[♪♪♪]
It's a derogatory, racial remark
that has divided people for many years.
And a J. Edgar Hoover Elementary teacher
has now been suspended
over calling a student the N-word.
Stacy Renee investigates what happened and why.
RENEE: And what to did he say specifically to you?
He said, "Sit down, nigger."
RENEE: Riley Freeman is a third-grade student
at J. Edgar Hoover Elementary School.
He's a basketball player, an avid reader,
and one day hopes to spread his philosophy
through rap music.
He was in class when he had a verbal exchange
with his teacher, Joe Petto.
But Mr. Petto said it was Riley who used the N-word first.
So I told him to take his seat
and here comes this barrage of insults.
I mean, some of the words I've never even heard before.
And I was just stunned, and I said,
"Well, sit down, nigga."
I just repeated the insult back to him,
because that's what I've been trained to do.
That is not what he's been trained to do.
School Superintendent Donald Richards
says all teachers are taught
to use appropriate hyphenated euphemisms
instead of racial slurs.
We have a very strict policy
against teachers using the "N-word,"
or any other racially insensitive words.
The district's policy is that teachers
should always say "N-word" instead of the actual N-word.
Or "S-word" instead of saying the actual S-word.
What is the S-word?
Well, I-- I don't wanna say it, but--
Spic?
No, no.
Uh, ahem.
Spear-chucker.
"Spear-chucker"?
Yes. See, we would encourage our teachers to say "S-word"
instead of, ahem, "spear-chucker."
And how often do you have a problem with faculty saying
"spear-chucker" to students?
We don't. That's what I'm saying.
[CLEARS THROAT]
They would say "S-word."
But Riley Freeman denies he used the N-word first.
He said I used the word before, but I didn't.
I wouldn't use that word ever.
That word hurts people.
Oh, I remember those proud days
marching with Dr. Martin Luther King.
We used to hear that hateful word all the time.
Robert Jebediah Freeman, Riley's grandfather,
says the incident takes him back
to the civil rights movement.
Oh, what sad times these are
when educators can go around willy-nilly,
calling our kids the N-word.
Me and my boy have suffered tremendous unspecified mental
and physical damage from this.
Mr. Petto claims the version of "nigger" ending in "ger"
is the racial slur, but that he was using
a different version of the word, ending in "ga,"
that means the same as "buddy" or "best pal."
He insists that he was using
the friendly version of the N-word
to better relate to Riley.
I used the word. I admit it.
I thought there was a difference between "nigg-er" and "nigg-a."
I thought I understood this whole thing,
but I guess I don't. I need help.
Whenever I hear the rappers, they say "nigga."
It's in all the music. Look, look, look.
Rap songs that use the word "nigga" in a positive way.
There's tons of 'em. Look: "'Real Nigga Role Call.'
"'Niggas Bleed.' 'Jigga my Nigga.'
"'Niggas for Life.' 'Real Niggas Don't Die.' 'Shame on a Nigga.'
'Sucka Nigga.' 'Ain't No Nigga.'"
The school is investigating the incident.
But in the meantime, Mr. Petto has been put on unpaid leave.
I just couldn't believe it,
because nobody ever called me a nigger before.
RENEE: And how did it make you feel?
Like...I was less than a person.
♪ I am the stone That the builder refused ♪
♪ I am the visual The inspiration ♪
♪ That made lady Sing the blues ♪
♪ I'm the spark That makes your idea bright ♪
♪ The same spark That lights the dark ♪
♪ So that you can know Your left from right ♪
♪ I am the ballot in your box The bullet in the gun ♪
♪ The inner glow That lets you know ♪
♪ To call your brother sun ♪
♪ The story that just begun ♪
♪ The promise Of what's to come ♪
♪ And I'm 'a remain a soldier ♪
♪ Till the war is won Won ♪
♪ Chop, chop, chop Judo flip ♪
♪ Chop, chop, chop ♪
HUEY: Despite news reports to the contrary,
my family was handling this particular
racial incident quite well.
[BOTH LAUGHING]
Whoo! I can't believe this.
I always knew you'd do something right.
And you know what's crazy?
GRANDDAD: Oh, yes, you did.
RILEY: I didn't even mean to.
What's wrong with you, boy?
Here come Huey McHater again.
Be happy. Your brother was called a nigger by a white man.
Not just any white man. A district employee.
[LAUGHING]
Oh, oh. Wow, we're rich!
It's like winning the lotto.
How?
Restitution. Look at your brother.
♪ Booty dance, booty dance ♪
He's traumatized.
♪ Booty dance, uh, booty dance Booty dance, booty dance ♪
HUEY: Granddad, Riley's doing the celebratory booty dance.
He's traumatized on the inside.
You both say "nigga" all the time.
I do not.
Riley thought it was his name
until he was 3.
That's different.
See, it's okay between us behind closed doors.
We have flipped the word into a term of endearment.
That's what I call my homeys. You feel me? My nigga.
Hey! After a lifetime of being treated like a nigger,
if I catch a break off the word, good for me.
All the years I've been on this Earth,
know how many times I been called a nigger for free?
Back in the day, when a white man called you a nigger,
you couldn't do nothing but go cry.
But now we can fight back. As a matter of fact...
Mm-hm. Mm-hm. Mm-hm.
[BEEPS]
Hello? Tom. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever.
Riley's teacher called him a nigger.
We gonna sue the white man. Get over here quick.
Hear what happened to the last black man
who was called a nigger? Huh?
Last year, Terrence Kinsley,
a 35-year-old Wal-Mart employee,
was called a nigger by a supervisor.
[♪♪♪]
HUEY: So somebody calls you a nigger,
you get a mansion, a yacht and white women?
Yep, it's the law.
No, it's not.
It is too. It happened to the Wal-Mart guy.
Pfft. You probably made that up.
I bet you Tom would know. Where is he?
Don't take that long to get over here.
Tom, hurry up. I'm trying to sue the white man.
I need a lawyer, but I don't wanna pay, so you'll have to do.
What I don't understand is
that if it's so offensive to them,
then why do they say it over and over again?
MAN: So Riley said the N-word before you did that morning?
He says it every morning. He calls me "nigga."
He calls the other kids "nigga."
He calls himself "nigga" all the time.
"Nigga this, nigga that. Nigga, please.
"Bitch-nigga.
"Nigga, have you lost your mind?
"Nigga, check that ho.
Nigga, you bullshitting. Break yourself, nigga."
He says it so much, I don't even notice it anymore.
Last week in lunch, Riley says to a classmate:
"Can a nigga borrow a French fry?"
And my first thought wasn't,
"Oh, my God, he said the word." Uh, "The N-word."
It was, "Now, how is a nigga gonna borrow a fry?
Nigga, is you gonna give it back?"
I'm telling you, my inside voice didn't talk like that
before he got in my class.
He said I said it first?
Man, I'm telling you,
I seen the hatred in his eyes
the first time I walked in the class.
All he saw when he looked at me was a black nigger.
[♪♪♪]
TOM: I don't know if you have much of a case, Robert.
The guy just seems kind of...dumb.
And he's already apologized.
Damn it, I wanna get paid.
I'm gonna call a press conference.
About what?
I don't know,
but I'm calling one. Mm-mm.
You got the wrong man. That's what you did. Heh.
You messed with the wrong brother.
What's the number to a press conference?
No, I don't think we should use the word,
and I'll tell you why.
Because niggas have gotten used to it, that's why.
Hell, they like it now.
It's like when you growing crops
and you strip the soil of its nutrients,
and then you can't grow nothing.
You gotta rotate your racial slur.
Now, I know it's hard
'cause "nigga" just rolled off the tongue
the way sweat rolls off a nigga's forehead.
But we cannot let that be a crutch.
Especially when there are so many other fine substitutes:
spade, porch monkey, jiggaboo.
I say next time you gonna call a darky a nigga,
call that coon a jungle bunny instead.
TOM: So in conclusion,
we don't wanna try this case in the press. No.
And let's remember that the victim is a young child.
So let's be respectful. Thank you.
Okay. That was very sucky, Tom.
Uh, my name is Robert Freeman, and I have a lot of things
I would like to say about this.
Number one, this is the most ridic--
[♪♪♪]
Wait a minute. Wait one minute.
I'd like to add something if I could.
Hey.
This is my press conference.
I have a message
for the Woodcrest School District.
Rollo Goodlove? What's that two-bit hustler doin'?
You have assaulted this fine family's dignity,
you have assassinated their pride,
and you have hurt their feelings.
Now, somebody gonna pay.
Hm. I could have said that.
Now, we demand the school offer an apology to Riley Freeman,
to Robert Freeman, to the ghost of Martin Luther King,
and an apology to me, Reverend Rollo Goodlove,
star of the upcoming BET show, My Dad Rollo. Heh.
Mm-hm.
And, uh, we also demand that the offending teacher
be terminated immediately
so he can no longer spread his hateful bigotry.
And finally, we demand that the Freeman family
be compensated for their extreme distress
throughout this difficult period.
Have mercy.
Speak, my brother. Speak.
Whoo! Assalamu alaikum.
Now, I'm telling you, now.
If these demands aren't met? Ooh, glory. Heh.
They got to pay.
RILEY: Right.
Make them pay. Make them pay.
What, what?
[ALL SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY]
Hell, we might not even have a country
if it wasn't for the word "nigga."
White man said, "Nigga, pick that cotton.
"Nigga, bale that hay.
Hurry up, nigga. That's America you building."
And that's exactly what "nigga" is.
It's an American original.
Don't listen to him, Granddad.
He just wants to use us to get press
for his stupid sitcom on BET.
Or maybe I'm using my stupid sitcom
to get you some press, boy.
But you're not.
Or am I?
No.
Or...yes.
So, what I'm doing is marshaling
all the resources I have available to me
to ensure that justice is served.
And, uh, thumbera,
how much justice do you think we can get?
I would say...
about a half a million.
Whoa.
A half a million?
[CHEERS, LAUGHS]
Ooh, boy.
Half a--? Heh-heh-heh.
That's ridiculous.
Uh, you'll never get that much from the school district.
They don't have that kind of money.
Oh, nah. They got tons of money. Shoot. Hm.
They keep it for themselves though.
They buy themselves private jets
and hookers, and stuff like that.
Your kid's eating tater tots
and Skillet Sensations while they eatin' lobster.
You see, Tom? They're a bunch of crooks.
So that makes it okay to extort them?
"Extort"? Extort?
Is that what you call the freedom struggle, brother?
I suppose you think affirmative action is extortion too, huh?
Now, what in the Sam Hill are you--?
Ha. You know what?
You making me nervous. Very nervous, brother.
Tom, you're fired.
Ah-- What?
I was doing you a favor.
I'm sorry, Tom.
He's not even a lawyer.
Tommy. Let's not make this harder than it has to be.
Stupid dummy heads.
Rollo's perm's not even righted.
He gonna cry when he get home.
Okay. So, what do we do first?
We gonna pay a little visit to the superintendent.
[CHUCKLES]
Now, this deal includes damages to the Freemans,
plus a very generous donation
to the Reverend Rollo Goodlove Jambalaya of Justice League.
[LAUGHING]
Have mercy.
Hey, come here. Look at this.
This nigga must be crazy.
[MEN LAUGHING]
Uh-- Uh, well, uh, okay, then.
Uh-- So I'll just wait for your response, then.
Okay. Hallelujah. Mission accomplished.
Time for step two.
Did they give you the money?
Yeah, they thinkin' about it. They thinkin' about it. Come on.
Now, I think it's wrong for anybody to use the word
"nigga" at any time.
[CELL PHONE RINGS]
Huh. Excuse me, hold on.
Hey, Jesse. What's happening, my nigga?
The problem with restraining speech is,
who gets to set the rules?
If it's only okay in a certain time or place,
who gets to say what time and what place? Bill Cosby?
Yes. As a matter of fact, I get to set the rules
about what is appropriate to say
and what is not appropriate to say.
For example, the other day,
a youth walked up to me and said:
"What it do?"
He sounded like he was auditioning
for a slave epic.
Proper way to say that sentence is:
"What does it do?"
I personally blame the mother--
MAN: Okay, 20 seconds...
Granddad, please stop this now.
Shush, boy.
Hey. Think they can introduce me as "Young Reezy"?
Y'all better sit there and look sad.
I'm gonna do all the talking.
MAN: Okay, we're live in five, four, three...
We are back.
My guests this evening are Reverend Rollo Goodlove:
activist, presidential candidate
and star of the upcoming BET sitcom, My Dad Rollo.
With him are Robert, Huey and Riley Freeman.
They are the family at the center
of this controversy. Let me ask you,
why does that word still have so much power?
Well, Larry King--
That's a very good question.
Uh, which reminds me of an upcoming episode
we did on My Dad Rollo.
Which premieres next month on Black Entertainment Television.
I brought a clip of it, if you'd like to see it.
Um, sure thing. If we have it ready,
let's, uh, go to the clip.
Uh, honey. I'm home.
[AUDIENCE CHEERS]
Hey. Have the kids found jobs and moved out yet?
[AUDIENCE LAUGHS]
Oh, Daddy.
Hey there, Trudy.
Granddad, this is childish.
Don't think 'cause I'm on Larry King Live
I won't whup your little asses.
That's very funny stuff.
We have a wonderful cast,
and they work so very hard every day,
and the writers give us fantastic material.
So now, about this incident.
What incident you talking about?
Oh, right. Oh, Larry, Larry.
You got to feel me on this, man.
I can't even tell you what
these brothers have suffered through this past week.
Oh, yes, brothers. This is a great victory.
I didn't get a chance to talk.
I had a funny anecdote and everything.
They feeling the heat right about now. I'm telling you.
I stayed up all night practicing that anecdote.
Next time, I talk first.
Oh, nigga, shush.
LARRY KING: We're back with my guest, columnist Ann Coulter.
So, Ann, what do you make of this
whole N-word controversy in Woodcrest?
I think it's criminal they suspended this teacher.
Heh. Why? Ha-ha. I mean, be--
Because he stood up to some foul-mouthed gang member?
HUEY AND RILEY: "Gang member"?
They should be giving him a medal.
Heh. Give me a break.
It's about time someone in the classroom had the guts
to not back down to thugs like that. Heh.
I mean, 'cau-- You know?
Did she just call me a thug?
She sure did.
Yeah.
[CELL PHONE RINGS]
[RUCKUS LAUGHING OVER PHONE]
Oh, that Ann Coulter sure pulled your card, didn't she?
Now, that is one sharp, sexy, white woman.
She look just like Helen of Troy.
I don't care how big her Adam apple is,
she's still all woman.
[LAUGHS]
This is terrible.
We're losing the P.R. war.
Relax, brother. It's all part of the plan.
And it's right on time.
I'm joined via satellite by best-selling author
and columnist Ann Coulter,
author of Fucking Camel Jockeys
and The Liberals Who Smell Like Them.
I'm also joined by Reverend Rollo Goodlove,
star of the upcoming BET sitcom, My Dad Rollo,
and author of the book Real Spit From Rollo.
And finally, by Robert Freeman and his grandchildren.
I wanna start with Ann--
GRANDDAD: Excuse me.
I, uh, also have a book. It's not out yet.
I actually just started writing it,
but I do have a cover. So I put it on another book.
So here's what it's gonna look like:
It's called, They Called Me Nigger:
One Family's Struggle for Justice and Freedom.
And it's written by me,
and about me, and it's very inspirational.
So when it comes out, remember that you saw this and buy it.
I don't know what I'm gonna charge yet.
I might charge 20, $25.
Anyway, TiVo this, if you have the TiVo,
and play it back when the book come out
to remind yourself to go buy it.
Uh, thank you.
Okay. I wanna start with Ann.
HUEY: And so Ann Coulter and Rollo Goodlove argued on TV.
Oh, oh. Oh, oh, oh. What a surprise.
Here we go again with affirmative action.
Let's have a different set of rules for blacks...
[LAUGHING]
...so this little hoodlum can say the N-word--
Now, wait a minute.
I take offense at your description of Riley
as a hoodlum, Ann. I don't appreciate it.
This is a wonderful child.
This teacher,
because he's white,
because of his skin, he's being persecuted
for saying the exact same word.
I mean, I think that is racist.
Heh-heh, you know?
[LAUGHING]
HUEY: Nothing much was resolved, but they did it again.
Next, they'll be throwing white kids in jail
for reciting rap lyrics.
I mean-- Uh-- Uh--
Where does it stop?
This is preposterous.
You better read The Secret.
HUEY: And again.
Oh, okay. Here's a novel idea:
I think if black people don't wanna be called the N-word,
they shouldn't call themselves the N-word.
Just like if they don't want the police to pull them over,
they shouldn't be driving stolen cars.
How dare you?
How many of these damn TV shows
are we supposed to do, Goodlove?
Have they called you about that money?
Man.
Not since you asked me about 20 minutes ago, Robert.
Well, don't you think we should have heard something?
COULTER: I don't care.
MAN: Baby, baby, listen.
I don't care.
Is that--?
Ah. Now, there she is.
Don't give me that "Baby, listen" shit, motherfucker.
You think I'm stupid? I know you fucking that bitch.
Okay? I know you are. I mean...
[LAUGHING]
I-- I don't play that shit.
Ann don't play that shit.
Rollo.
Hey, baby.
Hey.
Give me some sugar.
Come here, girl.
ROLLO: You getting thick back there.
And how you doing, Abdul?
COULTER: Damn, Abdul,
can you let a bitch work?
Shit, one of us has to.
It ain't like yo' ass is going to get a job. Heh.
You know I had to bail
this motherfucker out of jail again, right?
Must be, like, the 10th time.
Anyway, the school board pay you yet?
No, no. We still waiting.
They ain't broke that bread yet. But, uh, any day now.
Hey, guys. So nice to finally meet.
It's been great working wit' y'all.
Uh. Hello?
Ah. That bitch must have lost her mind.
I will smack the black off her.
I will snatch the weave off...
That's Ann Coulter?
She crazy as hell, ain't she?
But she good people. She good people.
So this whole time, you guys have been working together?
Yeah, silly. I told you I had it covered.
I'm confused.
Me too.
I thought Ann Coulter hated...everybody.
Who, Ann? No, man.
She just do that to get that redneck money.
Let me tell you something about Ann.
When a nigga need a nemesis,
she helps me out, and I help her back.
COULTER: Mm!
She a down-ass bitch.
These crab cakes are good as a mug.
I fucks with these crab cakes.
I'm tearing these bad boys up. Mm.
So are you even a republican?
Oh. Hell, no. You think I like going out there
and saying this ridiculous shit? Heh.
So then why do it?
'Cause a bitch got books to sell. That's why.
Ain't no money in trying to save the world.
WOMAN: We need Ann in makeup.
All I know is they better not stop this war in Iraq,
or I might have to start stripping.
MAN [ON TV]: And in Woodcrest tonight,
the school board has finally decided
on the fate of an elementary school teacher
accused of using the N-word.
Third-grade teacher Joe Petto was given 10 days unpaid leave
and ordered to take sensitivity training.
What? Oh, man. That's some old bullshit.
That's it? W-what about my money?
So, what about Rollo Goodlove's demand
for financial restitution to the Freeman family?
[RICHARDS LAUGHING]
You mean we did all this for nothing?
Sorry, guys.
We tried our best. You'll get 'em next time.
Hey, Abdul. I see you over there talking to that white bitch.
You ain't slick.
Wait, wait, wait. That's it? We don't get nothing?
That's a damn shame you can call a nigga a nigga
and keep your job. That's a damn shame.
Come on, boys, let's get out of here.
We don't need this shit.
Whoa.
Calm down, Robert, now. We ain't out of this yet.
I can make one phone call,
and we'll have two dozen protesters
with picket signs in the street tomorrow.
Really?
Hey, now.
Twenty bucks and a Lunchable
can motivate a whole lot of activism, brother.
Oh. You think that'll make 'em pay us?
A fake protest? Granddad,
you can't go around hustling controversy for profit.
Why not?
You're messing with forces
you can't control, Granddad.
I'm telling you, Robert,
they are on the ropes, man.
We just gotta apply a little more pressure.
Granddad, you're not getting paid.
Just let it go.
Nah. I think maybe Huey's right.
Yep. I think I'm done.
Come on, boys. I was wrong
about the mansion and the white women.
I'll miss those flat butts.
Well, fine. Fine, then. Mo' money for me.
Uh, hello? Hello, Chauncy.
Hey, now, Chauncy, you got them extras
ready for the protest, man?
No, them niggas don't get no dinner. Just Lunch...
ables.
MAN: This is a Channel 5 News update.
[CROWD SCREAMING]
God! Bless the lord. Move!
That was the scene earlier today in front
of the Woodcrest School District headquarters
during a protest being held by Rollo Goodlove.
Stacy Renee is on the scene.
Bob, what Rollo Goodlove didn't know
was that the Sisters of the Second Amendment
had scheduled a completely unrelated protest
right across the street.
We reserved this spot three months ago,
and that black nigger came and stole our press
with whatever bullshit he's protesting over there.
Ho-ho, but we have something for that ass.
[GUNFIRE]
[PANICKED SHOUTING]
Help! Move! Bitch, get out of my way.
That's the way.
That's it. We don't wanna have to shoot you.
Oh, man. That ended badly.
ROLLO: And--
And not only did they shoot at us,
they referred to us as the N-word.
Several times.
And we definitely intend to make them pay, damn it.
Wait a minute.
I'll bet those old broads are rolling in money.
He's gonna get rich for sure.
Damn it. That's the last time I'm gonna listen to you.
I could have been shot at and called a nigger on TV!
But no. I had to listen to you. You blockhead!
Well, one thing's for sure. I've learned my lesson.
I'm never, ever gonna say any form of "nigger."
I'm cured of that.
No nigga, no nyukka,
uh, with the "Y-U" sound.
Not even the abbreviated "my nig." None.
No more nigger. Nuh-- Uh-uh.
And that's why I'm pushing for a constitutional amendment
that will protect the white man's right
to say any incarnation of the word "nigga"
at any time, spelled any way,
whether it be N-I-G-G-U-H, G-G-A, G-G-A-H,
or a silent "P" at the beginning of it,
without fear of persecution or litigation.
I don't think black people should ever use racist words
when describing other black people.
And if you do, then you're a sambo and a coon.
[CHUCKLES]
[♪♪♪]