Calvin, let's go!
What's the rush?
Whenever we get there,
it's still gonna be Medieval Times.
Man, it's gonna be awesome, Dad.
Tonight, we'll be transported back to a time
of lords and ladies,
of chivalrous knights upon their trusty steeds.
It shall be a ye olde good time.
Are you sure the hospital gave us the right child?
I think it's nice that Dave wants to thank us
for helping him with his campaign.
But if there's no booze, ye ass is bouncing.
Oh, good, Malcolm's here.
Hey, Malcolm, would you tell these two
that you supposed to bet on the horse, not eat with it?
Malcolm, are you okay?
Yeah, I'm fine, Ma, but Trey's not.
What happened?
We were playing ball down at the park
when these cops showed up and just started harassing us.
And Trey told them we weren't doing anything wrong,
and they, they just threw him on the ground
and started beating him up. What?
And I tried to say something, but...
well, one of the cops, he just looked at me
and put his hand on his gun.
I had to stand there and watch Trey
get dragged away in handcuffs.
Damn.
(imitates trumpet) Who's ready to party like it's 1399?
You'd be a fool not to.
You were right. The hat was way too much!
* Welcome to the block, welcome to the neighborhood *
* Welcome to the hood.
Wow, you know, the only other time
I've ever had to go to the police station
was to register my bicycle.
I'm sure that's why they beat the hell out of Trey.
Expired tags on his Schwinn.
I hope he's okay. How much do you think it's gonna cost
to bail him out? I don't know.
Just depends on what they charged him with.
Well, did Malcolm say what he did to get arrested?
Oh, I'll tell you what he did.
He was being Black in America.
Come on, Calvin. we are talking about Trey.
What's that supposed to mean?
I'm just saying, he's not exactly a Boy Scout.
Which I can say with confidence, because I was a Boy Scout.
Dave, don't start with that, all right?
Just because Trey had some run-ins with the law
don't mean he did something today.
And even if he had, it doesn't
give them the right to whup his ass.
I'm sorry, you're right. Look, we'll just explain
what happened and I'm sure they'll let him right out.
Okay. And then we'll just get on our magical unicorns
and ride a rainbow home.
Hi, there. Uh, Dave Johnson,
candidate for city council,
and big fan of all the CSIs. Okay.
Hi. We're here to bail out Trey Williams.
You mean "Leslie Williams"?
Okay. Y'all already arrested him.
Now you got to let everybody know he got a girl's name?
Uh, yeah, you see,
there's been some sort of mistake.
He's innocent.
Oh, he's innocent?
I'm so sorry, that happens sometimes.
Let me take care of that right now.
Hi. Get me the mayor.
I don't think he really called the mayor.
He didn't press any buttons.
Sir, could you just tell us
what the bail is so we can post it and get out of here?
It won't be set until he's been processed and seen a judge.
Okay, so when is that gonna happen?
Hey, if the mayor didn't know, how should I?
Oh, well, that's it. I'm filing a complaint.
Where's the suggestion box?
Dave, this is a police station, not an Applebee's.
Look, let's go.
They're not letting Trey out tonight.
But you can be damn sure I'm coming back here tomorrow.
We're-we're just gonna let him spend the night in jail?
Well, it could be worse.
He could be at Medieval Times.
I can't believe this.
Obviously this kind of stuff happens,
but it's never happened to anyone that I know.
Me, neither.
I always thought of the police as being helpful.
Right? Remember that time we broke down on the highway
and they gave us a ride to the gas station?
Yes, they even let you sit in the front seat
and play with the siren.
I'm still pissed I didn't get my turn.
Hey, what are you guys doing?
Nothing. We're just, uh, talking.
About what?
Just boring grown-up stuff.
Oh, I thought maybe it was about how Trey
got beat up by the po-po.
What?
How do you know about that?
I follow Marty on Instagram.
The Gram is where I get all my news.
Really? You let him get Instagram?
Before you get mad, he swore that he'd only follow me
and the Rock.
Mwah.
I love you, baby.
I love you too, Ma, but that is the hundredth time
you've kissed me on my head today.
You keep it up, I'm-a get a bald spot.
Well, I can't help it.
You know that could've been you yesterday.
Ah, I know, Ma. But I'm okay.
Thank God.
Okay, just one more. Whoa!
Mwah, mwah-- one more. Get off me, man.
What? Don't worry, you can borrow one of my wigs.
Are you kidding me? Oh, that's ridiculous.
Yeah, no. I'll be down there
first thing Monday morning, all right?
No, don't worry about it, man. You're like family.
Baby, who was that?
Trey.
They trumped up a bunch more charges on him,
now they're holding him through the weekend.
Damn it, they do this every time.
Well, you know what? I'm not just gonna sit here
and do nothing. What are you gonna do?
I'm-a organize a protest.
Get a bunch of people together
and march on that police station today.
Well, all right, son, I like that.
Not backing down from a fight.
I am so proud of me for raising you right.
So, you raised him?
Oh, I'm sorry. You're right. Thank you.
The first nine months were all you.
Hey, Mom.
Hey, sweetie. Where's Dad?
I wanted to tell him the Rock
finally followed him back on Instagram.
Really?
No, it's me under another name.
Well, he's not here.
He went with the Butlers to the protest.
Why are they protesting?
Because Malcolm organized one after,
you know...
Trey got beat up by the po-po.
Oh.
Hey.
I know there's a lot going on right now.
You want to talk about it?
I don't understand why the police beat up Trey.
Did he do something wrong?
No.
The police are the ones who did something wrong.
But they're supposed to be the good guys.
Yeah, but there are some bad ones, too.
So, if there's ever an emergency,
should I still call them?
Oh, yeah. Of course, sweetie.
They would never hurt you.
Right. Because I'm a kid.
Actually, it's because you're white.
You see, the police in this country have a history
of treating us better than they treat Black people.
But that doesn't make any sense.
Why would they do that?
That's a good question.
But the answer is kind of complicated.
Uh-oh. That's what you said when I asked where babies come from.
And I did not like that answer.
(car door closes)
DAVE: You guys all right?
CALVIN: (coughs) I'm fine, but come help me with Tina.
(Tina grunting)
GEMMA: Oh, my God. Tina.
What happened?
I-I think I sprained my ankle.
DAVE: Yeah, the cops
broke up the protest. Everyone had to run.
W-Why'd they break it up?
For no damn reason at all.
Everything was peaceful,
and then the cops showed up in riot gear.
Yeah, they started pushing us off with their shields
and then firing off tear gas and all hell broke loose.
(siren wailing in distance) That's crazy.
I know.
I almost got trampled twice.
You know, that's weird, 'cause I almost stepped
on somebody twice.
Oh, Marty, thank God you're all right.
I'm fine, but i-it's chaos out there.
People are getting beat up, cars are getting overturned
and set on fire.
I-I've never seen anything like it.
Marty, you're bleeding!
Oh, no-- oh, no, that's just salsa.
What? I got hungry during the protest and hit up a taco truck.
Well, where's Malcolm?
Well, I thought he was with you.
What?
Oh, my God.
Calvin, our baby is still out there.
(siren wails in distance)
Don't worry, Tina, Malcolm's gonna be okay.
Yeah, I'm sure he's gonna be fine.
Is he answering, Calvin?
No, it just keeps going to voice mail.
Oh... I-I'm going back out there.
I'm going with you. No, no, no. You stay here with your mother.
I don't need anybody else I love out there.
Come on, Dave.
ALL: Go.
(siren wailing)
I can't believe this is happening.
Well, what'd you expect?
You arm the police like they're going to war,
that's exactly what they're gonna do.
I mean, those guys were itching for a fight.
Look, Calvin, I know you're upset, but...
it's not like all cops are bad.
(chuckles) Tell that to the people
being choked out and killed in the streets.
Dave, o-of course there's some good cops.
But they're a part of a system
that was created when we weren't even considered people.
We were considered property.
And yeah, yeah, I know people love to say
that slaves were freed a long time ago,
but it's that same system that's got us undereducated,
over-incarcerated, and out of the voting booth.
Maybe you're right, maybe the system is broken.
Oh, no. No. The system is working
exactly how it was designed.
I don't know what to say.
Hmm. Look at that.
I finally found a way to shut you up.
Hey, little man, what are you up to?
Writing "Welcome home, Malcolm" on the sidewalk.
Nice. Mind if I join you
and correct some of your spelling?
I think Mac-a-lom would appreciate it.
Who are these guys?
Oh, that's you, me and Malcolm. Oh.
I like how you gave me all those muscles.
Actually, I was originally drawing the Rock,
but then I thought what would he be doing here?
My mom told me about how some police treat Black people
different than white people.
Yeah, man, it's pretty messed up, huh?
It's so unfair.
You're right, it is.
But you know what?
Someday I think that's gonna change.
You think so?
Definitely.
Look, man, you drew the three of us holding hands.
Yeah, but that was when it was the Rock. But go on.
What I'm saying is we're friends.
And it doesn't matter to you
that we have different color skin.
None of my friends care about that stuff.
We just care about Fortnite and being taller than the girls.
Right.
You and all your friends and other kids like you
are gonna grow up.
And when you do, you're gonna make things better.
For sure.
My man.
Hey, but trust me, don't hate on the tall girls.
The world needs supermodels.
Tina, what are you doing?
You should be resting your ankle.
Well, I got worried that Malcolm would be hungry
when he comes home, so I'm making his favorite meal.
Aw, what's his favorite meal?
I'm too upset to remember, so I'm making everything.
Sure.
Who doesn't love...
hot dogs with their Cream of Wheat?
How can I help?
Oh, uh, you could start chopping those vegetables.
Tina, I know you're scared, but I promise you
Malcolm's gonna be okay.
Look, Gemma, I know you are trying to help, and I know
you're saying what you're supposed to say,
but there's nothing that's gonna make me feel better
until he walks through that door.
You're right.
(voice breaking): I'm sorry.
Oh, come on, Gemma, don't do that.
If you start crying, I'm gonna, too.
No, no, it's not that. It's these onions.
Gemma, you're chopping potatoes.
Oh, my God, you're right.
I am crying.
I'm just so tired of it all.
I can't imagine.
You know, every time one of my sons
steps out of the house, I'm worried that
someone's gonna hurt them, or even worse,
they may not come back home at all.
You know, I remember
the first time we explained it to them.
I didn't want to yet.
You know, they were still so young.
But Calvin said we had to, to keep them safe.
And I will never forget the looks
on my beautiful babies' faces when they learned
that there are people who
literally hate them...
just for being born the way God made them.
Marty was only seven years old.
Here we go again. Those damn potatoes.
Ugh! I, uh...
I'd give anything right now just to see my baby boy
walk through that door so I could just hold him
and hug him and just tell him I love him.
Oh. Oh... looks good. (laughs)
Those ain't yours! Your ass ain't missing.
(sirens blare nearby)
It's gone on way too long.
(indistinct chatter) Enough is enough.
Malcolm. Malcolm, hold up.
Y'all-- y'all go ahead, go ahead. I'm gonna catch up.
Go ahead.
Pop, what are y'all two doing here?
We was looking for you.
Why haven't you picked up your phone?
I don't know, man, I guess...
I guess I just didn't hear it, Pop.
That used to always happen to me.
That's why I keep mine on vibrate; very sensitive thighs.
All that matters is that you're safe.
So come on, man, we're going home.
Whoa, Pop.
I'm not going home.
What?
No, man, I'm going down to the police station.
Look, they didn't want to listen to us when we were peaceful,
so we gonna make 'em listen now.
Oh, come on, don't be stupid.
Put the brick down, son. You're coming home.
Pop, I told you I'm not going home.
What? Malcolm, please.
Everybody's worried about you...
Dave.
Sorry.
I'm gonna go call Gemma and tell her you're okay.
(scoffs): She's been blowing up my thigh.
Malcolm, now, I told your mother that I was gonna find you
and bring you home, and that's what I'm gonna do.
How can you tell me to quit now, Pop?
Look, weren't you the one who said that you were proud of me
for standing up?
And now you want me to back down?
Look, son, I hear you. Obviously you don't!
Look, I saw my friend get beat down
right in front of me.
And I couldn't do a damn thing about it.
I'm standing five feet away, and I was helpless.
You know, maybe if you would have been through something
like that or been there, you would understand.
You think I don't understand?
Boy, do you know how many times I've been there?
How many times I've been pulled over saying
I'm in the wrong neighborhood,
or questioned because I fit the description?
I've been living this my whole life, Malcolm.
Then why aren't you angry?! I am angry!
I'm angry every day.
I'm angry every time another racist cop
kills one of us out there.
Or every time the system fails us.
It makes me want to burn it all down!
But that's not the answer.
Well, then, what is?
Because they are not listening to us!
So what the hell am I supposed to do?
You're supposed to use your head, Malcolm. Come on, man.
You've got to fight smart.
All right? You've got to organize.
You gotta talk to your people.
You got to get them to listen.
Look, they want you to fight with this...
but you gotta fight with this.
Because your actions, they got consequences
that you may not come back from.
And you can't help nobody if you dead or in jail.
Now give me the brick.
Come on. Come on, son.
Give me the brick.
I just don't know what else to do, Pop.
What the hell am I supposed to do? I know, man.
I got you, man.
I got you.
Look, I want you to keep that fire,
but you're gonna lead the right fight.
I'm sorry, Pop, I...
It's all right.
Come on, man.
Let's get home to your mother.
Whoa, uh,
exactly how worried is she?
Well, let's put it this way.
Say good-bye to your hair line.
All right, here you go, man. Thank you, brother.
So, Trey,
what was it like in jail?
It wasn't that bad.
I mean, until they found out my name was Leslie.
Hey, did Trey tell y'all?
The cops who beat him up are getting investigated.
They're even talking about charges.
Hey, that's the first step.
Yeah, none of that would have happened
if you guys didn't stand up for me.
If it weren't for you, I'd still be locked up.
So thank you.
Ah, we got your back. Amen, brother.
We're all in this together, man.
Yeah, and remember that if you get a large settlement.
Hey, everyone, dinner's ready. Oh, yeah.
Oh, seriously, Mom?
Trey's big homecoming dinner and we got leftovers?
Shut up and eat your Cream of Weenies.
(indistinct chatter)
Thank you. Unbelievable.
This looks good, babe.
And the wine looks really good.
Thank you. Thank you.
Okay, everyone, let's bow our heads.
Dear Lord, we thank you for bringing us here together
safe and sound.
We give you thanks for watching over
Malcolm and Trey, because, Father,
we know there are too many families
who have an empty seat at their table tonight.
Yes, Lord.
But we ask that you give us strength.
to lead the world towards justice and peace
and love for all God's children.
In your name we pray, amen.
ALL: Amen. TINA: That was beautiful, baby.
All right, everybody, dig in. All right.
Trey, what are you gonna have?
(indistinct chatter)
*
Captioning sponsored by CBS
Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org