Original subtitles

♪ Get it right ♪

♪ Unless they describe it ♪

♪ Struggling, surviving ♪

♪ Just tryin' to stay up ♪

♪ Don't sleep ♪

♪ Gotta stay up ♪

♪ Can't sleep ♪

♪ You gotta stay up ♪

♪ Don't sleep ♪

♪ You gotta wake up ♪

♪ You gotta stay up ♪

♪ We be rollin' and ridin' ♪

♪ Hustlin' and strivin' ♪

♪ Strugglin', survivin' ♪

Why you don't call me no more?

Why you don't call me no more?

I'm good for you.

I'm good for you.

I couldn't be more serious.

Come find me, man.

What up?

♪ Don't look down ♪

♪ This one here, we thuggin' it out ♪

♪ Ridin', you hidin' ♪

♪ Under the couch ♪

♪ Hope the cat don't come in your house ♪

♪ Like knock knock ♪

♪ Who's there ♪

♪ Open the door ♪

♪ You scared ♪

What's up, man?

Hey, Hey, Jose.

Your urine came back dirty.

No way.

Don't lie to me.

I'm your parole officer.

Ah, I just used once, Miss Gambrell,

the night Rosa left, okay?

Damnit, Jose.

If I violate you now, CPS will take your kids,

and dump 'em in foster homes.

Then what the hell is going to happen to 'em?

I'm beggin' you, Miss Gambrell.

I won't screw up no more, okay, I promise.

You got one more chance, that's it.

I said don't touch me.

Let me go!

I didn't do nothin'!

Get your hands off me, fool!

- I wasn't sellin'! - Mommy!

Mommy!

Get your hands off me, fool!

I wasn't sellin' that crack! Get in the car!

- Get in the car, go! - Get your hands off me!

-Stop your damn cryin' -Mommy!

Ugh!

- Hey! - I said shut your damn mouth!

- Hey! - I said be quiet!

- Hey! - Get in here.

Put down that baby!

Hey, lady, let go of that baby!

Did you see that?

Did you see that?

You gotta do something!

She's with her grandmother.

But she's hurting that baby!

An old lady like that, her daughter's busted for crack,

now she's got that kid,

what do you expect?

She's hurting your baby!

♪ Years will pass ♪

♪ But will the ocean ♪

♪ Hear my silent prayer ♪

♪ Slow down ♪

♪ Slow down ♪

That bad, huh?

I thought I had seen everything, Perry, you know?

But I just saw this grandmother hit this child,

right in front of me.

I know, it gets to me too.

The hell with it, Marilyn.

Go home.

It's just the job.

Right.

Go home.

My daughter's out of the house.

My ex is my ex.

I wish I could go home

and forget about all this, but I can't.

And I don't.

Air ball!

Come on, pass me that thing.

♪ You better jump on that ♪

♪ When the voices in your head ♪

♪ Sayin' you scared up in your grill ♪

Hey, lady, what are you doing here?

I'm checking to see if the baby's okay.

You know the family that lives here?

What, the Gainers?

Yeah, Grandma packed up and moved out last night.

Do you know where they went?

Did they leave any kind of forwarding address?

What, so they can get their bills sent to 'em?

I don't think so, lady.

Hey.

How did you do with Venus Gainer?

Struck out.

You know what I like about this job?

What?

Not a damn thing.

What the hell are we doing here, Perry?

Besides pushing papers?

No clue.

Here are your new intakes,

and don't complain,

my pile is higher than yours.

We bust our butts.

But nothing gets better.

Nothing changes.

Parents go to prison,

and their kids just follow 'em.

And we sit here, writing it all up.

Something's gotta change.

We need to get to the kids.

♪ Mark my word ♪

♪ I tell them everywhere, anywhere, yeah ♪

♪ Mark my word ♪

♪ I tell 'em everywhere, anywhere, yeah ♪

♪ Mark my word ♪

Good to see you.

Having a good day?

As I live and breathe, Perry Beasley.

Welcome to the hallowed halls of Smiley High.

- Hey, hey. - How you doin'?

How are ya, man?

Good, man.

Good, Reg, you know, Marilyn Gambrell?

How do you do?

Marilyn, this is Reggie Spivey,

vice principal, educator and hoopster deluxe.

We want to start a program at Smiley

for students whose parents are incarcerated.

Go through, Mr. Spivey.

Lemme borrow that homework, man.

This is what parole's doing these days?

This is what I'm paying taxes for?

I quit parole a while ago.

This is kinda my idea.

And now I'm joining her.

My papers went in this week.

What about your family?

That's what this is about, Reg.

Listen, I've been blessed three times over.

These children are hurting.

We want you to give us one period a day

to work with these kids.

Why are we so lucky at Smiley?

Well, it's like what Willie Sutton said

when they asked why he robbed banks.

Trust me, there's no money here.

But you got the kids, you know?

We've been workin' this neighborhood a long time.

I got a caseload of two generations on parole.

Parents went to Smiley,

now their children do.

That a kid with a parent

in jail is six times more likely

to end up there, too. Six times.

But it doesn't have to be that way.

What's your biggest problems here at Smiley?

Gangs, the dropout rates, drugs.

Well, if you let us,

we will work with these kids.

We will bring their grades up,

we'll even get 'em to graduate.

The two of you, miracle workers?

We get these kids to open up

about what it's like to have a parent in jail,

then we can give them the skills to succeed in life,

like we did with our parolees.

And to dream.

We want 'em to dream.

And reach those dreams.

Nobody has ever inspired them.

Nobody's ever taught them to believe in themselves.

But we have lots of programs here.

Are they working?

Do you want to sprinkle water

on the forest fire or put the whole damn thing out?

Even if I thought let's take a chance on these guys,

we have to go to the principal, plus the faculty.

How do I convince them?

Let's give 'em the facts.

I don't have any.

Well, we'll get 'em.

See, here are these surveys I made, you know?

We'll hand 'em out to the kids,

see what's what,

and then we'll go from there.

All right.

Let's talk.

Excuse me, ladies. Sorry.

Before the assembly, fill out these surveys, people.

And that means you, you, and you. Everybody.

Is your mother in jail or is your father in jail?

Who takes care of you?

What type of crap is this?

Hey, Jamal, I think this is for you.

Your daddy's a lifer, right?

How you doin'?

Mr. Spivey.

The principal's on board.

And the faculty?

They say you're invading their turf.

Well, we are.

I mean, but if we get these kids to graduate

and go somewhere, anywhere other than prison.

They don't want you in the school.

Check this out.

Your little survey.

Whoa. Oh my God, this is huge.

One parent, two parents, stepfather, brothers, uncles,

and probably a bunch

of the ones who said no parents in jail

aren't telling the truth, right?

Too embarrassed to admit it.

We're doing this class.

You got one year, on a trial basis.

Now, there is an assembly tomorrow.

Make your case.

-Reggie- -Don't hug me,

Marilyn, please.

I don't do hugs.

♪ When the voices in your head sayin' you scared ♪

- Listen up. - Pipe down.

Do you remember the survey we all took?

Yeah.

Well, everybody take a good look

at the person on your left.

Now, look at the one on your right.

One of you has a parent in jail.

That's right, people.

40% of Smiley High has a relative that's locked up.

Now, I want to introduce to you

Marilyn Gambrell and Perry Beasley.

Let's give 'em a hand, come on.

Thank you.

We are starting a program for kids at Smiley

whose parents are incarcerated.

Now, just because you have a parent in prison

doesn't mean that you have to end up there, too.

Who cares?

Yeah, whatchu know?

I know that if you have a mother or father

in jail that it hurts,

and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

And that's what this class is,

a safe place where we can talk

about this or any other issues that you have.

We'll meet a different period each day,

starting today, second period, room 201.

You'll be excused from class to attend

if you want to be part of the group.

It's about gettin' respect and givin' it.

And you have to make up the work

for the classes that you miss.

If this is important to you,

then we will see you second period, room 201.

Thank you.

Are you talkin' to me right now?

I'm talkin' to you at home.

What you talkin' about, man?

Cody, Darnell, step back now!

Darnell!

If this is gang banging, Cody, I'll have your ass!

Principal, he dissed me!

I don't care!

One more screw up and you're gone!

Now get to class.

All right, man.

- Let's go. - Go on, Cody.

Welcome to Smiley.

Think anybody'll show up?

Hey, people.

Welcome.

Come take a seat.

Nope, just take a seat wherever.

No More Victims.

That's this class.

And no matter what happened to you in the past,

from here on in, it's a new day.

And you are gonna learn in this class

that you are no longer victims.

You are survivors.

Okay, everyone signs this,

so your teachers know you weren't cutting their classes.

Yeah, and put your phone numbers down.

That's important.

What you want my number for?

You want to call me for a date or somethin'?

Well, maybe I do.

Ooh!

Hey.

What's your name?

Jamal.

You got a problem?

Well, Jamal, we're gonna introduce ourselves

by saying our names, but we're gonna put a word

in front of it that describes who we are.

How about badass?

How about sit down.

A positive word.

So should we get in a circle

and hold everybody's hands, too?

Okay, you know what?

I'm gonna go first.

Um, let's see.

I am Marvelous Marilyn.

In your dreams.

I'm Powerful Perry.

Now you, Jamal.

Jazzy. Jazzy Jamal.

Juiced-up Jamal.

Stupid Sean.

Mighty Miguel.

Cool Chrissie.

Victorious Valerie.

How about you?

Me, I'm King Freakin' Cody.

I didn't realize we had royalty in the house.

You weren't lookin' hard enough, babe.

So which family member of yours is in prison?

Why are you here?

What, you supposed to be like

the great white hope or something?

I'm not the great anything.

Yeah, I noticed that. But let's get

what you're thinkin' out on the table, huh?

What am I thinkin'?

I'm white!

All right.

And if you have a problem with it,

then we will discuss it in class.

But I'm not goin' anywhere,

and my skin color is definitely not changing.

Your color is not the problem.

Nothin' gonna come of this.

Then why are you here, Cody?

He's cuttin' algebra.

I'm cuttin' social studies.

Still y'all came, why?

Well, I think it's

because you all are tired of hurtin', right, Valerie?

'Cause things aren't goin' your way with grades,

your family, your life.

Hey, you know what?

If you all don't want to be here,

then go back to algebra class,

because if we don't make this work,

then we are gone!

And you all can go back to become,

what is it they call you?

Smiley's losers, right?

They call you a bunch of losers, huh?

♪ I contribute to rap, soul wizardry ♪

♪ None of that cry baby crap rap with R&B ♪

O.B. is gonna be there.

We have to make sure everything is there.

And if he isn't, man, period,

we got nothin' to do with it.

♪ What I do with life throwin' me a curveball ♪

♪ Then I swerved y'all ♪

♪ 'Cause I heard y'all nerds ♪

♪ Wanna show up for the battle ♪

♪ Then I'll hurt y'all ♪

♪ Curtain call better back on out ♪

♪ While I'm workin' y'all up against the corner ♪

♪ With no exit out ♪

♪ Now you're stuck like a fly ♪

♪ Between the screen and the glass ♪

♪ Now you're runnin' out of air fast ♪

♪ 'Cause you weren't prepared ♪

♪ And you're scared you're dead last ♪

♪ 'Cause the scorpion was waitin' in your shoe ♪

♪ For the last laugh ♪

♪ What can you do and that's that ♪

♪ Now you're outta life ♪

♪ Gunnar McKell, the art of the strike ♪

Okay, let's say your daddy's in jail.

What do you do?

Do you call him?

Do you write him?

Do you go see him?

What?

Okay, all right, Mom's alone.

She's angry, and she's on your case.

How do you deal with these problems at home?

So class, I was up all night last night.

Doing what to who?

Thinkin' about what you all need.

We want to talk with you guys around.

Tell us what's goin' on.

Okay, you know what, everybody up!

Stand up.

Everybody up.

Mr. Beasley, please hit the lights.

Up, get up.

Come on.

Cody! Up, please.

I want everyone to close their eyes.

Now, we are gonna whisper something in your ear

that you can keep with you all year long.

You are beautiful.

You deserve good things.

You are good.

Nobody and nothing can stand in your way.

You have a kind heart.

You smell like a wet dog.

You're a dog!

- I'm tired of you, dog! - Get off me, man.

Hey, hey, hey.

You're always tryin' to say something,

you know that?

- You got a big mouth! - Come on.

- You need backed it up, homie. - Knock it off.

- Let go, man. - Come on.

Come on.

Look, this ain't your streets, okay?

This is class.

Start acting like you have some.

What is going on here?

Nothing, nothing.

We have it under control.

Get back in the class, now, now!

Sit down, now!

I don't know what this is, but I know this.

You fight like that again, you're gone!

- Now, back in class. - Man, you a fool, Beasley!

- I'm outta here. - Come on, back inside.

- Get off me, man. - Back inside.

- Back inside, come on. - Quit this class.

Forget you, man!

What's the problem here?

The problem is, they're using this thing

as an excuse to cut class.

That's not true.

These kids are trouble, Reg,

and this class is a disruption.

Okay, take it easy.

Everybody retreat to a neutral corner.

Back to your classroom, Mr. Lazar.

Are you sure you know what you're doing?

We will make this work, I promise.

♪ Right, right, that ain't what I heard ♪

♪ Fake them words ♪

♪ Steady stack that roll ♪

Yo, yo.

♪ Where you at ♪

♪ I gotta get mine for sure ♪

♪ When I make that cash ♪

Uh huh.

♪ I'm gonna do my thing ♪

♪ Make that bling ♪

♪ Shake that ♪

♪ Gone back to that old grind ♪

Why you home?

Me, why you home?

Bars closed or something?

Hey, don't smart mouth me, boy.

Stay out of there

Man, I'm hungry.

Besides, you ain't my dad anyway.

Damn right I ain't your daddy.

Your daddy's in prison.

He ain't never gettin' out.

This is my house, my food.

And you keep your grubby hands off it.

Better get up outta my face, man.

Yeah?

What you doin', man?

How about I kill ya, how's that?

Huh?

What you... What you doin'?

Get off me, man.

Say you're sorry!

Get in there, man.

Get in there.

I'll turn the gas off.

Say you're sorry, say it!

Ain't no one gonna hear ya!

I'm sorry, okay?

- Yeah? - Sorry.

Damn right, you're sorry.

You're one sorry mother.

The class isn't working.

I mean, we give out love and respect,

and what do we get back?

Maybe we should go back to parole

and beg for our old jobs.

This has to work!

If it doesn't, I don't know what I'll do.

These kids, Perry, they're, they're everything.

Marilyn, you have to have more

in your life than these kids.

I mean, what do you do for you?

Perry, I'm fine.

I just have a lot

that I'm thinkin' about right now, Perry.

What do you think about?

At night, when you're at home, all by your lonesome?

That little girl.

The one in Settegast whose grandma slapped her?

No, me.

I think about me.

That little girl wasn't the only one who ever got hit.

Ain't that a bitch.

Where's Jamal, did he quit?

Probably.

You never quit on something?

This class isn't about me.

Oh yeah, it is, 'cause you started it.

- Mm-hmm. - Mm-hmm.

So why don't you tell us something about yourself?

That's what I'm talkin' about.

I was a parole officer for many years.

So why'd you quit?

I saw something happened to a child. A baby, really.

I saw this grandmother slap this baby

so hard right in front of me.

So hard.

Did you arrest her?

What happened to the baby?

I don't know.

And I wish that I did, so much.

And I thought, what good am I doing?

Sittin' behind a desk saying, it's the system's problem?

So you quit?

You thought you'd get your peeps younger, huh?

Like us.

No more victims.

You know what it means?

You do it to them before they do it to you.

Go and hurt them first?

That seems wrong.

You don't get it, Mr. Beasley.

All us guys that have been beat on

by our stepfathers, fathers.

Police, teachers.

Hell, everybody.

Why you think we in gangs?

We've been getting hit all our lives.

All of us.

Is there anyone in here

who hasn't been hit like that?

Raise your hand.

Look at us.

I think no more victims means

maybe we all got a raw deal.

But we choose not to accept it.

You choose.

Good word, Sean.

Yeah, but man, it ain't so easy.

Not in my house.

Right, right.

But to choose means being strong.

How do we do it?

The answer is we help each other out.

You all know that there are people

out there who want to keep us down.

But that's why we are all here,

to pick each other up.

Oh, yeah, that's cool.

Hey, Jamal, how you doin'?

Oh, you know what, class is starting soon.

You better get in there,

because we gotta start.

♪ I grew up a young hustler ♪

♪ Chasing dreams out the door 7 a.m. ♪

♪ My baby pleased ♪

Ooh!

Cody?

Sweetheart, come on up here.

What'd I do?

Nothing, just come up here.

I heard her, man.

Today is Cody's birthday.

So I want all of us to sing "Happy Birthday"

to him on three.

One, two, three.

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday, dear Cody ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

Blow out your candles, go ahead.

Come on.

Come on!

Get it, get it, get it.

Yeah!

Yes!

Are you all right?

He never had no birthday cake before.

Right, Cody?

Well, happy birthday, son.

Okay, let's eat cake.

Cake time, come on, everybody.

You, uh, you need someone to wipe your tears, cuz?

Hey, you deserve the first piece.

Happy birthday.

Hey, Lisa, how you doin'?

I'm on my way home.

You want a ride?

Are you all right?

Why don't you mind your own business?

Just get away from me!

Hey, hey, hey, hey, come here.

-Just get away- -What is going on?

My dad is getting out of jail,

and my mom, she doesn't want me to see him.

But he wrote me a letter.

He wants to see me!

Do you want to see him, sweetheart?

Well,

I never met him 'til I was 12.

And he left us on Christmas Eve.

Not once did he ever come by or call.

Or say I love you.

Those lousy words.

Come here.

I love you.

Who did this?

Does anybody have any idea who did this?

Hey, man, don't look at me.

I'm lookin' at you.

Look, I didn't do nothin'.

Liar.

This is your crew's sign on the board.

You wanna be the man.

That position is already filled.

There's a hole in the wall called the door.

Why don't you use it and get your ass out?

This class sucks.

Y'all can go to hell.

Anybody else got a problem?

'Cause you could get out, too.

Hey, if we choose to be here,

then we all need to make this work.

Otherwise, we are still victims.

I promise you that.

People with none of your guts

are succeeding out there every day.

And you know why?

They stick with it.

They have the power to persevere,

and so do you.

Come on, y'all.

Let's clean this mess up.

Yeah.

Let's go to work.

Okay, man, you gonna shed some more tears?

You want to see some tears, cuz?

Anytime.

Hmm?

I told you anytime, I'm...

Where are you supposed to be?

No More Victims.

I'm sorry, I'll get to...

- I'll get to class. - Didn't they meet

first period today?

Oh man, yeah, yeah.

Um, so that means I gotta get to math.

The only place you gotta get now

is Mr. Spivey's office.

Look, man, I ain't goin' nowhere.

I told you, it's a misunderstanding, man.

- Let me go to... - You're a stupid thug, Cody.

And you're about to get suspended.

Yeah, whatever. Now, let's go.

Hey, don't touch me, man.

Come on, man.

Cody brought this upon himself.

That's why we're here.

There is an ironclad rule in this school

that if a student threatens a teacher, he is out.

- Yeah. - We're lucky that it was me

he went after.

Mr. Pettit called him stupid first.

- Does that mean you... - He was going to hit me.

Yeah, after you demeaned him.

Kids like him, they're a cancer

on the student body,

and it needs to be cut out.

That's right.

Just throw him away?

Is that your solution?

Mr. Pettit wasn't wrong, Marilyn.

He dissed Cody in public.

- He knew he would snap. - Cody was wrong.

And I will talk to him about that.

Excuse me, but why would they even listen

to someone like you?

You mean a white person?

Maybe they listen to her

because she has something to say.

Did you ever think about that, Alice?

Ed, this program is making our jobs tougher!

- They skip classes... - I walk by that room

- and they don't even... - all the time,

and I see those kids participating.

Oh.

Participating in what?

In games, what, what are they doing?

Look.

We meet once a day, and that period rotates,

so they don't miss the same class every day.

Now, they're supposed to make up the schoolwork.

- "Supposed" is right. - And we're on 'em about that.

-But- -But what?

Is this program helping these students graduate?

- How do we even evaluate it? - It's a good point.

Are they passing their courses?

This is the bottom line.

Oh, they'll all pass, Alice.

Really?

Can you guarantee that?

Will all your seniors graduate this May?

Damn right they will.

That's the best I've heard in a long time.

I am sorry for what Cody did.

And we are gonna talk to him about that.

But you... you guys need to give us a chance.

A chance.

Look, why should we even go along with this at all?

Because, Mr. Lazar, if these kids don't make it,

they are gonna be your next carjackers,

drug addicts, thieves and murderers.

And because you promised us a year, Mr. Spivey.

A promise is a promise, Reg.

No More Victim stays.

I am not pulling the plug just yet.

And as for Cody,

he gets suspended for three days, starting tomorrow.

That's all.

Thank you very much.

Marilyn.

As for your graduating seniors.

Yeah?

A promise is a promise.

♪ You better jump on that ♪

♪ With the foot roll ahead ♪

♪ Sayin' you scared ♪

♪ Up in the club, side show ♪

♪ You get you step on up in the club ♪

♪ Crash on, get you step on ♪

Was it worth it?

Would've felt better if I hit him.

I want you to do something for me, Cody.

I want you to promise me

that you are gonna work hard and graduate.

Screw you.

I need you to do this for me.

What makes you think I care about what you need?

I'm gonna fight for you, Cody,

whether you like it or not.

That's why I stood up to the faculty for you.

- So what? - So when has anyone

ever stood up for you in your entire life?

I put this whole program on the line for you!

What, are you just gonna quit on me?

I'm going to get outta here, man.

And drop out of school,

start selling drugs, get busted?

That's your daddy's life, Cody.

That ain't yours.

Yeah, I know who your daddy is.

Question is, do you?

Now, you have a choice, son.

You can either end up in jail, like him, or not.

It's on you.

♪ It's a dirty game ♪

♪ Is the pleasure worth the pain ♪

♪ I'm trying to maintain ♪

♪ In this dirty game ♪

♪ Hey, it's a dirty game ♪

♪ It's a dirty game that we play ♪

♪ But this game ain't got no rules ♪

♪ We just make it up as we go ♪

Hey!

♪ We can do whatever we choose ♪

What you lookin' at me for?

Play!

♪ Somebody gotta do something ♪

♪ It's your turn, ♪

♪ It's best to make your move and quick ♪

♪ You got brothers waitin' so see your lights drop ♪

♪ You take too long to take your turn ♪

♪ You see your life stop ♪

♪ 'Cause brother's just as crazy ♪

Hey, Lisa.

It's me, baby. Your daddy.

I... I know who you are.

Well, here I am.

I just got out, and I came to see ya.

She don't wanna see you, Lawrence.

She knows you don't care about her.

Come on, sweetheart.

You know I care about you.

You cared, she'd have got child support.

I ain't had no money!

Mama, please don't fight!

Only thing you care about, Lawrence,

is get high, get your next fix,

go back to prison, abandon your family.

Lisa, baby, say something, now.

I'm your daddy.

You ain't her daddy.

Jail bait, you ain't never been her daddy!

Now, get outta here!

Just go!

Before we start class today,

I want to introduce Annette Hughes.

She and I go way back to the Stone Age.

Marilyn was my parole officer.

Ooh!

And Annette was a heroin addict.

And in the penitentiary.

- Nasty. - Damn.

But, before that, she was a mother.

And what's important is that she has put

her life back together since she's out of prison.

And she is gonna be another resource for you all.

So I want you to welcome her.

All right.

All right.

Thank you.

Now, I worked real hard to get my kids back.

I became a drug counselor.

And now I'm here at Smiley High for you.

- Thank you. - All right?

- Hey. - Yo.

I don't know who been runnin' their damn mouth,

but whatever's talked about in here stays in here.

I can't have people talkin' about me in the damn halls.

Yeah, yeah, Cody's right, man.

We can't be cuttin' classes anymore

and gettin' into trouble.

And we've gotta pick our grades up.

Graduate.

Yeah, man, we need rules or something.

Yeah, like a secret oath or somethin'.

Yeah!

That is a very good idea, Sean.

Okay.

What do we say in our oath?

Look, rule one, whatever is discussed

in here stays in here.

- Yeah. - Okay.

Confidentiality and privacy.

What else?

Come on, what else?

Yeah, and everybody gotta respect this group

and abide by the rules of this group.

Respect, all right?

And we all play by the rules, guys.

Look, and whoever break the rules,

get their ass kicked out.

Okay, so everybody get off your asses

and raise your right hand so we can say this oath.

I.

I.

Lisa Jones.

Promise not to discuss.

Promise not to discuss.

Anything discussed in this group.

Anything discussed in this group.

Outside of this group.

Outside of this group.

And promise to respect everyone in this group.

And I promise to respect everyone in this group.

And abide by the rules of this group.

And abide by the rules of this group.

All right!

So it is Thanksgiving this week.

I wanna come back to class.

Is it okay, Ms. Gambrell?

He knows he messed up.

Valerie, it's not up to me.

You guys have to vote on it.

Okay?

All those in favor of Jamal joining the class again,

raise their hands.

Welcome back to class, son.

Hey, what happened to your face?

Bumped into a door.

Marilyn.

- Hi. - Hi.

Hi, we haven't really, formally, met.

I'm Ed Rivera.

Well, nice to formally meet you, Ed.

I want to thank you

for the support you gave us in that meeting.

Oh, no, not at all.

I've got some of those kids in history.

I see what you're doing.

Well, thanks again.

Hey, would you like to go out with me?

I mean, just thought we could get some dinner or something.

You do eat, don't you?

Um, yeah, I eat, but, uh...

But what?

You know, Ed, I'm dealing with these kids 24/7,

and I just don't see how I could.

But how about I try later?

Huh?

Persevere, like you tell your kids.

How do you know what I tell my kids?

You're not the only teacher they talk to.

Ms. Gambrell?

Valerie's got a problem.

Do you want to talk about it?

Well, if you don't want to, you don't have to.

But, remember, it stays in this room.

Mm hmm. That's right.

It was a week ago.

My step-daddy, Ronald, came into my room.

♪ Dr. L has got your hands clappin' ♪

♪ Break the news that we're killin' it ♪

♪ With no graphic ♪

♪ Break the news ♪

♪ We call the shots like a damn doctor ♪

♪ You never seen somethin' like this ♪

Thought you were doing your homework, girl.

Ugh, I finished.

♪ Then open up your eyelids ♪

♪ Real rap aliases ♪

You got the beat, don't ya?

I'm not exactly Beyoncé.

I'm gonna show you how to do this, now.

See, you gotta do it like this, Val.

You gotta feel the bass.

And, um, somethin' like this.

♪ I keep on movin' with my checklist ♪

♪ I hang around like a necklace ♪

♪ Don't let that slip ♪

I gotta read.

You want the music back on?

I take it down like this, nice and easy.

Where's Mom?

Mom is out.

Don't you worry about Mom.

Will you please stop?

Please stop!

Stop!

No!

Stop.

This is our little secret.

Tell no one.

He raped me,

and I told my mom.

And she didn't believe me.

She slapped my face.

And she's still with him.

- We're gonna smoke his ass. - Kill him.

Hey, hey, no, you're not!

Sit down!

What do you mean sit down?

You didn't hear what she just said?

- Sit down, now! - Yo, look, dog!

Okay, chill.

For one second, use your heads.

- Do the right thing. - You're one of us, man.

- I know, I hear you, man. - What you talkin' about, man?

Listen to me.

Make him pay, but do it legal.

Mr. Beasley is right and so is Jamal.

We're goin' to the police.

The police ain't gonna do nothin'.

The police ain't gonna do a damn thing!

We are gonna make them do something.

We are gonna put this man behind bars.

What if he comes after me?

He's still there in that house.

I'm gonna be with you all the way, honey.

Yeah, we all will.

Let me ask you all something.

How many of you have been victims of rape,

sexual assault or sexual abuse?

Hey, you okay?

Are you sure the police are going to arrest him?

You bet.

And I don't have to face him?

Not in the grand jury.

He won't be there.

And that grand jury will indict his sorry ass.

Chances are, he'll plead guilty,

and you'll never see him.

I don't know if I can do it, Mr. Beasley.

I know it.

When I quit parole,

I was afraid too.

You were?

Yeah, I had my family to support.

But I knew deep inside that you guys are worth the risk.

You have so much courage, Valerie.

And no matter what, I'm gonna be there for you.

Not all men are like your stepfather.

It's okay.

It's okay.

This wreath is pathetic.

We have no Christmas tree,

no ornaments or anything for the kids.

Why even celebrate?

We've got Santa.

This is gonna be the lamest Christmas party in history.

Hey, Sarah's baking cookies.

Yeah, and I'm bringing the soda.

It'll be fine, Marilyn.

The kids aren't expecting much.

Sometimes I think that's the problem.

So you're still here.

Can't get enough of old Smiley High.

How about breakin' open the old petty cash drawer, Reg?

Maybe then we could buy a cake for the party.

We don't have money for textbooks.

And you bug me about a cake.

Listen, I just saw the midterm grade reports.

Valerie's grades are heading south.

Cody and Miguel aren't exactly lighting it up.

Remember our deal.

If these kids don't graduate...

Oh, they will.

All I can say, Marilyn, is May 10th is

a lot closer than you think.

What's May 10th?

Graduation.

That's when we'll meet

with the faculty to decide your future.

So Merry Christmas to all,

and to all a good night.

You have no new messages.

I'm gonna get it right now.

It's nice, right? It's cool.

Hey, check out what I got.

That's a great present.

Say, Ed Rivera called me.

Wanted to know what your story is.

Story?

I don't have a story.

That's what I told him.

He's been asking me out.

And you've been saying no.

Why not?

You haven't been out since forever.

It has not been that long.

I told him you were free Saturday,

and he's making plans.

I'm gonna kill you.

- You're a dead man. - Merry Christmas, ho, ho, ho.

♪ Real hair, real nails ♪

♪ Chickens head, see ♪

♪ Truth be told, body that's cold ♪

♪ Top half rock, bottom half roll ♪

♪ I like it huh ♪

♪ Keep it comin' with a helluva a show ♪

♪ Dancin' like you married with someone you don't know ♪

♪ Do you know where you are tonight ♪

♪ 'Cause, baby, I'm gonna make you a star tonight ♪

♪ Uh uh ♪

♪ What you want me to do with it ♪

♪ Ride it ♪

♪ Turn around and don't let go ♪

♪ What you want me to do with it ♪

♪ Shake it till your knees touch your elbows ♪

I've never seen the kids have this much fun.

♪ Ride it, turn around and don't let go ♪

Where did you get the money

for the tree and the gifts?

Well-

My God, Santa Gambrell.

That's your tree?

Yo, Soul Train line.

Let's get together, man.

- Come on. - Yeah, Soul Train line.

Go, Val.

Go Val, go Val, go Val,

go Val, go Val, go Val.

Go Jamal, go Jamal, go Jamal,

go Jamal, go Jamal, go Jamal.

Go Lisa, go Lisa, go Lisa,

go Lisa, go Lisa, go Lisa, go Lisa,

go Lisa, go Lisa, go Lisa, go Lisa.

Go Cody, go Cody, go Cody,

go Cody, go Cody, go Cody, go Cody

go Cody, go Cody, go Cody.

- Mr. Beasley! - Mr. Beasley.

- Right here. - Come on, Mr. Beasley.

No, no.

We gotta get you. Come on, Mr. Beasley.

- Come on, Mr. Beasley. - Come on.

Lemme show you how to do it old school style.

Go Beasley, go Beasley, go Beasley,

go Beasley, go Beasley, go Beasley,

go Beasley, go Beasley, go Beasley, go Beasley,

- Go Beasley Come on, Ms. Hughes!

- Ms. Hughes. - Ms. Hughes.

Let me hear it, come on, come on.

Ms. Hughes, Ms. Hughes,

Ms. Hughes, Ms. Hughes, Ms. Hughes,

-Ms. Hughes, Ms. Hughes, -Come on, Ms. Gambrell.

- Ms. Gambrell! - No, no, no!

You have do join in. Come on, Ms. Gambrell.

Come on, come on, come on, come on.

Gambrell, Gambrell,

Gambrell, Gambrell, Gambrell, Gambrell,

Gambrell, Gambrell, Gambrell, Gambrell,

-Gambrell, Gambrell, -Let's go.

When I say no more, you say victims.

- No more. - Victims.

- No more. - Victims.

- No more. - Victims.

- No more. - Victims.

I say no more, you say victims.

- No more. - Victims.

- No more. - Victims.

When I say no more, you say victims.

- No more. - Victims.

- No more. - Victims.

You see this?

- Did you see this? - I see that.

I've made the crossover.

Now, I'm no longer handsome.

I'm sexy, see?

Sexy is what this is.

No, this is sexy right here.

- Yeah, that's sexy. - You know what I'm sayin'?

- Yeah, that's sexy. - That's hilarious.

Um, my dad called,

and he really wants to see me, Ms. Gambrell.

Will it be okay?

That's up to you.

But if you want, I'll go with you.

No, I'll be okay.

Merry Christmas.

♪ It's early, and the party's just begun ♪

♪ Me and my girls tryin' to have some fun ♪

♪ Might be stayin' till the break of dawn ♪

♪ Everybody, I say come on get up off the wall ♪

Hey, Dad.

Hey, baby girl.

I'm glad to see you.

♪ Move to the dance floor ♪

Mm.

I haven't had one of these in a long time.

Yeah, they're really good.

Mm.

I made this in the prison shop.

It's for you.

Oh.

Daddy, it's beautiful.

Thank you.

Eat up, honey.

Just wait here, honey.

Hey, you like that, man?

That's what I'm talkin' about.

What's goin' on?

Yo, come here, girl.

What are you talkin' about?

Go ask your daddy.

I just got out, baby.

Daddy needs a fix, that's all.

Chill, he made me a deal.

Come on, you're mine for an hour.

Let's go party.

No, get off of me!

Let me go!

Ooh!

I hate you!

No!

I hate you!

I never want to see you again!

Hello?

Oh my God.

Where are you?

I'll be right there.

My God, Lisa.

What happened?

I was so excited to see him.

And he seemed so happy to see me,

but I'm so dumb, Ms. Gambrell.

He wanted to sell me for drugs.

I am so sorry, sweetheart.

You are not dumb.

And you did not do anything wrong.

You are gonna get past this.

I'm right here.

God, I wish I was dead.

No, no, don't you talk like that.

Lisa, you have so much to live for.

Like what?

College, career, family.

Your future is so bright.

I need sunglasses just to think about it.

You really believe that?

Oh, with all my heart.

I want you to believe it too.

No more talk about killing yourself.

And no more cutting yourself.

You're gonna be all right.

It's gonna be okay.

Would you like to order now, sir?

Uh, you know, I was waiting for someone.

But I'll just grab the bill for the wine, please.

Okay.

Hello.

I'm so sorry, Ed,

but something came up.

One of the girl's dad's just got out of jail,

and, um, he tried to sell her for drugs.

He tried to sell her?

And she really needed me,

so I'll see you around school.

I'm sorry.

Let's get you home.

Okay, how many of you guys have been studying

hard, keeping your grades up?

Great.

Where do you see yourselves five years from now?

College.

A doctor.

A mom.

The army.

An artist.

What are you doing?

What are you, cuttin' throats and shootin'?

Come on up here.

I want you to talk.

Now.

What are you doing?

Killing people.

All I can see myself doing.

Why do you want to kill people?

Because our boy's full of hate.

I don't like people.

You need to get a dog with your crazy ass.

Cody, stop!

Where does this come from?

I don't know, my dad.

What did he do to you?

Nothin'.

Got himself locked up forever.

Wasn't around to protect me.

Tell her how your mom lets your stepfather

put your head in the oven and beats you and stuff.

You gotta tell her.

Did what?

What the hell's that all about?

Who knows?

You know, when you be nice to people,

they think you're weak.

You're nice to me, J.

You help me when I got a problem.

That's not weak.

Did people pick on you when you were little?

Or beat the crap out of me?

And now you feel like you don't fit in, right?

Well, that happens to everybody.

Even me, Miss Gambrell, Miss Hughes.

Well, now I'll be the one doing the hittin'.

I know, deep in your heart,

you're not a violent person.

You are not a killer.

Mr. Beasley's right, Jamal.

That's why you came to class after you quit.

This child is so filled with wisdom

and love and the ability to communicate.

Do you remember when Valerie came in

and told her story,

and you all want to go get her stepfather?

Who was the one who told you you needed

to do it the right way?

Jamal.

You are so awesome.

And even though he doesn't fit in through all that pain,

it's cool with me.

I never fit in either.

All that stuff goin' on out there,

I'd rather be my own island.

And I know what it's like

to have a daddy hit me,

like Jamal.

And that is why we are gonna get behind him,

and we are gonna love him and hold him up,

because I guarantee you,

love will conquer hate every day of the week.

So if you could do anything in this world

you wanted to do, Jamal, what would you do?

Talk to my stupid father.

Come here, my friend.

It's okay, baby.

Why am I here?

Mr. Carson, you're here

because this boy is your flesh and blood,

and he has something wants to say to you.

I ain't got nothin' to say to him.

Sit your ass in that chair, and you listen.

You're in love with that crack pipe, ain't you?

You killed somebody to get money for drugs, right?

Didn't you?

They took you away when Jamal was five years old,

and you haven't gotten out yet.

Now, that's the truth.

- Tell him. - Yeah, so what?

So talk to your boy.

I ain't got nothin' to say.

Well, I do.

You know, after they took you away,

Mom got busted too.

For three years, I get bounced around

from one white foster home to another,

getting my ass beat and whupped every damn day!

You know, no one taught me how to fight back!

I didn't have no father.

And when Mom finally gets me back,

oh, she has somebody new.

Oh, but Stepdad is worse than any foster home can ever be!

You know, I tried to kill myself

with pills when I was 12!

I was 12 years old.

And he tried to kill me too, many times!

You know, the only thing

in life I thought I could do

was kill people or be killed.

Somebody made me like this.

Somebody hurt me like this.

And it was you.

You got a lotta makin' up to do.

Guard.

It took a lot of guts for Jamal to come here today.

I only hope you have as much.

Maybe someday you'll talk to your boy, huh?

Think he heard me?

I do.

Ms. Gambrell, I'm glad I came.

♪ P-R-I-D-E, that's the key ♪

♪ P-R-I-D-E ♪

♪ Gotta have pride ♪

You go over everything

until you understand it,

- Okay? - Okay.

If you have any questions,

now is the time to ask, all right?

See what happens?

We study, we get it done.

Remember, all the terms are explained

in the back of the book, right here.

Make sure you understand this.

I'll be right back.

Okay.

♪ Are you goin' to see ♪

♪ To earn the respect ♪

-Owen. ♪ That you want from me ♪

♪ It's the feelin' of the power ♪

♪ In pride and salvation ♪

♪ When you're doin' right ♪

Hey, Darnell.

Something wrong?

My girlfriend's at Mercy Hospital.

She's pregnant.

And she tried to kill herself, right?

Don't surprise me none.

Not if you're the daddy.

Cody, move on now.

Over there.

Get back to work.

I'll see you around, man.

Now!

Darnell, they have really good doctors at Mercy Hospital.

I'm sure your baby's gonna be just fine.

Think so?

I do.

And if you need anything,

I mean, you know, diapers,

a ride to the doctor, anything.

You give me a call, okay?

Here's my cell phone number.

You call me anytime.

I'll pay you back for the groceries, Ms. G.

Um, I don't know where my mom is, and we're hungry.

And I just found there's going to be a trial.

And I have to testify.

I'm sorry, honey.

Ronald's gonna kill me.

You know?

And if he doesn't, my mom will,

'cause she hates me.

And she thinks I'm lying, so.

And she still loves him.

Oh.

Hey Jamal, could we come in?

Uh, yeah.

It's our professional model.

Hey, Ma, some teachers

from Smiley are here to see you.

Jamal do something wrong?

Not at all.

Jamal's a wonderful young man.

Is Jamal's stepfather here?

Yeah.

Frank?

Frank?

Some people from school are here.

How you doin', Frank?

I'm Marilyn Gambrell.

This is Perry Beasley.

You don't care how I'm doing.

Why are y'all here?

We need to talk to you about Jamal.

We love Jamal, a lot.

Anything happens to him,

I mean the slightest thing,

one hair gets touched on his head again,

and I will personally make your life a living hell!

What do you mean?

You touch another child again,

and you will see.

You got that?

She's serious, brother.

And I'm very serious.

Consider yourself warned.

You want to bring teenage students

in here to meet with the prisoners?

You got the parents, I got the kids.

Let's bring 'em in

and let 'em tell the prisoners how they're feelin'.

I appreciate your creativity,

but these prisoners are pretty hard guys.

And these kids aren't?

They have been raped, abandoned, beaten.

They haven't been arrested and sent to prison.

Not yet, and that's the point.

I wanna to get to 'em

before that even happens, all of 'em.

These fathers need to hear what these kids have to say.

And the kids want to do this?

Oh, the truth is I don't know

if they'll freak out or not.

But I saw what happened in there

with Jamal and his dad,

and that's a good thing, right?

We're gonna be pioneers, Warden.

You'll be Lewis, and I'll be Clark.

And this may be the first prison

in this country to do something like that.

Think of how good you're gonna look.

We're the group from Smiley High School.

How y'all doing?

My name's Marilyn Gambrell,

and I'm gonna ask you a few questions.

How many of y'all have children?

Well, I'm gonna ask you to say the names

of your children and their birthdays out loud all at once.

Go.

Um, June 3rd?

Some of you don't even know

your own children's birthdays, do you?

Look at these two beautiful children.

This is Cody.

And this is Lisa.

Yeah, take a long look at 'em.

Check 'em out.

Because, like it or not, these are your kids.

See, these kids have a daddy in prison.

So who do you think's raising 'em?

Grandma.

And she's real mean.

Or a step-daddy.

Ooh, he's worse.

How many of y'all have another man

taking care of your kids?

Don't play me, raise your hands.

Come on.

Do you think he's protecting her,

or do you think he's beating her and raping her?

You know what, Lisa, you go first.

Come on up here.

Talk to these gentlemen.

Say what you want to say.

My name is Lisa Jones,

and I'm a 12th grader.

And I'm gonna graduate this year,

and I plan on going to college.

And you, y'all are a bunch of liars.

You break promises,

and your plan is wasting the rest of your lives.

You don't know me.

I'm not your daddy.

Yeah, but you're somebody's daddy.

And I've been there for my kids.

Oh yeah, I could tell,

sittin' here on your orange jumpsuit,

livin' behind bars.

Yeah, you're totally there.

How many of y'all had parents who were incarcerated?

Then why put your kids

through the same stuff that hurt you?

I didn't.

I think that's ignorant.

I really do.

In fact, I think y'all all are ignorant.

And I'm telling you that to your face,

because I'm not one to bite my tongue.

I've been hit and beaten and abused,

and the only time my daddy was there for me

is when he tried to sell me for drugs.

He missed every birthday and every holiday.

And I cut myself, just so I could feel.

I cried myself to sleep every night of my life.

Nobody deserves to cry like I did, not even a dog.

Then I joined No More Victims.

And, although it wasn't easy,

I realized I deserve all the love that I can get.

And I found other kids there like me,

your kids, maybe.

And I started to think

that maybe I can make something in my life.

And that I am.

That I've been in the rain

for so long that I'm gettin' ready for the sunshine.

I'd like to tell y'all who my daddy is,

but when he got sent up to prison,

I realized that he was just a sperm donor.

Had a mother though.

She took care of me and my sisters

until one day she got herself involved

with one of those gangster, violent type,

kind of like y'all.

One night he comes home screaming

for his dinner, and she gives it to him,

only it's cold.

So he spit it in her face,

and she's yelling at him.

And then he hit her,

and he choked her,

and he choked her until she shut up.

He killed her.

And where was I?

I'm out on the street, ripping and running.

Trying to be a bad-ass like y'all.

And I wasn't there to protect her.

And I hate myself for that.

If I was there, I'd of killed his ass.

And I'd be in here with you.

But, instead, I found No More Victims,

or maybe No More Victims found me.

Maybe I'm the lucky one, right?

And now, a fool like me, I got a chance at life.

Look, I get out next week.

Now, I ain't seen my daughter in three years.

What do I do?

Let's role play it.

You knock on the door.

Lisa'll pretend to be your daughter.

How old is she?

16.

Huh, 16, and I hate his ass.

The hell are you doing here?

Does mama know?

I told her I was comin.

You didn't tell me!

Lookit now, I've been gone a long time-

You've been gone forever!

Listen to me.

No, get out.

Why don't you go?

I hate you!

- Why don't you just get out! - You can't talk

to me like that. I'm still your father, damn it.

Bull, I would know my father.

But I don't know you!

I never had birthday cake with you!

I never had turkey with you!

We never went to the zoo!

Did you ever walk me to school?

No!

You didn't do nothing!

Look, I want to start over.

It's too damn late!

Now, this child is on fire,

and what did he do?

He poured gasoline all over.

What should he have said?

Mr. Beasley.

- Hi. - I hate you!

Just get outta here!

Why don't you just go?

You're allowed to hate me.

I deserve it.

But I'm gonna love you and love you.

Just, just go!

You're a fool, man!

I'm gonna write you a letter, Lisa.

And I hope you read it.

And then I'm gonna be back,

because I want to be in your life.

I do.

Now, what did he do right?

He said her feelings were cool.

He gave her time.

Showed her some love.

Exactly.

See, these kids need to learn to trust you all over again.

I just want to say that I'm sorry to these children,

like Cody here.

Don't apologize to me, man.

When you get out, you take care of your kids.

The people call Valerie Levens.

Valerie, where were you on the night of November 11th?

I was home.

And what, if anything, happened that night?

Valerie, please tell us what happened that night.

Try again.

Uh, Valerie, you need to focus.

Now, what happened on the night of November 11th?

Judge, if she can't testify,

get her off the stand.

And I'll move to dismiss the case.

Sit down, please.

I'm going to give this witness a chance.

Please tell us what the defendant did.

You have to answer the question.

He...

He, uh...

Well, I think this is a good time for our lunch break.

One hour.

Either you answer the questions put to you,

or I'm declaring a mistrial

and dismissing the defendant.

It's your choice.

Mama.

Mom!

Hey.

Hey!

Why are you doing this to your daughter?

Ronald's my man.

I've been with him a lotta years.

I need him.

For what?

To pay the rent?

Is that what Valerie's worth to you?

Watch your mouth.

If that girl lies on Ronald,

she's got a wish she was dead,

and you will, too.

Ms. Gambrell, you need some help?

You need to back up, man.

And why you wanna do that?

Because if anything happens to Ms. Gambrell

or Valerie, same thing needs to happen to us, and quick.

Because if we're still breathin',

you're gonna be dead.

Well, sweetheart, this is your moment.

You know we're all pretty much scared all the time.

There's no shame in it.

You, too?

Oh, my God, scared to death.

But sometimes, you just have to dig deep

and find the courage.

Because if you don't do this,

that bastard'll get away with it,

and you are the only one who can stop him.

Do you remember our class?

What's the name of it?

No More Victims.

You're no longer a victim, Valerie.

You are a survivor.

Could you talk about it if you were me?

Could you?

Could you stand up in front

of the whole world and say, "I was raped."

And tell everyone what he did?

I don't know.

Oh, Valerie, if you believed in me

the way I believe in you,

then maybe I could.

Now Valerie, what happened on the night of November 11th?

Valerie, can you answer the question?

Your honor, this witness is not going

to identify my client.

I moved to dismiss all charges.

Young lady, it's up to you.

I was in my bedroom, kind of dancing.

And he came in.

Who came in?

That man there, Ronald Larson.

He pinned me back on the bed,

and he entered me.

I tried to scream.

I said no!

He raped me.

That's right, Mama.

I don't care what you do to me.

He did it.

Who has something to share?

Yeah, I'd like to share.

What's so hard about coming up with a verdict?

Yeah, how come they don't call?

'Cause they haven't decided.

In my case, it was only minutes,

but you never know.

So is there anybody who has something to share?

Anything?

Mr. Beasley, I have something I want to share.

Something I've been holding in for a long time.

When we were in court,

Valerie asked me if it were me

could I stand up in front of the entire world

and say that I was raped?

And I told her that I didn't know.

But the truth is, I couldn't.

Till now.

Three years ago, on my way home from work,

a man grabbed me from behind,

and he told me if I screamed that he would kill me.

He had a knife,

and he stuck it in my face.

This animal made me feel like dirt.

He raped me repeatedly,

and I buried it deep inside me.

And afterwards, I felt ugly

and unattractive, and I just wanted to die.

But it made me do something else.

It made me look inside myself

and think and ask myself the reason I was put on this earth.

It's us.

We're the reason.

See?

I was hoping that you all would open up to me,

but you all have made me feel so loved

and supported, that I ended up opening up to you all.

So I want to thank you for giving me courage, you know?

Because I'm no longer a victim.

I'm a survivor.

Hold on, hold on!

They have a verdict.

Guilty!!

Guilty, guilty, guilty!

Guilty, guilty, guilty!

Ronald's goin' away 10 years, hard time.

I told you.

Hey, hey.

Hey.

You nervous?

Why should I be?

I'm not taking exams today.

Did you forget about that little guarantee

we made to Reggie?

What do you mean we?

We guaranteed that all our seniors would graduate.

Oh, that guarantee.

You have 60 minutes to finish this exam.

Go.

♪ We gonna play the game ♪

♪ We gonna do our thing ♪

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ Yeah, Chico ♪

♪ We gonna change the game ♪

♪ We gonna change the game ♪

♪ We gonna do our thing ♪

♪ We gonna change the game ♪

♪ We gonna change the game ♪

♪ We gonna change the game ♪

♪ We gonna do our thing ♪

So which part was the hardest?

The math, but the verbal was not bad.

Oh, good.

It was multiple choice, so-

So you feel good?

Hey, Darnell, you could say excuse me.

Well that's 'cause I don't show-

You ready, fool?

Anytime.

Come on.

I told you, anytime, man.

What's up?

Man, I don't know what his problem is.

I heard his baby's in the hospital, real sick.

Ms. Gambrell?

What?

You gotta come quick.

Keep talkin', what's up?

I'mma keep talkin'.

What's up?

- I'm finished talkin'. - What's up?

You think I care you got a gun?

Shoot, shoot, shoot!

- Cody, calm down. - Shoot.

- Hell, no! - Please, Darnell!

- Man, I'll shoot her and you. - Let her go.

- Let her go. - Darnell, you do not

- want to do this. - Let her go.

- You here to play, man? - Let her go!

- Back up! - Let her go!

Let her go!

- Darnell! - Come on, man!

Let me help you!

Bitch, shut up!

- I don't need no damn help. - Let her go!

Darnell, you're gonna end up in jail like your daddy.

Think about your baby, okay?

Think about your baby.

- Think about me. - Cody!

Remember when we talked about your baby,

and I said that I would help you.

- I will. - Let her go.

I will, okay.

But you gotta be responsible.

Okay, you're a daddy now.

You want your son to have more than you had, right?

All you want is some help and some love.

You thought you were gonna find it in a gang,

but you didn't.

I promise you, you will not find it in prison.

Okay?

I will help you.

Let me help.

Please.

You better mean it.

I promise.

I promise.

Now, give me the gun, son.

Cody, no!

- Come on, man. - No!

- What, me? - No!

Come on, damn!

Move!

- You cuttin' class again? - Not today, man.

Get off my case, man.

- Let's go. - Let me go!

You are a loser, Cody.

You're gonna end up in jail like your daddy

or dead like your mother.

Cody.

Don't you ever talk about my mother.

- Cody! - Look at me, ever.

- Cody, what happened? - Ever, do you hear me?

- Cody! - You are through!

Ever!

All of you.

We were going to evaluate our participation

with No More Victims after graduation,

but this expulsion of Cody Williams

has hastened the process.

Mr. Lazar.

Our mission here is academic.

So why do we have a program that has no real academic value

and allows children to run wild,

missing real classes day after day?

These students need special handling.

Is that what Cody Williams got?

Cody made a serious mistake,

and he's paying the price for it.

But let's not forget, this boy's attendance was up,

his grades were up,

and he's fighting to overcome habits-

Yeah, he was fighting all right.

Look, I have students from that class

who are doing a hell of a lot better now

than they were before.

And I think they deserve credit for that.

What about blame for problem students

who use No More Victims as an excuse to cut class?

And violent students attacking-

Enough.

Cody's expelled.

He's not the issue anymore.

I want to know what your proposal is.

You gave 'em a year.

It's over.

Let's cut our losses and end this.

Before we make any decisions,

someone else has asked to speak.

Come on.

I've been chosen to represent the students.

And there's one thing I want to say.

And it's not that I expect to graduate,

and it's not that I'm going to college.

And Valerie is and Jamal and maybe Miguel too.

And all our grades are up,

and that there's less violence in the school.

That's more than one thing.

Yeah, that's this rhetorical trick I've been practicing.

I've had Lisa in class.

She's a bright and personable student

who would do well with or without No More Victims.

You don't know me, Mr. Lazar.

And when you see me,

I'm wearing a mask.

And the only place I get to take it off

and be myself is with No More Victims.

It's like you're muggin' on the outside,

but, really, you're dyin' on the inside.

Ms. Gambrell, she saw that.

The one thing I wanted to say

is that since I've been with No More Victims,

I've done things that I never thought I could do.

I met my own daddy and faced my worst fears.

And I survived.

I went into a prison and told inmates what was what.

And I survived.

And I spoke to my mother like I never have before.

And I'm so much better for that.

We're all gonna make something of our lives.

You should give other kids that chance too.

Thank you.

As you know, I have been skeptical

of Miss Gambrell and this program,

but I've seen these students grow this year,

and it's been good.

But that's not what I wish to share.

I have a father who's been in prison my whole life.

And although I survived relatively well,

my brothers did not.

And maybe if there had been a program

like No More Victims for them,

maybe their lives would have turned out differently.

Miss Gambrell, I would like to hear what it is

that you have to say.

Everyone said that these kids were hopeless.

But I knew, we knew, that there was hope.

And these kids proved it right here at Smiley High.

Some of 'em have been raped,

beaten, threatened with death,

abandoned on the street.

All of 'em have had a parent in prison,

parents dead, siblings murdered,

and still they survive.

See, for them, it's hell in the family.

That's where our pain is.

We all talk about the violence on the street,

but the monster did not come

from the street into the home.

The monster came from the home onto the street.

And these kids come to school every day,

and they fight that monster.

All they want is to be loved

and live life to the fullest.

That's their dream.

That's what we all want.

Here are their grades.

All the seniors are passing, some on honor roll.

But that's not enough.

Hmm?

You want us out, we are gone.

But when we walk out of the doors of Smiley High School,

we are gonna have our dreams with us.

And you know what?

I know they're gonna come true, kids.

I know.

Oh, I thought you don't do hugs.

Did anyone ever tell you you are a pain in the butt?

Oh, not once, never heard it.

I'll see you next year.

Oh!

♪ You can do anything ♪

♪ You can do ♪

Whoa!

Yo, is this for us?

We got Dimensions by Dan to donate the limo

for you graduates on your big day!

You guys earned it.

You deserve it.

Remember that conversation we had back in parole?

Well, things can get better.

Things can change.

This ain't real.

Ah, ah, ah, seniors only.

The rest of you wait till next year.

You guys goin' downtown?

We goin' to the hood, yeah. We goin' to the hood.

That's where we goin'.

You goin' with us.

- Ah! - Come on, Ms. Gambrell.

♪ You are different for a reason ♪

- What up, Bobby? - No More Victims right here.

What up, Bobby?

Congratulations, man.

Congratulations.

♪ Just keep marching on ♪

♪ Don't give up ♪

♪ Don't give up ♪

Are you Destiny's Child?

Are you Beyoncé?

Hell no.

We're from Smiley High,

and you could ride in one of these, too

if you graduate.

♪ You can do anything ♪

Yo, Cody, Cody, come on, man.

This is y'all?

This is it.

Ah.

Man, I wish I was with y'all.

You still can, baby.

Come on, let's go.

No.

I, um...

I'm sorry, Ms. Gambrell.

I know, Cody.

Next year, huh?

Next year.

Proud of you, boy.

Thanks, man.

You look ridiculous.

Yeah, I know.

Take care, though.

I'll be seein' y'all, man.

Yo, stop the car.

Settegast projects.

I used to live in this hole.

Let me soak it up again.

We did it, baby.

We graduated! Smiley High School.

- We did it. - Yo, Pee Wee.

Check this out, man.

Yo, pass the rock, dog.

You know this place, Ms. Gambrell?

Yeah, I know it.

Hey, we did something, didn't we?

Yes, we did.

And it started right here.

♪ Anything that you wanted, you can do it ♪

♪ All you gotta do is just put your mind to it ♪

Ms. Gambrell, it's just beginning.

♪ To see a whole see of possibilities ♪

♪ Hold onto your dreams ♪

♪ Reach for the stars ♪

There it is.

There it is.

There it is.

♪ You gotta believe your future's so bright ♪

♪ Oh, don't you worry ♪

♪ Tomorrow's a new day ♪

♪ You can make it if you try ♪

♪ Any goal you want to reach ♪

♪ You can achieve it ♪

♪ All you got to do is dream it ♪

♪ And to believe it ♪

♪ Visualize it in your mind and freeze it ♪

♪ Every opportunity you got to seize it ♪

♪ Gimme that ♪

♪ Work hard, give it all you got ♪

♪ And watch, one day you'll be sitting at the top ♪