Original subtitles

What would we do, baby, without us?

And there

ain't no nothing we can't love each other through.

What would we do, baby, without us?

Boy, that is the worst neighborhood meeting I have ever been to. I think so,

too. Why can't we live in a neighborhood full of nice, thoughtful people who

care more about others than they do about themselves?

One where people say, Hi, neighbor.

How you doing there, neighbor?

Glad to see you here, neighbor.

In other words, Dad, you want to live in Mr.

Rogers' neighborhood.

Well, you've got to admit, Alex, it's a real nice place.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Beautiful day for a neighbor.

It's a beautiful day at the funny farm, too.

Boy, I'm so upset with those people. We've known Phil and Nancy how many

How could they sit there and say that they're thinking of moving if their

property value goes down? I know. It makes me want to put our house up for

and move out.

I feel the same way.

Wait, if we move, won't it look like we're running away from the Thompsons,

She's right.

We can't move unless the Thompsons move.

If the Thompsons stay, we can stay.

Well, what if the Thompsons decide to live here in the summers and somewhere

else in the winters?

We go with them.

I guess we were pretty naive when we urged Gus and Maya to move into this

neighborhood. I'm sure you're naive, Mom, but I... I mean, nobody who came of

age in the 60s has a great deal of savoir -faire.

That's true.

I mean, you two don't have a whole lot of... that stuff.

Four years of French at Grand College, ladies and gentlemen.

You know, I never really thought of it before, but why do we live in an all

-white neighborhood?

You don't remember, Jim, but it wasn't all -white when we moved in here. That's

one of the reasons we liked it.

Oh, I remember when I was little, I had this friend downstream named Maggie.

And one day she asked me, how come my skin wasn't black like hers?

And the only reason I could think of is that we washed with ivory soap and it

was dyeing my skin.

It's a good thing you didn't use selsun blue.

You know, if we could just hold on to that kind of innocence all our lives,

there wouldn't be any discrimination.

I mean, people would be accepted for their character and not their color.

I mean, how many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.

The answer is blowing in the wind.

Okay, finished.

How many roads must a man walk down? Oh, come on, snap out of it, it's all...

go across the street and apologize to Gus and Maya for getting him into this

mess. I feel responsible.

I don't think we should bother them right now, Elise. They probably want to

alone to discuss things.

You're probably right.

If we went over there, we'd just wind up interfering.

And they have to decide what's best for them.

Is it possible that they're really going to mind their own business?

No way, Jen.

Look at them eyeing the door.

See that seat has left foot seats so we can make a move?

Any minute, Mom's going to put down the coffee cup and say something like... I

can do some fresh air.

How about a walk?

And then he'll say... A walk?

Good idea. Let's go.

You two are good.

One in favor of moving.

One not in favor of moving.

And one more in favor of moving. Well, it looks like we have a tie.

Since when does two to one make a tie, Dad?

Well, I had to disqualify this one because of poor penmanship.

You always were a poor loser, Gus.

Look, I know you both want to move, but I'm afraid that if we let ourselves be

run out of a home, we're never going to be able to hold our heads up again.

Dad. Don't let pride get in the way here. We're talking about your safety.

Look, I'm not talking about pride. I'm talking about simple human dignity.

Tell me, Dad, how dignified do you feel when you hear somebody shouting racist

slogans in your ear every time you pick up that phone?

How'd you do that?

Let me, Maya.

I see.

Uh -huh. Well, okay.

Thanks for the warning.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

We'll be on guard.

What was the warning about? Should we call the police?

Alex thinks so.

He says Stephen and Elise are coming over. They've been singing some of those

white protest songs.

Let's make a run for it.

I work with the guy. You two save yourselves.

We were taking a walk, and we suddenly remembered we wanted to borrow a... A

letter.

Okay, let's go around back to the garage.

Oh, we don't need that right this minute.

Next week would be fine.

Oh, okay.

Well, then you might as well come in, then.

Oh, well, I guess we could do that.

Couldn't we, at least?

Oh, we could. Yeah, here, let's... All right. Hey.

We're in.

Good to see you.

Hi, pleasure.

Sit down, honey, sit down. Yeah, we got some time.

Okay.

You can interfere now.

I just want to tell you how badly we feel about how the meeting went. It

backfired. No, it didn't.

It just opened our eyes to the way the neighborhood really feels about us.

we just need some time to work this out. I'm sure most of these people will come

around. Stephen, we took a family vote and we decided to move.

You took a family vote without us?

We love you, Steve, old buddy, but you're not actually in our family.

And even though it didn't work out here, we still appreciate everything you did

for us.

Oh, yes, especially the part where you encouraged us to move into this bastion

of racial equality.

But you don't blame us.

Blame is such a strong word.

Of course we don't blame you. I mean, it's our own fault that we forgot how

naive you are when it comes to such ugly things like racism.

Does everyone in the world think we're naive?

Yes. Yeah, that's true.

But it's a compliment.

You two are so pure of heart that it never occurs to you that others aren't

way. You are very special people.

So you forgive us for getting you into this mess.

Forgive is such a strong word.

realize we put you in an awfully uncomfortable position, and I apologize

that. But in spite of everything, we'd really love to have you as our

and we'll do everything we can to help you stay.

I'm with Elise and Steven. Yes, yes. I think if we move, we're making a big

mistake, and I just don't feel good about it. Yeah?

Well, I don't feel good about going off to Harvard and leaving you two alone.

Your mother and I will decide what's best for this family.

That's why I didn't count her vote.

Honey, give it up.

You lost the vote.

You know I fought against discrimination as hard as you.

But I don't want to fight the battle when I come home.

That was some of the best Italian food I've ever taken. We'll have to come back

to Guido's again.

Well, there are a lot of restaurants you can try out if you stay in the

neighborhood. Stephen, I must say I'm truly enjoying the way you've been

all week to make me change my mind about moving.

Is it having any effect?

Oh, a lot. It's convincing me I might want to move after all.

There's something wrong with this door. I can't seem to get it on the lock.

Mom, Dad, I don't think you should go in there. Let's just go across the street

to the Keaton's until the police come.

Police?

Dad, don't!

Don't!

I don't know, Dad.

They didn't sign the guest book.

Michael, are you all right?

Yeah, I'm fine. I got here after it happened.

I already called the police, and they're on their way over.

How could anybody do this?

Oh, Gus, they even brought in the walls.

What does wits only mean?

It means that somewhere there's a bigot running around with a big E.

house tonight to get this mess cleaned up. No, we will not.

We're getting out of this neighborhood tonight.

It's over.

I'm going upstairs to pack.

I'll help you.

Is this the house that reported a break -in?

Take a wild guess.

How do you do?

Officer Steele, this is my partner, Officer Larson, who reported the break

I did.

He came home and found it this way?

No, he came home, he slashed the furniture, he wrote on the walls, and he

us.

I'm signing us up for therapy.

I saw the police car outside. Oh, my God, did somebody break in?

No, Mal, they came home, did this themselves, and called the police.

Have we met before?

I don't think so.

Hey.

Hey, what does wits only mean?

I think there's a letter missing now.

Oh. Of course.

Which one?

Did either one of you see anybody come in or go out of this house tonight?

Oh, yeah. My boyfriend, Nick, has taught me to be very observant about cars, and

I noticed a 1988 powder blue Mercury Topaz GS, which she can see covers.

I knew it was suspicious the minute I saw it.

That's my car.

Gus, you're under arrest.

FBI material, if I ever saw it.

Hey, that's no way to talk about your girlfriend, Nick.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

First of all, don't ever call me Nick.

Sorry, Nicholas.

All right, let's get this report filled out.

Who's the owner of the house?

I am, but not for long.

Hey, sport, where you been?

Timmy's dad said the Tompkins are moving because he wants to block people here.

Is that true, Alex?

Well, I hate to say it, Andy, but unfortunately there are some people who

that way.

Why?

Uh, because they have this ignorant idea that they're

better than everybody else.

You always say that about yourself.

I gotta stop saying that.

Timmy's dad is telling everybody our house is worth less money because black

people live here.

Who is Timmy's dad, the town crier?

Listen, Andy, I want to tell you something.

In the strictest confidence, okay, I don't want you telling anybody else I

this, all right? Is that a promise?

Promise. All right.

In this situation, money's not important.

We have to treat everybody fairly and equally.

Whether they're white, they're black, or my personal favorite treasury note,

green.

All right?

I was... I was... Okay. What's this about a fever?

Oh, that, that, that.

It's just a little game we play. We accuse each other of having different

ailments.

You have fallen arches.

Whatever happened to Ring Around the Rose?

Go get washed up for lunch, honey.

Hey, hey, keep those arches open.

Hi. I just heard that Thompson's house was vandalized last night. This is

terrible.

Are they all right?

Yeah, they're fine, but why are you suddenly so concerned? I didn't hear you

speaking up for them at the meeting. It was different when we were talking about

the value of our homes, but now we're talking about violence. We can't sit

and let that happen.

It's not different. It was just easier to pretend it didn't matter before.

You either support the right of people to live where they please, or you don't.

Well, that's easy for you to say. I mean, you're a two -income family.

You can afford to let the value of your home drop without it affecting you so

much. Are you saying that if you were a two -income family, you'd feel

differently about the Thompsons moving in?

Yes, absolutely.

Phil, get a job.

Well, I don't want to. I like it at home.

we're getting off the point here.

The point is, where do you draw the line between protecting another family's

civil rights and your own family's financial well -being?

I'd like to think that I'd live in a tent before I give in to this sort of

prejudice. Yeah?

Well, it'd be my tent. You're born in last August, Keaton.

Look, we're not prejudiced.

I think there's a fine line between prejudice and complicity.

This isn't getting us anywhere. Let's just stop making accusations.

Where were you at approximately 10 .15 last night?

As a matter of fact, I was watching television with the kids. It was one of

documentaries, Stephen.

Hieroglyphic humor?

Right.

How did you like it?

The jokes were a little old.

Wait a minute. You don't seriously suspect us of breaking into their house,

you? Frankly, I don't know what to think about anyone around here anymore.

Stephen, where were you at approximately 10 .15 last night?

Oh, what a mess.

Let's go back to the hotel.

They sure trash this place.

Well, I don't know. I always thought that lamp would look better over there.

Come on, Michael, that was a joke laugh.

How can you joke at a time like this?

But this is the kind of time you need to laugh most.

Your father and I learned that a long time ago.

Hey, you remember that freedom march in Selma in 65?

We laughed that day. Yes, we did.

What exactly made you laugh?

Your father used to tell the worst jokes just to keep my spirits up.

Hey, now, wait a minute.

They weren't so bad.

Oh, really?

Do you think it was a coincidence that the stone throwing started whenever you

said knock -knock?

She's kidding.

Okay, that's your service.

No job too small.

Some jobs too big.

What does wits only mean?

There's a letter missing.

Somewhere.

Where shall we start?

How about anywhere?

Okay.

Oh, God.

They destroyed your Lawrence Weld collection.

Oh, racism takes many ugly forms.

Come on, then, the tools.

Gus, we're going to need some extra boxes for all this stuff.

Oh, well, we got lots of boxes in the basement. Here, come on. Let's go.

Hey, Michael, what are these pictures of?

Oh, well, in this one, my folks were thrown out of a segregated lunch counter

Mobile.

And in this one, they were thrown out of a segregated lunch counter in

Birmingham.

Can you imagine being 20 years old and choosing to walk through an angry mob

just to get a drink out of a public fountain? You know, your parents really

through a lot back then, Michael.

They sure did.

They were turned away from public schools.

They couldn't sit at lunch counters next to white.

They couldn't live in the neighborhoods they wanted to.

Looks like they still can't.

It's really crazy, isn't it? Yeah, I mean...

How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind. The answer is blowing

in the wind.

Finally.

Proof that they're ours.

What's this picture with all these people at the Lincoln Memorial?

Ah, the March on Washington.

That's where Martin Luther King made his famous speech.

Now is the time to lift up our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice

the solid rock of brotherhood.

You know it, Michael.

How could I grow up in the same house with you two and not know it?

Well, I wonder what Dr.

King would say about the situation in this house today.

He'd say we can't move, that we got to stay here and continue to fight.

And what would you say?

You and your friends fought long and hard to win us certain basic rights.

And now it's my turn to fight for them.

Finally proof that he's right.

I always wanted a window seat.

They're not going to make us move out of this neighborhood.

Even if they...

do that?

Hi. Can I come in?

Hi,

Caleb. Hi.

We, uh, would have been here sooner, but first we had to raid Keaton's garage so

we got our tools back.

I know you have every reason to turn us away, but...

We would very much like to help you get your home back together.

Well, we certainly could use the help.

What does wits only mean?

Let's clear this up once and for all.

Now we'll never know.

Hey, Gus.

Here, here we go. Here we go. Here we go.

Yeah, Gus, you could have this man arrested for defacing your property.

Oh, no, no, no.

I wouldn't do that to my neighbor.

Next on KSWB, get wacky with Jackie. Jackie Chan Adventures, just part of

WB. And at 5, stay tuned for the magic of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. There's a

full afternoon right ahead on KSWB, San Diego's WB. Watch the fraud.

Sit, Ubu, sit.

Good dog.