Ubuntu.
It's an African word.
Roughly translated,
it means "family."
The spirit of it is that our creator
made us for one another.
To be connected as a family
is the essence of being human.
To reach out
and take care of any one of us
is to take care of us all.
And to hurt any one of us
is to hurt us all.
- I can't do it, Daddy.
- Don't look down, look straight ahead.
- I want my training wheels back.
- Come on, Tyler, don't give up.
- Yeah.
- Mama.
Mama.
Oh, goody.
Here comes the mailman.
That's our cue, vato. Let's go.
Police, stop right there.
Get out of the car. Get out of the car.
Let me see your hands.
Look, Daddy, I got it.
- Daddy. Daddy.
- Tyler!
You all right?
Fine.
Let's go, Blake, 7:20.
Plan on cleaning this place up
or are you waiting for FEMA
to declare it a disaster area?
In other news,
the Memphis Police Department
conducted a round-up
of over 100 violent criminals
as crime in Memphis continued
to drop a reported 17 percent
over a three-year period. Many...
See how long that lasts.
- as the primary reason
for this decrease.
This program identified
certain hot spots...
Is Blake up?
Yeah, doing his morning yoga.
What do you think?
Who's renting
the Johnson house?
Debbie said he's a mortgage broker.
They're Hispanic.
This used to be
a nice place to live, once.
I've got
that appointment today.
- What appointment's that?
- The counselor.
What counselor?
We've talked about this.
She's a family counselor.
- It's mostly about Blake.
- Mostly?
I thought you might wanna come
along and check it out with me.
No, thank you.
Hey.
- Hey, you hungry, honey?
- No, coffee's cool.
I won't be home till dinner.
Why is that? Get a job?
Nick and I are going to
South Haven to look for a car.
For him or for you?
Nick's got a car, Dad.
This one's for me.
And you're paying
for this with?
I said we'd help him a little.
With what?
We got one income stream here,
and the stream's getting shallow.
How could we forget? You only
remind us every single day.
Let me put this to you
another way.
If you can afford
this little recreational vehicle,
you can afford your own car.
Care to talk about this,
Doobie Brother?
Strike two.
Probably bought it
from our new neighbors.
- Hey, Reverend.
- What's going on?
- Doing good?
- What's up?
Bless me, Father,
for I have sinned.
I told you before, Johnson,
I'm a Nazarene.
- Yeah, yeah.
- I don't wanna hear no confessions.
- Especially yours.
- He looks like a priest to me.
Y'all boys go to
church last weekend?
I know you showed up
for my sermon, I know that.
Roll call.
Relax, guys.
We've got two more car break-ins
at the Cordova marketplace
and complaints
about some non-handicapped
using the handicapped
spaces there.
While we're on the subject
of the mall,
one of us sideswiped
a parked Mercedes there Friday.
Not me.
It was me, lieutenant.
And I reported it immediately
to the shift supervisor.
I see. And how did
this happen, Sanders?
See, I was backing the car up
when I...
- Rookie.
- Rookie.
Lieutenant, he just got
his learner's permit.
Just be more careful next time.
Yes, sir.
Okay, well,
our digital collectors are back.
They sure go
for that home entertainment stuff.
Shockingly,
they don't wanna pay for it.
Last Friday, Big Screen Superstore
on Appling was hit about 3 a.m.
The alarm was disabled,
but the backup surveillance camera
got them.
It's the same guys, same MO.
They got about 20 grand
in plasma screens and laptops.
Probably sell them on eBay
on some offshore e-mail account.
We're gonna have to catch
these guys in the act.
Okay, last item, the director's office
has issued a promotion.
Yeah, looks like we may be losing
our patrolman pastor, Sam Wright.
Sammy.
May I be the first to congratulate you,
Sergeant Wright?
- Couldn't happen to a better man.
- Thank you.
All right, let's go to work.
Wow.
We gonna meet up for lunch?
Y'all take care
of each other out there.
Oh, McDonald, Wright,
a word, please.
Mac, you've been lone ranger
long enough.
You guys ride together
for the time being.
- Is there a problem here?
- No, sir, no problem at all.
- May I speak to you alone, please, sir?
- Sure.
What's this about?
- It's about you not flying solo anymore.
- Yeah, why don't I believe that?
You're sharp enough to notice
you've been passed over.
For a guy with half my time, and he
just happens to be black. What a shock.
That's got nothing
to do with it.
I'm as good as any cop
in this department and you know it.
Mac, you really wanna know?
It's an attitude thing.
And I've determined yours
needs a little adjusting.
Look, Sam will be reassigned
in a couple of weeks.
In the meantime, you might learn
a thing or two by riding with him.
Was there anything else?
No, sir.
Three-two-three.
Three-two-three.
Hey.
Pull over up here,
The Bagel Company.
I thought cops
ate donuts.
So are we in a fight?
No.
You're not returning my texts.
My phone's acting up.
Since you started
hanging out with...
Don't come between me
and my friends, Jen.
I'm just sorting some
things out right now.
I'll call you this weekend,
I promise.
Mrs. McDonald?
I don't know where to begin.
How about with your son?
Blake's a sweet boy.
Good student
when he wants to be.
Which, as you can see,
isn't all that much lately.
I think it's just a case of senioritis.
He and his father,
they seem to fight a lot.
What about?
We lost a child.
There was an accident
when Blake was just a baby.
And Mac, my husband,
he's...
angry.
How long ago
was this, Sara?
Seventeen years.
How is Mac to you?
Things definitely changed
after we lost Tyler.
I fell at work.
I've been on disability.
We're not doing well financially.
So we probably
can't even afford this.
We'll talk about that later, okay?
I came here to talk about Blake.
But I think I need to talk
about a lot more than that.
- Do you always sing at work?
- When I'm in a good mood, I do.
It's a little annoying.
Can we 86 it, please,
and the Sunday school lesson?
You're not crazy about
this arrangement, are you?
You know, I'm really not.
I'm gonna be honest
with you, man.
I'm not crazy about
this arrangement either.
But for the moment,
we now are stuck with each other.
I'll respect your wishes.
But we do have a job to do.
So whether we like it or not,
we're partners.
Whatever you say, sarge.
Oh.
I believe I get it now.
Maybe you do,
maybe you don't.
Is it just the sergeant thing?
Or is there a little black
in there too?
You know,
I think the less you and I talk,
the better we get along.
- Stop chasing me.
- No, Winky's mine.
- No, he's not.
- Will you hold it down?
Daddy's still studying.
- Give him back.
- Ha! You don't get Winky.
Give me Winky.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- No.
- Daddy, Winky's mine.
- No, she's mine.
Wait a minute.
Who bought Winky?
- Mommy.
- Mommy.
Right.
With her money.
So technically, Winky doesn't
belong to either one of you.
Winky belongs to Mommy.
Mommy, you got anything
you wanna say about Winky?
Oh, I like Winky,
and she'll go great in my room.
Mom.
And if this fight doesn't end right now,
that's exactly where she's gonna live.
Are you with me?
Now go wash up for dinner.
Sergeant Daddy is starving.
I think you need to be the sergeant,
not me.
What makes you think
I'm not?
Are you done yet?
I'd like my husband back,
if you don't mind.
- Yeah. Let's eat.
- Okay.
And Uncle Joseph
and Grandpa George
and for Winky too.
And, Jesus,
thank you for Mama's lasagna.
You know I don't like lasagna,
but Mama says children in Africa
would kill for her lasagna.
So, Lord,
maybe you can send some to them
so they don't have to kill anybody.
And, Lord, please make
Gracie's fanny hurt a lot
when I whip it
in about 10 seconds.
And the Wright family said?
Amen.
If you don't like lasagna,
you give yours to Daddy.
- Because I'm hun...
- Uh-uh. Freeze, officer.
Who wants Daddy
to live a long, healthy life?
Me too. Guess what
came in the mail today.
- Can you girls say "blood work"?
- Blood work?
- Oh, no.
- Somebody's got cholesterol issues.
Somebody's gotta give up
the bagels and the donuts
and, sadly,
Mommy's famous lasagna.
Ben said you got
a new partner.
It's temporary.
Just filling in
till he gets transferred out.
Is the promotion
gonna happen?
Not this time around.
Good thing our son is
such a screwup.
I might be worried if I thought
we had to afford a decent college.
What does your little counselor say
about our problem child?
Not much yet.
I do most of the talking.
Terrific. When do I get his bill?
Her, and she's going
to work with us.
She?
Nice, just what I need,
two against one.
Nobody's against you, Mac.
Work with us? Right.
She'll have a program set up
like your wack-job chiropractor
so we can go to her
for five years and talk.
I'm doing all I can
to keep this family under this roof.
Look, I think we need this,
as a family.
I'm stuck at my pay grade
for at least another six months, okay?
I'm up to my eyeballs in bills,
our son is draining me dry
in the most expensive
private school in the state.
Now you wanna take what's left
and spend it yapping
on somebody's couch
about all our problems.
Where does it end, Sara?
So tell me about your family, man.
Wife, teenage son, you know the
drill. He's putting us through it.
Just one, huh? By choice?
Circumstance.
The defendant will rise.
Mr. Rand, the jury has found you
guilty of second-degree murder.
I therefore sentence you
to the maximum:
Ten years in the state penitentiary.
Mac. Mac.
- What?
- The light's green, man.
- Three-two-three.
- Three-two-three.
Domestic disturbance in progress.
Forest Glen Apartments.
These are always fun.
My baby.
- He tried to kill my baby for crying.
- Who did this?
- Who?
- Just for crying.
- Who did this?
- My boyfriend.
I was at work
and I just came home to...
Is he here? Ma'am, is he here?
I don't know,
but he's got a gun.
Sanders, you take charge here.
Owens, call for backup.
Mac, let's go.
Police, open up.
Cover. I got it.
Clear.
Suspect James Robert Bleams,
black male, late 20s,
last seen wearing blue jeans
and a gray tank top.
Suspect is believed to be armed.
Still here.
Raising a baby in this.
Lord have mercy.
Mac.
Mac.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa. Be cool, partner.
- I ain't your partner, white boy.
Now drop your gun. Right now.
Now get on your knees.
I said, get on your knees,
right now.
Gun's in the other hand now.
How does it feel, boy?
I said, how does it feel?
Police, drop your gun now.
Don't make me shoot you.
- Come on.
- I ain't going back to prison.
I will take him to hell with me.
Brother, he was just doing his job.
Don't make this any uglier.
- I didn't mean to hurt that baby.
- I know you didn't.
I just couldn't take it no more.
We're gonna get you
some help. I promise.
I don't want no help.
I just wanna die, so go ahead, do it.
No, can't do that.
That would kill you both.
This man has a wife and a son.
Come on, brother,
do the right thing.
We just... No, Mac.
White boy?
Is that what you called me?
Who's the boy now, boy?
Mac, put your gun down.
Mac!
Hands behind your head.
Get up against the wall now.
Get down on your knees.
Sanders, cuff him.
Tyler!
You all right?
Yeah, I...
I didn't see it.
I just didn't see it coming.
You never enter a pursuit
like that without backup.
You been doing this
for how long now?
I don't know what happened,
man, I just...
Just...
I didn't see it coming, man.
I just...
I didn't see it coming.
I'm really proud of you.
You know that, right?
Oh, thanks, baby.
I didn't even know you put in
for a promotion.
I didn't.
Well, what does this
mean to us?
It's a blessing, baby.
More money, for sure.
That's not what I meant.
I know.
I thought we'd be full-time
ministry by now.
Me too.
Wasn't the cop thing
just until we got the church
up and running?
Mm-hm.
Well, isn't it up and running?
We can't raise this family
on that salary.
The church doesn't have
any more budget.
I'm scared, Sam.
Every time I hear a siren, babe,
I think it's you, and I worry.
- Something's on your mind.
- No.
You worked on that sermon
every hour this week.
And I've never even seen you
make notes before.
Something on my heart,
but I ain't got it yet.
I may get booed right off the pulpit.
- I ain't buying it.
- What?
You never worry up there
because this is what
you were born to do.
You tell me every day
before you go to work
if God is with us,
who can be against us?
Why you always gotta use my words
against me?
Because they're not your words,
baby.
I got partnered up
with this guy at work.
- Well, what's the matter?
- Oil and vinegar, that's what.
Or is it chocolate and vanilla?
Yeah, it's a little bit of that too.
You know how it is.
He got something on his mind,
that's all.
Let's get some sleep.
- Are we forgetting something?
- Oh, yeah, right.
Lord, I thank you for another day,
and, Lord, I...
Lord, I...
I'm so hungry.
Well, go get yourself
some more broccoli after prayers.
- Broc...? Ohh.
- Oh, let me do it.
Thank you, Father,
for all your blessings,
for this life
and our beautiful children
and this wonderful man
you've given me.
Speak through him tomorrow, Lord,
and let him rest in that.
And his new partner...
- What's his name, honey?
- Mac.
And we know that you brought Sam
into his life for a reason.
Make yourself known to Mac,
Father.
May the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord.
My strength and my redeemer.
- Amen.
- Amen.
I am under no illusions,
brothers and sisters,
that my message today
will be an easy one to swallow,
much less to follow.
But when the father lays it
on our hearts to speak the truth,
you're messing with fire
if you choose to go mute.
Now, there's actually
a bucket full of truths
he's laid on my heart this morning,
but y'all don't worry.
I wanna get to Sunday supper
just as bad as you do.
We're just gonna talk about one.
What you and me and God
gotta talk about this Sunday morning
is a crazy little thing called love.
All right.
Now, when somebody loves you,
there ain't a thing easier
than loving them back, amen?
Amen.
And there ain't a thing easier
than loving one of our own either.
- Amen.
- Your mama and daddy.
- Your brothers and sisters.
- Yeah.
Your children. Your friends.
We love the people God gives us,
don't we?
Yes, we do.
- That's because it's easy.
- Amen.
But what about
when it's not easy?
What about a stranger?
Or someone who ain't exactly
sweetness and light?
What if it's somebody
who just plain don't like you?
- You love them anyway.
- That's right.
You love them anyway.
Do we?
Really?
Do we really?
I'm not sure I do.
Especially when I can feel white eyes
burning through my black skin
just because of that black skin.
And a certain word
that seems to be on his mind.
I don't feel like loving that man.
And you don't either, do you?
About the last thing in my heart
in that moment is loving that man.
And I don't know about you,
but it sure seems that when God
has something to teach me,
he brings me a teacher.
I don't always like the lesson.
And I usually don't like
being taught.
That didn't go
like I hoped it would.
It was a tad subdued.
Maybe the Lord wants me
to be a cop after all.
So you're saying?
At this rate, he won't graduate.
Sorry, Mrs. McDonald,
but we've been sounding
this warning bell for over a year now.
He can make it up.
If he puts his mind to it...
There's just too much to make up.
So, what are our options?
At the very least, he's going
to have to repeat his senior year.
My husband will be so pleased.
Well, it is what it is.
I guess we'll be back
next year.
You know, I wonder
if we're prolonging the inevitable.
Do you think Blake would be happier
in public school?
No.
No, we want Blake
in a private-school environment.
Ridgelake will not be inviting
Blake back for next year.
I'm sorry.
- It's gonna be big. We'll come get you.
- It's gonna be huge.
- Later, guys, gotta go.
- See you.
Hi, honey.
How was school today?
It was fine.
Drive away quickly, please.
What's the matter?
A 12th grader getting picked up
by his mother? Hello?
Oh, of course.
We really have to do this?
I think you're gonna
like Dr. Vines.
She's pretty cool.
What does she wanna
talk about?
Us, our family.
Great.
Or we could go and talk to your
father about repeating your senior year
if you'd prefer.
So how long were you planning
to keep that from us?
Night before graduation?
He's gonna kill me,
isn't he?
Not if you do this for me.
Am I supposed to
say something?
Do you wanna
say something?
It's your meeting.
Actually it's not. It's your mom's.
Then why did you leave her
in the waiting room?
Maybe there's something
you don't want her to hear.
- No, I tell my mom everything.
- Really?
- Everything?
- More than I would tell you.
Look, I'm only here for her, okay?
- So let's get on with your spiel...
- I don't have a spiel.
Well, what have you been
doing for her?
Same as this. Listening.
Listening.
- And charging her money.
- It's kind of the way counseling works.
Has she told you
we don't have any money?
No wonder my dad's going off
the deep end.
- Hm. He's not happy about this, huh?
- No, and you know something?
For once I might see his point.
Christian counselor?
What a freaking waste.
Huh. Like throwing 20 grand down
a private-school toilet every year
for an ungrateful kid who'd rather
party than turn in his homework?
I don't need this.
And now another 20 grand
for an extra year.
Oh, my bad. It isn't.
Public school, here we come.
How's old Dad
gonna take that one?
Let's understand each other.
I'm here for your mom too.
I'm aware of
your family's financial situation.
She's getting me for nothing
right now, Blake.
I can't afford that,
but I kind of have a soft heart
for a family that's coming apart
at the seams.
And while we're on the subject of me,
I'm not a Christian counselor.
I'm a counselor
who happens to be a Christian.
There's a big difference,
and if you ever graduate
from high school,
you might just learn
what that is.
So since we're both here for her,
why don't you and I start all over?
I didn't exactly nail
it last Sunday, Grandpa.
- You stunk the place up, did you?
- Oh, man, I did.
You know, I tried to preach
love your enemies
to some soldiers once.
I wound up getting a bottle
thrown at my head.
Man.
- Training ain't never over, you know.
- Yes, sir, I know.
This grace thing
is another tough thing.
It's always easier to receive grace,
but it's hard for us to give it away.
And I learned that the hard way when
I was trying to raise your daddy.
So tell me,
what's your choices?
- Stay on it or move on.
- What you feeling?
How much I like the path
of least resistance.
I feel like I'm failing at
what I was put on this earth to do.
All I'm doing is cheerleading
at church.
There's nothing wrong with that.
When I feel like my city's
about to burst into flames again?
You see the same things I see.
I wanna make a difference,
like you did.
Uh-huh.
I can't do that spending 40 hours
a week in the streets
instead of growing my ministry.
What is your ministry?
- My church, of course.
- Oh, I see.
You think you're just gonna
sit up there in your tower
and wait for this divine message
you're gonna get from Jesus, huh?
So you can preach to us
how we gonna change the world?
- Huh?
- No.
But it does sound kind of nice,
to be honest.
A little classical music, big fire,
drinking tea and wearing a sweater?
What does that mean?
Jesus' ministry is out here
in the streets, boy.
Out here, in the streets.
Yes, sir.
I was hoping you'd tell me
to turn down the promotion,
quit the police department.
You know,
Dr. King used to teach us
Sunday,
that was the locker room.
You don't leave it
in the locker room.
But Monday through Saturday,
there was the game.
That's where it all took place. Hey.
Tell me something.
Have you really decided to leave
the police department, honestly?
No, sir.
There's your answer, boy.
That'll be $6, Mac.
Do you remember
your brother, Blake?
No.
But he's there.
Everywhere.
And I can't get away from him
in that house.
- This is only one hour, right?
- You're my last session.
- I got all night.
- Oh.
Super.
I don't wanna talk anymore.
Okay.
How about I talk, then?
- I thought you just listened.
- Oh, I do.
Until I've heard enough,
and then I can talk plenty.
You're right.
You're not the problem here.
Tyler is.
But he's gone, and there's nothing
any of us can do about that.
Well, that's great, doc.
I feel so much better.
The issue here is who to blame.
Blame?
- Oh, Dad's got the blame game down.
- And why do you think that is?
So he doesn't have to
blame himself.
He's drowning, Blake.
- Someone's gotta throw him a line.
- What does that mean?
Something small.
Say one nice thing tonight.
See what happens.
- I know what happens.
- When was the last time you tried?
How much do you have to hate
someone to let them die in hurt
when one kind word
can make all the difference?
It doesn't take a man
to fight, Blake.
It takes a man
to reach out his hand.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Spurgeon, that's good stuff.
- Oh, yeah?
- Mm-hm.
How long did it take
to collect these books?
Oh, boy. Fifty years.
And each and every one of these,
I'm gonna turn over to you.
I was gonna give them to my...
My son, your daddy, but I don't
think he'd have much use for them.
- Have you heard from him?
- No. You?
No.
Now, you see that Bible over there?
On the fourth shelf.
No, no, no, not that one, the old one.
The old one. There you go.
Oh.
That's the one.
See this?
This was a...
This was my grandfather's.
We was gonna bury him with it,
but Bibles shouldn't be buried
or left up on a shelf.
They should be read. Here.
Read this.
"Presented to Wendall P. Wright
on his 8th birthday
from his friend John Escue.
May 31 st, 1884."
- 1884.
- Who was John Escue?
He was a cotton farmer.
Two thousand acres, 100 slaves.
He released all the slaves
before the war was over.
Almost all of them stayed.
- They wanted to remain slaves?
- No, they just loved him.
They loved him for what he did.
He got them jobs.
He got them more pay
than they would get outside.
Then he gave them 10 acres of land
to build a house.
You gotta be kidding me.
Why would he do that?
Ah, he didn't have to,
I'll tell you that.
But sit down,
let me tell you something.
The day he freed those slaves,
he lined them all up in front of him.
He had his hat in his hand.
And he was one of the richest men
in the state.
He had his hat in his hand
and he asked them all
to forgive him
for what he'd done.
He'd done something wrong.
He asked them to forgive all the
people that had done something wrong.
All slave owners, whether they
asked for forgiveness or not.
- How'd that go over?
- Kind of like your last sermon, huh?
Okay.
Well, Mr. Escue,
he taught your
great-great-grandfather how to read.
Gave him this Bible, and he decided
to be a preacher right then and there.
That one act of grace
changed history, Sam.
And that's the point.
This is what
your 8-year-old great-grandfather
wrote in return.
"I promise to pray for you
every day,
ask your forgiveness,
grant you the same
and be your friend always.
Wendall P. Wright."
That's nice.
Nice? That becomes his life's work.
God put him on this earth to do this.
Probably changed some hearts
and some lives,
probably kept away
from some lynchings,
some billy clubs.
That's what I'm talking about.
That's my point. That is grace.
Reconciling starts with forgiveness.
That's the only thing
that makes a difference, eh?
You can never underestimate
the power of grace, boy.
That's powerful.
Thanks.
Good day, Mac?
You're actually eating
with us tonight?
It's Monday night. All the
good restaurants are closed.
A comedian. Very funny.
Dad?
When did you know
you wanted to be a cop?
Why?
I've just always wondered.
You know, is it something you
dreamed about when you were a kid
or did it just fall in your lap,
or what?
When your brother died.
Thought I could make a difference,
maybe stop it from happening
to somebody else.
I was wrong.
But it puts bread on the table.
Pass the potatoes.
You're not thinking
of becoming a cop.
No.
I just really respect it, Dad.
That's all.
- Right.
- No, I do. I do.
Well, thank you.
How's school?
It's fine.
What?
Nothing.
You got in trouble again,
didn't you?
- Dad, I'm...
- We'll talk about this later.
No, we'll talk about it now.
Somebody tell me what's going on.
Dad, I'm not gonna graduate.
Come again?
I'm flunking English
and Spanish again, and I...
- Again?
- I have an incomplete in Trig.
- I'm not gonna be able to make it up.
- So we have another year of this.
I'll have to finish up at Oakdale.
I can make it up by Christmas...
Oakdale? That cesspool of lowlifes?
You cannot get into a decent college
coming out of a public school.
I'll sell this house if I have to.
I'll take a second job.
You will most definitely get a job
and finish up at Ridgelake.
Dad, they kicked me out.
You knew this, didn't you?
It's not her fault. It's mine.
Oh, this just in.
Just kill me, all right?
Just get it over with
and kill me fast.
Where does it end?
Is this your mission in life,
to finish me off once and for all?
- Dad, I'm sorry.
- "I really respect it."
- Did you expect me to buy that load...?
- I meant it.
I wanted to have a conversation
with you instead of another fight.
Why do you think
I go somewhere else every night?
- I don't need this.
- Strike three. Sit down.
- I don't wanna.
- I don't care what you want.
Oh, really? This just in.
- Stop it, both of you.
- Tyler never would've acted like this.
Blake.
Mac.
Oh, man.
Oh, it doesn't hurt that bad.
- I really gotta do this every week?
- Doctor's orders.
And your wife's.
I guess you lie
about other things too, huh?
Come on.
Go ahead, check it out.
You dropped three points
in one week.
See? We'll get there.
What is LDL, anyway?
In your case, Mr. Wright,
too darn high is what that is.
That's what Davis said.
He was gonna blow that punk away.
He was straight-up crazy.
He's a walking Paxil lab, man.
I'm glad the rev's riding with him
and it's not me.
Yeah, he can
pray over him or something.
Heh. Pray over him.
That's funny. You got jokes.
I'm in a comedy show this weekend.
Okay, Mr. Gerardo,
I need a signature here.
This is not an admission of guilt,
just that I have issued you
this citation.
Court date's November 10th,
or you can enroll in traffic school.
It won't show up on your record.
Have a nice day.
You wanna drive?
I need to make a couple calls.
Just wondering if Blake called.
I can't get through to him.
Call me.
You think I'm a racist,
don't you?
I don't know. Are you?
That car was speeding.
- Five miles over.
- Law's the law.
I'd have pulled a thumping lowrider
full of white guys over too.
Lord, please don't let me
kill my partner.
Oh, why don't you, man?
Just put us both out of our misery.
How you doing, Mac?
Just great. Couldn't be better.
- Something going on at home?
- Don't go preacher on me, man.
I'm not going preacher.
- I'm your friend.
- Right.
Come on, man,
or I'm gonna sing, loud.
My son walked out last night.
- How old's your son?
- Seventeen.
Ever try to reason
with a 17-year-old?
Mine are 5 and 7.
Your day's coming, pal.
So you had a fight.
That's all we have, is fights.
- Has he left before?
- Yeah.
But this one's different.
Say something you regret?
I have a tendency to do that.
I haven't talked to my dad
in 12 years, Mac.
- Still alive?
- I guess.
I don't know where he is.
Say something you regret?
We both did.
Don't ever
let it come to that, Mac.
A boy needs his daddy.
No matter what
he says to him.
Three-two-three.
Three-two-three.
- Possible prowler, 7844 Kirby.
- Why do I know that address?
Three-two-three en route.
- So you heard a noise at the window?
- Tapping.
Tap, tap, tap. And voices.
Sounded like Chinese
or Japanese maybe.
We've had a lot of Mexicans
moving in around here
with lowriders
and hopped-up pickup trucks.
I wish they'd drive them all back
to Mexico, is what.
I like the coloreds used to live here.
They were like you.
Friendly.
You could talk to them.
Officer McDonald,
you see anything?
No, I didn't. No sign of trouble.
Wanna come in for some iced tea?
I made some fudge too.
No, no, thank you.
The last officer was here
took a full report.
- He came in and...
- Yes, I was here a few weeks back.
Oh, really? I don't recall.
We'll make another drive past
before we change shifts, and if...
2714 Exeter, Germantown
Office Supply, silent alarm, 7-1.
Three-two-three.
Show us taking that call.
- Thank you. We have to get going.
- Okay, good night.
Lonely lady.
She just needs somebody
to talk to, that's all.
It could be our
big-screen boys.
Or another low battery in a motion
detector like the last 10 of these calls.
Come out, come out,
wherever you are.
Don't they usually leave
the lights on in this store?
Yeah.
Might just be a power outage.
Let's pull around back.
Three-two-three on site.
Zone 1 is clear.
Power is apparently out,
possible false alarm.
Checking the rear.
- Ten-four.
- I don't know, Mac.
All the lights are out on the block.
They might have cut the power.
Movement.
- Police, freeze.
- Police, freeze.
Mac, wait.
Freeze! Gun!
Three-two-three.
Shots fired, suspect down.
Show me your weapon.
Oh, Lord.
- No.
- Dad.
- Blake, what are you...?
- I'm so sorry, Dad.
We need an ambulance!
- Three-two-three, be advised:
- Hurry!
The injured suspect
is Officer McDonald's son. Over.
Blake!
No, no, no!
- Yes?
- Mrs. McDonald?
I'm Sam Wright.
I'm your husband's partner.
Oh, no.
What is it?
What's happened to Mac?
I need you to come
with me, okay?
- What's happened to Mac?
- It isn't Mac.
Gunshot wound
to his right abdomen.
- Single gunshot?
- Yeah, single. No exit wound.
I've got a 14-gauge
in both right arm...
- One, two, three.
- Okay, what do we have here?
Gunshot wound
to the right abdomen.
- Give me that bag.
- Yeah.
- Tell me your name.
- Blake.
Okay, let's get him some anesthesia.
I need Dr. Duncan here, stat.
- Right away.
- Know where you are?
Get him a chest and abdomen x-ray.
Let's prep this kid for surgery.
Hi, Blake, you with me, buddy?
I'm Dr. Curry.
- Where's Mom?
- She'll be here before you know it.
You got one thing to do for me.
Relax and go to sleep and think
good thoughts for both of us.
Okay, let's go, folks.
Let's move it.
- What have you done?
- Sara, no.
Sara, no.
No, it was an accident, Sara.
- Sara, I didn't know.
- What happened?
Why was he there?
Sara, no.
He didn't mean to do it.
He's all I have left, Mac.
Do you understand me?
- He's all I have left.
- Sara.
Sara.
Have a seat, sir.
Well, the good news is we're
stable for the time being.
He's a strong boy.
Many would not have
survived that surgery.
Bad news is
we're not out of the woods yet.
That was a high-velocity bullet,
and it left quite a trail of damage.
We've patched him up
beautifully,
but we had to take
the damaged kidney.
- But can he function with one kidney?
- One healthy kidney, yes.
But there's your issue.
It's not a healthy kidney.
It might as well not even be there.
What do you mean?
Blake has a relatively uncommon
congenital condition
known as
atrophic renal syndrome.
What that means is one of
his kidneys is not functioning
and the other
has been carrying the load.
Unfortunately, it was the
good kidney that took the hit.
Blake is stable now,
but that won't last long.
He is in 100 percent
kidney failure.
Are you saying
we're gonna lose Blake?
What I'm saying is
to survive,
Blake needs a kidney transplant
immediately.
Give him mine.
- It's not that simple, I'm afraid.
- I'm the father.
I took the liberty of pulling
both your medical records.
You do have type A positive blood,
as does your son, Blake.
The problem is
you've also got hypertension,
and that keeps you
from being a donor.
Mrs. McDonald, unfortunately,
you have type O positive blood.
We're searching
the donor networks now,
but so far we've come up
empty-handed.
We're on the clock here.
Look at you.
You've grown into
a handsome young man.
Mac.
Hey, Mac.
Nurse said he did okay.
He's gonna make it.
I thought I'd wait around and take
you two home to get some rest.
Where's Sara?
She's with Blake.
You wanna go home?
I'm a really good shot.
Do you know that?
Fifteen years.
Fired my weapon three times.
I'm three for three.
You couldn't have known.
You were just doing your job.
I did it wrong.
I shouldn't have run
into that building.
I didn't have to.
He wasn't going anywhere.
I don't even know the boy.
My own son,
and I don't know the first thing
about him.
- It isn't too late for that.
- He may not make it, Sam.
What? I thought they said...
I could stay with you.
Or would you rather be alone?
I am alone.
Been alone
since I buried my first boy.
I think I died right with him.
I'm just too dumb to know it.
Doesn't matter anymore.
Thanks for the ride.
Stop.
Now, you listen to me.
You're at the bottom.
You ain't going no lower
than right here, right now.
You got two options.
Curse God and die
or give up fighting him.
I appreciate that. Really, I do.
I choose option A, preacher man.
Mac, he's not giving up on you.
I know things are bad now,
but there's always a reason...
Stop it.
That stuff
doesn't work on me, okay?
If believing in this fairy tale
gives you comfort
and a side job on Sunday morning,
bully for you, Sergeant Wright.
But if you think I'm gonna go
all gooseflesh and fall on my knees
before your God,
who lets a 5-year-old get run over
and killed by some
Southside drug-dealing nig...
Still wanna stay with me, Sam?
I didn't think so.
The old ones say
that the cruelest prison
is the one of our own making,
and solitary confinement
may be the cruelest of all.
Hell itself may be nothing more
than eternity all alone.
It is also said
that our father will never give up
searching or calling for us.
Many is the man
who cannot or will not hear that call
until he is completely broken.
...feel your comfort, Lord.
Thank you for watching over him.
We know you're the ultimate physician
and you can heal him if you want to...
You need anything else?
Father, you know we need a
miracle right now for Blake.
We're coming to you asking
that you help them find a kidney
that will work
with Blake's body.
You touched him.
- Morning, baby.
- Coffee first, then talk.
They gonna lose that boy?
Don't know.
Did I tell you
they lost their first child too?
This is beautiful.
- What is this?
- Something Grandpa George gave me.
It was supposed to be
a teaching moment,
but I'm not quite sure I got it.
"I promise to pray for you
every day,
ask your forgiveness,
grant you the same
and be your friend always."
Yeah, that's pretty
advanced theology.
Must be, because a child wrote it.
You always know
just the right things to say.
Well, I'm sick
about the man's family.
And it's all I could do
to pray for him.
This guy makes me feel things
I haven't felt in a long, long time.
Like?
Anger.
Hate.
- What's wrong with me, Debra?
- You're a human being.
I'm a pastor.
I was called to minister
to people, or so I thought.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- It's my part-time job.
I can't focus on it or grow it
or really even commit to it
because I have to ride around
in a cop car for 10 hours a day
with some guy who hates me
because I'm black.
He hates the whole world.
That's his problem.
What's that got to do with you?
He's showing me where my heart is
and where it isn't.
It's not with people.
I thought it was
until I met one I couldn't love.
This is just words to me now.
It's not real anymore.
Chasing the bad guys,
wearing the badge, that's real.
And I'm growing there,
but my church isn't growing.
It's growing stale.
And soon enough, it'll just die,
because of me.
That's what Mac is doing
in my life, Debra.
Showing me
where my heart really is.
It's carrying a gun,
not carrying a Bible.
You really believe that?
You are a good man, Sam Wright,
and I'm so glad God gave you to me,
but I think you've got it
backwards, baby.
God didn't bring him into your life.
He brought you into his.
You just gotta figure out why.
You'd think with an organ-donor box
on every driver's license in America,
you'd find one kidney
that would match his.
You gonna survive this?
Do you really care?
I'm here, aren't I?
Because you wanna be
or because you have to be?
I haven't decided yet.
Good answer.
- I got...
- You're not gonna preach, are you?
You know how I get
when you preach.
No.
But it's interesting
you're here.
I just came to sit with you.
I guess the answer is no.
By sunup tomorrow, I won't be
a father anymore or a husband.
Sara won't even come home
after we bury him.
She'll just keep on going.
Sam, I...
I didn't mean what I said to you
in the car.
I know you didn't.
I say a lot of things I don't mean.
I hurt my wife every single day
with something I say.
I hurt Blake, so he ran out on us.
I even made my 5-year-old
keep riding that stupid bike.
He didn't want to. I made him.
If I just...
If I just hadn't...
Just answer me this, Sam.
This good Lord
you prattle on about...
Why would he let two little boys die
and let some miserable wretch
who doesn't wanna live anyway
go on?
There's no answer
to that question.
There's just not.
Then what is there to
believe in, man? What...?
What's the use of any of it?
Every time I think
I got it all figured out,
I get a curveball thrown at me.
I only know
we're in this together, Mac.
And somebody put us here.
And it wasn't
to make us suffer, either.
We brought that one
on ourselves.
You didn't cause
either one of them.
They were both
accidents, Mac.
- I did.
- No.
God doesn't want you
to carry that burden, Mac.
He wants you to be rid
of that pain.
I don't deserve to be out of pain.
I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry. God help me.
I'm so sorry.
Then you are forgiven.
Do you hear me, Mac?
You are forgiven
because you asked for it.
I don't want him...
I don't want him to die, Sam.
I don't want my little boy to die.
I'll give anything.
Please pray, will you? Please pray.
I don't want my boy to die.
Oh, God.
You gotta pray with me.
Oh, my Lord,
my dear, sweet Lord,
I'd like to swear
to submit to you, God.
We pray, Lord, that you lift up...
Hey, Dad.
Could everyone leave us
a moment, please?
I've been wanting to talk.
Every time I come,
you're asleep or in some
Star Wars machine or...
With Mom?
Yeah.
Take good care of her, okay?
- She's not as strong as you are.
- Hey.
Hey, none of that. Look, we're...
We're gonna beat this thing, okay?
They think they found
a match in Canada...
Dad.
I'm sorry, Dad.
I'm the one
who needs to say he's sorry.
I should've done it
a long, long time ago.
I am so sorry.
Please tell me you forgive me.
You know I do.
Do you realize
how much I love you?
I love you, Blake.
I just wish that there was
something I could do.
He's just gone downhill so fast.
And I cannot find him
a kidney.
No family matches, no friends.
- What you got there, Sam?
- Blood work. High cholesterol.
Let me look at that.
It'll give me something else
to think about.
Sam?
I know my LDL's too high.
- I gotta cut back on my...
- Your blood type.
- You're A positive.
- What's that got to do with my LDL?
So is Blake McDonald.
So you mean that I...?
I mean you may have just
gotten your wish.
Come on, Blake, hang in there,
buddy. You just gotta hang in there.
I thought type A positive meant
I was an overachiever.
Who would've actually thought
that meant something?
- I would, that's who.
- I'll be right back.
You go home and make me one
of those big old cheesy lasagnas.
And don't forget
my garlic bread, either.
And, baby, I know why now.
I love you.
I'm sorry,
this is as far as you can go.
Mommy, we had a question.
What's that, honey?
Um, how do they know a black
kidney will work in a white boy?
Well, because on the inside,
we're pretty much all the same.
You'll be fine. Just a little stick.
At long last,
we have our senior pastor back.
Now, before we bring him back,
get out your grace cards.
Let's see the cards.
Let's welcome back our brother,
our teacher,
our friend and healer,
Sergeant Pastor Sam Wright.
- Hallelujah!
- Okay, okay, okay.
- All right, let's read that card.
- All right.
I hereby promise to, one:
Pray for you every day.
Two:
Ask your forgiveness.
Three:
Grant you the same.
- And be your friend when?
- Always.
Now, the next time
somebody talks to you
about playing the race card,
you whip that bad boy out.
Sign your name at the bottom
and tell them,
"No, my brother, my sister,
I'm playing me the grace card."
Now, six weeks ago, right here,
I told you all
that when the student was ready,
the teacher would appear.
- Yes, you did.
- Yes.
I just didn't think
that I was the student.
But I was.
And the teacher, he appeared.
Oh, man, did he appear.
And Brother Mac,
you weren't just my teacher.
You were the professor.
Yeah.
Brothers and sisters,
I love my city.
- But she is torn right in half.
- Yes.
I don't have to tell you that.
Look around you.
- You've been hurt.
- Yes.
- I've been hurt.
- Yes.
And we just keep right on hurting
each other, don't we?
Yes, we do. Yes.
No justice, no peace.
I hear that every single day,
like justice
is gonna change our hearts.
- It won't.
- That's right.
It's not justice we need
or even want.
- It's grace.
- Yeah.
- It's forgiveness.
- Yeah.
You wanna heal a broken city?
- A broken world?
- Yeah.
- It has to start right there.
- Yes.
And I promise to pray for each of you
every single day,
to forgive you
whether you ask for it or not.
- All right.
- Amen, now.
And to ask you to forgive me.
Yes.
May I help you, sir?
In another life,
I was another man.
I was a thief and a fool.
A policeman, who rightly was trying
to bring me to justice, pursued me.
I ran,
and I took this family's child
away from them.
It was prison, finally,
that broke me.
I surrendered my life
to my father,
and I sought to make amends
for the mess that I made of that life.
For penance, I entered the mission
field in my ancestors' land of Kenya.
Now it is the thing for which I live.
I paid society for my crime
with eight years of my life.
Justice was served,
but not to this family.
I owe them a debt
I can never repay.
I cannot and I will not go another day
without facing them
and accepting responsibility
for what I have done.
With all my heart,
I am sorry.
I beg your forgiveness.
I beg your grace.