All language subtitles for Storyville.S2025E08.White.Man.Walking.1080p.iP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.HFR.H.264-RAWR_track4_[eng]

This programme contains very
strong language

and discriminatory language which
some may find offensive from

the start and contains scenes which
some viewers may find upsetting

CAR HORN

Hello.

I was just...I was just asking
if anyone has any water or food

because I'm out of it
and I'm walking

and I just don't have any food
or water,

so I was just going to ask.

My Black Lives Matter shirt?

I'm walking 1,500 miles from here
to Washington.

For who?

So I'm here at
the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum

in Jackson, Mississippi,

and I'm about to take my first step.

And we are starting the walk
in three, two...

My name is Rob Bliss.

I walked across America
for Black Lives Matter,

and this is my story.

I'm a film-maker
who's done some pretty

crazy stunts involving
thousands of people,

and some of them
turned into viral videos.

- NEWS REPORT:
- Public event organiser
Rob Bliss is at it again.

I created
the world's longest water slide

and broke world records
for the biggest pillow fight...

- NEWS REPORT:
- Some guy on Facebook
decided to start a pillow fight...

..zombie walk...

Highly successful -
2,000 minimum, easily.

..and longest single-take lip dub.

Rob Bliss, he is the director
and creator of that.

- Rob, nice to see you this morning.
- Until recently,

my work was always just
for entertainment.

It wasn't that political,

but in the summer of 2020,
that all changed.

In the midst of a global pandemic,

America was forced to look
at another deadly epidemic...

..the killing of unarmed black men
by law enforcement.

I can't breathe! Argh...

Black Lives Matter
began almost ten years ago

as a response to racial injustice.

By 2020, after the public murder of

George Floyd by
a Minnesota police officer,

it had become one of the largest
social movements in history.

- BBC NEWS:
- His killing
by police sparked protests

for racial justice around the world.

I felt compelled to do something.

What would happen if I held

a Black Lives Matter sign
in Harrison, Arkansas,

AKA America's most racist town?

When I released the video,
it went viral immediately.

It was getting millions
and millions of views overnight.

Of course, I get
a message from some guy saying,

"Hey, dumbass, why don't you walk
through Oakland with

"a White Lives Matter sign and see
what happens?" But the thing is,

Instagram only shows you
a preview of that message.

So all I saw on my phone was...

And I was like, "That's it -
I should walk.

"I should carry this sign
through the South."

And that's where this all started.

My route will take me
from Mississippi to Washington, DC,

a journey of 1,500 miles and ending
just before the 2020 election.

That means walking 25 miles a day
for 60 days straight.

And I'll have a small crew with me,
who will be filming my journey.

Why are you out here
walking all these miles?

I made a video and
it was so upsetting,

what I saw, that I felt,
you know what?

I need to do something.
I need to move,

walk and encourage other people
to come with me.

This is a nation
that is more polarised than it

has been for generations.

I hate everything to do
with Black Lives Matter,

- what is ultimately a big lie.
- No matter what they tell you,

it has very little to do
with black lives.

This fear of being called a racist.

Everybody needs to get over that now
because all of us are racists.

Am I putting myself at risk
by wearing

a Black Lives Matter shirt
in the Deep South, where,

until as recently as the 1960s,

blacks and whites
were completely segregated?

I figure I can either stand by
and do nothing,

or at least provoke a conversation
and maybe persuade

the people I meet to join me
in support of Black Lives Matter.

Now all I have to do is find people
to walk with me.

Should be no problem.

Do you want to walk with me
for Black Lives Matter?

- I'm sorry, what?
- Do you want to
walk with me for

Black Lives Matter
for like ten feet?

Hell, no, I'm not walking
with Black Lives Matter!

That's a bunch of bullshit!

That ain't black - I love black,

- my daughter's black.
- I'm just being friendly.

I'm walking 1,500 miles.

Like I'm just walking through here,

just want to say hey.

You want to come walk with me?

- No, I'm having a yard sale.
- Do you want to, even for

like a couple minutes,
walk with me?

- You can even bike with me.
- Nah, I don't really support it.

OK. All right, I'll see you.

DOGS BARK

Howdy!

Can I play ring toss with you?

I'm new here. I'm passing through.
Just walking down the road.

Oh, yeah?

- Black lives don't matter, bro.
- You don't think so?

- No. Hell, no.
- What are your thoughts?

Uh, I think white lives matter.
Do they celebrate White People Day?

Do they celebrate Goddamn...?
No, they celebrate nigger day,

nigger day, nigger day -
everything's about black.

When I started this trip,
I knew I would encounter racism.

Even so, it's pretty shocking
to hear the N word.

They say it so quickly, so easily,
that it catches you off guard.

It's hard to believe there

are still people
who hold such extreme views.

The Deep South has
a long history of racism,

dating back over 400 years,

when slave plantations
drove the southern economy.

- Can we interview you and say hey?
- No.

OK. Sounds good. I'll see you.

Steering some Southerners away from
that way of thinking won't be easy.

How are you doing, sir?

I walked here from Jackson,
Mississippi.

The Black Lives Matter in Jackson.
Do you want to walk with me?

- Even for like ten seconds?
- No.
- No?
- I don't even care about

- the shirts.
- You don't like it?
- No.
- Why? I'm curious.

What do you think they
should do differently?

Black people?

Who brought them here, though?

- Wasn't me?
- It wasn't you?
- Nope.

It was my ancestors.

So isn't it our responsibility?

No. It's...

We've got to take care of ourselves!

I got black friends
who would do anything for me, OK?

But you just said you would send
them back to Africa.

- Nah, I love them.
- You would send them to Africa!

- You just said it!
- I know I said it.

What do you think they would
think about you saying that?

- What do you think?
- They probably wouldn't like it.

- Why do you have to touch your gun
as you talk to me?
- I'm not.

But why are you...? Why are you
almost holding it like...?

Cos you're making me mad.

- And so when you get mad,
you reach for your gun?
- No.

I mean, are you going to shoot me
if I say something you don't like?

- Nah.
- OK, then.

I just got sticks. That's it.

I mean, I get along with
all my friends around here.

Black, Indian, whatever.

I don't have a problem with that.

But when once they start
throwing that stuff in my face

and telling me about all this,
I don't like it.

What do you think
of Black Lives Matter?

- Well, they matter in certain ways.
- In certain ways?

In what ways do they not matter?

Well, first thing
they don't matter,

they don't want to work.

They sit on their butts
and do nothing.

I shouldn't ask
if you're voting for Trump,

that would be a stupid question.

- Really?
- OK, let me ask you
a question.

- Yeah.
- If you had kids,

the white girl grows up and marries
a black man. Would you like it?

- Why would I care?
- Er...

That's racist right there. Show me

where in the Bible it says it's OK
to marry a black person.

- Why would that be a problem?
- That's my belief.

Hey, Rob, it's Mom.

I've really been worried
about you the last few days.

I'm following your location
on my phone.

Please don't get shot.
Call me when you can. Love you.

I grew up in Michigan with my mom
and my brother.

By the time I was about 14,
my dad wasn't in my life any more

and my mom started working
for a company overseas,

so I was spending
almost all my time alone.

And I think that time is

where I gained my independence
and started going my own way.

I don't know if I've ever felt
this deeply tired before.

I don't know how I could

even do this
for another 50-plus days.

It honestly seems absurd.

I'm just trying
to make it through tomorrow.

Right now, I'm averaging 13 miles
a day.

That's a long way from hitting
the 25 miles I need.

As I'm walking through the south,

I'm finding
that no-one wants to walk with me.

And, honestly,
it makes me want to quit.

It's sapping my mental strength
to keep going.

- Shirley. And what's your name?
- My name is Regina.

Regina. OK, so...

Something like day 14

and we are out here walking with

the first people
that are walking with me,

and I am amazed
that we even got anyone.

Honestly, it felt like no-one
was going to be joining us

and we had these two awesome people
that came out to join us,

so it's actually a really happy day.

Bye, I'll see you. Thank you.

The very first people
to walk with me in Alabama.

You know, it took about 100 miles

but we got our first people.

So we're going to try
and get 25 miles today.

It's really important.

And we're going to...

..we're going to beat that
high score. And, honestly,

having these people here
was very motivating. It's cool.

I have flea bites all over me.

I have blisters all over my feet.

But I realise
that I'm just walking.

Like, there are so many people who

have done infinitely more than this.

Let's go. Here we go.

DOG PANTS

Here we go. 25, baby, let's go.

Let's go.

This guy was with me
the past three miles.

It's crazy.

He's so good.

This is
what it feels like to walk 25 miles.

It took me 11 hours.

I'm really, really tired.

Really tired.

HORN BLARES

Christ.

They don't give us any inches
on here.

I'm walking on the shoulder.

I am on this side...

..with the audacity
to walk in America.

The audacity.

It's just such
an inconvenience for someone

in an SUV speeding by at 60mph.

How dare I?

The state of Georgia was the cradle

for the civil rights movement
in the 1960s.

It was here
that Dr Martin Luther King

waged his nonviolent
war against segregation.

I wonder how much King's message

of justice and equality
still resonates here today.

How are you, man?

What?! That's crazy, man!

You should come back any time

because I'm going to be here
all day.

No, I'm going to be here, man.
All day. Tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm going to be here in 35.

I just want you to know how much

I appreciate what you're doing,

and it's so moving.

Chances are good in this area

you might get
some negative responses,

but I want you to know
that there are some of us

that think the world
of what you're doing.

Hey, man. Keep going, man.
Keep going, man.

Thank you very much again.
All right.

Does anyone want to walk with me
for Black Lives Matter for,

- like, just to the street?
- No, we don't.

- Just the light?
- No.
- Nobody?

- Bye. See ya.
- One person?
- Go away.

We tried. We really tried.

Oh, wait. Look at these people.

You want to go just to the light?

- Yeah. Why not?
- Word. OK.
Look at that.

Heck, yeah.

- Heck, yeah.
- High five the cameraman.
Yes!

- Hello.
- I'm going to talk to you,
I'm going to turn around, OK?

OK.

- How is it out here?
- It seems like some people

are very supportive
and very not supportive.

We think that maybe there would be
a little bit more of an advantage

because you are a white person
with a Black Lives Matter shirt.

It's more of like,
"Hey, we need to talk.

"We need to have a conversation.
I'm a white person saying,

"black lives matter.
I'm trying to be

"an ally for the community
that's marginalised."

People have so much hate, you know?

They push this rhetoric of,
"Well, I'm a Christian,"

but how can you be a Christian

when you're... When you want
to go and shoot someone?

You're trying to lay judgment
with your gun

and you say everything's up to God.

ENGINE REVS

Oh, boy.

This is...interesting.

OK.

Uh, is this someone that's going
to do something horrible to me?

Don't touch me.

- You just ran into me.
- Don't touch me!

- Oh, God.
- Don't touch me.
- Um...

- Yeah...
- You can leave,
if you don't feel safe.
- Yeah.

What are y'all doing?
Stirring trouble?

Walking up, uh... We're walking
for Black Lives Matter.

Walking for Black Lives Matter.
What about white peoples matter?

What about blue peoples matter?

- That's a job.
- It's still people.

It's American people. American.

You don't think black people
are American people?

I think black people are American.
I have no problem with black people.

I have a problem
with the organisation

that want to bring down people
like you because you're white.

I don't think they want
to bring me down.

That's because you're ignorant.

- They're using you.
- You think so?

Yeah, I think so.

My black friends think so.

- You must be a Democrat.
- For sure.

- Of course I am.
- What, do you need to see

- my firearm?
- It's pretty scary, man.

- I mean...
- Why?
- I'm unarmed,

- you're armed.
- Listen, I am minority.

- Brother...
- I'm Jewish.

OK, then you should know better.

- Huh?
- You should know better.

My people have been
prosecuted way more

than any other people in the world.

Then, like, you understand
why they're so upset and why they

feel like their lives don't matter.

Killed a five-year-old kid,
point-blank range.

Black Lives Matter does not
advocate shooting kids

in the head. You can't think that.

They advocate shooting police.

They don't advocate shooting cops
in the head either,

- you know that. You know that.
- No.
- You know that.

- No. We'll have to disagree.
- When you say "all lives matter",

that's the equivalent of going to
a breast cancer rally and say,

"Other diseases matter, too."

Like, it's true,
but you would never do that,

because that's fucked up!

You wouldn't ever go to a rally
like that and try and, like,

lower what they're dealing with.

Does that make sense?

Yes, that makes total sense.

That's why you don't say "all lives
matter", man. You shouldn't...

- That shouldn't be.
- No. Think about
that.
- No, that shouldn't be.

Really think about that.

So just walk
with me through this idea.

That was my friend.

That was my friend with her

babies and three-year-old
in the car.

You're an absolute worm.
There's no reason for this.

I hope you'll hear
what he has to say.

My friend had her babies in the car
is afraid to be in my area,

my neighbourhood! How dare you!

I don't even know
what you're talking about.

I'm an American, she's an American
and this is not right.

It's not fair.

My open carry should not scare her.

Open carry is legal.

In a country flooded with hundreds
of millions of guns,

things can escalate pretty quickly.

What the fuck just happened, bro?

You know, that just shows you
how divided Georgia is right now.

There's really two sides to Georgia,
and you just saw it.

I felt like I was
I was almost there...

I was like, I almost got him.

He...He almost came along with me.

It hurts. It's really sad.

I don't know what to say.

I don't know what to say.
We're really behind.

We have to walk,
so I think we just walk.

..Black Lives Matter, which is

a Marxist-anarchist
organisation, which has

as its mission to overthrow
the United States.

This is a country in the midst
of an ideological war.

And when you say Black Lives Matter,
that's inherently racist.

That's anti-American
and it's racist.

Black lives matter, comma, as well.
So when we say all lives,

are we talking about white lives?

And if so, then let's just say
that. It's coded language.

Some say the United States is closer

to civil breakdown than it
has been in generations.

If you are not for tyranny,

if you are not
for oppressing others,

Republican voters won't vote
for you.

The Democrat Party, they are now
the party of socialism.

They want
to rip our borders wide open,

they want to kill babies

up until birth
and maybe even afterwards,

and they want to take away our guns.

THUNDERCLAP

The whole thing needs busting.

My toes are falling apart.

It's so fucking gross.

Not doing too hot,
I'm going to be honest with you.

Blisters are getting real bad.

We really have to go the distance.

And we're starting to feel
that distance now. It's scary

cos it starts going back
to reality -

you know, can I really do this?
Is this real?

Can we actually go 1,500 miles
in two months?

Hi, Rob, it's Mom again. I haven't
seen your location move in, like,

several minutes,
and I'm going to wait five more and,

if that doesn't move, honey,
I'm calling 911.

Today is less lonely.

Local politician Ahmad Hall has
come to walk with me.

This is like
the first proper meal I've had

in about a month. You know, we get
a lot of comments like,

you know, "What about white lives?"

Like, "Don't white lives matter
too?"

You know, saying Black Lives Matter
is racist.

The people who are not supportive
of that,

or who don't understand it, um,

don't really get the fullness of
what's going on.

My Aunt Vicky, she would sit us
down, us boys, she said,

"OK, this is how it is in America.

"White man...

"..white woman...

"..black woman...

"..black man."

That's why we call it
the totem pole.

And she said, "You're going to have
to work even harder than someone

"who doesn't like you
may have to work.

"You're going to make mistakes,

"but you make sure that you make

"the least amount of mistakes
that you can,

"because it's going to make it
that much harder for you to live."

It's really the pressure and weight
of society when it comes to that.

It's almost Jim Crow segregation,
in your head.

Ahmad is an admirer of

the late civil rights activist
and US congressman John Lewis,

who was beaten by police during
the infamous march

in Selma, Alabama
known as Bloody Sunday.

There's still a lot of miles left.

Do you have any advice for me
as I go these next 1,100 miles?

I hope I don't
get too emotional

when I say these type things
because they're, um...

- VOICE BREAKS:
- ..very dear to me.
And, um...

..I believe that we have,
um, as John Lewis would say -

I had the opportunity

to meet him several times
and it was such an honour...

..get in good trouble.

Get in necessary trouble.
Do the things

- that most people don't have
the courage to do.
- OK.
- And, um...

..don't rest until you obtain
what your heart is seeking.

So get in good trouble,
necessary trouble

and don't forget that we who believe

in freedom cannot rest
until it comes.

- OK, I will. Thank you.
- You're welcome.
- Thank you.

Slavery was abolished nationwide
when the 13th Amendment to

the Constitution was passed in 1865,

after the South lost
the American Civil War.

Today, many Southerners
are still proud

of their Confederate heritage

and argue the Civil War
was not fought over slavery,

but was instead about states' rights
and the economy.

So there's this store here

we saw, it says "white history year"
and a bunch of Confederate stuff.

So we're going to go ask him,
"Hey, man,

"what's with the sign?"
Let's go find out.

Howdy.

Are you the store owner?
I'm just passing through.

- I'm walking 1,500 miles.
- Wow!

I'm walking
in support of Black Lives Matter.

I mean, it's interesting.

I was hoping to just ask you
about it, or...

I guess what you want
to do is go look at the Klan robe.

That's what everybody else does.
They got tunnel vision,

don't take into consideration the
rest of the history. They go

look at that and then go ahead
and blow it out of proportion.

Yeah.

Do you think, like... There's, like,
racist memorabilia and you're like,

"I'll pay for that."
Does that not enable it,

give it value?

You are in a way approving
of that, to have that?

I'm approving of...not black or
white, I'm approving green.

Do you think there's

differences between white people
and black people?

Well, their culture is...different.

And whenever something
like this happens in Atlanta,

they revert back to
the jungle thing.

It's like I'm the closest to Africa
as you can be.

That's just so wrong, man.
That's just not true.

That's not fair.

It's a really deeply wrong thing
that, you know,

black people are inherently
criminals and all of that.

It's so obvious, if you listen,
that they are not on your side.

And when the hammer comes down,

what they're trying to do is start
a race war,

having tried to for 40 years,

then they can declare martial law
and take all the weapons.

And you are going to be out
because you're a honky.

Do you think
the Civil War was about race?

- No.
- What do you think it was about?
- Economics.

The Civil War wasn't about slavery.

It was about people being able
to independently govern themselves.

Do you think eight-year-old

and 11-year-old boys were dying
for slaves on poor farms?

No. They were dying
for what they believed in.

The Civil War is
a part of Southern history.

It's a part of our blood.
It has nothing to do with race.

You know that slavery was still
legal in the North?

Having to come back after the 13th
Amendment was passed for two years.

So it wasn't about slavery.

When I have my son,
who I will name Jefferson Davis...

SHE LAUGHS

..just because of people like you.

The Black Lives Matter
movement is working

to remove Confederate statues
across the South.

I won't be toppling
any monuments myself,

but I can protest in my own way.

I discovered this quote from
the vice president of

the Confederacy, written at
the start of the Civil War.

He said, quote...

Hanging this quote around

the neck of
a revered Confederate general

in a southern state is a risky move,
but let's do it anyway.

Well, I'll be honest,

this is probably the most
scared I've been on this trip.

Uh, it's one thing to hold a sign,

it's another thing to throw
a ratchet strap around

a Confederate statue

and sit next to it with
a Black Lives Matter shirt on.

It's a little more aggressive.

Um, I have a pit in my stomach,

I'll be honest with you. Um...

..like, I could die today...

..technically,

uh...or get hurt.

So I'm just going to try
and not be confrontational

while doing something
extremely confrontational.

But we got to do it.

I feel sick.

Let's go.

Fuck!

Fuck me!

Fuck me!

Come on!

There we go, baby!

What's that about?

Oh, this? This old thing?
Come say hey.

Come and talk to me.

I don't know
if he's going to come check it out.

What's up, dude? Come say hi.

- Did you put this up here?
- I'm... This is...

I have permission
to have this up here.

- This is private property.
- Yeah, so you need to take that down.

- I know, but I have...
- Take it down
or you're going to go to jail.

Which one are you going to do?

I don't have...I don't have
an ability to take it down.

- OK. Who put this up here?
Did you put it up here?
- I'm just...

I'm just here eating my
Flamin' Hot Cheetos, man.

- Was that just here when we got here
or what?
- I apologise,

I'm just sitting here eating
Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

No, I just want to
figure out how that got here.

Sir, I'm just sitting
here eating Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

You got your ID on you?

- Yes.
- Driver's licence...?

So where are you from?

A bunch of places.
Um, mostly Michigan.

Michigan? So this guy with you?

- Yeah.
- So you support Black Lives Matter?

- I do.
- OK, cool.
What does Black Lives...?

What does that matter,
what does that mean to you?

- What does that mean to me?
- Yeah.
Explain.

There's everything from, um,
obviously people have issues with,

you know, policing issues.
That's obviously a large part of it.

There's everything from
that to prison reform.

Um, I think it's
a larger discussion about, um,

everything from institutional racism

to issues of generational wealth.

Um...

I think it's one of those things
that it stands for many,

- many, many things.
- Why do you
feel so passionate about it?

Um, I have seen a lot of ugliness

and it made me want to...participate

in a conversation about it.

Do you have any black friends
or anything like that?

I do, yeah. Yeah,
they're very supportive.

Could you go ahead and kind of step
down?

Yes, sir. I will get
out of your way for you, sir.

If this
is private property, it doesn't...

Well, at this point,
it's a moot point.

In America, black people
are three times more likely

to be killed
by cops than white people.

I can't help but wonder

if the cops would have put me
in jail, or worse,

had I been a different race.

- I'm good, man.
- Those sticks there,
I like them...

- You like the sticks?
- Yes, sir.

Do you like them?

OK. Can I have my sticks back?

But you asked me over here.

Or I'm down to beat that
motherfucker

out of your
motherfucking hand.

- All right, I'll, uh...
- You better
fucking leave, motherfucker.

Get the fuck off my property!

- All right, dude, I'm leaving.
- Take them motherfuckers and leave.

Dude, I'm leaving.
Whoa, buddy.

Get on, motherfucker.

I'm going, dude. You asked me.

You better run...

Dude, you asked me.
You asked me to come see you.

Oh, there's no trespassing
sign right there.

You invited us, man.

All right, let's run.

Yeah, let's run.

Yeah, let's just run.

Yeah. That dude just said
he's going to get his gun!

Some guy chased me across his lawn
after inviting me onto it

and saying he was going to
"get his gun".

I have no words.

We're just going to try and make it
and not get shot.

Goddamn.

I think this is the coldest
that I've ever been in my life.

HE SHIVERS VIOLENTLY

Even though I just want to sleep,
I have to give myself a haircut.

OK.

Well, this is a travesty.

I slept for ten hours,
but it doesn't really matter.

I still feel the same.

Why are you doing it?

I couldn't even tell you right now,
like...

I'm doing it because I'm doing it,
like...

Because I said I would.

OK, we should go.

OK.

# Alone on this lonely road

# Alone with no place to go... #

So yesterday I almost cancelled
the project

and even bought a flight home.

I told my friends and family
that I had to give up

and I had to come home.

# Just keep on

# Keep on... #

I always just wanted to be great.

So it comes through in a lot
of the stuff I choose to do

with my time, I guess.

I feel like I'm supposed
to do something.

I've always felt that way

and I want to be great.

How's it going?

I want to push myself beyond
what I think I can do,

because eventually I die.

So I guess I have to do something
while I'm here.

# Alone on this lonely road

# Ooo, ooo, ooo... #

That's it.

# Ooo, ooo, ooo. #

I honestly just couldn't
take it any more.

I was just like, that's it.
Like, I'm tired of hurting

and I want to be done with the day.

So we're just going to
sprint it out,

we're just going to get it,
you know?

There's always more, you know?

There's always more
that you can dig.

INSECTS CHIRP

Even if you do put on sunscreen,
which I did,

if you're walking around,
you can look like this.

It got me looking like a Cheeto.

- NEWS READER:
- Breonna Taylor's
boyfriend was a lawful gun owner

who was using his weapon
in service of the thing

that people who celebrate gun
rights, and the NRA,

say is the sacrosanct reason
that we need guns -

to protect your home from invaders.

That is precisely
what this man thought he was doing

in the night when people
barged in his home.

And Breonna Taylor is dead
and there is no recourse for it.

I'm entering Louisville, Kentucky,

just months after police shot
and killed Breonna Taylor

in her own apartment.

- CHANTING:
- Say her name!

Breonna Taylor!

- NEWS REPORTS:
- Protests continued
for a third straight night,

and the citywide curfew
is extending through the weekend.

Authorities vowing to make arrests

if outbreaks of
destruction continue.

Now those protests
in Louisville happened last night

after the grand jury decided
that no police officers

would face charges in the shooting
death of Breonna Taylor.

Louisville police shot
and killed 26-year-old

Breonna Taylor in her apartment

during what her family calls
a botched drug raid.

Well, the decision in the
Breonna Taylor case sparking

a new wave of protests,
with demonstrators lashing out

against what they call
a racist criminal justice system.

- Hey, how are you?
- How you doing?
- My name is Rob, by the way.

But, yeah,
so we're just doing this walk,

obviously, for Black Lives Matter.

We got, like, probably 700 miles to
go. Like, do you have any advice,

you know,
as we make our way to Washington?

Uh, yeah. Get a cab or a bus or
something, man, OK.

- He is crazy!
- This man...

He's a joker, man. He's crazy!

They doing it for a cause, Larry.

You are something else!

He said, "Get a cab or a
bus or something"!

You ever been
downtown Louisville?

I'm just getting into town now. I
came from like south-west of here.

No, you get downtown Louisville,

it's a cross between Beirut
and Afghanistan.

- Yeah, he ain't lying.
- It's insane.

- Ever since that Breonna Taylor
stuff.
- Really?

- Yeah, it's been insane.
- Yeah, it's insane.

You know, we can't be greedy. We
want this, we want black lives this.

You can't turn
the whole world black.

There's too many people,
too many colours out there.

You just can't turn
the whole world black.

We want a black president,
we want a black guy in Mexico.

Are you out of your mind?
No Latino ain't going for that.

All colours ain't dumb
and all whites ain't racist.

You can't take that out on
every white person because every

- white person don't have that hate
in their blood.
- That's right.

The protests is one thing,
but what good does it do me?

When you start tearing stuff up,

it's not making things no better,
it's making things worse.

- Worse, yeah.
- I get what you're saying.

Because as far as the law, I mean,

it is what it is, you know
what I'm saying?

I mean, I get the cause,
don't get me wrong

but at the same time, you don't have
to go around hurting people,

- you know?
- You ain't taking a chance,
you taking a risk.

It's empty.
This town is pretty scary.

There's just no-one here right now.

It's really weird.

My name's Rob, by the way.

Hey, Rob.
Rob, come on over here.

I'm trying to,
I'm walking 1,500 miles

in two months to Washington, DC.

I've heard about you.

I was wondering if you were
going to come to Louisville.

- Of course.
- Are you hungry?

- Are y'all ready to eat?
- We'll get
some food. I think we will.

# Oh, freedom over me

# Before I be your slave

# I'd be buried in my grave

# Go home to my Lord

# And be free. #

Oh, what's up, brother? Nice to meet
you. I heard about you.

Anybody who wants to march
for this young man right here,

he has walked 800 miles to get here.

He just wants people to walk
behind him around this block.

Thank you. It means a lot to me.

- CHANTING:
- What do we want?
- Justice!

- When do we want it?
- Now!

- What do we want?
- Justice!

- When do we want it?
- Now!

Say her name!

Breonna Taylor!

Say her name!

Breonna Taylor!

Say her name!

Breonna Taylor!

Say her name!

Like, I love this walking.

I don't know what it's going to do,
but what happens when you get to DC?

I'm hoping that this walk like
gets you to understand that there is

some bigger and more important work
that's going to hit you.

I don't know what
that is for a white man.

I just know all of y'all in fucking
power, y'all fucking shit up.

That's what I DO know.

- CHANTING:
- Bow, bow for Breonna.

People do not understand
what white supremacy is.

It is this nation.

And this nation does not give
a fuck about blacks, indigenous,

anybody of any colour for whatever.

And we're really not doing a great
job of understanding like

what fascism is.

And we hear this conversation
about oligarchs and stuff

and we don't know
how it runs the nation.

CROWD SHOUTS

One Robbie to another,
I'll be thinking about you.

CHANTING DROWNS SPEECH

I have no words.

I've never seen anything like that
this whole trip.

Every aspect of our lives

is tied to having less than,

it is tied to being enslaved -

and I think some of us
have just forgotten that.

Before I continue on my walk,
I meet with Jecorey Arthur,

who's running to become the
youngest-ever councilman

representing
District 4 in Louisville.

Jecorey worked hard
to pass Breonna's Law,

a Louisville law which bans
no-knock police warrants

like the one used during
the shooting of Breonna Taylor.

For most of my life,
I've been apolitical.

I didn't realise the importance
of being politically engaged.

I slowly had to realise over time

politics was the only way.

Where do people fit in this
political puzzle of race

in the United States of America that
was founded on the back of race?

And there's just so much confusion
about what that means.

What do you think are the big things
that are needed for change?

I'll keep it short, sweet and
simple with a Malcolm X quote,

who I share a birthday with.

He was asked about progress
and he said,

"We haven't seen progress
because, if you stick a knife

"nine inches in my back, pull it out
six, that's not progress.

"Even if you take the knife all
the way out, that's not progress.

"It's only once we begin
to heal the wound

"do we see any sort of progress."

And in many cases,
he went on to say,

"We haven't healed the wound,
we haven't taken the knife out,

"we don't even acknowledge
that the knife is there."

So in my role,

what I've already done
and what I will continue to do,

is to acknowledge that pain,
is to show people

the reality of the city
that we live in.

And if we don't face the fact
that Louisville

was largely built and started

by a slave population,

we can't address the issues
that the descendants

of those same slaves
face on a day-to-day basis.

It's October 5th.

As I enter America's Rust Belt,

the leaves are beginning
to change colour.

Ohio used to be a swing state,

but in 2016,
when Trump won the presidency,

it jolted to the right
by huge margins,

voting over 10% more Republican
than the national average.

Do you want to walk with me
for a little bit?

I'm walking for Black Lives Matter.

OK.

Sounds good. I'll see you.

Why do you think people are racist
in the first place?

Why? Basically...

Yup.

Yup.

You're out here barefoot.
Look at that.

Well, I figured you guys
are doing something important

and I wanted to hear y'all's
exact perspective.

Something has to be done, as far
as the ways the police

are handling these situations.

And I'm not that smart of a man,

so I don't know what exactly
what to do,

but I do know that something
has to change.

Now, honestly, I just think
we all need to sit down

around a big old table, have some
fried chicken and talk it out.

One, two...

HE GASPS

Things are going backward again.

My body is in such pain that
I'm just laughing on the inside

at the absurdity of it all.

BIRDSONG

This girl taught me this
calf stretch like 12 years ago.

And I liked her a lot

and it didn't work out.

And so now every time I do
this calf stretch, I think of her.

And now I do it every day.

Hey, sir, do you want to walk
with me for Black Lives Matter?

Pardon me?

Do you want to walk with me
for Black Lives Matter?

Absolutely not.

- OK, I'll see you.
- I don't support
hate groups of any kind.

OK.

As I move through the north,

I expect to see fewer and fewer
Trump supporters,

but as Election Day draws closer
politics is never far away.

- Good.
- Why are you
in my house taking pictures?

You had my wife scared to death,
dude.

She had an AR-15 pointed at you
when you walked in my driveway.

- Really?
- An AR-15. Yeah.

- And about to let the German Shepherd
out on you.
- Wow.

Now we're going
to start walking again.

Had an AR-15 pointed at me

because I was two steps off the road

so that I wouldn't get hit
by a semi truck.

So, I'm not surprised,
but it's really upsetting

because it's like I've been
threatened so many times

on this trip already that it's like,
you know what, like...

..like either pull the trigger
or fuck off.

Seriously.

Like either come at me
with your gun, your bat,

like, whatever it is - like, do it.

I don't care. Like...

Someone's going to do it.
So maybe it's you, like go do it.

Whatever.

So either like,
pull it or fuck off.

Take your pick. Like...

..I just don't care any more.

You know?

As I get closer
to the end of the walk,

I feel broken and hopeless.

And, honestly, I forget
why I'm walking.

We have our dear friend Rob with us.

He has been walking across
the country

for social justice,
for Black Lives Matter.

But then I sat down with
BLM activist Kiara Yakita.

I love your perspective about,
you know,

the walk itself because you have
a very interesting perspective.

What's your take on it?

I super appreciate what you're doing
and it's hard work.

At the end of the day,
it is hard work.

You're sacrificing your safety
and your body,

and you're putting yourself
into places

that Black Lives Matter
cannot safely go.

If I went to that same town
and stood next to you,

I probably would have got killed
that day.

You're going to have to step out
of yourself to finish this.

It's something bigger
that you're chasing.

So just stay true to the purpose

and focus on the people
who can't walk.

You know what I mean?

You're walking because
Breonna Taylor can never walk again.

You're walking because George Floyd
can never walk again.

All these miles
that you're accumulating

are miles that they
can no longer walk

because they were executed
by the police.

Walk with their spirit
and for their spirit,

and I think that
will keep you going.

Hello.

- Is the owner in by chance?
- That'd be me.
- What's your name?

- My name is Vicky.
- Vicky? I'm Rob.

It's nice to meet you.

I've never seen a diner
this decked out with Trump gear.

Like I've seen Trump stores,
but I've not seen a Trump diner.

Do you think it intimidates
minorities to have Trump stuff up?

I am for Trump

and a lot of minorities
in this town are for Trump.

I'm against Black Lives Matter

and my dad's part black.

I'm against it because these people
are criminals out there.

You know, this Black Lives Matter
stuff, all they're doing

is destroying people's stuff
and then they want to burn it down.

These people are crazy -

they don't even know
what they're doing out there.

They don't even know
why they're doing it.

So you think it's
black people's fault

that they are targeted
by the police?

Yeah, it is.

There's white people
that are, died by the cops, too.

There's Hispanics
die by the cops.

There's Chinese -
they're all of them.

It's not just black lives.

I don't understand why you have
a shirt that says

just Black Lives Matter.

Why not All Lives Matter?

A lot of people DON'T think
black lives matter.

They really don't think they matter.

These are the things I hear every
day getting yelled at me.

And how does that make you feel?
You're part black.

- That doesn't bother me.
- It doesn't bother you?

Everybody has their own opinion.
It doesn't bother me.

It doesn't bother you
that some people are like,

"Fuck black people?"
You're part black.

It doesn't bother me.

Why do you think you're
a Trump supporter?

Because I am for his platform.

I am for God, and in all his stuff
he stands for God.

- You're on the same side as
white supremacists.
- Yes, I am.

I'm from a black family.

All my family, all my brothers,
we all stand for Trump.

Don't put all black people
in one category.

I'm proud to say
President Donald Trump.

He'll be in another four years,
it doesn't matter.

He's going to have
another four years.

He will be there.

My name's Rob, by the way.

- Linda.
- Linda.
- Yeah.

- I'm glad...
- You know, I love you, too.

- I love you, too.
- I do, I love you.
- I love you, too.

And I hope that you're safe
all the way across.

That conversation
really caught me off guard.

I guess Trump support is growing
amongst people of colour,

which surprises me.

Hi, Rob, it's me, Mom.

You are so close now, honey,
I know you can do this.

I know your body feels tired,
but please, please be careful.

You're nearly there. I love you.

I think the walk

and the exhaustion that comes
with it is definitely

making me more emotional
than I otherwise would be.

It just feels like whatever guards
I had up,

whatever boundaries, layers,
it's all just...

..being removed and it makes me

feel everything in a heightened way.

It's the four seasons,

it's falling leaves,
it's grey skies.

It makes me miss home and my family,
a lot.

So when I was a kid,
growing up in the Midwest...

VOICE BREAKS: ..you would always
have these leaf piles.

Like in October, you know, all
the leaves would fall on the ground.

It's been many years since I've
heard the sound of the leaves

when you brush past them
and the smell of them -

they make this really great sound.

It's like this swishing sound,
it's like "chooh".

Just that sound.

And I remember just spending
a lot of time with my mom

and, erm...

..it just reminds me of my mother,
who I miss a lot.

Swish, swish.

HORN TOOTS

Yeah! Love it!

I love you, too. Thank you.

CAR HORNS TOOT

It sounds really dumb

but, like, those honks,
they really meant a lot.

It's really silly.
It's like just like,

"Hello, I notice you."

It feels really good.

It's so silly. It's just like, "Hi".
It's just like a nice, "Hi".

But I haven't had that
in so many miles

so it's really nice.
It's just so sweet.

It's just sweet to like
acknowledge someone.

It's really good. I needed that.

HORN BLARES

I didn't need that!

That's what it's all about.
I don't know.

Howdy.
Did you decal this yourself?

Yes, I did.

Do you know what year this car
is and all that?

'77?

Is this sittable? Is this...?
Can you sit on this?

- You can sit on it. It's as solid as
can be.
- Oh, great, man.

Can you tell me about, like,
how the public has responded?

Like, you know, stuff like that.

I mostly don't get negative.

Sometimes people flick me off,

but most of the time people
want to come up to me

and talk to me and applaud me.

You know, I'm just doing it
for a purpose.

I believe this, this, this election,
we could easily lose our country.

I don't think we could
lose our country from Biden.

I mean, I think that, if Biden
would happen to step down

and Harris would take over,

that's where I think
we could lose our country.

What motivated you to really want
to deck it out?

Like what was the moment...?

Oh, we love him.

We love him. He's a good guy.

They don't realise
their side is racist.

What do you think liberals
don't understand

about conservatives and
people who support Trump?

Like what's being missed?

What do you...?

What do you think
they don't understand?

You know, at one time I
was on the Democratic side.

If you go back 30 years ago,
when I was a kid,

my whole family was Democrats.

They were hard working,
mill working, coal miners.

They were hard-working Democrats.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you. We all love you.

Thank you.

That was the worst, actually.

I voted back in '08 for Obama.

I know that's a shocker, but I did.

Yeah, how do you go from Obama
to Trump? Like, what about...?

Because I'm not red or...
I'm a patriot.

I'm not red or blue.

But I voted for Obama because...

I saw some black chick
go by here....

Yeah, well, that's her right.

I heard this on the news -
you have a right to be dumb.

If you want to be dumb in this
country, you got a right to be dumb.

I agree 100%.

You know, I'm not going to judge you
by being dumb.

- You know?
- They can't help it.
- Nope.

What do you think a lot of black
people have to struggle with today

in the United States?

Like, I still think that

the white people have
a better chance at the beginning.

But I do feel bad for people that
try and try and push themselves

and they really don't
get too much of a chance.

Will you walk with me
to the end of the block?

Just a real quick one,
two-minute walk?

- Yeah.
- You'll walk with me for
Black Lives Matter?
- Sure.

We'll start here
and we'll walk this way.

- All right, sir.
- I appreciate it.

Mr Miller, you're walking with me
for Black Lives Matter.

- Sure.
- I wasn't really expecting that.

Hey, we all got to get along,
don't we?

- Yes.
- I don't care
what your point of view is.

You know, I mean, I respect it,
you know,

and I know you respect me,
and that's all that matters.

- Yeah.
- Hey, get the point across.
- Yeah.
- Get the point across.

- All right.
- Hey, I'm trying
to get mine across too.

- You guys have a good weekend.
- OK.
All right, Finley, I'll see you.

# Come on, everyone
Let's get together... #

Am I crazy or did I just have
a breakthrough?

This swing voter was the first
Trump supporter to walk with me.

Hello.

Washington, DC.

Yes, ma'am. OK.
All right. Thank you.

Bye.

As I move further east on
the final leg of my journey,

I was inspired to reach out
to activists I know

to help me wrangle
as many supporters as possible

to join me for my final day.

So anyone can come join us,

likely hundreds of people will.

So we're really excited about
Washington, DC that afternoon.

What are you guys doing exactly?

I'm walking 1,500 miles
in two months.

Oh, wow. That's so cool.

Support the cause, for sure.
Keep doing it.

Thank you, man.

Each person who walks with me,
right or left, red or blue,

motivates me to keep going.

- Good luck.
- All right, thank you.

Do you want to walk with me
for Black Lives Matter?

- Yeah, I seen that.
- Awesome.
You want to...? Here, come on down.

This is the Trump store for sure.

Do y'all just want to like,
even for like 30 seconds,

- walk with me down the road?
- Sure.
- Just 30 seconds.
- Sure.

Let's do it!

What do y'all think of Black Lives
Matter? What's your take?

We all need to get along.

No offence to whites,
because I'm white myself,

but black folk will help you
quicker than a white person.

- Mm.
- Little bit of love.
- Yeah.

You know, they're always there for
you...they are.

- You guys walking for a cause here?
- Yeah.

You're suffering with blisters
and everything like that.

You offer up to God.

So that's kind of
the idea of pilgrimage.

# A little bit of love
is all you need. #

Feeling pretty good right now.
I don't know.

This is going to be over.

There's no way! There's no way.

And yet - way.

Pretty crazy.

Hello?

Y'all's here for the walk?

I'm from a whole other world,
you know what I mean?

Like where I came from to get here.

97% of the United States is rural.

So to be here, it's just like, wow.

- Yeah.
- It's just crazy.

The day I get to Washington,
I'm feeling amazing

and I feel like dancing.

It's honestly euphoric.
I felt like Superman.

Like, honestly, I could do anything
if I set my mind to it.

I walked from Jackson, Mississippi,
from the Civil Rights Museum,

and today we're going to end it
at Black Lives Matter Plaza.

I'm thankful for these people.

This is like...

It means a lot.

Thank you.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I had a lot of anxiety about
how many people would come out

to walk with me. I thought it'd be
so sad if, you know,

the last five miles no-one came out.

So I was elated to see all these
people coming out to walk with me.

Oh, my God.

Even my mom made it out.

Mom, what are you doing here?

I love you.

I wouldn't miss it.

I literally can't believe this.

This is my mom.

She came here from Michigan
to walk with me.

All the way from Michigan -
I can't believe this.

OK, we're just about to get started.

It's a five-mile walk down to
Black Lives Matter Plaza.

We're just going to get started.

We're just going
to warm these legs up.

My calves are very sore
but we're going to walk anyway.

Look at this!

HORNS TOOT

If anyone we see,
any of these cars, come join us.

Come walk with us.

HORNS TOOT

- CHANTING:
- Black Lives Matter!

Black Lives Matter!

Black Lives Matter!

CAR HORNS TOOT

Black Lives Matter!

Black Lives Matter!

Black Lives Matter!

We believe that this struggle
that we're facing in America today

is a spiritual struggle.

And only until black lives begin
to matter to every American

will we rise to the true meaning
of our creed. Amen.

- CROWD:
- Amen!

I want to thank every one of you
for coming out here

from the bottom of my heart.

I can't tell you how many
lonely miles I walked.

So I just want to thank you.

You have no idea how much
this means to me.

Every one of your faces is going
to be etched into my mind

for the rest of my life.

This is the America that I know
and I believe in.

So thank you for being here,
seriously.

I'm so happy to be here.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Thank you, Rob!

Thank you, Rob!

- Were you worried that I was going to
die?
- Yes! Of course I was worried!

I'm really glad
it didn't have to happen.

So now you don't have to
worry so much, OK?

I'm glad that you came,
it meant a lot to me.

I thought about you
a lot on the trip.

- Thank you, Mom, for being here.
I love you.
- I love you, too.

- You're welcome.
- OK.

SIRENS WAIL

The murder of George Floyd
shook the world

and it felt like a reckoning
for America

to take a deep look at itself.

I set out hoping to discover
the truth about a divided nation.

I encountered voices
that stunned me -

some with their hostility,
others with their hope.

What I've learned is that progress
isn't a straight line.

The fight for racial equality
is far from over,

and the divisions I witnessed
show how much work remains.

But what gives me hope
are the moments of humanity

and connection I made along the way.

Change is slow,
but every conversation,

every step forward matters.

# Love

# Love

# Love. #