Panther Page #4

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CUT TO:

EXT. CLOSE UP:
BASKETBALL COURT - NIGHT

A BASKETBALL bounces off the cement, SNEAKERED FEET scramble

past.

EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - NIGHT

JUDGE drives in for a basket, pursued by CY. It's a friendly

three on three street game. The MARKET STREET DRINKERS --

including ROSE -- fill out Cy and Judge's teams.

Young neighborhood MEN watch the game and shoot the sh*t.

One of them, JAMAL, sports a beard and a DASHIKI.

Somewhere a RADIO plays James Brown's "Say it Loud"

EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - NIGHT

Gliding around Cy, Judge sinks a basket. ROSE retrieves the

ball.

ROSE:

You supposed to be a wounded vet,

Motherfucka. What you do in 'Nam

anyway, shoot gooks or shoot hoops?

JUDGE:

All of the above, man...

(a pause)

And then some.

Shaking off the memory, Judge takes the ball in, PASSING it

to a teammate. The BALL arcs through the air...

EXT. BASKETBALL GAME - NIGHT

HANDS grab the ball before the teammate can. TYRONE'S hands.

The GAME stops dead. Tyrone holds the ball, eyeing the players

with contempt. At his side stands LITTLE BOBBY (16) hyper,

childlike.

TYRONE:

Tell me, don't you fine black men

got anything better to do than play

games?

ROSE:

Sure I do, but your sister's busy.

Gimme the damn ball.

Tyrone passes the ball HARD to Rose.

TYRONE:

Here... Take it. I thought some

righteous brothers like you might

help us out, but I guess that ain't

you...

JAMAL:

(stepping forward)

Help who? With what?

TYRONE:

Your community! That's who. Maybe

you didn't know but a kid died today.

LITTLE BOBBY:

That's three this year... same spot.

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