Coming For The King

As you all gather under the sound of my voice today,

I'm here to tell you that one day, tomorrow will start without me.

I'm also here to tell you that as long as the good Lord blesses me

with the air in my lungs,

I will continuously spread his mighty word.

I don't fear no man.

I don't fear no organization

or anyone who carries the words

or ill will about someone or something coming for me.

We, as a collective, have work to do,

and that work cannot be done while looking over our shoulders,

sitting around, and hoping that the same people who seek to do us harm

will wake up and just decide to do right by us.

I don't know about you,

but I cannot effectively do anything right

while living in fear.

I'm placing my trust in the Lord.

I want all of us to pray for our brothers and sisters--

My boy from Troy,

you're sure you want to still walk this walk with us?

You mean to tell me that a man of your intelligence,

a man that ,

cannot find a better word right now than walk?

What did I write and say to you six years ago in '57?

I said that-

You don't mind getting in trouble as long as it's good trouble.

And that it is.

Let me say this, my little brother,

I for one, thought we were going to die on that bridge.

That nasty old Connor setting up dogs on us

like we weren't even human.

Screaming on that blowhorn that we were disobeying a parade order.

I actually thought we were going to get arrested.

You know I packed myself two books to read,

but once we got in that cell,

you could an apple and an orange

just so I can have me something to eat.

You and my brother A.D. with these oranges.

That's cause we don't

I can't argue with you on that.

Lo and behold, I find myself side of a paddywagon,

bagging my skull fracture.

Brother Lewis, in my heart I know that everything we're doing

is so precious and so necessary,

and I must stand up for it with everything in me.

I must speak up and speak out.

And I will be standing, locked arms and with you every time out.

When that governor yelled out,

"Troopers advance,"

I thought right where I was standing surely was where I was going to die.

I kept telling the police,

"Just arrest us. You don't have to beat us."

We came in peace.

I declare, I must have said several times--

I know I repeated it several times,

"Officers, if we're doing something wrong outside of our permit,

just arrest us."

I'm tired, Dr. King.

I ain't even 30 yet, and I'm tired.

I'm tired of my freedom.

America has failed us on its promise.

We must be free now.

They want to give us a taste of freedom here,

and a sprinkle a bit over there.

Got folks taking literacy tests and telling them they have to pass it

before one can even attempt to register to vote.

They don't even want to acknowledge our right to lawfully assemble,

let alone protect us when we do.

Brother Lewis, where we are right now,

I wouldn't want you to waste any more energy

trying to separate something that can't be separated.

Why am I here?

Why are you here?

Do you really have to ask me that?

Why are we here?

Y'all are here to help me in some way shape or form.

For the third and final time,

I am not interested in backstabbing Dr. King.

You are very loyal to somebody that's not loyal to you.

Please tell me what the fuck is wrong with you.

I mean, are you going to stand strong by a man

who backed away from you on account of your lifestyle?

The same man who caved in to the suggestion

that if he continues to work with you,

the press will spread lies about you two actually being homosexual lovers,

even we all know that there's only one closet in the whole room,

and you're the only gay man in it.

Well, you know my story.

I'm an African-American man fighting segregation,

I'm an openly gay man fighting homophobia,

and I'm a pacifist fighting war.

Open, closeted, no matter how you dress it up,

we all know that Dr. King is going to be nowhere near you

in any photographs.

As a matter of fact, he's been told to keep you out of sight, or else.

And you're a key advisor at that.

It makes one wonder, how valuable are you?

Russ is a great man.

Yes, he's a minority within a minority,

but you'll always catch him out on the front-line

willing to die for everything that he speaks on .

If he is so smart, why doesn't he realize he's being used?

Why are you doing this?

This man decides to live his life as so he pleases.

However, you, Roy, Clayton, Hoover, have decided to--

No, no, no, it's all right. It's all right.

That Hoover got some nerve, but you know what?

I can't put all this at his feet.

Now, you say that you got all these so-called negro leaders

eating out the palm of your hand,

but that's because they're scared.

Scared to live any kind of free.

Now, you can't threaten me

or hold anything against me or over my head.

Are you confused, son?

Are you clueless as to what you want to put up first?

You don't know whether you want to be out there

just championing gay rights

or whether you want to keep masquerading it around

as though you're fighting for civil rights.

My resume speaks for itself, sir,

that I will always fight for the rights of my fellow civil rights leaders.

I will oppose the Southern segregationists

who don't like the whole civil rights thing,

my white agent friend,

and as long as I live, I will oppose the Northern liberals who are--

What did you say? They were looking for a more cautious approach?

We all know exactly what you do.

We also know that you will always be relegated to the background.

I want to thank you, though, for toning down that Lewis speech

away from the militant direction that he was planning on going.

You know, these wiretaps, they keep us up at night,

but they keep us on our toes and up to speed big time.

This man played a major part

in orchestrating the I Have A Dream speech.

This man played a major role in organizing the buses to D.C.,

while making sure marchers had adequate bathroom facilities

and medical care if needed.

Now, as you say, you hear him on your wiretaps,

I'm sure you do, then you know that he's not out here trying to hurt anybody.

This man did this, and this man did that,

and this man helped start the SCLC,

and this man did blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

All we know that is this man ain't in the long-term plans of the team.

You know what? You're just wasting our time

with these divisive tactics and thoughts.

I know my role and I know my worth.

What has any of that gotten you?

It's about to get the shit smacked out of you.

Look here, look here.

The man's own assistant doesn't even practice non-violence.

Ever hear anything like that on your wiretaps ?

Clyde, do not try me because I'm not that far removed.

Bottom-line, I can't help you.

And he never will.

Stay your course, Russ.

You are fighting a good fight, my brother,

and what they're doing, it ain't it.

Miss Lorraine, do you realize what kind of shit we got on tape

on this negro gentleman?

Pardon my French, but fuck your tapes.

Just because you say you have something doesn't mean you really have it.

All this pressure you're applying, believe you me,

it is nothing we haven't seen before.

Oh, really?

Yes, really.

You say you listen in on everybody,

but yet you had the nerve to hire a black sister

to file a bogus report

about being raped in a room while Martin just sat there watching.

Just another sign of how stupid and desperate you all are.

How is a bunch of FBI agents going to sit in a room next door

and listen to a rape in progress?

You know what?

That would be a crime onto itself.

It certainly would.

Now, if you two ain't going to come right, then don't come at all.

What y'all say?

You know what I say about that?

I'll tell you what I got to say about that.

I'll say I got something on the both of y'all that'll make you change your minds.

Now we're getting somewhere.

Make sure you verbally tell him to pull back on .

So you all can focus on some alleged extramarital affairs?

Little caved in, huh?

Just do as you're told.

So you're my handler, huh?

White motherfuckers sure know how to distance themselves.

Your lady, she's doing too much at her church.

We need you to tone her down.

She's not really the type to be quiet like that.

Well, the way that people, she needs to be given a shot.

Excuse me?

Look, I know what you're capable of, and that's why I'm here.

Don't ever expect to see my face again.

The people you need are all in that folder

and they will be in contact,

and fall back off the .

I done told you, I don't want no blood on my hands.

Now we done told you that it's too late not to have blood on your hands.