sock either.
♪♪
Let me in, Franklin.
♪♪
It's a fast car but I'm movin' slow ♪
I like my syrup raw ♪
Every'round me shoot they
yeek and get they merch off ♪
I don't bark, I bite ♪
That piece I gave you.
I had to get rid of it.
This type is wife ♪
I might just let the condom slip off ♪
Ain't too many like me ♪
99% of them rip-offs ♪
It's in the lake.
I never take my kicks off ♪
Ask my opps how it feel
to wake up daily and get on ♪
You get in your feelings
and make diss songs ♪
I might get
your people's house outside ♪
Shootin' that blick songs ♪
And I'm still good on every block ♪
I used to knock P's on ♪
Boss, I get you chalked ♪
My name ain't somethin'
that you should speak on ♪
My money 10 feet tall ♪
But I ain't something
you should shoot at ♪
Get out.
[MUSIC STOPS, TRAIN PASSING]
Only one question left for us.
Between that heater
and that cut you took,
you owe me about two stacks.
You got that for me?
[BIRDS CHIRPING, DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE]
Plus frontin' on your debt to TJ.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
Nothin' to say?
♪♪
Hurry up.
Like, do what you need to do.
You're a smart one.
I ain't gonna murk you.
I ain't gonna put you back
on that corner neither.
Could use me a smart one.
I'm finna buy out this whole lot.
Plenty more.
♪♪
Build something for the future.
Feel me?
Black-owned businesses.
Can't do that corner shit forever.
Used to look up to the OGs
like your pops, but
look at him now.
I need you clean.
You out here catching cases,
you ain't no use to me.
♪♪
Come on.
I'll drop you off.
♪♪
You got an uncle now.
[CHUCKLES]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
Naimah? Shall we?
Mm-hmm.
♪♪
♪♪
All right. Take hands.
♪♪
Oh, hear us, Lord,
as we come to You in worship
and bereavement.
We know Jalil is with You now, Lord
- Yes, Lord.
- that You've called him home
for reasons we may not ever understand.
- MAN: Yes, Father.
- Yes, Father.
But we know and accept
that all things work
according to Your purpose.
- Yes.
- Amen?
GROUP: Amen.
We're with you, Naimah, and so is Jesus.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
♪♪
- I'm so sorry.
- Mrs Mrs. Roberts.
You came.
So sorry.
♪♪
Oh, you didn't have to do that.
You're a guest in my house.
My guests don't not eat.
[CHUCKLES] The thing about Jalil
The main thing
He loved crinkle-cut fries.
[LAUGHS] [LAUGHS]
I mean, loved them
with all his heart, you know?
He saw a lot of things that way.
The detail.
Mm-hmm.
Like, he built a life like that.
Yeah. Out of the small things,
making them matter.
Exc Excuse me.
She needs you.
But she really needs Franklin.
The three of you?
I wouldn't back anyone
trying to stop that train.
[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[MACHINERY WHIRRING,
SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[EXHALES DEEPLY] Jesus.
This day, Logan. I swear.
Get a drink in me as soon as possible.
Okay. Where to?
The Low Bar.
It's a little early, boss.
Do you want to sip on a tiny-ass
miniature when I'm not looking
or are we gonna do a real drink
together?
Okay.
[ENGINE STARTS]
MARTHA: His name is Jalil Watts.
No CCTV.
No cameras.
No witnesses.
A man is beaten to death
in the city of Chicago
right outside a police bar.
And nothing.
Really?
Who are you ultimately
looking to hold accountable?
You know, I got to say
that is a stupid question.
Hm. And a depressing one.
Now, let me explain. It's stupid
It's stupid because you are suggesting
that I am after something
or someone in particular.
I am not.
I am after the truth. My mind is open.
The fact that CPD are not looking,
that is what pulls me in.
And it's a depressing question
because you are trying to write a story
that is based on your little worldview.
MAN: Exactly. [CROWD MURMURING]
And that is the opposite
of good reporting.
Which leads me to this next question.
And what is that?
Thank you for asking me.
Where is the mayor?
- MAN: All right. [CROWD MURMURING]
- MAN: Yeah. Where is the mayor?
Where is she?
Why is it me standing here,
asking you these questions?
Why?
Does she have something to hide?
Some of you might remember this.
It used to be
that investigative reporting
meant that you went out
and found the news.
Right? You didn't wait for it
to come to you
It connects.
- W-What do you mean?
- through a wire
or oven-ready,
given to you by some lobbyist.
Jalil Watts was almost certainly
out celebrating our victory.
It's like a baton being passed.
It's kind of incumbent on us
to pick it up.
And you can start by calling the mayor.
Thank you.
LEONARD: Now, this is a cop bar.
We own this.
You got to own the ownership.
We got to not be pushed out
of where we belong.
Me and your father,
when we were baby cops,
we got baptised in Jamesons right here,
back when Jerry owned it.
[CELLPHONE CHIMING]
Geez. I'm trying to say
something here, Wayne.
- Is that your phone?
- Yes.
- Turn it off.
- I would if I could.
What are you, 100 years old?
It's a Model 3.
The phone?
My Tesla. It's got cameras
all over the damn thing.
My nephew put this
Watchtower Pointe device in it.
Now anything comes close to it,
it shoots a video
and I get an alert on this app,
and I mean anything.
Somebody yawns across the street
Ding, fucking ding on my phone.
I can't figure out how to turn it off.
That's what you get for buying foreign.
It's made in America, jackoff.
Yeah.
Tell the one Tell the one that
The one you told the other night
about the two guys in the woods.
- LEONARD: Two guys in the woods?
- The coppers with the guns.
- Coppers in the woods?
- Hunters or whatever they were.
Oh! Right! Right, right, right.
- Listen to this.
- You got to hear this. Right.
[LAUGHING] This is good.
All right.
So, uh, two hunters are out in the woods
when one of them collapses.
He doesn't seem to be breathing,
and his eyes are glazed.
The other guy whips out a phone
and calls the emergency services.
"My friend is dead! What can I do?"
The operator says, "Calm down.
I can help.
First, let's make sure he's dead."
There's a silence,
and then a shot is heard.
Back on the phone, the guy says
"Okay. Now what?" [LAUGHTER]
You know what?
Your father told me that joke.
[VOICE ECHOING] Yeah. [LAUGHS]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[CELLPHONE CLICKING]
♪♪
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ♪
9, 10, 11, fuck 12 ♪
[FIST THUDDING]
Sixteen shots ♪
♪♪
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[EXHALES DEEPLY, SNIFFS]
♪♪
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
♪♪
♪♪
Okay.
[GRUNTS]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
♪♪
♪♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
♪♪
♪♪
What are you doing here?
Jalil Watts.
♪♪
It was me.
♪♪
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
Oh.
You made me look 10 years younger.
[CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Do you mind if I say something?
No, not at all.
I am so proud of you, sir.
What you did? Mm.
Amazing.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
Just like being in court.
[CHUCKLES]
Relax. You got this.
- MAN: Eight seconds!
- Okay.
And live in 5, 4, 3
♪♪
NEARY: Tonight's guest has just won
one of the most important
trials in this great city's history.
You good?
The acquittal of Moses Johnson
is a landmark moment
for how we think about
the administration of justice.
And Franklin Roberts
was right at the heart
of the making of this moment.
[MID-TEMPO BLUES PLAYING]
NEWSCASTER: Celebration erupted
on the South Side
as the not-guilty verdict was read
in the Moses Johnson murder trial
of slain CPD officer Michael Rossi.
People took to the streets,
prompted by the unexpected acquittal
of the 19-year-old track phenom.
A CPD spokesman, when asked to comment,
said that the verdict
♪♪
BRANNIGAN: What does it mean,
a verdict like that?
It means you're entitled to run
from a police officer.
And you're entitled to fight us
when we're doing our duty.
Only one thing you need
to have all that going for you.
Your skin has to be the right colour.
So here's my question.
Given that 90% of the people
committing crimes in this city
have that same skin colour
how are we supposed to do our job?
[VOICE ECHOING] Who are we?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
Somebody tell these motherfuckers ♪
Keep they hands off me ♪
I ain't a motherfuckin' slave ♪
Keep your chains off me ♪
You better hope
this 9-millimetre jam on me ♪
Or get blown ♪
I hope you got your body cam
turnt on ♪
Fuck a Black cop, too;
that's the same fight ♪
You got a badge, bitch,
but you still ain't white ♪
This for Laquan on sight
when you see Van Dyke ♪
Hey!
Turn that off.
9, 10, 11, fuck 12 ♪
Not tonight.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ♪
9, 10, 11, fuck 12 ♪
- Sixteen shots ♪
- You police?
And we buckin' back ♪
Sixteen shots ♪
Yeah. I ain't breaking no law, so
- And we buckin' back ♪
- fuck 12.
Sixteen shots ♪
And fuck you.
There's a war on drugs,
but the drugs keep winnin' ♪
What next for Franklin Roberts?
People come on your show
to plug things
A new TV show, a-a book.
Well, I'm selling something as well
Truth and reconciliation.
That's two things.
Well, you can't have one
without the other.
[MUSIC CONTINUES, ECHOING]
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ♪
9, 10, 11, fuck 12 ♪
Segregation, torture, apartheid.
My people have been
on the wrong end of all of them
right here in Chicago.
[GRUNTS]
I want a segregated city
and a divided country
to come together
by agreeing about its past,
not denying it.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
It's not a witch hunt.
It's an opening of a gate
to transparency.
I'm not going after bad cops.
[GRUNTS]
I'm inviting police officers
to talk about their experiences,
their culture Truthfully.
Why would they do that?
♪♪
"Not everything that is faced
can be changed.
But nothing will be changed
until it is faced."
James Baldwin.
Is he right?
♪♪
[GROANS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Sixteen shots ♪
And we buckin' back ♪
How about you, sir? Yes. Yes. You.
The sound man. How about you?
What do you think?
- Is he right?
- He's right.
And how about you, Mr. Cameraman?
Is he right?
Sure. Absolutely.
♪♪
And how about you?
Shall we do this?
♪♪
Chicago ♪
Where the dollar and
blue collar go hand in hand ♪
City of Dreams so big ♪
Nightmares don't stand a chance ♪
A concrete paradise where roses grow ♪
See the smile from a child ♪
Light up the Magnificent Mile ♪
And melt the coldest snow ♪
This is home ♪
Find the brightest minds
on these dark streets ♪
See the heart and soul
on these old blocks ♪
Where we grow, we call it the Go ♪
'Cause we don't stop ♪
I remember it was one hot day in July.
I'm on my way to my boy's crib.
We about to have a barbecue.
I was driving home
from my sister's house,
because it was Sunday and we
always have dinner on Sundays.
Behind me, I heard, "whoop-whoop!"
- And I thought, "Oh, shoot."
- "Here we go."
WOMAN: I knew I hadn't done
anything wrong,
and I also knew that it probably
wouldn't matter.
First thing I thought was,
"Damn. I'm gonna be late now."
I put my hands on the dash.
Took my hands out of my pockets.
He talkin' about I fit a description.
I guess we all look alike.
Plus I got on a tank top and shorts.
If I stole something,
where was I gonna put it?
Hm.
I answered all the questions, but
he still made me get out the car.
Had to get off the train.
I just asked him
if I was still being detained.
WOMAN: This is the worst part.
He lifted up my skirt
with his nightstick.
Told me I could consent to
a search or he could take me in.
And before I knew it Pop! Pop! Pop!
I started to lose consciousness.
I just felt helpless.
Because who was I gonna call to save me?
The police?
[CHUCKLES] Nah.
[DOG BARKING, HORNS HONKING IN DISTANCE]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[CELLPHONE BUZZING]
♪♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
♪♪
[BUZZING CONTINUES]
♪♪
[BUZZING STOPS]
♪♪
♪♪
[FIST THUDDING, MEN GRUNTING]
♪♪
♪♪
My gun.
Where's my gun? Where's my gun?
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
Where's my gun?
♪♪
♪♪
Are you worried about triggering
or retraumatising?
I had a
professor in law school.
Mm. When was that, 1940s?
[CHUCKLES]
Rudolf Klein.
He liked me. I liked him.
He was my mentor.
Six members of his family were murdered
in the Nazi death camps
Three grandparents, two aunts,
and an uncle.
Rebecca, Ewald, Elisabeth,
Anya, Gerta, and Robert.
You know all their names?
The only thing keeping
Rudolf going was his job.
Teaching law?
Telling everyone those six names
and making sure no one
could ever say it didn't happen.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
How do you make sure the world
doesn't hide from the shame
of the past?
By recounting again and again
the story of what happened.
Rudolf died a year ago.
The last thing he said to me
"The names.
Pass them on."
These testimonies don't hold back.
Let the voices go.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
[CLEARS THROAT]
Close the door.
Sit down.
Where's your gun?
I, uh, I don't know.
You don't know or you don't remember?
What happened?
You tell me.
I-I was at the Low Bar, and, um
I was drinking, you know?
And, uh I kept drinking.
Then what?
Nothing?
You got into an altercation
outside the bar.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
An altercation?
That sounds like police-speak.
You got me worried.
The other guy got the worst of it.
♪♪
♪♪
Where's my gun?
We took care of everything.
What What did I do?
You don't remember.
♪♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
Okay. Dog won't stop barking on 57th.
- The Dachshund again?
- Street lamp on the fritz on King.
Woman says it's triggering
her husband's PTSD?
Mm.
The neighbourhood council
at Nicholas Park
wants more speed bumps,
but the block association wants less.
- Fewer.
- Huh?
Not "less." "Fewer." Language matters.
Good morning, Marisol.
Good morning, Mia.
[BOTH LAUGH]
I haven't washed or changed in 60 hours.
Okay. Why is that?
Housing problems? Uh, water off?
My husband's in the hospital.
He's fighting for his life.
- I'm sorry.
- Beaten senseless outside a cop bar.
And what did the cops do?
It's like it didn't happen.
I didn't know where else to go.
That's what we're here for.
I tried leaving messages
for Mr. Roberts,
but he probably thought I was crazy.
So I thought
"Mrs. Roberts is the way to go."
Am I right?
People say she's one of us.
Well, people are right.
It's okay.
[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
LEONARD: You hate this, right?
Driving me?
Street cop like you, man of action.
I get all the bad boys.
Also known as the best cops.
Look.
The idea is you drive me around
for six months,
cool off, calm down,
and return to duty a saner, quieter cop.
What do you think?
It's okay.
You can be honest with me.
You hate this, right?
I guess I just miss the fresh air.
[LAUGHS]
I'll see you back here
in the morning, 8:00 a.m.
I don't want to hear how you
forgot and went to my place.
Hey.
Some people use a driving detail
to turn inwards
and think too much.
Others use it to empty the mind
and reset.
I'm betting you're the second type.
Let it go, Logan. [DOOR OPENS]
We'll get you back out there.
[DOOR CLOSES]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS, MAN GROANING]
♪♪
♪♪
Excuse me.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
TELEPHONE RINGING]
♪♪
MAN: My wife is
My wife is in need of a doctor
right now.
Nurse? Nurse?
♪♪
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
MONITORS BEEPING]
♪♪
♪♪
[MUSIC BUILDS]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[RESPIRATOR HISSING]
♪♪
[MONITOR BEEPING]
Excuse me. Can I help you?
I was just, uh
um, doing some follow-up.
Follow-up to what?
You're the first cop to come see him.
Right. Uh
No forensic exam, no nothing.
Has he spoken?
No.
Is he gonna make it?
Can we step outside?
When I talk in front of my patient,
I like to assume he can hear
what's being said.
Can he?
That's not the point.
It's about dignity.
What's the answer to my question?
He took a hell of a beatin'.
But then you already know that, right?
- Yeah.
- Any leads?
Uh Uh, no.
No. Not Not Not yet.
His wife She'll be back soon.
I think she'd appreciate it
if you talk to her.
Part of the job. Right?
Sure.
♪♪
So, I'm thinking next up for you
could be vice.
[BIRDS CRYING]
Okay.
Don't sound so excited.
Yeah, 'cause I I don't know
that I'm done with this job.
This job?
Or this woman?
It's the same thing, all right?
She's a player now.
Come on. Norma and Franklin Roberts?
They stayed tight. He talks to her.
I mean, he really talks to her,
and I can be in on that.
This is the guy
who wants to bring us down.
I mean, I don't know.
Maybe me moving on from her
is I don't know premature.
The personal and the professional, Phil.
- It's separate.
- Sure?
I'm sure.
Okay.
Ah, ah-ah ♪
Step on stairs like I won a medal ♪
Somewhere here,
but we don't need a middle ♪
Get your money ♪
I'm'a win the battle ♪
Nah, nah, can you hear me? Hello ♪
Go ahead, boy. Mm.
Can you hear me? Hello ♪
I ain't never fell off ♪
Can you hear me? Hello ♪
Nah, nah, can you hear me? Hello ♪
PHIL: Oh!
Oh, yeah. All right.
♪♪
Yes, yes. Thank you, son.
Well, we had an idea.
Actually, it's Phil's idea.
Well? What is it?
My family owes you a debt of gratitude.
- Paid in full.
- Franklin.
Don't be "Franklining" me,
Norma Johnson.
Paid in full. Nothing owed.
Well, consider it me being selfish then.
W-What does that mean?
The community needs you
and Martha to be out there
doing what you're doing.
You can't do that if there's nobody
to pick David up from school
and be with him.
I can do that.
I won't take no for an answer.
Mm-hmm, and don't fight her,
'cause you won't win.
Like I said, it's Phil's idea.
Well, where did you get this man from?
Got a heart of gold and plumbing skills.
Yeah.
- But can he dance?
- Ooh.
Oh, God. Don't em
The Stylistics, remember?
No. Stop.
PHIL: What you sayin'?
Oh!
He got some skills.
[LAUGHS] What you saying, though?
What you saying, though?
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
♪♪
DEVINS: This is an application
for full public disclosure
of Chicago Police Department records
of complaints against police
officers over the last 25 years.
Any last submissions
before I make my ruling?
No.
I'm asking you to open up
our collective capacity
to reflect on who we are
and who we've been, Your Honour,
so we can learn to be better.
I asked for legal submissions,
not sound bites for the press,
Counselor.
Maybe just once,
just once in the lifetime
of a lawyer, Your Honour,
the two are the same thing.
Let me be really straight
with you, Counsellor.
What is being asked of
this court is a very big deal
on so many levels.
Too big
were it not for the fact that
the timing of the application
is matched by the importance
of this moment in our history.
I'm giving you what you want, Counselor.
MAN: Yes! [SPECTATORS MURMURING]
And I'm giving the city
18 months to get this done.
Eighteen months, Your Honour?
Citizen data is private.
Redactions on this scale take time.
145,000 recorded complaints
over the last 25 years.
- Right.
- Court is adjourned.
[GAVEL TAPS]
Eighteen months.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS, DOOR OPENS]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
MAN: All right, you guys.
One, two, three, four. Lift.
All right. All right. Other side up.
So now it's a murder,
you'll want to start paying attention.
Uh, we're, uh
we're on this.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
MONITORS BEEPING]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[GURNEY RATTLING]
Yo, hold the elevator.
- You a cop?
- Yeah. Yeah.
So we're good?
Yeah. I'm good. Yeah.
♪♪
♪♪
Service elevator's down.
Wouldn't do this
with a member of the public.
♪♪
[BELL CHIMING]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[MID-TEMPO BLUES PLAYING]
Life is a prayer, Alex.
I hope you're right, Franklin.
♪♪
How long you got?
That should be my question, really.
♪♪
Less than 18 months.
Miracles happen.
Prayers get answered.
I hope you're right, Franklin.
♪♪
[EXHALES DEEPLY]
[HINGES CREAKING]
[VEHICLES PASSING IN DISTANCE]
[CELLPHONE CLICKING]
["LET IT WHIP" PLAYS]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Wanna see you with it ♪
Sure could treat you right ♪
Give me just a minute
of your time tonight ♪
We both are here to have good fun ♪
So let it [EXHALES DEEPLY]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
[GRUNTING]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS,
CHAINS RATTLING]
♪♪
[BREATHING HEAVILY] MAN: Move your feet.
When I was a boy, my parents
took me home to Ireland.
Looking for family roots, you know?
We spent a lot of time in churches,
digging out records of dead Brannigans.
They let me wander around
the churchyards,
looking at the names of the dead
on the gravestones.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
It snowed in May, I remember.
A great blanket of snow
came down on all the dead.
And I discovered the Irish have a talent
for calling death something gentler.
"At rest in the arms of Jesus."
Jalil Watts is at rest.
Passed this afternoon.
I thought you should know.
♪♪
Or maybe you knew already.
No.
♪♪
When it stopped snowing finally,
all the graves were covered
and the names hidden.
Like they weren't there.
Or hadn't ever been there.
♪♪
♪♪
[GRUNTING]
♪♪
♪♪
[ZIPPER OPENS]
[HINGE CREAKING]
♪♪
[TOILET FLUSHES]
♪♪
♪♪
FRANKLIN: [GROANING]
♪♪
♪♪
What are you doing?
Come on. Get up there. Come on.
[GRUNTS]
Here we go.
Martha, no. No.
Martha, I don't want my wife
taking off my dirty socks.
Marth
In sickness and in health, remember?
I meant that.
And I'm not just talking about
your dirty, smelly sock either.
♪♪
Let me in, Franklin.
♪♪
It's a fast car but I'm movin' slow ♪
I like my syrup raw ♪
Every'round me shoot they
yeek and get they merch off ♪
I don't bark, I bite ♪
That piece I gave you.
I had to get rid of it.
This type is wife ♪
I might just let the condom slip off ♪
Ain't too many like me ♪
99% of them rip-offs ♪
It's in the lake.
I never take my kicks off ♪
Ask my opps how it feel
to wake up daily and get on ♪
You get in your feelings
and make diss songs ♪
I might get
your people's house outside ♪
Shootin' that blick songs ♪
And I'm still good on every block ♪
I used to knock P's on ♪
Boss, I get you chalked ♪
My name ain't somethin'
that you should speak on ♪
My money 10 feet tall ♪
But I ain't something
you should shoot at ♪
Get out.
[MUSIC STOPS, TRAIN PASSING]
Only one question left for us.
Between that heater
and that cut you took,
you owe me about two stacks.
You got that for me?
[BIRDS CHIRPING, DOG BARKS IN DISTANCE]
Plus frontin' on your debt to TJ.
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
♪♪
Nothin' to say?
♪♪
Hurry up.
Like, do what you need to do.
You're a smart one.
I ain't gonna murk you.
I ain't gonna put you back
on that corner neither.
Could use me a smart one.
I'm finna buy out this whole lot.
Plenty more.
♪♪
Build something for the future.
Feel me?
Black-owned businesses.
Can't do that corner shit forever.
Used to look up to the OGs
like your pops, but
look at him now.
I need you clean.
You out here catching cases,
you ain't no use to me.
♪♪
Come on.
I'll drop you off.
♪♪
You got an uncle now.
[CHUCKLES]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]
♪♪
Naimah? Shall we?
Mm-hmm.
♪♪
♪♪
All right. Take hands.
♪♪
Oh, hear us, Lord,
as we come to You in worship
and bereavement.
We know Jalil is with You now, Lord
- Yes, Lord.
- that You've called him home
for reasons we may not ever understand.
- MAN: Yes, Father.
- Yes, Father.
But we know and accept
that all things work
according to Your purpose.
- Yes.
- Amen?
GROUP: Amen.
We're with you, Naimah, and so is Jesus.
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
♪♪
- I'm so sorry.
- Mrs Mrs. Roberts.
You came.
So sorry.
♪♪
Oh, you didn't have to do that.
You're a guest in my house.
My guests don't not eat.
[CHUCKLES] The thing about Jalil
The main thing
He loved crinkle-cut fries.
[LAUGHS] [LAUGHS]
I mean, loved them
with all his heart, you know?
He saw a lot of things that way.
The detail.
Mm-hmm.
Like, he built a life like that.
Yeah. Out of the small things,
making them matter.
Exc Excuse me.
She needs you.
But she really needs Franklin.
The three of you?
I wouldn't back anyone
trying to stop that train.
[MID-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[MACHINERY WHIRRING,
SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[EXHALES DEEPLY] Jesus.
This day, Logan. I swear.
Get a drink in me as soon as possible.
Okay. Where to?
The Low Bar.
It's a little early, boss.
Do you want to sip on a tiny-ass
miniature when I'm not looking
or are we gonna do a real drink
together?
Okay.
[ENGINE STARTS]
MARTHA: His name is Jalil Watts.
No CCTV.
No cameras.
No witnesses.
A man is beaten to death
in the city of Chicago
right outside a police bar.
And nothing.
Really?
Who are you ultimately
looking to hold accountable?
You know, I got to say
that is a stupid question.
Hm. And a depressing one.
Now, let me explain. It's stupid
It's stupid because you are suggesting
that I am after something
or someone in particular.
I am not.
I am after the truth. My mind is open.
The fact that CPD are not looking,
that is what pulls me in.
And it's a depressing question
because you are trying to write a story
that is based on your little worldview.
MAN: Exactly. [CROWD MURMURING]
And that is the opposite
of good reporting.
Which leads me to this next question.
And what is that?
Thank you for asking me.
Where is the mayor?
- MAN: All right. [CROWD MURMURING]
- MAN: Yeah. Where is the mayor?
Where is she?
Why is it me standing here,
asking you these questions?
Why?
Does she have something to hide?
Some of you might remember this.
It used to be
that investigative reporting
meant that you went out
and found the news.
Right? You didn't wait for it
to come to you
It connects.
- W-What do you mean?
- through a wire
or oven-ready,
given to you by some lobbyist.
Jalil Watts was almost certainly
out celebrating our victory.
It's like a baton being passed.
It's kind of incumbent on us
to pick it up.
And you can start by calling the mayor.
Thank you.
LEONARD: Now, this is a cop bar.
We own this.
You got to own the ownership.
We got to not be pushed out
of where we belong.
Me and your father,
when we were baby cops,
we got baptised in Jamesons right here,
back when Jerry owned it.
[CELLPHONE CHIMING]
Geez. I'm trying to say
something here, Wayne.
- Is that your phone?
- Yes.
- Turn it off.
- I would if I could.
What are you, 100 years old?
It's a Model 3.
The phone?
My Tesla. It's got cameras
all over the damn thing.
My nephew put this
Watchtower Pointe device in it.
Now anything comes close to it,
it shoots a video
and I get an alert on this app,
and I mean anything.
Somebody yawns across the street
Ding, fucking ding on my phone.
I can't figure out how to turn it off.
That's what you get for buying foreign.
It's made in America, jackoff.
Yeah.
Tell the one Tell the one that
The one you told the other night
about the two guys in the woods.
- LEONARD: Two guys in the woods?
- The coppers with the guns.
- Coppers in the woods?
- Hunters or whatever they were.
Oh! Right! Right, right, right.
- Listen to this.
- You got to hear this. Right.
[LAUGHING] This is good.
All right.
So, uh, two hunters are out in the woods
when one of them collapses.
He doesn't seem to be breathing,
and his eyes are glazed.
The other guy whips out a phone
and calls the emergency services.
"My friend is dead! What can I do?"
The operator says, "Calm down.
I can help.
First, let's make sure he's dead."
There's a silence,
and then a shot is heard.
Back on the phone, the guy says
"Okay. Now what?" [LAUGHTER]
You know what?
Your father told me that joke.
[VOICE ECHOING] Yeah. [LAUGHS]
[DOWN-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS]
[CELLPHONE CLICKING]
♪♪
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ♪
9, 10, 11, fuck 12 ♪
[FIST THUDDING]
Sixteen shots ♪
♪♪
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[EXHALES DEEPLY, SNIFFS]
♪♪
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
♪♪
♪♪
Okay.
[GRUNTS]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
♪♪
♪♪
[KNOCK ON DOOR]
♪♪
♪♪
What are you doing here?
Jalil Watts.
♪♪
It was me.
♪♪