All language subtitles for Law and orer S12E10 - Prejudice

NARRATOR:
In the criminal justice system

the people are represented
by two separate
yet equally important groups,

the police
who investigate crime

and the district attorneys
who prosecute the offenders.

These are their stories.

We're obviously
not hitting it off

like Bob and Marcy
thought we would.

We don't
have to go eat dinner, okay?
We could just call it a night.

(EXHALES) We already
came this far.

We might as well
find this place and
get some tofu or whatever.

Now you're
being hostile.

Look, I'm not judging you
for eating meat, okay?

I just prefer not to
eat beings with souls.

(CHUCKLES)

The Pantheists believed
plants had souls.

How does that fit
into your paradigm?

I choose to
draw the line
at animal matter.

And you shouldn't litter.
We're all custodians of
the earth.

Oh, my God.
What now?

How long's
he been here?

Well, the body's still warm.
M.E. says no more than
an hour.

Looks like he was shot
on the street and then
dragged down here.

Yeah, he took
one in the chest.

CSU's got
the shell casings.

Looks like
his early 50s?

Yeah. He did pretty well,
from the looks of his clothes.

Any ID?

The money's still here,
so it's probably not
a robbery.

Let's see.

Thomas Reddick.
Pavilion Publishing. CEO.

(SIREN WAILS)

Looks like they publish
a string of magazines.
News, fashion.

Well, he's on
the other side
of the camera now.

He's on the other side,
period.

Tomorrow's
our anniversary.

Twenty-three years.

ED: We're very sorry
for your loss, Mrs. Reddick.

Our son Ted is a senior
at Brown and...

I don't know how
I'm going to tell him.

The last time you spoke to
your husband, he was in
his office?

He called me at about 5:00,
just to say hi.

I hurried him off the phone
because I was late for my
pilates class.

ED: What time
did you get home?

Around 7:00 or so.

Were you
concerned at all
that he wasn't here?

Ever since
they made him
CEO at Pavilion,

he's had
an enormous
demand on his time.

His office
is at Midtown.

Any idea why he was
five blocks from here?

(SIGHS)
The only thing
I can think is that,

he stopped to get
a last minute
anniversary gift.

ED: ls there anybody
in the area
he would have visited?

(SIGHS)
Not that I know of.

I hate to ask you
this but,

could there have been
another party involved?

The only other
party in our marriage
was that job, Detective.

I used to joke that

that job would
make me a widow.

You know, this is
pretty impressive.
Yeah.

And for all that
the guy ends up dead at
the bottom of a stairwell.

I've got his
appointment book.

I'm not sure
you should be
going through that.

Look, we're dealing with
a homicide investigation.

Oh, I just meant
there might be some
sensitive material there.

That's exactly
what we're looking for.

I was referring
to the corporate
financial information

about the buyouts.

Buyouts?
Of the other magazines.

That's what Mr. Reddick's
meetings were about yesterday.

When was his
last appointment?

That would have been
his 6:30 with Legal.

And that was the
last time you saw him?

On his way upstairs.
He wasn't very happy.

Mr. Reddick didn't
really look forward
to meetings with lawyers.

I know the feeling.

Pavilion Publishing just
bought out several
magazines

to bring under
our umbrella.

Naturally, it came
with residual baggage.

Meaning?
Lawsuits.

Thomas was here
for an hour or so to
discuss potential resolutions.

Thomas was such
a driving force
in this company.

I can't believe he's gone.

Was there
anybody else here
besides you two?

Several of our
in-house attorneys,
a paralegal.

We were
evaluating the cases and
preparing settlement offers.

Do you recall what time
Mr. Reddick left the meeting?

I know
it was around 7:30.

I just assumed he was
going back to his office.

I was
on duty last night
when Mr. Reddick left.

We've all been
working double shifts
these last few months.

Do people
sign in and out of
the building after hours?

If they don't have IDs,
anyone in after 6:00
signs a sheet

and again
when they leave.

Does that show
anybody signing out around
the time Mr. Reddick left?

No, sir.
Not until
10 minutes later.

This doesn't say which offices
half the people went to.

And some of them
didn't even sign out.

Phone rings, I can't
do six things at once.

Was anybody
with Mr. Reddick
when he went out?

He was by himself.

I offered
to get him a cab,
it was freezing out,

but he said
I should stay warm.

Decent guy.

Did you see him
get in the cab?

I saw it pull up.

I remember
because there were
a few other people out there.

Looked like
he was talking
to one of them.

I looked again,
the cab was gone,
so was Mr. Reddick.

So you didn't see
if Mr. Reddick got in
the taxi by himself?

I wasn't paying
close attention.

Do you remember what
this person looked like?

The one that Reddick
was talking to?

A white guy.

Suit and tie, overcoat.

That's about it.

Thanks.

So he leaves his office
at 7:30

and winds up dead
five blocks from home
a half hour later.

The canvass didn't turn up
any witnesses in
the vicinity of the attack.

Well, Ballistics said the gun
used to kill Mr. Reddick
was a Glock 9mm.

Anything recovered from
the search of the area?

Nothing so far.

There were
a couple of gift shops
and florists in the area.

So if his wife was
right about him stopping
for an anniversary present,

he never made it.

Wallet full of cash,
nothing taken.

It still could have
been a robbery.

Somebody comes along,
they scare the attacker off.

So we're right back
to the last people
who saw him alive.

Security guard said
Reddick left the
building alone

and then was talking to
a white guy in a suit just
before he got into the cab.

Only he wasn't sure if
this guy got in the
cab with Reddick.

Now, that lawyer you
spoke with,

didn't he say there were
other people at the meeting?

Well, maybe this guy
in the suit was
one of them.

Mr. Reddick
left by himself.

He didn't offer to maybe
share a cab with anybody?

Mmm-mmm. The rest of us
continued working on
the cases.

The lawsuits?

Are those them?
Yes.

Mind if we take a look?

Actually, all those
files are privileged.

Okay. Can you tell us the
nature of the litigations?

They run the gamut
from slip-and-falls
to contract disputes,

a few sexual
harassment suits.

Just one big
happy company.

ED: Were there any plaintiffs
that were a problem?

They are all a problem.

But it wouldn't
have been in anyone's
interest to harm Thomas.

He was the one anxious
to dispose of the suits.

BRISCOE: Well,
what we're thinking is,

would anybody on this list
have been interested in
disposing of him?

IRWIN: I filed
the suit because
as a stockholder

I disagree
with the management
decisions of the company.

I'm guessing you're
a minority shareholder.

I'm entitled to
express my views.

Please don't lean
on the Chippendale.

Maybe you wanted
to express your views
directly to Thomas Reddick.

That's why I sued.
But as for killing him...

Look, we spoke
to the lawyers at
the publishing company.

They got a whole
stack of letters that
you wrote to Mr. Reddick.

Threatening letters, Irwin.

Look, I believe in
the pen, not the sword.

In fact,
I got a file cabinet
full of complaint letters

just like the one
I sent to Pavilion.

How come I have
no problem believing that?

So what the hell
were you so upset about?

Pavilion is expanding
into areas

I don't think are
in its best interest.

Such as...

Porn.
I mean, they were
soft core magazines,

but buying them out was
a fundamental violation of
Pavilion's corporate mission.

The guy
sells Chippendales,
but he objects to porn.

(LAUGHS MOCKINGLY)

Wonder why
Pavilion's lawyers
never mentioned it.

It's their
dirty little secret.

A profitable one.

You know,
we can cross-reference
the list of plaintiffs

from the magazine
and see what turns up.

My agent told me
it was away to
make some easy money.

You mean posing
for those photos?

(SIGHS)
Rent, acting classes,
time off for auditions.

It all takes money,
Detective.

Money I don't have.

So, why did you sue?

'Cause your boyfriend
didn't like it?

Doug doesn't understand
what it's like.

How much competition
there is out there.

So, he's the one who didn't
want the photos published?

Well, they were supposed to
be for a private collection.

Then about six months ago,
I got a letter in the mail

saying they were
going to run them in
one of their magazines.

ED: How did
Doug take that?

(SIGHS) Not real well.

Is there any chance
that your boyfriend
could have known

Pavilion was
going to talk about
your lawsuit that night?

AMANDA: Why?

We just need to speak
to anybody that might
have been involved.

Look, Doug was pissed,
but that's all.

He couldn't have had
anything to do with it.

He works two jobs.
Nights he tends bar.

Doug never
showed up that night.
He say why?

Said he forgot.

Kid's been with me
over a year.

I gotta cut him
some slack, you know.

What do you guys
want to talk to
him about?

His girlfriend.

Amanda.
You know her?

Yeah, sure.
She comes in here
all the time.

Whoa, whoa. Doug didn't
do something stupid,
now did he?

Why do you say that?

Well, the kid's upset,
you know.

I mean, this girl's
the girl of his dreams,

if we can all remember
what that's like.

You know, the stuff about
the pictures comes out,
you know.

He talked about it?

Yeah, sure. It's all
he could talk about.
I tried to tell him,

I said, "Look,
it's not the end of
the world or anything."

But he didn't
see it that way.
No.

The guys at
the construction job

started giving him
the grief, you know.

We get lawyers in here
from time to time.

He was always asking 'em
what he could do, you know.

But they kept telling him
there's nothing he could do.

So Doug didn't take no
for an answer.

BRISCOE: Douglas Larson?

DOUG: That's right.

We need to talk to you
about Thomas Reddick.

What about?

You don't
seem surprised.

Well, I figure it has
something to do
with Amanda.

Then you know Mr. Reddick?

I know who he is, yeah.

When's the last time
you saw him?

I've never seen him.
Look, what's this
all about?

BRISCOE:
Maybe we better talk
down at the precinct.

Are You saying
I gotta go with you?

Look, it would help
to clear some things up.

About Amanda.

Can I at least change?

BRISCOE:
Oh, don't worry about it.

The kind of pictures we take
are only from the neck up.

Let's go.

I told you, I never
saw Reddick that night.

But you did
go to his office.

Your name's on the
building sign-in sheet.

You recognize your
signature, Mr. Larson?

Okay, I went up to
see Reddick,

but he was
already gone.

Then why go there at all?

I just wanted
to talk to him.

See if maybe
they'd think about what
they were doing to Amanda.

You mean about what
they were doing to you?

People have told us
you were pretty angry about
those pictures, Mr. Larson.

What are you saying?

Why did you
lie to your boss about
where you were that night?

I didn't think it was
any of his business.

The security guard said
he saw you talkin'
to Reddick

that night in front
of his building.

I told you,
I never saw him.

He said that
you two were arguing.

It never happened.

Look, I went up to
Reddick's office,
he wasn't there.

I came back down,
got in the car with
my friend. That's all.

BRISCOE: What friend?
A guy I work
at the site with.

Danny Moreno.
He gave me a ride.

Look, you can
ask him yourself.
He was there when I came out.

My wife temps
three blocks away.
I gave Doug a lift.

You drove
into Midtown to
pick your wife up?

She broke her leg
a few months ago.

She still
has trouble
getting around.

What's going on?

Hey, did Doug
tell you why he was
going to Pavilion Publishing?

To talk to some guy about
his girlfriend's pictures.

Was he angry?
Of course he was.
Wouldn't you be?

BRISCOE:
He said that you were
there when he came out.

Yeah, my wife
doesn't get off till 8:00.
I found a spot on the corner.

A man was killed
that night, Mr. Moreno.

This man.

Actually there were
a couple of guys

and I think one of
them was a black guy.

Looked to me like
they had some sort of beef.

Might've been him,
I don't know.

BRISCOE:
Can you describe
who was with him?

Two white guys.
ED: Two white guys?

Right.

Did you notice
if they all came out
of the same building?

I didn't see.

Did you see if
they left together?

Black guy
got in the cab,

then the other two
flagged down another one
a couple of seconds later.

Anything else
you can tell us?

Just that
the white guys
seemed in a hurry.

I noticed that 'cause
they started helping
a lady

who was already in the cab
take her luggage out of
the back.

It was one of those,
you know, minivan
type taxis.

So, we're not looking for
one white guy in a suit.
Now it's two.

Oh, well, that just
narrows it right down.

And we're sure Doug Larson
wasn't one of them?

Only time you'd
find him in a suit would
be at a wedding or a funeral.

Okay, so this witness sees
these two guys with
Reddick arguing.

Although he's not sure
he saw them come out
of the same building.

Well, if they had something
to do with the murder,

then they had to follow him
in the second cab.

Or they knew
where Reddick was
going in the first place.

Well, the only way
to find out

is to talk to
the second cabbie.

Oh, that ought
to be easy.

Taxi and Limousine Commission
says there's 382 minivan type
cabs in the city.

They tell you
which companies use them?

Yeah, mainly
the independents.

Guy said the
sedans are lucky to have
a three-year street life.

Minivans go for five
or more.

There's three makes.

Isuzu Oasis,
Chevy Venture
and Honda Odyssey.

Here's a list of
the independents.

We can pull
the registrations
from the DMV.

Please tell me they weren't
all on the road that night.

I had just gotten back
from JFK.

I was about to go
back to the airport when
these two guys jumped in.

One of them
gave me $50.

I figured, airport business
isn't what it used to be
anyway, so...

Where'd you take 'em?

The West Side.
The Seventies.

You're sure?

Yes, one of them wanted me
to follow this other cab.

At first,
I started to laugh.

I thought maybe
I was on Spy TV.

But then the one guy,
he tells me to shut up

and keep my eyes
on the other cab.

That is why I remember.

So what happened
when you dropped
them off?

The one
who gave me
the money got out.

The other one I took
back across the park.

BRISCOE: So, they
didn't both get out?

No, no, just the one.
The other guy wanted
to go home.

So, what did the first guy
do when he got out?

He went off into the
direction of the other cab.

After that, I didn't see.

Do you remember
where you dropped
the second guy off?

82nd and York, I think
But I could check
my trip sheet.

BRISCOE: You remember
anything else about
these guys?

Just that the one
was real angry.

ED: Angry?
Angry about what?

I couldn't hear.
Just the other one.

He kept saying
how it is not worth it.

Kept trying
to get his friend
to go back to some bar.

What bar?

Had to be near
where I picked
them up.

He kept on talking
about the waitress.
A redhead.

We get a lot of customers
from the building
after work.

Brokers, lawyers.

You made quite
an impression
on this guy.

He was talking about you
in the cab.

Nothing stands out.

Okay, this guy had a friend.
They would have left
around 7:30.

That's happy hour.
It's a mob scene in here.

Well, we're gonna need all
your charge receipts
from that night.

My manager could
get those for you,

but usually
guys just pay cash.

Hey, did anybody
try to hook up with you?

Ask for your number?

Hang on a minute.

Hook up?
Were these guys trying
to get laid or tow her car?

(CHUCKLES)

I don't give out my number.
But sometimes guys give me
their business cards.

These are from the
past couple of nights.

I had no idea that was
the guy who was killed.

So, you don't
read the paper?

Look, if I would
have known, I would have...

Well, now you do know.
So why don't you tell us
what happened, Mr. Turner?

Or we can
put your ass
in a line-up.

Should I have
a lawyer here?

If you don't
start telling us
what happened, yeah.

I had a drink with Ray.
Ray Burrows.

Mr. Burrows
works here, too?

Used to.
Not anymore.

So you met him for
a drink. Then what?

I went home.

Mr. Turner, we know that
you followed Mr. Reddick
in a taxi.

Then you know
I'm telling the truth
about going home.

We think
you know more about
what happened than that.

Are you gonna tell us
or am I gonna slap
cuffs on you?

We came out of the bar.

Ray got a cab.

This other guy
walks up to it.

BRISCOE:
Thomas Reddick.

The black guy
who got killed.

I didn't know his name.

He starts to get in,
Ray puts an arm on him,
tells him that's our cab.

It just escalated
from there.

Wait a minute.

You're telling us
that this whole thing

was because of
an argument over a taxi?

Yeah.

Great. Search warrant's
in the building.

Now, we're sure
Turner's not gonna
tip off his friend?

Not from the jail cell
we got him sitting in.

We're holding him for
a material witness order.

Figure it's better
to be safe than sorry

till the warrant
gets here.

And this whole thing
comes out of
a dispute over a cab?

BRISCOE: Looks that way.

Here's the warrant,
Lieutenant,

signed, sealed and delivered.

VAN BUREN: Thanks.

Ain't this something?

Black man finally gets a cab
in this city and gets
killed for it.

BURROWS:
This is way
out of line.

Most people would say
killing a man for a taxi
is way out of line.

Yeah, most people don't know
their ass from their elbow.

You know your ass
from your elbow,
Detective?

I know an ass
when I see one.

Well, I'll tell you
what, Tonto,

if that's
all you've got,
then get the hell out.

I have a date tonight.

Yeah, I bet you're
a real pistol, too.

Hey, Ed.
ED: Yeah?

Rounds for a 9mm.

Oh, now you can show us
where the gun is, Kemosabe.

I don't have a gun.

Oh, no?
What do you do,
throw the bullets?

ED: Lennie.

Take this.

Put your hands
behind your back.
No, not for you.

For him.

You'll do whatever the hell
I tell you to do.

Now, turn around.

(LAUGHS)

I want to see my lawyer.

Oh, sure.
We'll just
step outside

and my partner here
will flag you a cab.

ED: Come on.

Ballistics matched the gun
as the weapon that killed
Mr. Reddick.

Burrows make
any statements
about the shooting?

Never got a chance to.
The guy lawyered up
first thing.

SERENA: He's got no
prior criminal history.

And we also
haven't been able to
establish any contact

between him and Reddick
prior to the argument
over the cab.

So what's the theory?
He just snapped?

According to Turner,
they followed the
victim's cab

for almost 20 minutes
before the attack.

Which should have been
plenty of time to
cool off.

What the hell's
his problem?

We think
he killed this man
because he was black.

The guy went crazy
when I tried to cuff him.

SERENA:
So it's a hate crime.

VAN BUREN: Look, the man's
walking around with
a loaded 9mm,

uses it
without provocation.

May not have
been premeditated,

but it sure seems
pretty damned calculated.

My client's been
completely cooperative
with this investigation.

Which is the only reason
he hasn't been indicted.

Indicted for what?
Scott never even
got out of that cab.

Look, I told you
what happened.

But you haven't told us
why it happened,
Mr. Turner.

Yeah, like why your friend
Ray was walkin' around
with a gun.

I never saw a gun.

ED: Yeah, but you knew
he had one.

That's why you and Ray
were so brave that night.

SHIELDS: Look,
I represent this man
as a material witness.

If he's becoming a target
in this investigation,

he has a right to know.

You knew your friend.

You heard him
ask the driver to
follow the victim.

Don't pretend
you had no idea
what would happen.

What are you after?

All statements made
by Ray Burrows during
the initial altercation

with the victim and
throughout the cab ride.

In other words,
we want to know
if your buddy Ray

called him a nigger.

Turner says Burrows used
repeated racial epithets

during the argument
and throughout
the cab ride.

What about at the scene?

There's no eyewitness.

Which means that his lawyer
can argue that racist or not,

this was just
a crime of opportunity.

Not if we can show Burrows
has been involved in
other incidents.

Turner mentioned
another altercation with
a black salesman at work.

Talk to him.

Before we play the race card,
I want to see the whole deck.

I'm not surprised.
Frankly, it was only
a matter of time.

What makes you say that?

A few months ago,
Burrows barged
into my office

and accused me
of stealing a client.

Why did he think that?

The client was black.

Apparently he thought
Ray was condescending.

So what happened?

The manager reassigned
the client to me,

and when Burrows found out,
he hit the roof.

He started screaming that
we were all out to get him.

You know, black people.

And he called me
an affirmative
action incompetent

and few other things
I'd rather not repeat.

What did you do?

I was about to smack him
in his mouth only
that's when I saw his gun.

He had a gun?

In his waistband.

Pulled back his jacket
so I could see it.

What did you do?

I backed the hell off.

I mean,
I thought he was
going to shoot me.

And then something
caught his attention
and he walked out.

Did you report
this to anyone?

Told the boss.

What was done?

Burrows was fired.

You know,
it took me over a month
before I could sleep again.

I still think about it.

The incident
with the co-worker
was not an isolated event.

Pretty much everybody
I spoke to said
the same thing.

Burrows goes out of his
way to let people know
how he feels.

He even
wrote a letter
to his co-op board

trying to get them
to reject a couple buying
an apartment in his building.

Apparently Mr. Burrows
has a problem
with interracial couples.

You'd at least think
he'd try to be subtle.

Call his lawyer.
Set up a meeting.

We're going
with a hate crime.

(SIGHS)

He deserves all the time
we can give him.

ARCHER: You can't be serious.

That's five years on
top of the murder charge.

Your client hunted down
a total stranger,
killed him in cold blood.

Offer's 20-to-life.

It was rage reaction
to a dispute over a taxi.

He followed this man
through traffic for
over 20 minutes.

Engaged in conversation,
paid the driver.

There's more than sufficient
attenuation to preclude
any rage defense.

He's got
no criminal record.

Well, then,
he hit the jackpot
the first time out.

At least let's take
the hate crime off the table.

Mr. Burrows put it
on the table
in the first place.

In writing.

Which leaves me no choice
but to do the same.

You'll have my motion
by the end of the day.

Not only can't they
link this co-op board
letter to the homicide,

but they can't establish
that the crime

had anything to
do with race at all.

We can
show a history
of racist attitudes

and the statements
he made in the cab.

Your Honor, this letter
would be so inflammatory.
It would be so prejudicial.

That's exactly the point.

The hate crime statute
requires us to prove

that the victim was targeted
because of his race.

This letter provides a jury
with a context to evaluate
the defendant's motive.

Let it in.

Ray.
No, I'm tired
of all of this.

Tired of hiding.
I did the right thing.

Your Honor, please,
I'd like to call for
an immediate adjournment.

I don't want
an adjournment.

What I want is
for a jury to hear
why I shot the bastard.

Judge, I object to
this entire proceeding.

It's your own motion,
Mr. Archer.

BURROWS: Let 'em
see that letter, Judge.

Let a jury hear
the truth for once.

Once a jury
of my peers does,

they'll see that
we're the ones on the
endangered species list.

Obviously I have to
consult with my client.

JUDGE: Talk to him about
anything you want, Counselor.

I've heard enough.

The defendant's letter
to the co-op board
comes in.

The defendant's history
of his racist attitudes
comes in.

But what I will not do
is allow the People

to use
what your client
just said right here.

You're sure this wasn't
some sort of stunt
his lawyer pulled?

Archer did everything
but stuff a sock in
his mouth.

Well, maybe he should have.
He just walked
into a five-year enhancement

of the murder charge.
What is he, nuts?

You may not be far off.

Archer just filed notice
of his intent to offer
psychiatric evidence.

An insanity defense.

Based on what?
Racism.

He claims Burrows' hatred
of blacks rises to some
sort of paranoid delusion.

The only delusion here
is Archer's.

I have a duty to defend
my client any way I see fit.

Within the bounds of law.

Racism has never been
legally recognized as
a mental defect.

I now have an expert witness,
Your Honor, and he's willing
to testify.

Some rent-a-doc,
Mr. Archer?

No, a psychiatrist from
the Yale Medical School

and an African-American.

JUDGE: And he will testify
to exactly what, Mr. Archer?

That extreme racism is
a form of mental illness
that should be recognized

by the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders.

Meaning that it isn't.

I'm not going to have
my court turned upside down
with speculation, Counselor.

A Massachusetts court
has already accepted
the theory

that racially paranoid
beliefs constitute
a mental defect.

Look, all I am asking
is for a chance to
present my case.

What he's asking for
is a free pass.

He does have the right
to use any defense
cognizable at law.

And like it or not,
this one is.

No jury in New York's going
to buy an insanity defense
from an admitted racist.

It gets a little easier
when judges let experts

testify he's delusional.

Try selling it
to a black juror.

Only takes one
to hang a jury, Jack.

Have you taken a look
at their expert's CV?

I mean, this psychiatrist
is no quack.

If he believes what's in his
own report, he's not far off.

Why? Because psychiatry
doesn't agree with him?

You know,
at one time or another

there was no precedent for
most of the mental disorders

we now allow in court.

JACK: And I've spent
more than 20 years
in this office

making sure there are
less of them, not more.

The last time,
it was a black defendant

trying to justify
a murder on black rage.

I'd no more accept
that nonsense than this.

Yeah, the irony is though
if there's any truth to
this theory,

and if we'd been
treating racism as
a mental illness all along,

maybe we wouldn't
have a Ray Burrows.

Or there'd be more of them.

The only way
to prevent that

is to hold people
responsible for
their actions.

You know what I read
that crystallized it
for me?

Why don't you tell me?

An account by a guy who
went around shooting MRCs.

MRCs?

Mixed racial couples.

See the key is,
he always had to
shoot the black guy first

if he was going
to shoot them both.

Why is that, Ray?

Because if he shot
the white woman first,

then the black man
would just run away.

But if he shot him first,
then the white woman
would stay to help.

Then the shooter
could get them both.

The point is you believe
black men are cowards.

Well, the empirical evidence
seems to bear that out,
wouldn't you say?

I'm more interested
in what you have to say.

You're aware your lawyer's
claiming you're delusional

because you hold
just these kinds of views?

(MUTTERS)

Well, I'm not delusional.
Anyone who doesn't see

that this country's being
taken away from guys like
you and me

is the one
who's delusional.

You think minorities
are out to get you,
Mr. Burrows?

We both know that they are.

Don't tell me
that if you were
about to get on an airplane

and there was
an Arab in line that
you wouldn't check him out

just a little bit harder?

Is that delusion, Doc?

What's your impression
of him?

In my opinion,
Ray Burrows is
one scary dude.

But he fully appreciated
the nature of his actions.

You're basing this
on what?

The fact that racism
is not a mental illness.

Yale shrink
or no Yale shrink.

No matter how severe
his delusions are

that black people
pose a threat to him?

Mr. Burrows
could use a course
in anger management,

but he definitely knew
what he'd done was wrong.

Believe me, nobody tries
that hard to convince me
they're right otherwise.

So what did Skoda
have to say?

What we expected.

Do you agree with him?

I'm just second chair.

Oh, you don't
have an opinion?

An opinion about whether
a racist should escape
responsibility for murder?

(CLEARS THROAT)
You mean you want
the truth?

I've been with Jack
for about six months,

and all I ever hear
are people making excuses
about killing other people.

We have to
hold them accountable.

So you'd just dismiss
treatment options?

You make it sound like there
are treatment options
for racists.

There aren't.

No. There may never be.

But still, you know,
you can't let fear

dictate your decisions
about criminal justice.

Everyone's afraid, Nora.
I'm afraid.

And it just seems like
after what happened
with the Towers,

the last thing we want to do
is give people a blank check
to act on their hatred.

That's interesting.

Doctor, is it your opinion
that at the time of the crime

my client suffered
from a mental disease

which precluded his capacity
to appreciate right
from wrong?

Yes, it is.

And what was
that mental defect?

Racism.

That is
an extreme belief

that a racial group poses
a threat, unsupported
by reality.

Hmm. So what
about Ray Burrows?

I believe
his racist attitudes so
interfered with his behavior

that he thought
that killing
Mr. Reddick

was not only not wrong,
it actually was justified.

You're not saying
we shouldn't
hold him accountable?

I'm saying
he's in need of
psychiatric help.

If we want to do anything
about prevention,

we must consider racism
as a form of mental disorder.

Thank you, Doctor.

What about blacks
killing whites?

It doesn't matter
who kills whom.

Not as long
as the individual
suffers from racist delusions.

You're not suggesting
that African-Americans

haven't been discriminated
against in this country?

Of course not.

Meaning that
you wouldn't consider
those perceptions delusional.

Perhaps not.

So whites would be
the only ones

who could benefit
from this diagnosis.

You also maintain
the defendant believes
that what he did was right.

Yes.

How is it then
that he concealed his
crime from the police?

Society doesn't
encourage people
to admit being racist.

If fact, we ostracize them
when they do.

We did the same thing to
people suffering from
cancer in the '50s,

AIDS in the '80s.

You'd compare a racist
to a cancer patient?

Only in the way
society considers them.

Consider that Mr. Burrows
wrote a racist letter to
his co-op board.

Nobody said
anything to him.

Now, had he said
he was suffering
from depression,

they may very
well have recommended
psychological treatment.

Only there is no treatment
for the racist.

Because your view has
been specifically rejected

by the American
Psychiatric Association.

Unfortunately, yes.

In fact, racism isn't
mentioned anywhere in
the DSM-IV,

is it, Doctor?

Until 1974,

being gay was considered
a mental disorder in
this very book.

Until a consensus was
formed among psychiatrists
that its inclusion was wrong.

But there's no consensus
for what you're proposing,
is there, Doctor?

Not at this time, no.

A great many people think
negative thoughts about
other people,

but they don't break
the law because of them.

But when racist thoughts
are coupled with threats
of violence,

that moves into the territory
of mental illness.

So it's
outcome determinative.

The racist's views
become delusional

only when they escalate
into an act of violence.

When the racist's mental
processes interfere
with normal functioning.

Without regard to
whether Mr. Burrows

was actually able to
appreciate the nature
of his actions or not.

It's a theory
in search of a patient.

I know firsthand what it is
to experience prejudice,
Mr. McCoy.

But if we continue to
deny racism as a form
of mental illness

and attack it solely
on cultural grounds,

we lose any chance
to treat it.

No, sir.

By creating an excuse,
we lose any chance to
punish it.

In my opinion,
at the time of the crime,

Ray Burrows was oriented
to reality and able to
control his actions.

So you disagree with
Dr. Bernard's theory

that racism qualifies
as a delusional disorder.

It's pretty much
the entire
psychiatric community.

I mean,
if we're going to say
everyone who espouses

bigoted beliefs
has a mental illness,

we stretch the term
mental illness
beyond any usefulness.

What about his assertion
that racism can be treated?

How? Through
talk therapy?

I doubt
that's likely to
be very effective.

Racism simply
is not a matter of
individual pathology.

That's why it's not
included in the DSM-IV.

Nothing further.

So, exactly what
research was done

prior to removing
homosexuality
from the DSM-IV?

A consensus was reached

that homosexuality didn't
meet the criteria for
a mental disease.

Well, the fact is, it was
a social policy decision,
wasn't it, Doctor?

The decision
wasn't based on
any research at all.

Now, what about racism?
What's the research
being done there?

I'm not aware of
any research being done.

Again, because
the psychiatric community

continually rejects
proposals to study
the issue.

Which means that any lack
of inclusion of racism

as a mental illness
in this book,

has very little
to do with science

and almost everything
to do with politics.

They say I'm sick.
I don't know.

All I can tell you
is that I feel pretty
good about what I did.

About killing Mr. Reddick?
That's right.

Social courtesies mean
nothing to these people.

I mean, you ever
try to see a movie

with black people
in the audience?

You can't hear a thing.

I mean,
the sign's up there,
"Please, no talking."

But do they listen?

When this guy jumped
in front of me like that,

like he thought he was
better than me,
that was it.

The line was drawn.

So what was going
through your mind?

Here he was,
going wherever he wanted,

doing whatever
he wanted and me...

I mean,
they can decide they
don't want to work with me,

but I can't say
I don't want to
live with them?

I lost my job
because of these people.

The bank is foreclosing
on my home.

I was not about
to lose that cab.

You feel justified
taking Mr. Reddick's life
because he took your cab?

That's right.

Then why didn't you tell
your friend what you'd done?

Why didn't you
tell the police?

They never asked.

Because you requested
a lawyer.

Because from
the very start,

you were
looking for a way out,
weren't you, Mr. Burrows?

Because you didn't want
to pay for what you'd done.

Not true.

But you made
Mr. Reddick pay.
Pay with his life.

And then you dragged
his body down those steps

to hide your crime.

I dragged his body
down there

because that's where
the rest of the garbage was.

Not all the garbage,
Mr. Burrows,
not all the garbage.

ARCHER: Objection.
JUDGE: Sustained.

Do you think that
African-Americans
pose a threat?

I know they do.

But you've come
into contact with
other black people

before Mr. Reddick.

You never killed them.

What about this juror?

She's been here
for the entire trial,

and yet you don't seem
to have had a problem.

That's a very
sensible attitude

for a man in
your position to take,
isn't it, Mr. Burrows?

Because she's helping to
decide your fate.

So are you insane,
Mr. Burrows?

Or are you just a man
who knows how to keep
his mouth shut

when he's supposed to
and how to lose his mind

when his lawyer
tells him to?

Is there anyone here who heard
what Ray Burrows said in
this courtroom

who doesn't believe
that he is sick?

Who doesn't
find his hatred of
other human beings,

solely based on the
color of their skin,
so twisted,

so abnormal that
you wouldn't be able
to find mental illness?

My client belongs in
a psychiatric institution,
not a prison.

You know that,
you know that.

And yet,
in a few moments,

the D.A. is
going to ask you to
forget what you know.

Because as a prosecutor,

he is more interested
in punishing Ray Burrows

than he is in
preventing more people
from becoming like him.

Spare the rod,
spoil the racist.

That's how
his argument goes.

But unless
we recognize racism

as the delusional
mental disorder
that it is,

people like my client,
they're not going to get
the treatment they need.

Which in the final analysis
is what this case boils
down to.

Whether as a society,

we stand
a better chance
of preventing racism

by punishing someone
who commits a racist act

or treating them
before they can.

I'm sorry.

This defense
would be laughable if
it weren't so dangerous.

We live in a world
where people commit

unspeakable violent acts
against other people.

Terrorists, racists,
anyone who kills
out of hate.

Do we hold them accountable,

or do we excuse their acts
and sit them down for a chat

to tell them that it's wrong?

In the world
the defense would create,

murderers would
never be held responsible.

In that world,
right and wrong
would lose all meaning.

Killers would
become victims.

The only one
who would benefit
from the defendant

being found mentally ill
is the defendant.

Not society.

Certainly not the victim.

Not Thomas Reddick
or his family,

or anyone else
with his skin color.

To excuse Ray Burrows
because of his prejudice

only promotes racism.

What happened
to Thomas Reddick

is a crime of hate.

To call it anything else
is to deny justice.

Madame Foreman,

has the jury
reached its verdict?

We have, Your Honor.

Will the defendant
please rise?

What is your verdict?

On the charge of
Murder in the Second Degree
as a Hate Crime,

we find
the defendant guilty.

I wonder
if Burrows will still
have a problem with minorities

once he gets to prison
and finds out he is one.

Check back with him
in 40 years.

By then,
he might be ready
for an insanity defense.

To kill out of hate, then
be exempt from punishment,

that'd be
the real insanity.