American History X

Shit.

Derek.

Derek.

Derek.

- Fucking pervert, Dan. - Jesus, what the fuck are you thinking?

There's a black guy outside. He's breaking into your car.

- How long's he been there? - I don't know.

- What's going on? - Not right now, honey. How many?

- Danny, how many? - One, I think.

- Is he strapped? - Huh?

- Does he have a fucking gun, Danny? - Man, I don't fucking know.

Wait a second. What the fuck is going on, Derek?

- Stay right here and be quiet. - Jesus.

- Stay right here. - Wait a second, Derek. Wait.

Derek.

Shh, shh, shh.

They're right here.

I don't have a personal problem with him, okay?

Don't insult my intelligence, Murray.

You hate this child and I think I know why.

I went out with his mother a few times.

That was three years ago. It was nothing.

Nothing. Really? Hmm.

That paper, Bob, it's a travesty.

Arguing for Hitler as a civil-rights hero?

You've gotta draw the line.

Murray, you actually did this to yourself.

You told them they could do a report on any book...

...that related to the struggle for civil rights. In plain English.

I am not disputing the fact that the child is confused and harbors some sick ideas...

...but I am not ready to give up on him yet.

His brother probably put him up to it.

I can guarantee you 100 percent his brother did not put him up to this.

I find that hard to believe. Whatever.

I know he was a good kid and it's a shame what he's been through...

- ...but that is dangerous. - Dangerous in what way?

Bob, that goes too far.

This racist propaganda, this Mein Kampf psychobabble?

He learned this nonsense, Murray, and he can unlearn it too.

I will not give up on this child yet.

- I knew it was you. - Danny, get in here.

I said, get in here. Get in here!

Five, four, three...

...two... Shut the door.

What's it gonna be, Danny?

What's what gonna be?

This petty crap you're pulling.

I don't know.

Have a seat.

How you doing?

Fine.

Things at home okay?

Yeah.

Derek got out this morning, did he not?

Yeah, he did.

He was one of my students. You knew that, right?

Honors English. He was a brilliant student.

Like you. But he hung out with simple-minded fools.

- Heh-heh-heh. - Also like you.

Look, did you bring me in here to talk about Derek?

Because what happened to him has nothing to do with me.

Everything you do right now has something to do with Derek.

Look, I followed directions and I wrote an A paper.

"Mein Kampf"?

- I should expel you. - Go ahead.

- You don't think I could handle it? - No, I think the street would kill you.

Your rhetoric and your propaganda aren't gonna save you out there.

So here's the drill.

I'm your history teacher from now on.

We will discuss current events.

We will call this class...

...American History X.

We meet once a day.

All right, your first assignment is to prepare for me a new paper due tomorrow.

Oh, come on. It took me a week to read Mein Kampf. That isn't fair.

- What do you want me to do it on? - Your brother.

Oh, God, man. Please tell me you're joking.

No, no, no. I'm not kidding.

I want you to analyze and interpret all the events surrounding Derek's incarceration.

How these events helped shape your present perspective...

...concerning life in contemporary America.

The impact on your life.

Your family's.

Whatever you wanna say, Danny...

...I'll be the only one reading it.

But if it's not on my desk...

...tomorrow morning...

...you are a ghost at Venice Beach High.

Are you clear?

Yeah, I'm clear.

Telling teacher I'm fucking cheating?

Is that what's happening?

- I never cheated in my life. - Beat his motherfucking ass, Henry.

- I didn't say anything. - Why you tripping on me?

Why you all kicking him like that?

What's up, man?

What you scared for? I ain't gonna do nothing.

What's up?

Want some too, bitch? Punk. What's wrong with you?

You wanna die?

Punk-ass white boy.

You lucky I gotta go to class. He ain't gonna do nothing.

He don't wanna see me and the heater.

Lucky the bell rung. I would have clocked that white boy.

Punk-ass motherfucker.

We'd smoke that fool.

You gotta fucking stand up for yourself.

We got a whole file on skinheads.

- These all part of the same gang? - Venice Beach Gang.

- Where's my buddy? - He's doing a stretch at YA.

- This guy C.C.? - Mm-hm.

- That him? - Yeah, that's him right there.

This morning we have a guest coming in, and there he is.

- Morning. - Morning, sir.

- Good to see you, pal. - Morning.

Gentlemen, this here is Dr. Bob Sweeney.

He's principal over at Venice Beach High.

He's been doing outreach work with gangs, both in and out of the can.

Three years ago, a local kid named Derek Vinyard...

...was sent up for murdering two Crips who were trying to jack his car.

Bob taught Vinyard back in high school and he's followed the case closely.

He was a skinhead, right?

He was more like the skinhead. The protégé of Cameron Alexander.

- Who? - Cameron Alexander.

Here you go. Have a look-see.

Cameron Alexander, well...

...he's a Venice Beach landmark.

He's probably the biggest distributor of white-power literature and videos...

...in L.A. County.

He promotes white-power bands. He writes reviews.

And, uh, in his spare time this guy even writes hate columns.

Does he have a record?

He's pretty clean.

Been trying to pin something to him, but it doesn't work.

Trust me. He's behind all of it.

He runs everything out of his house down by the beach.

No white gangs in Venice Beach...

...before Cameron Alexander and Derek Vinyard hooked up.

Alexander found in Derek his shining prince.

Essentially, he used Derek to recruit a slew of insecure...

...frustrated and impressionable kids.

This kid Vinyard, well, he's got a lot of baggage...

...as you'll see in this tape that we've gotten courtesy of NBC.

L.A. County firefighter Dennis Vinyard...

...was shot and killed battling a blaze at a suspected Compton drug den.

We're at the Vinyard home right now...

...and Lieutenant Vinyard's oldest son, Derek, has agreed to talk with us.

Derek, if you could come down here, please, for just a second.

Look, I know this is tough, but, um, how do you feel right now?

How do you think I feel?

-I think it's typical. - Typical, how?

This country's becoming a haven for criminals, so, what do you expect?

Decent, hardworking Americans like my dad...

...are getting rubbed out by social parasites.

Parasites?

Blacks, browns, yellow, whatever.

I don't understand.

You're saying your father's murder was race-related?

Yeah, it's race-related.

Every problem in this country is race-related, not just crime.

Immigration, AIDS, welfare. Those are problems of the black community...

...the Hispanic community, Asian community. Not white problems.

Aren't those issues that deal more with poverty?

No. They're not products of their environments, either. That's crap.

Minorities don't give two shits about this country.

They come here to exploit it, not to embrace it.

Millions of white European-Americans came here and flourished.

Within a generation. What the fuck is the matter with these people?

They have to go around shooting at firemen.

-What does this have to do with your father? - My father was murdered doing his job.

Putting out a fire in a nigger neighborhood...

...he shouldn't have given a shit about.

He got shot by a fucking drug dealer who probably collects a welfare check.

-That's enough. - I'm sorry.

Derek Vinyard was released from Chino earlier this morning...

...after serving three and some-odd years.

I think this is something we gotta keep an eye on.

If something happens to him...

...things could get very ugly down by the beach.

Just keep it low.

Venice Beach didn't always look like this.

It used to be a great neighborhood.

The boardwalk's always been a dump...

...but when my dad moved us out here...

...Venice was a nice, quiet place to grow up.

Over the years, though, it's just gone to hell.

The gangs are like a plague.

They moved west from Inglewood and South Central...

...and basically took over.

It ain't fouling you. What's wrong with you?

Fuck all y'all.

I ain't got time for all the bullshit.

Fuck y'all.

- You all right? - I'm all right.

Yo, is that that fool you was telling me about?

Yeah, that's that motherfucker.

Yeah, man, that's him.

Bitch-ass motherfucker.

That's why Derek started the D.O.C.

He said white kids shouldn't have to walk around scared in their own neighborhood.