Afrikaans
Akan
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Armenian
Azerbaijani
Basque
Belarusian
Bemba
Bengali
Bihari
Bosnian
Breton
Bulgarian
Cambodian
Catalan
Cebuano
Cherokee
Chichewa
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
Corsican
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
English
Esperanto
Estonian
Ewe
Faroese
Filipino
Finnish
French
Frisian
Ga
Galician
Georgian
German
Greek
Guarani
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Hawaiian
Hebrew
Hindi
Hmong
Hungarian
Icelandic
Igbo
Indonesian
Interlingua
Irish
Italian
Japanese
Javanese
Kannada
Kazakh
Kinyarwanda
Kirundi
Kongo
Korean
Krio (Sierra Leone)
Kurdish
Kurdish (Soranî)
Kyrgyz
Laothian
Latin
Latvian
Lingala
Lithuanian
Lozi
Luganda
Luo
Luxembourgish
Macedonian
Malagasy
Malay
Malayalam
Maltese
Maori
Marathi
Mauritian Creole
Moldavian
Mongolian
Myanmar (Burmese)
Montenegrin
Nepali
Nigerian Pidgin
Northern Sotho
Norwegian
Norwegian (Nynorsk)
Occitan
Oriya
Oromo
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese (Brazil)
Portuguese (Portugal)
Punjabi
Quechua
Romanian
Romansh
Runyakitara
Russian
Samoan
Scots Gaelic
Serbian
Serbo-Croatian
Sesotho
Setswana
Seychellois Creole
Shona
Sindhi
Sinhalese
Slovak
Slovenian
Somali
Spanish (Latin American)
Sundanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tajik
Tamil
Tatar
Telugu
Thai
Tigrinya
Tonga
Tshiluba
Tumbuka
Turkish
Turkmen
Twi
Uighur
Ukrainian
Urdu
Uzbek
Vietnamese
Welsh
Wolof
Xhosa
Yiddish
Yoruba
Zulu
( music playing )
Ann: San Francisco, 1971.
Thousands were marching in the streets to demand an end to the Vietnam War.
Racial tensions were high after the Hunter's Point riots.
And on January 19th,
two oil tankers collided in the San Francisco Bay
spilling 800,000 gallons of crude oil into the water.
Back then, there was no plan for how to clean it up.
On one side, you had the oil company who was responsible.
On the other, you had the hippies who wanted to protect their beaches.
And in the middle were the truckers.
This is the story of how that oil spill changed my life
because I was married to a trucker
named Charlie Walker.
Charlie only had one truck to his name,
but he had plenty of hustle.
In the days leading up to the oil spill,
the power center for all trucking in the Bay Area
was a man named Chuck Sumner.
Maybe Chuck himself was a racist. I don't know.
But his dispatchers were another story.
Every day, Charlie would go down to Chuck's worksites and try to get on a job,
and every day the same thing would happen.
Howdy, foreman. Load her up.
- No. - Why?
'Cause you ain't got no work order.
You ain't got no Chuck Sumner truck.
Hell, you probably don't even have a Class B.
Besides, you're blocking the goddamn line.
So if you don't haul this pile of shit out of here right quick,
I'm gonna hook it up and drag it off myself.
Maybe you'd think things would be different,
this being San Francisco, but you'd be wrong.
Money was tight,
and I was trying to do my part in managing the numbers.
What the hell are you doing? Put that jar away.
They don't be counting pennies for food.
The market doesn't care how you pay.
Well, the neighbors do, and I'll be damned
if I have them passing the basket around for us on Sundays.
What's your pocket money gonna do for us?
Buy food, keep the lights on.
- And what about next week? - Same pocket.
You should be laying bricks with Willie.
They got steady work. He called again last night.
Do you want to drive around in that old rickety dump truck
burning gas, hoping, I don't know,
Santa Claus is gonna fill it with dirt?
I can't lay bricks no more.
You can't or you won't?
- I won't. - Pooki, go play with your sisters.
You're gonna have to decide.
You gonna keep dreaming about being your own boss
or lay bricks to feed your family?
We lose this house in February if you don't find work.
Listen, baby, if I thought laying bricks
would make me a foreman someday, I'd be first in line,
but there is no such thing
as a Black brick laying foreman.
Now, that truck is the only thing we got.
Well, maybe come February we should all live in the truck then.
I told you, I'm not tearing my goddamn hands up
doing that brick laying bullshit no more.
Buy some gloves.
Instead of buying gloves, Charlie doubled down,
decided the only way to get what he wanted
was to make even more trouble for Chuck Sumner.
Thought maybe if he made enough trouble,
eventually Chuck would have to start paying attention.
We moved the drop-off to Third and King Street.
Sure thing, boss.
All right. That's it.
Hey, get going, Willie. It's on.
- ( radio chatter ) - That's right. Negro.
Not "hero." I said "Negro."
I got a Black Panther son of a bitch blocking my trucks.
( radio chatter continues )
No, goddamn it. There's a Black man!
Man on radio: He don't have no sand loader,
but he says we can get one over here for you.
You know what? I am one of those uppity Negros looking to crash the party.
- Merry Christmas. - Shit!
I'm gonna whip your ass, boy!
Ann: Charlie just wanted a fair shake,
a chance to have something of his own,
- to be his own boss. - ( siren wailing )
It wasn't about race for him,
but for everyone else, it was always about race.
Step out of the cab.
Charlie: What the hell?
You know, it is hard to find good help these days?
I just dropped my worker Willie off,
and I say, "Willie, make sure you untie the banner from the truck."
And I'll be damned.
They say if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself.
- I'll take care of it. - Don't you move.
Hey, man, that's not necessary.
I said I'll take care of it. Be cool.
You don't take direction very well, do you?
Now turn around and face the vehicle.
Old cracker-ass cracker.
Charlie got 30 days, but Chuck Sumner got tired
of having Charlie be a thorn in his side,
gave him a contract,
put him in charge of all the Black truckers.
Suddenly, on our side of town, Charlie was the man.
And that's when it happened.
Charlie was driving home,
saw a line of trucks heading to the beach
in the middle of the night.
Woman on radio: The police are here.
There's trucks everywhere.
Ann: He didn't know about the oil spill yet,
but he knew something was up.
Man on radio: We have a report that a large ship hit
the Golden Gate Bridge just after midnight tonight.
Ann: Decided he had to follow those trucks.
Street's closed. You can't get through. You gotta go left.
Those six trucks ahead are mine. Charlie Walker Trucking.
I gotta stay with my trucks.
Yeah, and I'm the chief of police.
Get out of the line and turn left.
Ask the guy behind me. Please, go ahead. Ask him.
Look, officer, you're holding them up too. Those are Chuck Sumner trucks.
Behind those are Mike Folgers trucks.
Behind those are the damn National Guard.
Now are you gonna hold this line up because I'm Black
or are you gonna keep this train rolling?
All right, get out of here.
Woman on radio: Every truck and loader within a 50-mile radius
is headed to the coastline.
Ann: Charlie followed those trucks
all the way down to the beach.
And when he got there, guess who he found.
Chuck Sumner himself.
What the hell's going on here, Chuck?
You got half your trucks on this beach, so what gives?
We're cleaning up the million some odd barrels of crude washing up.
Hot damn! When did it happen?
Midnight. Broke the ship in half.
So you got the call, Folgers got the call,
but nobody bother to give old Charlie Walker a shot?
Look, goddamn it, what am I supposed to do,
call every bar in San Francisco
until I find the one that you're getting drunk in?
If you want in, I suggest you hop in
that new Cadillac of yours and hightail your ass
up to the Long Wharf in Richmond.
- Richmond? - Every contractor around
is bidding for a piece of this right now, except you.
Don't send me over there just to get me off your ass now. I want in.
Look, my hands are tied right now. Just... here.
- Go see Mike Marshall. He's the oil man in charge. - Mike Marshall.
Oh, Charlie, you think about pulling any shit
like that billboard stunt in the Mission,
and they'll have your ass in a sling for good.
This is Tower Oil. They're already integrated.
All: Tower Oil out! Tower Oil out!
Ann: By sunup, the hippies were already out protesting the spill.
Charlie didn't have to worry about them,
but he knew Tower Oil wouldn't just let him in.
Just to get in line, he had to use every trick in the book.
Yo, hold it up! Hold it up! Stop.
Didn't you see the sign?
What's the matter, boy? Can't you read?
- What's your name, officer? - What did you say to me?
I said, "What's your fucking name, off-ic-er?" Don't you speak English?
I don't think you understand what's going on here, son.
See, this is private property.
Now you're gonna have to back this piece of shit up and move it on out of here.
Look, damn it, I work for Tower Oil in Los Angeles.
I'm the superintendent in charge of contamination for the entire North Coast.
Yeah, well, this ain't Los "Ang-geh-lees."
I don't need this shit. Give me your name and badge number
so I can report this to Marshall.
- Marshall? - Name, badge number.
You know Mike Marshall?
Mike Marshall, white dude, about yay tall,
bosses peckerwoods like you around for a living.
- You gotta understand, um... - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- We don't get many, uh... - Still ain't no excuse.
No. I'm sorry about this, sir.
Now what did you say your name was again?
Man: Look, fellas, we're gonna need every truck we can muster.
We got small areas, but a lot of them.
Look about, boys, I got me a beast.
Some of you are gonna have to pair up,
but do not worry about the money.
Every contractor's gonna get his own purchase order with an open end.
- All: Yeah! - Now at the end of the day,
a Tower Oil rep is gonna sign off on your invoices,
but we need some kind of billing every day.
Now if there are any problems, feel free to call me.
All right, Half Moon Bay.
Who can work the beach at Half Moon Bay?
All right, you, you, and you.
Uh, San Mateo. Red, that's your neck of the woods.
You take San Mateo and take two other guys from this group.
Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle.
Why, that doesn't surprise me. Now I see the resemblance.
You owe me a construction tower, boy, and I'm gonna get it.
You and you, let's go work.
Haines: Stinson Beach, Marin County.
One way in, one way out.
We only need a small crew, one or two trucks.
- Come on, anybody. - Nah, no way. I ain't gonna do that.
Stinson Beach, guys.
Here. Right here. I'll take it.
Come on, anybody!
You're gonna get a truck in or out of there.
Why don't you integrate and give a brother a job?
- Name? - Charlie Walker.
Company name.
Oh, Charlie Walker Trucking.
This is gonna take three trucks. You got that many?
- No, but I'll get them. - Fine.
- You'll make it work. - Yes, sir.
I work with Chuck Sumner Trucking too. I'll get the rest form him.
With this blank purchase order, you can get anything you need.
Now we're not concerned about the money right now.
Just get that damn oil off the beach,
you understand what I'm saying to you, son?
Yes, sir.
Get the damn oil off the beach. I got it.
Thank you, sir.
( ringing )
Is this the police?
No, this ain't the police!
Baby, you'll never guess what just happened.
Charlie Walker, do you know what time it is?
Of course I know what time it is.
What time is it?
It's 6:00 in the damn morning.
Baby, baby, we gonna be rich.
We gonna pay off the house. We gonna buy another truck.
I got another hour before I gotta get the girls dressed for school,
and you're calling me at 6 in the morning
after you've been out all night again?
Bye!
Bye.
Ann: Now, the oil company was hiring truckers
like Charlie to take the oil away,
but who was gonna get it off the beaches
and into the trucks in the first place?
For that they decided to work with the people
who were already out there doing it for free,
the hippies.
But it wasn't exactly a match made in heaven.
Sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Bennett,
but I have the contract reports you asked for.
Why don't you save me the read and just give me the high points?
Do we have enough boots on the ground?
- I think so. - Wow, VP of Tower Oil San Francisco office
has just assured me that he thinks so.
I mean, yes, we do.
We have every truck, loader, and operator
in the Bay Area under contract.
So we're doing everything we can.
You still haven't answered my question, Walter.
It's the volunteers, sir.
As long as the volunteers stay onboard, we can keep up.
This whole thing hinges on a bunch of hippie war protestors?
- Volunteers, sir. - Fine.
Then just keep them volunteering.
Walter: That's the tricky part.
Most of these people were protestors a week ago, and we can't get near them.
They can't be protesting
and helping at the same time.
- Which is it? - It's a mess, sir.
Walter, you know the difference between a hippie
and a couple of corporate assholes like you and me?
No, sir.
- Credit cards. - Credit cards?
Yeah, a steady paycheck,
consumer debt, dental coverage,
paid sick leave, and as many free pens
and pencils as they can steal.
You understand what I'm saying?
- Yes. - Pay them.
Give them money.
I don't care if you have to sneak up behind them
and stuff twenties in their pockets.
Get them sucking on the teat.
I'll take care of it, sir.
And, Sharpe, money is no object.
Yes, sir. Understood.
Man on radio: At approximately 1:42 this morning,
two Tower Oil tankers collided just east of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Ann: Stinson Beach, where Charlie was headed,
is up north of the Golden Gate.
It was hard to get to, and nobody thought
it was gonna be a big job, but for Charlie,
it was an opportunity to show the world what he could do.
( phone ringing )
Yes. Yes, sir. Mr. Sharpe is working on that.
Yes, we're getting more volunteers all the time.
Tell them we're gonna need more hay bales.
Woman: I did. We have another nine or ten on the way.
Yes, sir. They're working.
Um, all we have are volunteers at the moment.
( squeaking )
Hay bales don't soak up oil.
You're just making a bigger mess.
- May I help you? - Yes.
Can I get a cheeseburger on white bread with extra mayo?
- And a vanilla shake? - Excuse me.
We're a little busy right now.
If you wanna help, the beach is that way.
You might want to get out of those fancy clothes first.
I'm the contractor who's gonna clean up that mess.
- You're the who? - I'm Charlie Walker. Nice to meet you.
- You're Mr. Walker? - One and only.
Ah, okay. Wait right here.
Let me let them know that you're here. Wait right there.
( phone ringing )
Ann: You ever heard that expression, "the winds of change"?
Well, that's what was about to happen to Charlie.
Mother Nature decided to surprise everybody and blow most of that oil
straight past those other beaches
and all the way up to Stinson.
Tower Oil probably would've replaced Charlie
with one of those white truckers,
but he was one step ahead.
By the time they got there,
he'd already gotten himself in front of the cameras.
I'm going to do whatever it takes
to get every bit of oil off this beautiful beach
and out of every ravine and inlet.
In fact, this beach will be in better condition
when I leave than it's ever been before.
We consider ourselves lucky to have someone
of Mr. Walker's experience out here on such short notice.
- Now step aside. Move aside. - We have little time to spare.
I need to get out there immediately and survey what we're up against.
Right this way, Mr. Walker. Nicely done in there.
Well, those people I can handle.
It's you all that concerns me.
- How's that? - Well, see, there's a small matter of me being, um...
Black.
I hadn't noticed.
I like the way you do things, Mr. Sharpe.
Let's hope I come to share those same feelings for you, Mr. Walker.
Yeah, we initially thought this area was going to be contained.
- But you were wrong. - But we were wrong.
Winds do change. Bite you in the ass sometimes.
Can we count on you, Charlie?
Well, it will have to be taken out by hand.
Maybe we could take the tainted materials and move it to a holding area.
- That might work. - Might work.
I'll get you those trucks. What else you gonna need?
A drink, a phone,
and I think I'll get old Chuck Sumner on the phone
and see if I can get some more trucks.
All right, let's get you back to base camp.
To hell with the suit, Charlie! We'll buy you a new one.
By the way, you're staying at the Stinson Beach Motel.
We've rented the entire building out for Tower employees.
So don't bother punching out and or going home at the end of the night.
This is a full-time job. You live here now.
- I'm gonna need two rooms. - Money is no object.
You know, everybody keeps saying that,
but I have yet to see any of it.
I'm beginning to think it is no object after all.
Here's 25,000, petty cash.
It'll get you through tonight and tomorrow.
- Thanks. - You've met Dan Wallace.
He'll handle all our force accounts. He'll take care of everything.
Money, personnel, and everything.
Without the trucks, all we can do is mix with the locals for now.
The cavalry's on the way, Charlie. Don't let us down.
Reporter: came under heavy ground fire in the Song Ve valley.
( TV chatter continues )
( gunfire on TV )
Ann: Charlie had been in the military right when they were integrating,
so he understood that survival
wasn't just about fighting the enemy.
Sometimes you had to keep an eye on your friends too.
If the oil guys were smart,
Charlie would just have to be even smarter.
And with all that oil coming in
and no plan for how to stop it,
he was gonna have to start getting creative pretty fast.
And he was gonna need all the friends on the ground he could get.
What's going on?
Woman: Some guys beat up an oil man.
- Oil man? - Yeah, some suit got beat up.
All right.
- What's going down, fellas? - Looks like that dude was in a hatchet fight
and was the only one without their hatchet.
Must've slipped and fell real bad, ya dig?
Oh, I dig. But if any of you try to rat pack me,
somebody's going to the morgue, do you dig?
Got no beef with you, man.
Fuck that puppet and his corporate puppet master.
He's one of my puppets. So what can I do for you?
You have my full attention. How can I help you?
- You can't be the boss. - Why? 'Cause I'm Black?
Or because you can't find your own asshole with a mirror and a long stick?
You're not the boss.
Fine. Follow me.
And bring your hippie commune with you.
Why, hello, Mr. Walker. I have a packet for you.
You've met Mr. Sharpe. This is Mr. Bennett.
He's the president of Tower Oil, and he came here
to meet you personally to discuss your approach.
Welcome, Mr. Bennett. Good to meet you, sir.
You too, Charlie. Now that we're all pals, what's your plan?
Well, we have a three-mile stretch of beach, all of which is infected.
We're using loaders to take off the top layer, but it's slow going.
Honestly, we're just moving shit around.
I mean, the tainted material.
Same problem at Ocean Beach and Half Moon Bay.
We just got back from there and it's a fucking mess.
We'll manage, but our biggest threat is in the Bolinas Lagoon.
If the oil gets in there, we'll be here for the next three years.
Now what are we doing about that?
- Some locals are putting together an oil boom. - Out of what?
Well, anything they get their hands on.
They're using logs, fishing nets, hay.
We build them in series, so there's a gap.
Then we use local boats to drag it to the beach. Then we haul it off.
- Is it working? - Yes, sir. For now.
Nice work, Charlie. We're gonna leave Dan here.
You're coming with us to Candlestick.
Maybe you can share some of your ideas with the other guys, huh?
Mr. Wallace, move most of the equipment up north to the inlet.
They're gonna need some relief with the boom work.
Yes, sir. I'm on it.
And who are these good folks?
Oh, they're heading up the volunteer effort.
They're good kids. Real go-getters.
Great. Well, we'll come back in a couple days to get acquainted with them.
Let's get going, guys, huh?
Charlie had bought himself a little time,
but he knew it wouldn't be enough.
He needed to think fast,
so he did what he always did best.
He improvised.
- Who's using those? - Using what?
Skip loaders. The paddle scrapers.
No one. They were in the way, so we parked them out here.
- I want them. - For what?
I just want them.
Can we get them on low-boys and get 'em to my beach?
Sure, if you think you can use them, you got it.
I'll take care of it. They'll be on your beach before sundown tomorrow.
- I want them both. - We're gonna take you over to Ocean Beach,
then out to the Farrallons, and then we'll get you home.
Don't worry, Charlie.
We got a nice place down here.
Get some oysters and raw clams,
maybe on runny eggs.
( retches, coughs )
Charlie, what kind of shit are you pulling out here?
- What are you talking about? - We're not building freeways.
This ain't no tar and gravel job.
Why are you wasting my time with these paddle scrapers?
I told Bennett it'd be cheaper to turn the whole thing into a parking lot, and he bought it.
That's it. I'm leaving.
No, no. Wait, Chuck. I'm just kidding.
Settle down.
Hey, Dan, you excuse us, please?
Sure. No problem.
Look, Chuck, if these oil guys spend five million dollars
and it all goes through our books,
we make 20% off the top.
That's over fifty an hour for the equipment.
I figure between you and me, profit and overhead,
we clear $375,000 each.
Hell, I'll take every skip loader you got, running or not.
You're just gonna let them sit,
- but charge for them? - Maybe.
Look, they're not making a penny parked at Candlestick, am I right?
You got these suits running around like idiots on one end of the beach
and these hippies on the other.
You are building a monster here, Charlie.
- You better watch your ass. - Money is no object.
Whoever told you that is a liar or a thief.
Hey, I got a work order like everybody else.
Oh, yeah, so now you're like everybody else, huh, Charlie?
Well, congratulations.
Hey, what's that supposed to mean?
That some kind of white thing?
Hey, I'm only kidding, man.
Come on, let me buy you a drink.
Hello, Mr. Walker.
I'm Agent Peaks. This is Agent Banks.
We understand you're in charge. Is that right?
You already know my name.
You're the white folks to assume that I'm in charge.
- What'd I win? - I'll make this brief.
We're here to put you on notice.
- Notice of what? - It's all in the documents.
You've been officially served.
- What's this? - No one works for free
in the state of California
unless they willingly volunteer to aid
in a natural disaster relief effort.
Those two ships belong to Tower Oil.
Tower Oil is a corporation, and therefore solely responsible
for compensating all workers helping with the cleanup.
You have no volunteers. You have employees and subcontractors.
Therefore, you must abide
by California's employment and labor laws.
It's all in the packet.
Corporations don't have volunteers.
Son of a bitch.
Most of these people were on the beach before we even got here.
How are we supposed to track them all down?
Well, therein lies the problem.
Have a good day, Mr. Walker.
We'll be back to check on your progress.
What happens if we can't find everyone?
If some of these people don't get paid?
Then we shut you down.
Thanks. Have a nice day.
This is wild, man. We have a Black president.
Yeah, man. President of Stinson Beach.
How's it feel? The power, man?
Can I be honest with you?
I thought it would feel more...
I thought it would feel more white, you know?
Like, if power were a color,
it would be white as snow.
You dig?
But I still feel as Black as I did when I was a kid.
Huh.
That's wild, man.
I'm just fucking with you, nature boy.
It doesn't feel like anything.
Hey, you all want jobs?
No way, man.
Not even for your Black president?
- Do I look like a suit to you? - No, you do not.
Then why you want to come at me like I'm another suit?
I'm here to clean up your home town. That's it.
When I'm done, I'm gone. Period.
You get to keep your souls and some serious bread.
I can trust you, right?
Because I know you can trust me.
Now I'm gonna put $10,000 in your hand.
And I want you to pay anyone and everyone who so much as kicked
a rock with oil on this beach since day one.
I want you to tell them, "Charlie Walker says thank you,
and he's paying you for your help."
Now all they gotta do is come down here,
sign a little piece of paper.
They hand you the slip, you pay them.
You hand the slip back to me. That's it.
Woman: Right on, man.
Cross my palm, kemosabe.
Now you said I could trust you.
Now I want you to trust me for a second.
If you burn me,
you can trust I will come back one day,
not tomorrow, not next week,
not next year, but after all this
is nothing more than a fading memory.
And then I'll remind you that you broke our trust
by putting a bullet in your ass.
I like you, man. We're straight.
( indistinct shouting )
- Hey, can I get a copy of those? - Absolutely.
It'll be in the SF Journal this afternoon.
You can read about it in 3 1/2 hours.
Damn. News does travel fast.
You're the first foreman that hasn't run me off their beach.
I'm Charlie Walker. Welcome to my beach.
Come by any time.
Charlie was cool with the press and the hippies.
Like I said, he was one step ahead.
Sharpe: We need the governor to step in.
The National Guard will bring a level of control.
The moment this thing gets outside, we lose control.
Sacramento is an unpredictable town.
I understand the risks, but we need their help.
It's only a matter of time before he makes the call himself.
All right, call him.
Hello. Yes.
Walter Sharpe, vice president of Tower Oil San Francisco office.
- The governor is expecting my call. - Son of a bitch.
He did it.
- Hang up. Hang up! - ( clears throat )
Hello? Governor Reagan, sir.
Well, Ronnie, I wanted to call you personally
to let you know that we have everything under control.
- Last one inside has to fold the bags! - Hey, that's not fair!
Everybody gets a bag to fold! I'm not playing with y'all.
( screaming )
( dog barking )
Landi, Dee Dee, Pooki, come to Mommy's room now!
You run to Aunt Ruby's house and you stay there until I come for you.
Don't tell anyone about this money, you hear me?
You hide it under that nasty old couch of hers,
and you tell her I left for the store.
- Kids: Uh-huh. Yes, Mama. - Now get!
- Hey, Charlie. - Hey, baby.
We heard you're the big man on the beach.
Maybe. Who are your friends?
This is Mae and this is Black.
Hm. They call you Black 'cause you're the only sister in town?
Her real name's Coffi.
'Cause I'm hot, Black, and full of sugar.
- So do you like to party, man? - Does a hippie wear beads?
So what do they call you?
Around here most people call me "sir."
Oh. All right, sir.
- So where's the party tonight, ladies? - Where you staying?
Oh. It's that kind of party.
- You scared? - I wouldn't say that,
but we're at a perfectly good bar serving perfectly good drinks.
Why leave?
You got any coke?
You know, you can call me Charlie.
You got any coke, Charlie?
- You got a score? - Get your keys.
Well, all right.
♪ Tell me the truth ♪
Okay, so look, man, you want two ounces?
I have maybe an ounce and a 1/2 here.
If you can wait till tomorrow, I'll have another two.
Just give me what you got and keep your finger off the scale.
- Ooh. - Oh.
Be cool.
I don't run that kind of operation.
This is a non-profit, you dig?
So here's the money, my man.
Say, man, you mind if I take a few of these with me?
You're not thinking about setting up shop here in town, are you?
It ain't like that. I know this is your zone.
I just need to spread some powder around, that's all.
Sure, man, no big thing.
As long as you're not selling, we're cool.
- Do you think I'm pretty? - Cute as a damn button.
- But I gotta go. - ( scoffs )
( doorbell rings )
- Mrs. Walker? - That's me.
We have a warrant to search your property.
- What took you so long? - Step aside, please.
Ann: Is this what you're looking for?
Now I know these are sexy. But illegal?
I hardly think so.
Unless you are some kind of really kinky-ass white boys.
I'm sorry we wasted your time.
Not smart.
Ann: I didn't know whose payroll these white boys were on,
but one thing was for sure.
Someone was trying to bring Charlie down.
Charlie, you in there? Charlie!
Ah, man, what do you want?
Hey, the paddle scrapers are doing their job.
Yeah, tell me something I don't know. I put them there. Shit.
The TV news reporters are here. They want to talk to you.
Why the hell didn't you tell me, man?
- Who's been talking to them? - Me.
Ain't this something.
You're on TV and I'm there sawing logs.
Damn it, Dan, I told you I want to talk to these people my damn self.
- You're supposed to come get me. - I am getting you.
Next time you get me sooner. Come on.
Woman: Of the many Bay Area beach communities,
none of have been more impacted by the Tower Oil spill
than the small town of Stinson in Marin County.
Known for its white sandy beaches and abundant wildlife,
this once peaceful sanctuary
has been transformed into a disaster zone overnight.
A small group of volunteers
have rallied to save as many birds as possible
while others begin the monumental task
of clearing the oil from the sand and rocks.
However, they fight an unrelenting foe.
With every wave comes more and more heavy crude onto the beach.
Until now, the only method of cleanup
was to admit defeat and wait for the oil to come.
The cleanup would last for years.
But one man, Charlie Walker,
Tower Oil's supervisor in charge,
has managed to turn the tides with his unconventional methods.
Specialized heavy equipment used to skim thin layers of roadway
now scoop up the oil before it can make its way to the beach,
keeping this small team of workers and volunteers
one step ahead of the incoming threat.
We had a chance to speak with Tower Oil's man in charge,
Mr. Charlie Walker, about his success so far.
It's really remarkable, Mr. Walker.
We were at Ocean Beach yesterday,
and it's still completely covered in black muck.
- What's you're secret? - It's no secret.
I do things my way, and they're doing things the best they can, I'm sure.
It's just a matter of time before they get things under control.
And there you have it, the man in charge.
Charlie Walker, staying ahead of the power curve here at Stinson Beach.
I need to see you alone for a minute.
Damn, baby. I miss you too.
No. There were some men in our home.
Men? What men?
Daddy, can we go in the water?
Please, Daddy, we can swim in our clothes.
No, honeybee, it's polluted right now.
But you can eat all the ice cream and hot dogs you want.
Wow. We're rich!
You know that boy is mocking us.
Now hold on. He is making progress.
Look, I'm not up here to see his people make progress.
To the whole damn world, we look like we've got a Negro running this show.
I've got 2,500 men working for me.
How do you expect me to explain all this shit to 'em?
You tell them I'm running the goddamn show,
and if you don't like it,
you can go to the board of directors
and try out your piss on them.
If not, well, I suggest you go back
to your people and remind them
that this situation is temporary.
All right, gentlemen, I thank you for coming.
You'll getting your daily progress reports as usual, all right?
Now I suggest you get a drink and enjoy this fabulous city, huh?
Yeah. Ride a streetcar.
Try the sourdough bread and the clam chowder!
( chuckles ) You...
You know, I can have him out of there by morning. Just say the word.
No. No, no, no. We missed our chance on that.
If we take him out now, the NAACP and the papers will go national on us.
"Tower Oil chooses environmental disaster over the magical Black superhero."
- No, it's a loser. - What's our move?
We pay him a visit like we planned,
take his temperature. ( clicks tongue )
( giggling )
Hey, y'all stay off that bed, now.
I gotta sleep there tonight.
What?
- You're not worried? - Worried?
Why should I be worried?
Because the police are putting drugs
in our home, Charlie.
I told you, those aren't the police.
Does it matter?
- Hey. - ( girls giggling )
I know you worry.
But it's okay now.
Minus me and the girls,
you're the only Black folk around here.
Oh, they got a Black girl here.
Oh, really? You don't say.
Mm-hmm. ( laughs )
Hey, it ain't like that.
I'm just saying that these people are open-minded.
They don't see color.
They just want their town back, that's all.
All right. If you say.
Hey, now, don't do that.
I'm not doing anything I don't do all the time. That's what I do.
I say my piece, you speak your mind,
and then I smack my lips.
It don't matter anyway.
I got the contracts, I got the truck,
and I got the money.
I got this.
Hey, this is still America,
and America is still the same place it was yesterday.
- You talking crazy. - Nothing changes overnight.
That's... that's... ain't nothing change over the past week,
the last month, the last 100 years.
You got some money, you think you Mr. Big Stuff with all these hippies.
But to those oil men, you are 10 steps away from being a runaway nigger.
I'm sorry, girls.
We don't use that word in our home.
I'm sorry.
( girls giggling )
What's wrong?
You don't trust me?
That's never been the issue.
You're the one person I do trust, Charlie Walker.
Charlie's instincts paid off.
The paddle scrapers turned out to be the best way
to get oil off the beaches that anybody had come up with.
Between the scrapers and the hippies,
Charlie was getting the oil under control.
But he still had to manage the politics,
and the best way to do that was an open bar.
Heh. You throw a hell of a party, Charlie.
Oh, it's not my doing. It's like this every night.
These some happy, free-loving people.
Uh, free love, is that what it is?
So, gentlemen, we are looking good.
I've cross-checked the expense reports
from the three other large beaches in the area.
We're coming in less than the average.
We're not only farther along, but we're coming in cheaper.
Why don't we hold back on the business talk tonight, huh, Dan?
Huh? It's been a long week.
Relax. Enjoy yourself.
- Recharge the batteries, sir. - Mm.
So, Charlie, how'd you know about the scrapers?
I didn't. I mean, not until I saw it from the chopper.
Something just went off in my brain.
It all made sense after seeing it from the sky.
( glasses clink )
Well, it was a hell of a move.
Mm-hmm. Hell of a move, Charlie.
Something tells me you're the boys in charge around here.
What makes you say that?
Well, for starters, you're not wearing beads,
this is the best table in the place,
and you're drinking $40 scotch whiskey.
- You got a good eye. - I'm Peggy.
This is Mary. Can we sit?
Ah... oh, please. Please.
Charlie, do you mind getting the ladies some drinks?
Hey, after all, this is your affair, right?
What's your poison?
I'll have a vodka martini, extra dirty, three olives.
And I'll take the same.
Charlie, thank you. That'll be all.
Oh, this is, uh... this is nice.
Peggy: Thank you.
- Hey, boys. - Hey, can I get two extra dirty vodka martinis, please?
- Did you hear that shit? - Man, let it go.
Like a house nigger.
Stop it, Charlie. Come on, relax.
Man, they just treated me like the help.
Came too easy for them, too.
One minute I'm rookie of the year,
next minute I'm folding their sweaty jock straps.
"Have the colored boy get some drinks."
Come on, relax. I'll take the drinks over.
It's okay. I've been kissing asses like theirs for 10 years.
Man, fuck that. And fuck them, too. I'm outta here, man.
- Hey, Charlie. - Ah!
So, now that we've gotten rid of the support staff, what do you boys do?
- Well, uh... - I'm a pilot.
- Really?
- I'm a tennis pro. - Oh.
Well, actually I'm an instructor.
They just call us pros at the club.
Oh, where'd Charlie run off to?
Oh, we got a big day tomorrow
so he's calling it an early night.
Oh, what a good idea.
Good night, Dan.
( giggles ) How exciting.
With jobs like that, what do you do for excitement?
What do you have in mind?
Are you boys staying in town tonight?
Uh, as a matter of fact, we are.
May I humbly propose,
perhaps we could escort you attractive ladies
for the duration of your stay?
Such gentlemen.
A rare creature these days.
Getting rarer by the minute.
( grunts )
( giggles )
( chuckles )
Oh.
( laughs )
- Do you want some? - Yes.
Yes, I do.
( gasps, sighs )
( growls )
Oh, you don't have to apologize for anything.
Oh.
Oh!
Hey, Red, what brings you out here?
- Paddle scrapers. - Excuse me?
Look, Dan, I don't need a bunch of horseshit from you today.
The scrapers are going back with me, that's that.
- What? - Hold on a minute.
Those belong to Chuck, and we have a contract,
- so you can just turn your ass around and... - All right, Dan.
We can do this the right way or the wrong way.
How do you want to play it?
Sorry, Red, I don't understand.
We had a deal with Chuck.
Yeah?
Well, Chuck gave your deal to me.
I'm paying Chuck now. He's onboard.
Pardon me, Dan. Now, I know you remember me.
If you need something on this beach, you talk to me.
All right, then.
I need you to go get those two paddle scrapers,
put 'em on these load boys, and give me a holler when you're done.
I'll be here with the fellas, so why don't you, uh, get to stepping?
Well, maybe you didn't hear me right the first time.
I'm Charlie Walker. This is my beach.
Those are my trucks, and these are my people,
and you starting to stink up the place.
So I suggest you and your rugby team
find another beach to play on.
Take it easy, Charlie.
Dan, if you're not on my side,
now's a good time to step aside.
I'm with you, Charlie, just let me handle this.
Dan, I said back off.
You see that boys?
Old Dan Wallace just took one from the Negro.
That's right. Now who's next?
Dan, are you gonna get your boy under control or not?
Sorry, Red. Charlie's the boss. I listen to him.
Oh, son of a bitch.
Let's go, boys.
What has this world come to?
Charlie: How much cash do we have?
Dan: We have about 30,000 in the safe.
I'll have another 50 tomorrow, though,
for local rents and payroll.
I'm gonna need it. All of it.
And I need you to get Sharpe on the line for another fifty today.
Hey, don't worry, Charlie.
I'll take care of Red and Sharpe.
Mr. Wallace!
Call for you. It's Walter Sharpe.
I'll talk to Sharpe myself.
You just get those men back on the beach.
Okay.
We got another month here.
Look, I'm just now getting ahead of this thing.
Sharpe: Are you sure? You seemed to be on the back end already.
I was putting on a show for Mr. Bennett.
We barely hanging on, like everybody else. We need more cash.
I got payroll, trucks, hippies.
I show you took in 50,000 two days ago.
How are you burning so much cash?
Locals, politicians, Sacramento.
I got hippies and hillbillies crawling up my ass,
not to mention an ocean full of your shit
pushing me back at every turn.
I'll get you another 50.
Have Dan write up some tickets,
invoices, anything to cover it.
And keep it coming, or this whole thing falls apart.
Far as I know, we the only beach that doesn't have any problems,
and I'd like to keep it that way.
By the way, hope you boys enjoyed your weekend.
- Sorry I had to cut out. - Hello, miss.
- I'm here to see Charlie Walker. - That's him. Oh, what?
- Hi, sorry. I have Mr. Sharpe now. - What can I do for you?
Question is, what can I do for you? I'm Charlie Walker.
Oh, you're Charlie Walker.
- Over the phone, you didn't sound so... - Tall? I know.
- I get that a lot. - Hold on one sec. Um... hold on.
Charlie, I still need to talk to you.
In a minute. I'll be right back.
So, you build roads?
Yep, if it's a car in California,
it's rolling on one of ours.
Well, we got a lot of oily sand,
if you catch my drift.
We got a deal?
Who was that?
His family built every freeway, highway,
and frontage road from here to Oregon.
What does he want?
He wants what we can't seem to get rid of.
He's buying the dirty sand from me.
You're gonna sell him the contaminated material.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Hell, that's not contaminated material,
that's the champagne of road construction.
And I have enough of it to get him from here to Alaska.
What about Tower Oil?
It is still technically theirs.
You think Tower Oil gives a rat's ass what I do with all that shit?
Read the papers. It's pollution, toxic waste.
The oil is theirs, but the sand belongs to no one.
Be careful, Charlie.
They always balance their books.
Tower Oil always balances their books.
I dig, but this isn't even on the radar, let alone the books.
- Yeah. Yeah, I know. - Charlie, Charlie.
- Dan, what the hell are you doing? - The kid on the beach.
- What kid? - He got run over. He got run over.
They were playing on the beach.
Come on.
Which one of you men was assigned to that machine?
Willie, who was on that loader?
- Not me. - It's mine.
Well, where were you when all this shit was going down?
I was taking a leak. I wasn't gone more than half a minute.
It takes me a full minute just to get my zipper down and my johnson out.
You telling me you left that thing running with all these civilians around?
We do it every day. Well, you've been on the job site before.
You can't just shut these things on and off like a sports car.
- You're fired. - You can't do that.
Since when is it not okay for a boss to fire a subordinate?
- Chuck is my boss. - Well, tell him,
"Charlie Walker fired my dumb ass
'cause I left my rig running long enough
to run over the top of some civilian."
This is bullshit. The boys at Tower were right about letting you in.
You just used up 20 seconds.
Ten, nine, eight, seven...
All right, everybody. The boy's okay.
Everybody just go back to doing what they were doing.
Did you find his folks?
Yes, uh, they're gonna follow the ambulance.
- How'd they take it? - Five grand for now,
maybe 10 by the time they get to the hospital.
How do you want me to bill this?
Like everything else.
Add it to the volunteers.
See if 10 grand helps him explain to the hospital
how he fell off one of those skateboards.
Got it.
Hey, if this never leaves the beach,
we'll all be better off.
- Agreed. - I'll catch you later.
Hey, I need to talk to you for a minute.
Walter Sharpe came by. Took all the books, everything.
- When? - Two hours ago, after you left.
I called over to Ocean Beach and Half Moon Bay,
and none of their books have been touched.
That's no problem.
He's probably just starting with us.
There's one more thing.
I heard him on the phone talking about you.
How do you know he was talking about me?
I don't want to say.
That n-word.
- Oh. - Okay? He was really mad.
I don't think he knew I was in the bathroom.
How do you know he was talking about me?
Are you... ( laughs )
I'm kidding. Hey, Fran, look.
I appreciate you telling me this. I really do.
But don't you worry yourself, okay?
Everything's gonna be just fine.
I don't... you're not gonna get fired, are you?
Fran, I've never been fired from a job in my life.
Say, man, why the hell ain't you on the beach?
- It's 9 AM. - Charlie, they let me go.
- Who let me go? - That man in there.
Wait here. Don't leave.
Say, Walter, why'd you let that man go? He works for me.
And you work for me, and that makes him my problem.
What's the problem?
First of all, sit down. Stop yelling at me.
I mean, unless that is you've already forgotten the chain of command here.
This about that damn redneck?
Or that knucklehead I had to fire?
Did you know Mr. Willie Jones
doesn't even carry a valid Class B license?
In fact, he just admitted to us
he never even had a Class B license.
We could be fined, shut down.
He's been driving for me almost two years.
He can run circles around any of those good old boys.
Two agents from the Labor Department,
they visited our corporate headquarters yesterday.
You know, they found over 60 unpaid volunteers.
Now, hold on, those boys aren't even legit.
Somebody's trying to muscle in on this job.
Since when do a couple Sacramento pencil-pushers
carry pearl-handled six shooters in their sock?
Those boys are private contractors.
Is it true a child was injured by one of your crew
and sent to the hospital without a report?
That's the son of a bitch I fired, damn it.
- I took care of him. - Tower Oil can be sued.
Oh, and in public, I mean, in the newspapers...
I mean, do you have any idea what I'm saying?
You're trying to squeeze me out.
I'll put in a good word for you, Charlie.
No, I like you.
But I can't promise anything at this point.
You made your bed.
Thanks for looking out for me, Walter.
I won't forget the favor.
Ann: Charlie knew he'd taken things as far as he could.
It was only a matter of time
before Tower Oil pushed him out.
Charlie, did you straighten things out for me?
Yeah, we're square. Everything's cool.
Great. So, I can get back up on my scraper?
No, Willie, go home.
Spend some time with the boys.
Take the wife out to a nice dinner.
Hello?
We miss you.
Is the house locked up?
We're fine.
I'll be home tomorrow.
- How long can you stay? - I'll be home for good.
Did you finish the job already?
I thought this was going to last for months.
No, baby, it's a short-term thing.
I got paid, now it's time to pack up.
- Are you happy? - I'll be happy tomorrow.
You sound different. Is everything all right?
Yeah. You know what? Everything's fine, baby.
Everything's fine. Remember, we rich.
- I can't wait to see you. - Me too.
Bye.
Real pretty out here in the morning.
Only time I don't mind being alone.
You know what I mean?
I knocked on your door for 15 minutes this morning.
TV must've been on.
Must've been.
You come out here to take credit for my work, Chuck?
- It's not like that, Charlie. - Come on.
I knew you couldn't sit back and let a nigger show you up.
That's your word, not mine.
You right.
That's why I always liked you, Chuck.
You're not like the rest of those boys.
You put your shit out front for everybody to see.
Them other boys'll lie right to your face.
You know, my beach would look like this right now
if it weren't for those goddamn rocks.
You got lucky, Charlie.
Paddle scrapers don't work at Ocean Beach. You got lucky.
Thank you, Chuck.
Nothing like a little dumb luck
to make up for gross incompetence.
That's not what I mean and you know it.
I'm just saying that the paddle scrapers
don't work anywhere else but here.
We're still mopping shit up by hand in the city,
polishing rocks one at a goddamn time.
Just unlucky, I guess.
It's over.
I know.
You'll get paid for your truck up until today.
I don't need it anymore.
Well, me either.
You're just too flashy, Charlie.
You know, TV cameras and making nice with the locals,
getting in the newspapers, that's not what we do.
We get in, we get dirty, and we get out, period.
( scoffs ) You'd make a better mayor.
So y'all gonna take credit for all my work.
What about the 20% off the top?
You know, you can keep your credit.
I'm only gonna be here long enough to load up the tents,
pack up the station wagon.
Oh, and you can take your news crew with you, too. I can't use 'em.
Maybe I will become mayor, make your life a living hell.
You'll have to pay me off, you know?
Shock me.
Made you boys look pretty stupid, huh?
The safe is empty. You know anything about that?
My car's missing.
You think your boys saw anything suspicious?
Maybe we both got robbed last night.
Maybe.
There's no sign outside. It's in the middle of the block.
Tower Oil Headquarters.
Say, my man, ain't you the cat
that spilled all that oil in the bay?
- What? - Yeah, I've seen you on TV.
You fucked up everything.
Nah, man, I'm the guy who cleaned it.
You bet your ass you should be cleaning that mess up.
- What you talking about, old man? - It ain't right,
- we gotta be paying for that foul-up for decades. - Oil company's paying.
( laughs ) You been on a boat too long, son.
It's messed up your thinking.
You think gasoline is gonna stay at 36 cents a gallon forever?
I told you, old man, I wasn't on a damn boat.
Pull over here behind this truck. I want you to wait for me.
Here you go, Tom Jefferson,
license number 652256.
Leave the meter running.
You drive around the block if you have to,
but I want you right here when I get back.
- Hold it right there. - ( grunts )
( elevator dings )
Fuck. ( panting )
I catch either one of you motherfuckers in my home again,
I'll kill you without a sound.
Sir, you can't go in there.
Watch me.
- ( beeping ) - 18th floor.
- 18th floor, now. - Charlie!
- You surprised me. - That was my intention.
I don't get a lot of visitors up here. Please, sit down.
I'll make this brief.
I think that's probably best.
- $375,000. - Come again?
You owe me $375,000 for my trucks and my pay. That's up to today.
Is that what you're here for? To go over your invoices?
You'll get paid like everyone else.
375,000.
If my information is correct,
that's almost exactly to the dollar
the amount of the moneys unaccounted for on your balance sheet.
Oh, my goodness. Almost $400,000, Charlie.
That's a... that's a lot of money to be unaccounted for.
It's already accounted for. That's why I'm here.
We're even. It's over.
I walk away and you don't get up.
- Deal? - ( chuckles )
We're at an impasse.
That's not how we do business here at Tower Oil.
You can't be paid until the books are balanced.
I don't want you to pay me. I'm already paid.
And why would you go and say something like that?
Because you and I both know the fix was in from the start.
You sent those boys to my home and to my beach.
I figured your shit out on the second day.
You might want to read over that again.
You only work for us when we say you work for us.
That doesn't include entertaining the local civic leaders,
television appearances, cocaine parties.
You really wanna go there?
You're stealing from us, Charlie.
You get away with that, you'd be the first.
See, that's my thing.
Going where no Black man has ever gone before.
( sighs ) That's a lot of money.
Money is no object.
Oh, shit, Charlie. That wasn't meant literally.
When I told you I'd clean up that beach, it wasn't metaphorical.
You bought yourself a convertible.
You signed fraudulent invoices.
You had unlicensed contractors.
You paid off an injured minor's family, for Christ's sake.
Come on, Charlie, you can't be serious.
I bought that car with my own money
I made on the side from Santini,
and that kid would've been a lawsuit 10 times what I paid him.
We don't use words like "on the side" here.
It's colorful language, but we just don't use it.
Colorful?
Look at you in your suit.
You actually think you could run this company if given a chance.
You fascinate me, Charlie.
It's like you're the only one in the room
who doesn't know you're Black.
It's my job to think outside of the box.
It's my job to smooth over the locals.
And most of all, it's my job
to spend Tower Oil's money how I see fit,
from payroll to toilet paper.
I guess you're right.
I never thought about it like that.
I admit, 300 years of forced servitude
and another hundred years of nonsense
tends to slip my mind every once in a while.
Now and again, I'm reminded the only reason a guy like you is here on the 18th floor
and I'm out of a job again is because you're privileged.
It's not because I'm Black, but more because you're white.
People like you inherit your lives,
your wealth, your good fortune.
You grew up knowing your only job
is not to fuck up what generations before you had.
Are you okay, Mr. Bennett?
Oh, yes, I feel very protected.
( sighs ) Charlie was just leaving.
Hmm. Now, that's pretty.
Smells like, I don't know.
Smells a little like... freedom.
See, until we get this whole entitlement shit worked out,
a Black man will never trust a white man
any more than a white man can trust a Black man.
- It's balance of powers. - You sent her.
Well, actually, my associate Jerry sent her.
- I just picked her out. - You think you got me.
Oh, I do got you.
The second that work order touched my Black hand at Long Wharf, I had you.
Which is probably a half a day's head start over you and your boys
starting that little file on me.
But, hey, we call it a tie.
( music playing )
- ( muted chatter ) - Slow down.
( music continues )
( muted chatter )
( music continues )
You know, there was this old dude in the projects. Doc.
Everybody called him Doc 'cause he was always dispensing advice and shit,
like a psychologist.
Something he always said to me keeps running through my head.
He says to me, "Charlie, how many rednecks does it take
to push a pregnant Black woman down a flight of stairs?"
I say, "I don't know."
Mainly 'cause I was shocked at the thought of something so repulsive.
He says to me, "None. She slipped."
She slipped.
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Mr. Walker, your employment with Tower Oil
is hereby terminated.
Let him go.
A guy like that,
give him enough rope, he'll hang himself.
Get outta here.
Go!
Son of a...
( music playing )
Ann: Who is it?
Mrs. Walker, your husband asked me
to drop some things off... Some clothes, I think.
Go away.
You've got no right to come in my house.
I'll shoot you through this door.
I'll just leave everything out here, okay?
♪ God made the valleys ♪
♪ Made the mountaintops ♪
♪ Made plants and fields ♪
♪ Raises up the crops ♪
♪ What I just don't ♪
♪ Just don't understand ♪
I can tell, they didn't give you the job, huh?
I wasn't looking for no job.
I went to the top of that building and I told the president of Tower Oil
to stuff his head up his own ass.
You can't expect a man to give you a job
after you tell him to stick his head up his own ass.
Why don't you do your job and drive?
♪ And the deep blue sea ♪
Tell me, what did he say when you told that white man
to put his head up his own ass?
He reminded me that I was Black.
Now, see, I could've told you that and saved you a trip.
You're Black. Hell, I'm Black, too.
I know what I am, damn it.
He said I thought I wasn't Black.
Just do your job and drive.
♪ Fill the world with pain ♪
♪ What I just don't ♪
♪ Just don't understand ♪
Ann: Maybe Charlie broke some of the rules.
But for people like him, you had to break the rules
just to get a fair shake.
Take me back to Hunter's Point.
Real Charlie Walker: If you think I stole that money,
you ain't never been Black.
They were gonna pay Chuck $375,000
and they wanted to pay me like a trucker.
I paid myself the same because I was the boss.
♪ God gave commandments ♪
Man: Charlie, tell me, really, what did you do with the money?
Well, white people want to know,
"What'd you do with the money?"
I took care of my family.
I sent my daughters to college.
I took care of my mother and my wife,
and I had a nice house.
That's what I did with the money.
People say money won't make you happy,
but it sure made me happy.
♪ It's gonna be a long time waiting ♪
♪ Till it comes back again ♪
♪ What I just don't ♪
♪ I just don't understand ♪
♪ Why can't man ♪
♪ Love his brother man? ♪
♪ Why can't man ♪
♪ Why, why, why, why, why can't man ♪
♪ Love his brother man? ♪
♪ Love your brother man ♪
♪ Show love in the world ♪
♪ Love your brother man ♪
♪ We have to stop fighting like this ♪
♪ We need more love in the world ♪
♪ Love your brother man ♪
♪ Love your brother man ♪
♪ We want peace in the world ♪
♪ Love your brother man ♪
♪ Love your brother man ♪
♪ Tell me the truth ♪
♪ Ooh, God love 'em ♪
♪ Been way too long ♪
♪ And since we're all wrong ♪
♪ Don't you worry ♪
♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
♪ Don't you worry ♪
♪ Ooh, don't you worry ♪
♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
♪ Don't you worry ♪
♪ What I know, no, no, no ♪
♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
♪ That's the sound of sinning ♪
♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
♪ That's the sound of sinning ♪
♪ Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh ♪
♪ Yeah, yeah ♪
♪ You're as bad as me ♪
♪ Will you set me free? ♪
♪ And it ain't no fun... ♪
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.