Riot (9 page)

PRISCILLA

Aunt Esther! It’s me, Priscilla. We’ll take you to a safe…place….

CLOSE-UP to MEDIUM SHOT to CLOSE-UP from behind as PRISCILLA realizes that the old woman is dead. PRISCILLA shrinks away, her hands over her face.

CUT TO:

MEDIUM SHOT: CLAIRE goes to PRISCILLA and pulls her away.

CLAIRE

Are you sure?

PRISCILLA

Oooh. Claire, she’s cold. Oh, my God.

CLAIRE

Let’s…Priscilla, let’s leave now.

As PRISCILLA and CLAIRE are leaving the apartment, CLAIRE turns and takes one more look around at the condition of the room, knowing that it was never in much better condition. She is still covering her nose and mouth with her hand as they move out into the alley.

EXT. BROADWAY—SAME DAY

CLAIRE and PRISCILLA are walking downtown rapidly toward the camera. As they pass Nineteenth Street, they see a CROWD of young whites milling about. They stop to survey the situation.

CUT TO:

A BLACK WOMAN and her CHILD come down the
street, followed by some very small white children. The WOMAN, holding the CHILD by the hand, turns back and starts in the other direction but is cut off. A WHITE WOMAN pushes her down roughly.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP face of the BLACK CHILD. He is terrified.

VOICE-OVER: What are you doing? Have you lost your minds?

CUT TO:

MEDIUM SHOT of CAITLIN DONAHUE, 16, 5’2” with red hair and green eyes. We see her throw both arms around the black child.

CAITLIN DONAHUE

Have you lost your minds for sure? Does it make you proud to be throwing your weight at a little child? Do you have no shame in you?

MEDIUM SHOT: We see the other women look away. Then one helps the BLACK WOMAN up.

CUT TO:

CAITLIN DONAHUE puts the child’s hand in that of the mother.

CAITLIN DONAHUE

(to the BLACK WOMAN)

They’re not really Irish, don’t be minding them.

The camera seems to dart around as small groups of whites are moving onto Broadway, where CLAIRE and PRISCILLA have stopped.

We hear he sound of a heartbeat as CLAIRE becomes more and more anxious about their position.

CLAIRE

Let’s get off Broadway. We’ll go west.

A CROWD is gathering on one side of Broadway.

PRISCILLA and CLAIRE are walking on the opposite side of the street from the CROWD, arm in arm, heads down.

We see the sidewalk from CLAIRE’s POV, and then the legs of a person in their way as we hear the impact of the light collision.

CLAIRE

Oh, I’m sorry!

The camera pans up on MAEVE’s face.

MAEVE

Oh, and what do we have here? The lovelies out and about the streets of New York! Out seeing the sights, are you?

PRISCILLA

We’re on our way home. You’re in our way, so if you would just step aside…

MAEVE pushes up on PRISCILLA.

PRISCILLA freezes for a moment and then attempts to step around MAEVE, who pushes her against the steps of a brownstone. MAEVE steps back and calls to her friends in the crowd.

MAEVE

Hey, look what we’ve got over here!

LIAM calls over.

LIAM

They’ve broken into Goodman’s! Let’s get over there!

MAEVE

(to CLAIRE)

I didn’t think you’d have the nerve to
show your face, dearie. You having a good time, are you?

LIAM

Maeve, it’s Goodman’s. Let’s go.

He starts to back away, anxious to get on with the looting.

MAEVE

Liam, this is the darky lover who said I wasn’t good enough to work in her place.

LIAM looks and recognizes PRISCILLA and CLAIRE

LIAM

(takes CLAIRE’s face in his hands)

Claire, you can’t be on the street. It’s not safe out here for anybody. It’s not, I’m telling you. Go home and stay there till this is over.

MAEVE

(stunned)

Are you sweet on her? Are you sweet on her? Liam, I’m your…Liam, she’s…black.

Liam starts off, hoping Maeve will follow.

MAEVE watches him go and then turns back to CLAIRE.

MAEVE

(to CLAIRE, as CLAIRE and PRISCILLA walk quickly away)

You’re black!

CUT TO:

MAEVE watches CLAIRE go off, her face confused and angry, and then she runs off after LIAM.

CUT TO:

MEDIUM SHOT: PRISCILLA and CLAIRE run down the street as the RIOTERS are headed the other way, toward Goodman’s.

We hear the sound of heavy breathing as we follow PRISCILLA and CLAIRE down a city block and around a corner. Finally PRISCILLA stumbles against the fence of a small churchyard.

PRISCILLA

(panting)

They won’t be happy until they kill us all.

CLAIRE

(mouth open, partially bent over)

God, I can’t believe that only a week ago I was just Claire. Now what am I?

PRISCILLA

Do you think they’ll come to the Peacock after us?

CLAIRE

I don’t know. I don’t know.

PRISCILLA

Are you all right?

CLAIRE

No.

A BLACK MALE VOICE

(from off-camera)

If you’re scared, children, you’re welcome here.

PRISCILLA and CLAIRE are both startled. They look up to see a black man in a preacher’s garb.

REVEREND

I’m Reverend Curry. Our church is always open for anyone who needs refuge.

CUT TO:

The front of a black Baptist church. An OLDER MAN stands in the doorway at the top of some steps.

PRISCILLA and CLAIRE hesitate for a moment, then quickly go to the church and up the steps. Several YOUNGER MEN are standing near the door. One of them has a rifle, and another has a pistol.

REVEREND CURRY

(nods toward the armed men)

(to PRISCILLA and CLAIRE as he enters the church with them)

“He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.” Now may not be the time to turn the other cheek.

The camera pans the interior of the church. It is dark except for the late-afternoon light coming through the stained-glass windows and a few candles. There are shadowy figures, and we see BLACK PEOPLE in small groups. Some are praying.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP: CLAIRE is wide-eyed as she looks around the church. We hear a BLACK WOMAN singing; she is joined in a rich but subdued harmony of earnest voices.

SINGERS

(from off-camera)

You hear the lambs a-crying,

Hear the lambs a-crying,

Hear the lambs a-crying,

Oh, shepherd, feed-a my sheep.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP: A BLACK WOMAN, one of the singers, heavy in her shoulders and bosom, caught up in the passion of the song, and of the moment.

SINGERS

(cont’d)

I don’t know what you stay here for,

Don’t know what you stay here for,

Don’t know what you stay here for,

Oh, shepherd, feed-a my sheep.

Our Savior spoke these words so sweet:

“Oh, shepherd, feed-a my sheep.”

Said, “Peter, if you love me, feed my sheep.”

Oh, shepherd, feed-a my sheep.

CUT TO:

MEDIUM SHOT: We see the involvement of the entire church, the light subdued, candles away from the windows, sweat gleaming from black faces.

We hear an angry crowd outside, shouts and curses. But inside, the quiet singing continues. A YOUNG
BLACK BOY reaches out and takes CLAIRE’s hand. He smiles shyly at her.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP of CLAIRE’s face as she smiles back, but her eyes are teary as she realizes that this is a side of black life she knows nothing about.

SINGERS

(cont’d)

Oh, Lord, I love Thee, Thou dost know

Oh, shepherd, feed-a my sheep.

Oh, give me the grace to love Thee more;

Oh, shepherd, feed-a my sheep.

CUT TO:

We see CLAIRE AND PRISCILLA sitting in the pews with the black parishioners.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP of a clock on a shelf. It is four thirty.

CUT TO:

The outside of the church. It is beginning to rain. A horse-drawn carriage approaches. A SERVANT WOMAN appears at the gate of a house on the street; she opens the gate and the carriage goes in. The DRIVER gets out, looks around cautiously, and locks and padlocks
the gate. He throws a blanket over the horse and quickly goes into the house.

CUT TO:

INT. of church. CLOSE-UP of clock. It is five thirty.

CUT TO:

PRISCILLA, CLAIRE, and REVEREND CURRY at the front of the church.

REVEREND CURRY

Things look a little quieter now. The rain will help. But you are welcome to spend the night here.

PRISCILLA

Thank you. Thank you so much. But we’d better be getting along now.

REVEREND CURRY

Then feel free to come any Sunday.

CLAIRE

(quietly, almost to herself)

I will, I will.

EXT. MERCER STREET—SAME DAY

We are looking from south to north up Mercer Street at a group of weary SOLDIERS. Two of them stand in front of a boarded-up window. Above the boards we see the sign GOODMAN’S FINE GOODS.

FIRST SOLDIER

You know, I got a daughter almost six months old I haven’t seen. I’d love to see her before I die. I thought I always wanted a boy child, a son. When April told me the baby was a girl, I was disappointed at first. Then I started thinking about the little girl, and I found myself crying because she was so beautiful. Ain’t that something? She being so beautiful and all and me never having laid eyes on her? Ain’t that something?

SECOND SOLDIER

That’s something, all right.

FIRST SOLDIER

You hear what Beck said the other day? He said he clean forgot what this war was about. Except for the killing, of course.

SECOND SOLDIER

(eyeing rioters down the street)

They forming up down there?

FIRST SOLDIER

I guess. They ain’t seen enough dying to back off from it. They will by and by. They will by and by.

OFFICER

Lock and load!

CUT TO:

A group of Irish YOUNGSTERS. Some are teenagers, but they are mostly boys, with a few girls among them. They are boisterous, excited, young. They mock the SOLDIERS and begin to throw small rocks. We see one of the rocks bounce along the street and land at the foot of a SOLDIER. The camera pans up on the face of the SOLDIER. We recognize him as JOSHUA LANCASTER.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP: The face of a YOUNG MAN among the rioters. He is anxious.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP: Another face. This one is even younger.

CUT TO:

CLOSE-UP: Another face. We recognize BILLY EVANS.

CUT TO:

MEDIUM SHOT: We see the RIOTERS as a group. They are looking down the street at the SOLDIERS, wondering what is going to happen. We see MAEVE join the crowd. She is looking around for LIAM.

YOUNG MAN

(to someone off-camera)

Hey, you. Take some boys and get in front of the soldiers so they don’t see what’s going on.

LIAM

(as he is joined by MAEVE)

Get in front of the soldiers yourself!

YOUNG MAN

Go on! We’ll see that you’re taken care of. Go on!

CUT TO:

A MAN whom LIAM knows gives him the thumbs-up sign.

CUT TO:

LIAM takes a hesitant half-step forward, then inhales deeply. WE HEAR the sound of a low note from a cello that begins to rise in volume.