I walk alone.
I am a soldier for life.
The battle I am fighting has no ending...
...although its beginning
can start at any time.
I am always standing for something...
...and constantly fighting
to keep from falling for anything.
I am a silver fox by day
and a guerrilla by night.
I'm a soldier who has forgotten
how to smile...
...and doesn't remember laughter.
There are still dreams and debts
due to the soldiers before me.
I must be soldier, a solid soldier...
...in order to smooth a path
for those who will follow behind me.
I live at the bottom
of one of nature's coldest seas.
I come up every now and then
and spit fire.
To struggle is to go the distance.
To win is not to care
how far one must go.
George.
You know? And you know, he's really
helped me with my backhand.
In this case, you wanna be clear.
Maybe you might wanna take a look
at them.
Well, I may be able to.
Can I take it back with me?
- Would you pause for just a moment?
- Excuse me.
Gentlemen, come with me.
There's someone I'd like you to meet.
Mr. Genet, this is Lumumba,
Fred Bennett.
- This is Jean Genet.
- How do you do?
Please continue where you left off.
Well, Mrs. Stender was just telling us
of her background.
And after that
you were Huey Newton's lawyer.
- Yes.
- Yes. You...
You got him off?
- Yes.
- And now Mr. Jackson.
Yes, I've been working on
Mr. Jackson's case for three years.
Yes, I've read his letters.
He's very eloquent, strong.
But I'm curious, though.
Do you think he is capable of killing?
No, no, no. There is no credible evidence
that Mr. Jackson murdered that guard.
And frankly, we're gonna blow their case
out of the water. He was framed.
- Yes, I've been reading the testimony.
- Well, then...
But you didn't answer my question.
You mean, do I think he would kill
for his ideals and convictions?
Yes, I think he would.
But he did not murder his way
into San Quentin.
You have to understand...
...Mr. Jackson was sentenced
one-year-to-life...
...for a $ 70 gas station robbery.
Mr. Genet, I'm sorry to interrupt.
But... So where do you think
we should go from here with this?
Well...
...if you would like,
I could have them translated.
And I can have my publisher, Gallimard,
publish them.
Oh, yes, please. I mean, that's more than
we could have hoped for.
We're hoping to use this case to start
a national movement for prison reform.
That would just be incredibly helpful
to us.
What are you doing?
I hear you say "use"
and it's not setting right.
White folks been using niggers
in too many ways, for too many years.
Does it make a difference if I say,
"organize around"?
Only if you're totally committed
to assisting my comrades...
...in the fight for their lives.
Make this clear as your ass
is white and my ass is black.
Yes.
"If I leave here alive,
I'll leave nothing behind.
They'll never count me
among the broken men.
But I can't say that I'm normal either.
I've been hungry too long.
I've gotten angry too often.
I've been lied to
and insulted too many times.
They've pushed me over the line
from which there can be no retreat.
- I know that... "
- I know that they will not be satisfied...
...until they have pushed me
out of this existence altogether.
I've been the victim of so many racist
attacks that I could never relax again.
I can still smile now after 10 years
of blocking knife thrusts...
...and the pick handles of faceless,
sadistic pigs...
...of anticipating and reacting
for 10 years...
...seven of them in solitary...
...I can still smile sometimes.
But by the time this is over...
...I may not be a nice person.
Just existing, life without joy...
...without any real meaning
does not appeal to me at all.
I am very tired of waking each morning...
...wondering if I will be insulted,
humiliated, injured or done to death.
Although I would not like
to leave my bones on this hill.
But if it is between that...
...and surrendering the things
that make me a man...
...the things that allow me to hold up
my head erect and unbowed...
...then the hill can have my bones.
This is one nigger
who's positively displeased.
I'll never forgive.
I'll never forget.
They are fighting upstairs now.
It's 11:30 a. m.
No black is supposed to be on the tier
upstairs with anyone but other blacks.
But mistakes are made.
One or two blacks end up on the tier
with nine or 10 white convicts...
...frustrated by the living conditions
or openly working with the pigs.
The whole ceiling is trembling.
In hand-to-hand combat we always win.
We lose if the pigs give them knives
or zip guns.
Lunch will be delayed today.
The tear gas or whatever it is
drifts down to sting my nose and eyes.
Someone is hurt bad.
Mike, you know the French writer,
Jean Genet?
Of course, idiot, I'm a book editor.
He's got his publisher putting out
George Jackson's letters.
Jackson's charged
with killing a guard in Soledad.
Heard of him. Yeah, how's it read?
It's fantastic. It just...
It's exactly what I've been looking for.
Play this thing down around Chopper.
If he knows you want it,
he'll tear it apart.
Okay, anybody else got anything for me?
Yeah, I got an MS from California
a couple of days ago.
The author is accused
of killing a prison guard.
- His lawyers think he's being railroaded.
- So what?
Come on, it's just another
pissed off guy in prison.
No. Well, actually, he's a cofounder of
what's known as the Black Guerilla Family.
They're on the government's list
of subversives.
- Jackson was recruited by Huey Newton...
- Okay.
All right. Is that it? Let me see it.
It's a compilation of letters to
his lawyer, mother and father...
...Angela Davis, some other women.
It's rough...
...but that could really be something.
- What do you mean rough?
Smooth out the edges. That's your job.
This is fantastic.
This could be another Soul on Ice.
How much can we get it for?
- Twenty-five thousand. Thirty thousand.
- All right, fine.
How many textbooks are you on now?
Can you fit this into your schedule?
I'm finishing two right now.
I can get started on this one right away.
All right.
But how do we know for certain
that this kid wrote the letters himself?
Okay, apparently he honed
his writing skills...
...reading various revolutionary theorists
during four years in solitary confinement.
They welded his door shut.
Sounds like a big stretch
from Fun with Physics.
I don't like those kinds of jokes.
How do we get access to this Jackson?
They can get me in
posing as a legal investigator.
All right, get on a plane, get out there.
And don't let this one get away, Dryer.
- Go get me a sandwich.
- Yes, sir.
Step through again, please.
Remove your belt, sir.
Watches please.
Don't worry about it.
You two are gonna get along fine.
It'll be a while before I can bring
Mr. Jackson down.
He is some distance away and, of course,
we have security concerns.
Thank you.
Bullshit.
Sidle Jackson.
Listen up, warden.
Let's go.
You have two hours.
I got your letters.
I've been waiting a long time.
Maybe all my life, you know?
Fay and I have to talk over
a little piece of business first...
...and then we can jump right into it.
- Yeah.
A man was tear-gassed to death
this morning...
...and I'm organizing a protest.
- Well, we got a lot to talk about.
- Yeah.
- I got a lot of questions.
- Go ahead.
First, do you have any cigarettes?
Yeah.
Just...
I tear off the filters.
I ain't afraid of getting cancer.
I was born with it.
No, no, I quit a long time ago.
Well, you will live a long time.
Yeah. Okay then.
There, there.
- What the fuck is going on here?
- What?
I didn't write this stuff.
Whose handwriting is this?
It's mine.
- Who do you think you are, man?
- No, I'm just...
I'm trying to make the MS
more consistent so that we...
I'm not gonna have anybody
put a false face on me.
- Do you understand what I'm saying?
- I think, George, he's just trying to help.
I didn't come this far
to get sold down a river.
People have been trying to get me
to kowtow all my life.
They can eat shit. We'll get somebody else
to publish the book.
We can't.
We've already signed a contract.
I didn't sign no contract.
I signed it.
You gave me power of attorney.
Then you write the goddamn book.
Here.
- Is there a problem here?
- No, officer, everything's just fine.
- No, take me back to my cell.
- I'm sorry.
- Let's go, Jackson.
- George.
Geor...
Fuck.
- That could have gone better.
- Did he really need to be rewritten?
I didn't rewrite him.
I didn't rewrite him.
He has this raw eloquence and I'm just...
I was trying to shape it...
...and hone it and I overdid it.
I don't know.
What is the usual process
for a book like this?
I don't know, I've never...
I've never gone through it before.
What do you mean?
Basically, I'm a textbook editor.
- Textbooks?
- Most of my authors are academics.
I just... I've never worked on
a book like this before.
Can you just talk to him?
Look, if you just talk to him and you
explain to him and make him look at it...
...he'll see that I'm not trying
to change anything. I'm not.
I will try.
Can you come back with me tomorrow?
- Yeah.
- All right.
Let's go please.
Where'd you ever find him?
His company offered the most money
for the right to publish the book.
Since when do we make decisions
based on how much money is involved?
We need the money for the defense.
Can't you just give him another chance?
I got him waiting outside.
All right.
It wasn't easy but at least
he's agreed to see you.
Oh, Fay, thank you so much,
I really appreciate this.
- You okay?
- Yeah, no, I'm fine.
I just... You know,
I didn't sleep very much.
Sit down, Shakespeare.
Mr. Jackson, I understand your concerns.
- Who told you to censor my book?
- No one.
I'm not trying to censor anything. My
job is to just compile work and edit it.
That's it.
Then why did you rewrite my opening?
You know...
...at some point, I hope that you can
go back and look at the work that I did.
Because really, I did not fundamentally
change anything.
Fundamentally.
It's my first time
working on a book like this.
And I'm just trying too hard.
Did you bring the manuscript?
Yeah.
Okay, I'd like to ask you
some questions first.
Just for my own perspective.
Can you tell me the difference, if any...
...between the Black Guerilla Family
and the Black Panthers.
And I'm speaking specifically
in the context...
...of autonomous entities
and subdivisions of entities.
The Black Panther Party...
...was never intended to be...
...a military force.
They're the political arm.
The Black Guerilla Family...
...was destined...
...to be a clandestine military branch.
They're separated, so one can survive
if the other one is destroyed.
Where does
the Black Guerilla Family recruit?
Is it mostly in prison?
It's only in prison, man.
From the belly of the beast.
- Two, three, four, five, six, seven.
- Two.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
- How you feel?
- Fine, sir.
- How you feel?
- Fine, sir.
- Looking good.
- Thank you.
- Sound good.
- Thank you.
- Can't stop, won't.
- Machine.
- Can't stop, won't.
- Machine.
Listen up.
- African people took the stand.
- African people took the stand.
- African people took the stand.
- African people took the stand.
- In the struggle throughout the land.
- In the struggle throughout the land.
- African people had a plan.
- African people had a plan.
- Seize the time, take the land.
- Seize the time, take the land.
- Couldn't stop.
- Couldn't stop.
- Had to win.
- Had to win.
- Wouldn't stop.
- Wouldn't stop.
- Till the end.
- Till the end.
- Free again.
- Free again.
Tested by adversity.
Proven true.
Okay.
How old were you when you began
your stretch of continuous incarceration?
I was 18.
I was incarcerated under the term
of one-to-life. It's one-year-to-life.
I could have gotten out in one year.
Instead I've done 10.
It's more time than anybody in this state
has ever done on a one-to-life.
How would we do this if I wasn't here?
If I wasn't in the joint?
Well...
...usually I take authors out to lunch.
You know, we have editorial meetings.
- I guess we having that right now, huh?
- Yeah.
So, what happened to all the changes
that you made?
I changed it all back last night.
What do you publishers get out of this?
They think it will make money.
That's cold, man.
Well, book publishing, you know,
that's just a business like most. It doesn't...
It doesn't necessarily stop us
from doing it the right way though.
And what would be your first step
as to doing it the right way?
The letters need background so the readers
can make sense out of what's going on.
Because most of them,
they never been to prison before.
Okay.
Well, if there's any writing to be done,
I'm gonna do it myself.
Are you clear?
You are not gonna fuck with my book.
Yeah.
- Hey, how'd it go?
- Okay.
It's okay. Book's still alive.
- You two can work together?
- Yeah, I think so.
Okay, all right.
All right, this is home.
Steve. This is Steve Bingham.
He's working on the case.
This is David.
- Remember I told you about him?
- Yes.
Yes, great to meet you.
A few days after three black prisoners
are murdered...
...the DA announces
they're not gonna press charges.
Hi, Betty.
An hour later, a guard is strangled,
thrown off the tier.
The authorities go straight to George.
They say no one else could have done it.
Right? Then, they promise paroles
to anybody who will testify against him.
- I see.
- So all those guys that signed on...
...they're transferred to a facility
more like a country club.
- Right. Where they coach their testimony.
- Exactly.
And I can't wait
to get those punks on the stand.
Hey, I'd like to see the minutes
from the grand jury testimony if I could.
Absolutely, right this way.
Why, I heard a strangled yell
and looked toward the corridor...
...and I seen the officer being assaulted.
He was being held down by one cat and
he was being attacked by the other two.
After Jackson had him in a headlock...
...Drumgo and Clutchette
were stabbing him.
I could see the officer's body trembling.
Finally it seemed like it just went limp.
Jackson lifted him up
and slid him over the third tier.
I seen him fall.
Yeah, motherfucker.
So it was the reading of Lenin,
Che Guevara and Marx.
- This is what inspired you to start writing.
- You know, I discovered those comrades...
...later on.
What really started me writing was
I just wanted to beef with my father.
I wanted him to know what's really
going on with blacks in this country.
I feel I'm an example
to my brother and my father, you know?
I think if I can hold my head up
in a place like this...
...then they can hold their head up
outside.
You can't let anybody here think
they own you.
You ever stole anything?
- I'm sorry?
- Have you ever stole anything?
No, not in my adult life, no.
But when you was young.
Yeah, I guarantee you'd be bored
by my stories of juvenile delinquency.
- I, you know...
- No, I'm curious.
Okay.
When I was a kid, I used to shoplift.
I'd go into dime stores with these pants
that had the pockets cut out.
You know, and I'd just pour stuff in.
And then I'd walk out of there
like I owned the place.
- You ever get caught?
- Yeah, once.
This friend and I, in junior high school,
we started to get a little more brave.
So we started selling these black
market cigarettes out of our lockers.
And the principal came around,
did a locker search with the master key.
And, yeah, that was it.
Dime stores
to big time operation, huh?
Right. Well, I know, you might say
I have a hard time doing things half way.
Yeah, I'm with you on that.
- Not always a blessing is it?
- No.
How'd you get this job, man?
We should talk about something else.
We don't have that much time.
Seems to me, we do.
Yeah, okay.
Well, my first job was writing ad copy
for book jackets.
And then I just moved up from there.
So you were what they call
a blurb writer, huh?
"She was all fire, all passion.
Finally she met her match in Black Bart. "
Stuff like that, huh?
Yeah, you know,
I'm starting to think maybe you're right.
We really should trade places.
If you wrote a blurb for my book,
what would it be?
"He was... "
"He was full of rage. Men feared him.
Women found him irresistible.
Not even steel and cement could contain
his vengeful fury. " Something like that?
Okay, seriously, I can get you a job.
How'd you get this?
The guy who hired me
was a Harvard man too.
We knew each other
from a long time ago.
Harvard, huh?
Old boy network.
They got it all locked up tight.
- They got any blacks where you work at?
- Yeah, mail boy. A female secretary.
Mail boy.
Even if he was older than me,
you'd still call him a boy probably, huh?
Ain't no chance for you
unless you one of them, right?
Time's up.
Thanks for being more relaxed this time.
Most of these letters
are to my mother and my father...
...and my little brother Jonathan.
I never sent them.
I don't know why, I just...
Sometimes you get a letter in an envelope
and you don't send it, you know?
So you're a Harvard man, huh?
How'd you know?
You said so yesterday.
Then we spent too much time
talking about me yesterday.
What was it like there at Harvard?
I hated it. I'm so glad it's over.
But you met all those people.
They gave you a job, those friends.
Yeah, I met one friend.
So, what, you interested in enrolling?
Well...
...I already graduated
from San Quentin High.
It's one of those things they said
would get me out in a year.
There's a show at the movies Saturday.
Some of the brothers been watching you.
You got potential.
- A lot of wasted energy, though.
- What do you care?
We need brothers who can maintain their
self-respect in here, have true strength.
I'm asking you to come
have a talk with us tomorrow.
We stay true like a family should,
stay organized, work an agenda.
What can we accomplish
when we get outside?
- A piece of the pie.
- Bullshit.
Have you ever, no matter how hard
you worked, how law abiding you were...
...how much you cared
about this country...
...been offered a piece of that
which you earned?
Has your father? His before that?
A piece of white America's pie.
We don't wanna be Bill fucking Cosby.
We wanna be the vanguard
of something better, Comrade George.
A place where all that fire in you
could be put to some constructive use.
A state where each man is given the honor
and the duty to sacrifice for civilization.
Can you dig that?
Good.
Because this world needs you.
I know you got some good books already,
we've got some more for you.
Keep reading. Keep writing.
These were written around the same
time I took my education to a new level.
Fay told me by that point
you'd done several years more...
...than the average inmate
on a year-to-life sentence.
Can we talk about that?
I never completely understood it.
One-year-to-life, man.
It makes perfect sense.
All you have to do is surrender your will
and they'll let you out in 12 months.
One-year-to-life,
dangling the possibility of parole...
...it keeps convicts down.
Keeps a convict
from judging his captors...
...from criticizing his methods.
But the sentence is at minimum,
Right?
Clean time did nothing for me, man.
They can tell when you only pretend
to surrender, you know?
It is hard to hide one's pride
and individuality.
At least it was for me.
You think your parole is denied
because of your efforts...
...organizing black prisoners.
- Of course.
No one has done more time than me
in this state on a-year-to-life.
I'm a political prisoner.
They're afraid
I'll take that revolution to the streets.
I'd like to visit your mother
and get a few more letters if I could.
I've already been trading messages
with her through the defense committee.
All right.
You gonna see my brother Jonathan?
There's a chance he'll be there
and maybe Angela as well.
Well...
:::you::::
- You send my love to Angela, would you?
- Yeah, sure.
All right.
When you speak to Jonathan,
don't mention his age.
- Why not?
- Well, he is just a youngster.
But he's only 16 and he's sensitive about
being it because he feels older, you know?
Any advice for meeting
with your mother?
Man, my mother is a trip.
She'd been happy to have me locked up
from the womb to the tomb.
I wasn't allowed to go outside
and play until I was 6 years old.
Then she sent me to Catholic school.
Dress me up in that silly-ass uniform
and string metals around my neck.
When I would protest,
she'd get my father on me.
He'd beat me
with anything he could find.
A table leg, belts. You name it.
I think they were just terrified of me
harming the family name, you know?
And he was terrified of going berserk
on me himself probably.
Sometimes I feel that they thought I was
better off in prison than out on the streets.
My mother used to always say
stuff like:
"Boy, you are so handsome and someday
you really gonna be somebody. "
And a part of you, you really start
to believe in that shit.
Until you get out in the streets...
...and you're just another nigger.
No. No, no, no, Georgie, do it like this.
Break it into little pieces
as you eat, okay?
You'll make a better impression
on people.
Not like all those poor kids
who just shove it in their mouth.
Hi. David Dryer.
I'm Georgia.
How do you do?
I'm fine, thank you.
Have a seat.
That's George's brother Jonathan.
That's Angela.
So tell me exactly
what you're doing, David.
Well, George told me about
your correspondence over the years.
And I'd like to take a look at those letters
to see if it could be included in the book.
What did he say about those letters?
Not too many specifics
at this point really.
So, George said it was okay
to look at them?
- Yes.
- And you swear by that?
Yeah.
Yeah, I swear.
Hi.
- How's he doing?
- He's fine. He's fine. He sends his love.
They won't let me in anymore.
I envy you, being able to see him.
Well, he's okay. He talks about you a lot.
In fact, I'd like to talk to you
sometime if we get a chance.
- I'd like to get your perspective...
- Yeah, later.
Well, which ones do you wanna see?
All of them, if I could.
Mr. Dryer, there are some things
between a mother and son...
...that don't belong in a book.
Well, I can assure you that your end
of the correspondence...
...will remain entirely private.
I'll keep the originals.
- You'll make copies.
- Yes.
Good, I wouldn't wanna lose them.
My son is an exceptional writer.
- He's also an exceptional human being.
- Yeah.
He is that, ma'am.
That's why each day we come here...
...and take Eucharist
from the same bread.
Because each of us together
makes the world.
A common brotherhood under God.
And the blood of Christ running through
all our veins alike.
- They show us that he is...
- Mama, all your talk of God...
...makes me think you are a sick woman.
I'm sorry you made me go
to those places.
Why did you do it, Mama?
You have failed me.
Those institutions taught propaganda.
They taught what to think,
rather than how to think.
Blacks in those schools, those churches,
are even worse off...
...for they learn the ways
and attitudes of the snake.
The Western world has reduced all life
to a dull formula.
All natural feelings have been lost.
But I mustn't complain of such things.
It would be un-American to do so.
Like the rest of you,
I should lose my mind in a fog.
I should smile and sing.
Perhaps I should thank the Lord
in spite of the fact...
...that I have not one moment's
mental gratification in my 23 years.
Patience has its limits.
Take it too far and it's cowardice.
My people have been refused the right
to enjoy the fruits of our labor.
All this has left an emptiness
in our lives.
A void, a vacuum that must
be soon filled by hostilities.
Please let Jonathan know these truths.
Allow him to grow into a man.
Allow me to teach him what I can, so
that at least one of our men will be free.
George.
My name is Georgia Jackson
and I'm the mother of George.
- One of the men who they're trying to kill.
- All right.
- That's right, that's right.
- Yeah.
I wanna tell you that I know my son.
He's a beautiful human being.
I know he never could have done
the things they're saying he did.
- We know.
- He didn't do it.
What they are trying to do
is what they do to all black men...
...who wanna stand up for their rights.
- That's right.
They lynch them. They put them
in prison cells that are like graves.
- You tell it.
- Good job, Mom.
I'm asking you, please, help my son.
- We will.
- We're with you always.
- And this woman's son.
- That's right, that's right.
- We're with you all the way.
- Yeah.
We're two black women...
...who love our children...
- That's right.
- And don't wanna see them killed.
- That's right.
- No, you don't wanna see it.
- Thank you.
- Yeah, that's right.
- Power to the people.
- Go free.
- Free the Soledad Brothers.
Soledad Brothers.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't know
you played, that's the thing.
Well, I play but not well.
Well...
...whether you do or not...
...I'll burn you.
Okay, I'll be ready.
Listen...
...did my brother...
Did he say anything about me?
Yeah, he said you were
a beautiful brother.
And that I should not ask your age...
...because you were so much more mature
than your years.
So when are you seeing him next?
Pretty soon. I'm flying back
to San Francisco tomorrow.
Well, when you do,
can you send him my love for me?
Tell him my mom sends her love too.
David, I want you to meet
some brothers of mine.
- This here is Lumumba.
- Hey.
Lumumba, David. David, Lumumba.
And Fred. Fred's the chairman
of the defense committee.
David.
David's the editor who's working
on my brother's book.
I know, man. We're looking forward to it.
Man, listen to me.
You know, them white boys.
You gotta watch out.
Every time you turn around
they manipulate...
...the minds of the young brothers.
So keep your dadgum eyes open.
Always protect your black queen.
We'll be in touch.
Nice guys.
I'm sorry about that.
You all heard her, folks.
It's not enough to be innocent.
- Yeah, yeah.
- You all know that.
You have got to have money
and lots of it.
For lawyers, investigators
and a good defense.
- That's right, brother, that's right.
- Now we're gonna pass the hat.
And I wanna see 5s and 10s and 20s
and 50s and 100s.
Don't no one leave because our
next speaker is gonna be Angela Davis.
Let's give it up for Angela Davis.
- All right.
- Right on.
- Right on.
- Right.
Right on.
I'd like to talk at first
about the absent black father...
...that we hear so much about.
- That's right. That's right.
- I'll tell you why he's absent.
- Take your time.
- Because he's in prison.
- Yeah.
- Why is he in prison? Because of drugs.
- Yeah, that's right.
Why drugs?
To blunt the pain of being black.
- The pain of being poor.
- Yeah.
- The pain of being outcast.
- Yeah.
Because society doesn't let him
get a decent education.
That's right, that's right.
And even if he could get
a decent education...
...he still couldn't find a decent job.
- That's right.
- And it's not because society doesn't care.
- Right.
It cares enough to perpetuate
the crime of racism...
...which blights the lives
of every black mother.
- That's right. That's right.
- Every black father.
- Every black child.
- Yeah, right.
It cares enough to build
more and more prisons for them.
And it cares enough about
the Soledad Brothers to murder them.
- Yeah.
- Right on.
- Free the Soledad Brothers.
- Free the Soledad Brothers.
- All power to the people.
- Power to the people.
- So he looked all right?
- Jonathan? Oh, yeah.
Because for a while there, I thought
he was getting too skinny, you know?
Too pale.
Did any of my uncles try to give you
any of that fire water?
Yeah, but I stayed away.
You're a smart man.
I'm telling you.
What else?
Just this.
So I'd like to choose a letter
addressing the events...
...leading up
to the Soledad guard murder.
All right.
You've already stated your respect
for Bill Nolan.
I'm curious about
what your connection was over time.
Well...
...we work well together.
We were friends.
With him, I first realized...
...how to organize the brothers,
in body and mind.
Pick your man and go.
After that, happened, man,
we all took notice, you know?
We had to. They were one step away
from lining us up and shooting us all.
And we watched, we waited for them
to punish those guards...
...who had killed those
three beautiful comrades.
I had already done a year
for every $ 10 that I stole.
I figured a three-time murderer...
...would get some kind of punishment,
you know?
There was still a shred of
naivet in me, I guess.
In a lot of the younger brothers as well...
...but we would have never admitted it.
Thank you for your time away from post
to help in these proceedings.
Your cooperation
and your professionalism...
...has helped produce
a swift and efficient review.
Now, in this incident in Soledad
in January 13, 1969...
...the inmates killed were involved in the
act of attempted murder in the prison yard.
This officer's fire prevented this
and is therefore valid.
The inquiry's ruling:
Justifiable homicide.
These dudes who call themselves
Hitler's Helpers...
...were gonna lynch a black guy
when we were having a strike.
Pigs put them up to it.
They got ropes and knives and stuff and
they were actually gonna hang this guy.
When I saw what was happening...
...there were 20 of them.
But I'm the one charged with assault
by day's end.
That's how it works here,
you dig what I'm saying?
Yeah, motherfucker.
It could have been anyone, man.
Even the white guys we were fighting
in the yard that day were enraged.
Clearly, someone in Soledad
had a message about justice, you know?
What was that message?
If they were gonna off us
no matter what...
...we make sure the other side
joins in the dying.
All the convicts were glad it happened.
All of them, man. Black, white, whatever.
Myself included.
I've read the grand jury testimony.
It's...
...bullshit.
It seems completely contradictory.
Fay really thinks she's gonna win this.
You're gonna get out of here.
Nobody knows what happened in that wing,
man, except those that were there.
In a place with so many rats
and weak people...
...you would never kill a pig
unless it was a dead secret.
In that grand jury testimony, only
thing that the witnesses correlate to...
...is that there were three men
involved.
And those three men were told
to name by the warden's goons.
- You understand what I'm saying?
- Yeah, but...
- Time's up.
- No. I thought we had an hour.
- It's been maybe 20 minutes.
- You signed in exactly an hour ago.
Yeah, then you made me wait 40 minutes
until you brought Mr. Jackson over.
Please, sir. I have your signature
on the sign-in sheet.
I'll see you soon, man.
Yeah.
You some kind of third-world traitor?
You know the routine, killer.
Man, one day the unjust will be
dealt with by whipping.
Hey.
- Hey, stop. Hey, you fucking stop.
- You ain't helping.
- Get him off of me.
- You can't fuck me, bitch.
- Let him go.
- Hey, will you get off of me?
- You ain't shit, man.
- Get him up.
- Get him up.
- We'll meet in the yards, motherfucker.
I couldn't believe it.
I'd never seen anything like that before.
I'm yelling and I was banging on the door
and they didn't fucking care, you know?
I mean, they just didn't...
It's just nothing.
Listen, I've seen that before.
You have to remember that George
is resilient, he'll be all right.
And tomorrow I will file a writ
against the prison...
...and we'll call a press conference.
Are you willing to describe what you saw?
Okay. That's all we can do.
That's all we can do now.
You'll have to visit here.
There's no other space.
Mr. Jackson will be down in a moment.
- So you saw that, huh?
- Yeah.
I heard you shouting.
You gave me heart, man.
Next time I'll take out the whole lot
of them for you.
I did that for you, you know.
Next time why don't you give me
some warning, huh?
So you don't scare me to death.
I'll check this...
Hey, those are legal papers.
You have no right...
These papers are going to the warden.
I'll be right back.
Dear David...
...one of the greatest writers of us all,
Huey P., stated:
People respect the expression of dignity
and strength displayed by men and women...
...who refuse to bow to the weapons
of oppression.
I salute your resolve to gain back
from my omnipotent keepers...
...the memorialized words of one righteous
and angry black man.
George.
Good job.
Good job.
Let's get back to work, shall we?
- Mom, I'm gonna go out, okay?
- Where do you think you're going?
I'm gonna go out.
- What?
- You think I don't notice things, but I do.
Jonathan, you haven't done
any homework for weeks.
First of all, you gotta stop spying
on me, okay?
- I still feel like a little baby in this house.
- Jonathan.
Look, I'm old enough to do
what I wanna do.
Can I go out now?
Can I go out now?
This is a government filibuster.
It's not a segregationist filibuster.
It's a government filibuster.
Any kind of activity that takes place on
the floor of the Congress or the Senate...
...that's the government.
Any kind of dilly-dallying,
that's the government.
Any kind of pussy-footing,
that's the government.
Any kind of act that's designed
to delay or deprive...
...you and me right now
of getting full rights...
...that's the government
that's responsible.
And any time you find the government
involved in a conspiracy...
...to violate the citizenship
or the civil rights of people...
...then you are wasting your time...
...going to that government
and expecting redress.
Instead, you have to take that...
- Hey, what's going on?
- Comrade Jonathan.
- Welcome to the revolution.
- Oh, thank you.
Crimes that it is guilty of today.
So those of us whose political
and economic and social philosophy...
...is Black Nationalism...
- This way.
- Have become involved
in the civil rights struggle.
We have injected ourselves
into the civil rights struggle.
- You got a nice place here.
- Thanks.
- From the level of civil rights
to the level of human rights.
- Hold up a sec, I gotta get something.
- Okay, that's fine.
- On the level of civil rights,
you're under Uncle Sam's jurisdiction.
You're going to his court expecting him
to direct the problem.
He created the problem.
He's the criminal.
You don't take your case to the criminal.
You take your criminal to court.
You'd be the kid who was walking
down the street with a shotgun.
I don't get by any means necessary.
Now, I recall your philosophy.
A war...
What we need is to create
our own philosophy...
...start taking control of the situation.
- This is your opportunity...
- All right.
- You okay.
- I'm ready.
I'm gonna beat the damn gold claw.
So we need to fight the pack.
- Hey, brother.
- Hey, man.
Great to see you, come on.
This here is Jonathan.
He's Comrade George's younger brother.
It's good to see you, man.
- You too.
- After you left the other day...
...they tried to take me through
some parole board formality.
At first, I didn't know
what's happening, man.
Hair, mouth. Tongue up.
Okay, put your hands back through.
I thought my assassination
had finally come.
Turns out it was my 10th annual
appearance before the board.
What was the judgment of the board?
Well, I won't be seeing Ghana
anytime soon.
I was trying to count how many doors
I had to pass through to get here.
There's one for my cell.
Two by the time
I got out of my cell block.
Five as I got out into the hallway.
All of them are double safety.
You don't even know
how concrete and steel can hurt.
It's as if the entire system is designed
to corrupt, debase and destroy...
...whatever humanity that you come
in here with, you know?
For a guy like me it's like the entire
world has turned its back on you.
I've seen some guys and they got "fuck
the world" tattooed right on their arm.
One guy even had it tattooed
on his forehead.
He had "fuck the world" on his forehead?
Guys like that know the world
has abandoned them, man.
They know they are victims...
...they just can't put their finger on
what it is or why, you know?
- Maybe our little book can help with that.
- Yeah.
Yeah, maybe it can.
How are we doing?
We're getting close, George.
You and I, we just have
a few things to go over.
I just wanna let you know...
...that I've given you complete discretion
on all this. You take it, man.
I'm not getting much sleep these days.
I'm starting to see shit
that isn't even there, you know?
- Hello?
- Mrs. Jackson?
- Yes.
- David Dryer.
You lied to me.
How could you do that?
You come in my house like a thief.
You took the only thing that I had.
That was between George and me.
The people that put that book
together spoiled everything.
No, I'm completely responsible.
Nobody ever showed it to me.
- Specifically, what is it that bothers you?
- It's the arrangement.
- The way it's put together.
- I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do.
We're less than two weeks
from going to press.
Well, there is something I can do.
I can go to the radio and say it's all
a pack of lies put out by white people.
I don't think George would like that.
I'm gonna see him tomorrow.
I'm gonna tell him what it is
you intend to do.
Mrs. Jack...
Did you hear that?
- Can she do anything to stop the book?
- No, no. She can't.
But she can do a lot of damage
by questioning the book's authenticity.
Well, you tell her if she does anything,
and I mean anything at all...
...to damage the book...
...I will never speak to her again.
Okay.
Well, if it ain't the Ku Klux clowns.
You ever hate yourself?
Do I ever do anything else?
It's one of the major luxuries
I allow myself.
You know, I get the feeling you'd even
sell your own mother down the road.
Don't concern yourself with that.
Just make sure my deal stays together.
- Hello?
- Where's Lumumba?
- He's not here, can I take a message?
- Forget it.
Just tell him the people's justice
will be swift.
That was him.
Okay, gentlemen, we're taking over.
All right, everybody, stay together.
Stay together. Eyes up front.
Don't look at me. Eyes up front.
Here we go.
Keep it moving, people.
Quicken the pace a little bit, huh?
Let's go, people.
Keep it together.
- You gotta watch her, okay?
- I got it.
No. You gotta be listening to me.
- How many?
- I really don't know.
Everything happened so fast.
Keep it together.
There you go. There you go.
You can take our pictures.
We are the revolutionaries.
Free the Soledad Brothers by 3:00
and nobody will get hurt.
We don't have the authority
to negotiate that.
You cover the left and the rear, okay?
We can get out of here now.
- Back them off.
- Back off.
Back them off!
You guys stay together.
Don't look at me.
Keep your fucking heads up front.
Goddamn.
Okay, okay.
In you go. Open up the van.
In you go. Don't look at me.
Fuck.
- What's the shot?
- Fifty-fifty at best.
Here we go. Here we go.
Don't fire. Don't fire. Hold it.
Hold it, boys. Do not fire.
There's too many friendlies in there.
Okay. They're holding off.
I think we made it.
Dear Joan...
...we reckon all time in the future
from the day of the man-child's death.
Man-child, black man-child
with submachine gun in hand.
He was free for a while.
I guess that's more than most of us
can expect.
I want people to wonder
at what forces created him...
...terrible, vindictive, cold,
calm man-child...
...courage in one hand...
...the machine gun in the other.
Scourge of the unrighteous.
An ox for the people to ride.
Cold and calm though.
All right, gentlemen...
...I'm taking over now.
I can't go any further.
It would just be a love story
about the baddest brother...
...this world has had the privilege
to meet.
And it's just not that popular or safe...
...to say I love him.
Revolution.
Now in there.
Can you tell us something
about your son, Jonathan?
All he would talk about was George.
He felt George was going to be killed
in the courts...
...if he wasn't killed in prison.
He knew there was no justice
in the courts.
A lot of times...
...he'd go to the hearings...
...he'd get up, he'd go out
and he'd be crying.
It got to a point
where he didn't even wanna eat.
And my baby really liked to eat.
One night in June...
...he said, "Mama, if I die...
...I want you to know
that I died the way I wanna die. "
Do you know where Angela is?
- Your other son, was he involved?
- Do you know if they were lovers?
There's your stamps.
What are you doing?
What I would call a stroke of genius.
Hey.
They think that you
might be hiding, Angela.
And they've traced
some of the weapons to her.
Stay at the defense committee house.
I'll call them and tell them
that you're coming.
Can you delay that trip to New York?
All right, good.
Your author's gonna need you.
I'm David.
Fay told us you were coming.
Jesus.
Oh, that?
It got shot out the day before yesterday.
We think it was the pigs.
Nobody's here now. But they'll all
be coming up tomorrow for the funeral.
- Against charges of assaulting
a federal guard.
A woman saw a young man
who walked in carrying a black satchel...
...and sat down in the spectator section.
The deputy said the same man had inquired
about the McClain trial the day before...
...and remembered his last name
as Burroughs.
Court clerk Frank Kirby tells
what happen next.
I am leaving the case.
You wanna see what I got in the mail?
Look, there's a razor blade
and then this note. Look.
"For a chicken who betrays,
a red necklace. " I'm out.
- I'm out. I'm out.
- Fay.
- I gotta go.
- Why would anyone wanna kill you?
I don't know.
They're accusing me of stealing
money from the defense fund.
Me.
It's crazy. No one would believe that.
You don't understand.
Eleven people have died
around this case so far.
Eleven people. I can't be one of them.
I just can't. I'm sorry.
I can't do it.
You have to tell George what...
It's okay, it's okay.
We have no visiting rooms.
You'll have to visit with Mr. Jackson
at the Adjustment Center.
Guard Williams will escort you. Let's go.
Push.
Come on. Come on, push.
Get that money. Push.
Get the money.
Get that money. Get that money.
Sidle the rec room.
Sidle Jackson.
Mr. Jackson.
I'm sorry about you brother.
Because of updated security,
the chains do not come off.
- It's good to see you, man.
- It's good to see you too.
So they got my little brother, huh?
None of us have slept back there
since it happened.
We've all been listening to the radio.
Oh, you see,
I really loved that boy, man.
I need something to take my mind
off things, man. What you got?
Oh, I recognize that, yeah.
Did you have to fix it up a lot, man?
Because you know I ain't no writer.
At least I never thought I was.
Did they shoot him up real bad, man?
No.
You know, it was supposed to be
a non-violent action, man.
No one was supposed to get hurt.
You know, I sent him in there, right?
I mean, to think that all that I have done
and he was the one who...
I mean, I have not shed a tear
because I am so proud.
They were on their way to the airport,
man. That's why they used the yellow van.
So they would know exactly
where they were.
No one was supposed to get hurt, man.
They needed those hostages
to be kept alive...
...to trade them in for our freedom.
Was someone else
supposed to go in there with him?
No, man. You got it all wrong.
There were supposed to be 11 others.
Our intelligence confirms
that the play had gotten compromised.
And when he found out that they weren't
coming, he went ahead and did it anyway.
Did you read what he said, man?
"Okay, gentlemen, hands up.
We are taking over. "
Man, that's so beautiful.
That's just so beautiful.
My brother and a Chinese
AK-47. That is just too much.
They will live to regret it.
I'll see to that.
I guess it must be hard for you
to understand...
...how I haven't shed a tear.
But I know...
...that, you know,
he'll never end up like this.
He's going down in history.
A true revolutionary.
In his highest stage of development.
Hi, David.
- You got a minute?
- Are you following me?
I wanna show you something.
- Is that me?
- Well, it's not Bob Hope.
In 1957, you were close friends
with two men...
...who were later indicted
on conspiracy to commit espionage.
I barely knew those guys.
We were in the same fraternity.
What the hell is this anyway?
You've had a history of contact with men
who were threats to national security.
No, they were just beat writers, okay?
They were unfairly blacklisted.
Yeah. Lucky you didn't end up
in the same hole.
Who are you?
Hey, I'm sorry.
Maybe we got off
on the wrong foot here.
We wanna help you, Mr. Dryer.
We could take you in right now
for masquerading...
...as a member of Jackson's legal team.
But we're not gonna do that.
I'd say this will all blow over...
...if a certain book's publication
is scrapped.
I won't do that.
- You won't?
- No, I won't.
I'd say you have way too much to lose
to pass up this opportunity.
I'll talk to you real soon.
Dryer, what in the hell is going on?
The feds just came through here,
scared the crap out of everybody.
They can get the judge to order a cease
and desist before Soledad goes to print.
Yeah.
Because they're bullshiting, okay?
Seriously, no, just... Don't.
Just don't do anything, okay?
We're hours from going to press. You...
Goddamn it.
Look.
If you fucking cancel printing...
...okay, I swear to God, I'm gonna
spend every last fucking penny, okay?
Every last shred of energy suing you...
...and smearing
your goddamn fucking name.
You understand that?
You piece of shit. Shit!
You like the cover?
- Yeah.
- It's great, huh?
- Yeah, it's good.
- Yeah.
Okay, the reviews
are just starting to come in.
I got one right here
from the Sunday Times.
"One of the finest pieces
of black writing printed.
Summarizes 300 years of rage
for untold millions of blacks alive or dead. "
What do you think of that?
Who's this girl drinking champagne here?
You didn't get to meet her?
No, I didn't.
All these fine hippie chicks running around,
what's the matter?
You ain't taking care of business?
No, I guess not.
I'll try better next time.
- Good, huh?
- Yeah.
Congratulations.
Thank you, man.
Sidle Jackson.
Warden says you have to give up that book.
It is not authorized.
If you don't surrender it,
we will have to take it from you.
Come on in and get it.
There are claims
that someone else wrote it.
How do you respond to that?
Well, I mean, you folks seem to wanna
believe that every black man is illiterate.
- No, I wrote every word.
- Have you been able to read the reviews?
Some people are comparing you
to Eldridge Cleaver, Richard Wright, DuBois.
Your book is being translated
into German, Japanese.
And more translations are on the way.
How does your fame affect you
when you're locked up all day?
I have no concern for personal fame.
I reserve it for my people.
Man, my book is a weapon.
It's not a work of literature.
I'm just gonna continue
to keep writing and fighting...
...until there's some real freedom
in this country...
...and until dungeons like the one
we are in now are a thing of the past.
Have you heard that Angela Davis
was arrested in New York?
And a man was arrested
with her for harboring a fugitive?
This interview is over.
Take me back.
Take me back.
Sidle Jackson.
Where's my picture?
Where's my typewriter?
You fucking bastards.
Give me back my shit.
- You had no right.
- Warden's orders.
Give me my typewriter back, man.
You had no right.
What's wrong with you, man?
Motherfucker.
The major obstacle to a united left
in this country is white racism.
Racism is still alive.
There are three categories
of white racists:
The overt, self-satisfied racist
who doesn't attempt to hide his antipathy...
...the self-interdicting racist
who harbors and nurtures racism...
...in spite of his best efforts...
...and the unconscious racist, who has
no awareness of his racist preconceptions.
Too much black blood has flowed
and continues to flow...
...between the chasm
that separates the races.
It's fundamentally unfair to expect
the black man to differentiate at a glance...
...between the various kinds
of white racists.
Blacks must understand racism's presence
and its effect on the system.
It is a system that must be crushed...
...before it continues to manufacture new
and deeper contradictions...
...of both class and race.
George.
How you doing?
I don't know.
I mean, so long as I had no hope,
I could do this thing, you know?
It's like the hope that's killing me.
That the illusion of that I'll never get out
of this place alive, man, is driving me crazy.
Except on the days that you here,
I'm in my cell 23-and-a-half hours a day.
You know?
That's my reality.
Closing in on me more and more.
I mean, at night...
...I'm dreaming about being buried alive,
man:
Sometimes I see Jonathan.
No, you're gonna be all right.
Just, really, don't let this get you down.
You've got plenty of legal support
for the trial.
And after you're acquitted, you're gonna
get out of here for time already served.
Hey, I wish I was around
when he was growing up, man.
Excuse me?
You know, I thought that...
Knew that Jonathan thought they would
have more concern for them hostages, man.
I'm certain of it, that he didn't know.
We always give them fascists
too much credit.
Yeah.
Do you understand that there cannot be
a peaceful revolution?
No, I'm not... I'm not really sure that I do.
I mean, not all revolutions
have been violent.
Maybe in your history.
But in mine, you learn pretty quick,
it's impossible to deal with a guy...
...whose mentality is built around a gun.
You can't reason with that, man.
You just gotta grip him by the throat.
There's only one way to reason
with a guy like that.
You hit him where it hurts.
Do you understand?
See, nice folks like you
don't understand the need for force, man.
You know?
You've never been pushed
up against the wall, man.
You've never had the things...
...that make life worth living for
stolen from you.
Look, man, we don't wanna cut
people's throats.
To deprive a man of his life
is a terrible thing.
But we must weigh things
against the big picture.
I hear military men say things
just like that.
This is the military, David.
And the army of liberation is gonna
come from places just like this, man.
That's why the pigs are shitting bricks.
Because this is the revolution
and we are the vanguard.
Nice folks like you are either with us
or you against us.
Well.
The first thing that we have to do
is win this trial, all right?
Then once you're out of this place,
then you can do it.
You can lead this revolution.
What? What's wrong?
I can't go to trial.
Why not? No.
I was at the law offices the other day.
You should see how confident
those lawyers are.
They're almost positive
you're gonna win this case.
I can win.
But I'd have to deny I had anything
to do with what happened to that guard.
So?
I can't do that. I do not want to do that.
I'm not gonna stand up in front
of the world...
...and deny I had anything to do
with an action I am proud of.
Man...
...this system needs to know that they
cannot do anything they want...
...and not have any repercussions.
They need to know that the crimes
that have been committed...
...need to be dealt with.
It will not be forgotten.
That the hell that they have made
will burn the flesh of both sides.
Okay. Okay, what?
What if you just admitted it?
You know what will happen. I'd get
lynched like the slaves of yesterday...
...in front of my father, my brother,
my mother, my sisters, Angela.
That's...
You know, I just...
I used to not believe...
...in the existence of a no-win situation.
Who said anything about a no-win
situation?
I just been trying really hard
to do that.
I just...
I don't really know if I can anymore.
Yes, you can. You have to, man.
We would have never gotten out
Soledad Brother if you hadn't.
You inspired me to keep on writing.
I would have never been able to do it
without you, man.
Time's up.
When you coming again?
I don't know. L...
I have to go to New York this week.
Well, I appreciate these meetings,
you know. It breaks up my time in here.
Well.
We'll do more books then.
There you go.
So long, brother.
Hey, David.
Power to the people, man.
This damnable rhetoric that goes on by
so-called revolutionaries on the outside...
...does a great deal of harm.
This irresponsible kind of blathering
about the revolution...
...and "kill the pig"
and this kind of crap.
And right through there.
Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Anderson.
You've been taken off the list
of approved visitors for Mr. Jackson.
- By whose orders?
- The warden's.
This is bullshit.
But this is the pig's house
and I guess pigs will be pigs.
Steve, I got the final edits to
Blood in My Eye. George will need it.
- Can you take care of it for me?
- Yeah, Brenda, I'll take care of it.
Thanks.
For me, time has come to pass over.
It's time for me to become what I am.
Do you know the feeling
of stepping inside yourself...
...of accepting your rage
and your passion?
You see, I have always been an adversary,
a criminal, a subversive.
I never believed for one minute
they knew what was best for me.
Or even cared about me in any way
that wasn't tainted with exploitiveness.
I don't believe in their benevolence.
I do believe in their cupidity,
their bestiality...
...and their tyrannous lust
for world domination.
I don't believe in a long life.
I won't live to remember it anyway.
I forget it when I sleep at night.
And one day I will forget it altogether.
I don't intend to give them
the satisfaction of beating me.
The time has come for me
to create my own law...
...my own judge...
...and my own jury.
George.
For escort.
Bingham's disappearance immediately
after the shooting...
...seemed to support the charge that
he had smuggled a gun into the prison.
We are satisfied now
it was brought in underneath a wig.
And since we found the wig
this morning...
...we can now tie in
that there was help from the outside.
- What the fuck's under your hair?
- Hand that shit over.
- Open the door.
- Take it easy. Take it easy.
Open the door.
Open the cells, man. Open the cells.
- I can't. I can't work the cell key.
- Come here!
- Open the cells. Open the cells.
- I can't work the cell key.
Open the cells up.
The dragon has come. We're taking over.
If you're with me come out your cells.
If not, you stay inside.
- Open it up.
- Come on, Jackson.
Get that motherfucker over here.
George, a decision has to be made about
the two white boys in the other unit.
They've seen too much.
We cannot take anyone's future
for granted.
Leave no hostile witnesses.
Go take care of them.
Go, go, go.
We must never forget the element
from which we sprang.
As if we have always been authentic
revolutionaries. As if we are now.
The reality is that history,
and not ourselves...
...shall determine our level
of revolutionary commitment...
...or if we were merely reactionary
militants who passed with the wind.
George.
Comrade Lumumba.
We got a little something for you.