See the light! See the light!
It's been two weeks since the streets of Memphis
dissolved into violence when the alt-right group
Sons of Light clashed with antiracism protestors.
In the melee, Kevin Bays,
a self-proclaimed white nationalist,
shot and killed Ashley Webster,
a 21-year-old student from the University of Tennessee.
Murder charges against Bays came to a chilling close today
when he entered his plea of guilty.
The incident has brought scrutiny to Sons of Light
and their outspoken leader, Campbell Mathers.
Mathers has been accused of encouraging violence
via social media during the confrontation.
We planned a peaceful rally to express our beliefs.
It's a shame it had to end up like this.
All right, just turn it off.
What happens now?
Bays will be sentenced to a minimum of 25 years,
and then we will file a civil suit
to make sure that he never ever profits off what he's done.
I don't mean him.
I'm talking about Mathers,
the man that really killed my daughter.
What, he gets to keep spewing hate, inciting violence
so long, what, as he doesn't pull the trigger?
Where's it gonna stop, Elijah?
Where does it stop?
Well, we know who our forefathers fathers were,
and who they were not. Our people built the modern world.
We built this country.
We saved billions of people from starvation.
White people are this world's greatest gift.
People who preach diversity are anti-American.
Multiculturalism is a spiritual AIDS
that will only weaken our great nation.
Fellow patriots,
it falls to us to protect America at all costs
and by any means necessary,
even if it means a second revolution
and the blood of more patriots.
Synced & corrected by QueenMaddie www.addic7ed.com
And berries make people happy.
- She has a good point. - Yeah.
I know because I know how to make some...
Morning. If I could have everyone in the conference room, please.
I've spoken to the Webster family,
and I've decided to represent them
in a wrongful death claim against Campbell Mathers.
Campbell Mathers?
He was issuing hateful directives,
and inciting violence over social media.
I think that makes him just as responsible
for Ashley Webster's death.
You're talking about limiting free speech.
What Mathers is guilty of is not free speech,
- it's dangerous speech. - By speech, you mean tweets.
His urgings to take action in real time are no different to me
than shouting "fire" in a crowded theater.
A theater he wasn't even in.
And now an innocent girl is dead.
- Dad. - What Mathers did was wrong.
I get that it's wrong, but it's not illegal.
Not according to the law, the Constitution, the First Amendment.
Sydney, I've defended the First Amendment my whole life.
So why attack it now?
Saying all speech is okay under all circumstances,
that... that's not freedom.
It's just a more insidious form of oppression,
one in which lies are no different than the truth.
Dad,
fire in a crowded theater?
That was used to suppress anti-war speech.
Justice Holmes walked back his own opinion in the Abrams case.
He advocated for more speech, not less.
That means the good with the bad.
I can't... I can't... I can't believe this.
Maybe it's 'cause you're too young
or 'cause we raised you too sheltered to have experienced
the real damage that hate speech can do.
The mural.
That mural where the shooting happened...
The Liberty Mural...
Mom was one of the benefactors, wasn't she?
Sydney, I respect your opinion on this matter.
I'll leave it up to you to decide if you respect mine.
Hey, Elijah, can I have a word?
Um, can you walk with me, though?
I'm late for a meet with the Websters.
I want to be the second chair on the Mathers case.
Well, you know it's going to be tough.
Because I'm black?
Well, I was going to say because you've never done
one of these before, but yeah, that too.
Stepping into the ring of a charged case,
you become the face of the fight.
People on the other side...
They will target you.
I can handle it.
Do me a favor. Run this by your family.
If you are at risk, they'll feel it too.
That was my next conversation.
I just wanted to make sure it was one worth having first.
I'd be honored if you worked with me on this.
When you were on the force,
I had to live with feeling anxious
- from the moment you left the house. - I know.
And when we had to deal with you being shot.
- I know. - And I was so relieved
when you said you were going to law school
because it meant I didn't have to be afraid anymore
for me, for the girls.
I get how important this case is,
but why do you have to be the one to take it on?
Well, right now, I look around and I see it, Maya.
I see hate winning, and I see...
our daughters facing a future
that feels too much like our past.
I can't just sit still and allow it.
I don't know how to do that.
It's not who I am.
Well, at least you'll be fighting in the courtroom
and not on the streets.
- I love you. - I love you.
Um...
I heard you aren't on the case.
Bri, I... I hate Campbell Mathers.
I hate everything that he stands for,
but I do think protecting his right to speak
is the only way to protect yours or mine.
You haven't seen it, Sydney.
Okay, yes, my mother may have grown up in South Parkway,
and, yes, I went to Fieldcrest with you,
but I felt it every day.
I saw it every day.
I know.
I mean, I... I know, and I... and I don't know.
Are you two girls talking about me?
Is that your assumption every time you see two women talking?
- Yeah. - Wow, just... Wow.
Uh, what do you... What do you need?
I need to speak with Briana, actually.
I know you've got a lot on your plate right now,
but I was hoping that you could help me out
with the George Bell case.
All my leads have just gone dry.
Yeah, for George Bell, I'll make time.
- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.
Unbelievable.
What?
You were talking about me then, though, weren't you?
Oh, God.
- Busted. - Okay.
Busted.
Sydney, are you available to help me with something?
- Yes, please. - Mm-hmm.
These are the journals
that belonged to your mother's friend, Marilyn Trice,
and she just passed.
Oh, no.
Oh.
You know, she had all these wacky hobbies
like collecting sugar packets and toe painting,
like painting with her toes.
- Toes? - Yeah, toes.
Well, she also didn't have a will,
and the law dictates that her estate go to relatives,
but none can be found.
She must've had one meaningful relationship,
someone we could direct her estate to.
Well, how do we find out?
Happy reading.
Is a settlement conference necessary?
They already know this isn't about money.
Oh, it never hurts to get your eyes on the competition,
see what you're up against.
I heard that Mathers hired some big shot from New York.
ACLU. Any idea who?
- I'm not worried. - I've never known you to suffer
from a lack of confidence, Elijah.
Hello, Rachel.
Hi, Rachel Madsen.
- Anthony Little. - Hi.
You two know each other.
We've tried cases together.
And we always won.
Oh, I'm sorry you have to lose this time.
Your Honor, I'd just like to begin by saying
I'm sorry for wasting your time on this sad attempt
to trample the Constitution.
Ms. Madsen, let us not belittle the value of this case.
You're referring to the $100 million in damages you're seeking?
I'm referring to the never-ending fount of filth
your client spews forth to pad his wallet
at the price of innocent lives.
Ashley Webster was top of her class.
Who knows what she could have been capable of
if she weren't mercilessly killed.
- By Kevin Bays. - By Kevin Bays,
under the direction of your client,
which we will prove to a jury in court.
Yeah, as much as I would love to see you do
your Elijah Strait thing,
and try to make a go of this ludicrous case,
I am going to save everyone the time and the pain
of watching you fail.
Now my client is prepared to offer
a $2-million settlement confidentially
to make this thing go away.
Our clients have told us there will be no settlement.
"A never-ending fount of filth"?
You should have saved that for the jury.
Oh, I've got more where that came from, as do you.
- You look good. - Yeah, that grey is new.
Oh, you're gonna bust on me the whole time you're here?
Only in the courtroom.
Uh, I got a meeting to run to.
- Drinks later? - Absolutely.
Surprised?
Confused.
Rachel's good people, and a hell of an attorney.
When she and I started, that's how everyone was.
You'd fight like cats and dogs in the courtroom,
but you were all friends after.
You know, I think this whole low-carb thing
that happened while I was away,
it's just a conspiracy to stop people from enjoying life.
Well, speaking of enjoying life,
Uh, we need to talk about your case, so, um...
Okay, that segue sucked.
Besides, newsflash, we won my case.
No, I'm talking about your civil case
where we sue for damages,
make the people responsible for what they...
Hey, Jake, you know...
you know, when I was young, I saw a movie.
This guy and a gorgeous girl were splashing around
in the Trevi Fountain in Rome.
I was always wanting to do stuff like that...
But I was too scared.
George? George?
Now, admittedly, this is not Rome,
but my point, Jake, is, look at me.
I'm... I'm enjoying life more than I ever had before.
So I'm not gonna sue.
Prison was a gift.
George. George!
George?
- George? - Whoohoo!
There's... there's... Just be careful
of the electricity underneath.
George. George.
George? George!
So what do you think, Dr. Brickman?
George has been through this incredible amount of trauma.
- So he protects himself. - By jumping in fountains?
By living in a fairy tale,
so he can avoid living in the real world.
How does this play out?
Untreated, he's going to have a hard time functioning.
He has no coping mechanisms to handle any adversity.
To survive in society by himself,
he needs a great deal of professional help.
Marilyn had this full life with so many interests,
and yet there is hardly a mention one person
more than a couple times.
It's like she was waiting
and just never found her people.
You wouldn't think someone could write one page
on soap carving, much less 30.
Emerson, um...
what made you want to finally find Dad?
I didn't need to find him. I always knew where he was.
So why did you just stay away so long?
'Cause he had a wife and a daughter.
So then what... What changed your mind?
I wanted to figure out, like...
Who I am.
Does that make sense?
Yeah.
Yeah, it does.
All right, so there I was,
thinking that I was delivering the performance of my career,
practically getting applause from the gallery,
and it turns out that my skirt was hiked up above my ass.
- Did you win? - Hell yes, I won.
I have a very nice ass.
Do you know how long we've known each other?
- 20... - 30 years.
I mean, how the hell did that happen?
Just yesterday, we were the young lions.
Well, I think we have a few roars left in us.
Well...
I was really sorry about Carolyn.
I always liked her.
She liked you too. A lot.
How's Sydney?
Oh, no, you talk about a lion.
Yeah, yeah, a lion who is not second chair.
All right, so what are you doing
on that side of a case like this?
I mean, you know better than anyone what it's like
when people start chipping away at freedoms.
"Freedom's just another word
- for nothing left to lose." - Oh, my God,
you're seriously gonna quote Janis Joplin to me?
Just when I was starting to feel young again?
I'm on this side, Rachel,
because I think guys like Mathers are a cancer on freedom.
You may not see it, but I'm just fighting for what's right.
Elijah, there is right and wrong,
and there is legal and illegal,
and your problem has always been
that you think they're the same thing.
No, they're not always the same.
I just think it's our job to get them a little bit closer.
Yeah.
- So sorry. - It's okay.
Mr. Little.
We're standing up to the hate,
upholding the legacy our civil rights leaders
who came before us.
This video was taken of Ashley Webster
on the day she was killed.
Killed by a man named Kevin Bays.
But Kevin Bays was not the only one responsible for her murder.
In many ways, you can think of him as the gun
with the real trigger man,
sitting right over there.
Campbell Mathers does not believe
that all men are created equal.
He believes in white supremacy.
He uses these opinions to promote hatred and racism
amongst his followers.
He does so knowing his followers will take action
based on his urgings,
knowing that he has the ability to incite violence.
You're going to hear a lot about the First Amendment.
- That amendment... - Can you get Maya out of here?
In my opinion, is the cornerstone of our nation.
It says, in essence,
you will not be oppressed or silenced for having an opinion.
However, the First Amendment does not say
that all speech is protected.
There are exceptions considered so dangerous
they've been spelled out by our Supreme Court.
We are not free to incite imminent lawless action.
_
We are not free to issue true threats.
_
And we are not free to solicit others to commit crimes.
_
Speech like this is not protected,
ladies and gentlemen,
because the founders knew, left unchecked,
it would tear our nation apart.
Mrs. Bays, what was your son, Kevin, like as a boy?
He was quiet, reserved, not very social, really.
When was the first time you heard the name "Campbell Mathers"?
From Kevin.
He started reading his writings and going to hear him speak.
Did you notice a change in Kevin
as his interest in Mathers grew?
Yes, he was so different.
He started making friends with other followers.
He spent hours in chat rooms.
I thought it was good.
He was passionate about something for once.
At the time of the shooting, do you believe Kevin
would have done anything Mr. Mathers asked?
Objection. Calls for speculation.
This is not an expert witness.
Your Honor, this is the mother of the shooter.
If she's not an expert qualified to offer an opinion,
I don't know who would be.
Overruled.
Mrs. Bays,
would Kevin have done anything Mr. Mathers asked?
- Yes, I believe he would have. - Why?
Look what he did to that girl.
Kevin would've never done anything to hurt her,
never in a million years if it weren't...
He took my son away from me.
Nothing further.
Mrs. Bays, is it true
Kevin had mental struggles as a young boy?
Uh, I don't know what you mean.
Did he ever see the school counselor
for disruptive behavior in class?
- Yes. - Was he reprimanded
for sending aggressive emails
to fellow classmates?
Yes, but he was just a boy who felt things intensely.
Weren't your concerns for his mental health
so great that you had him institutionalized
- for a brief period in high school? - We were just looking for answers.
"Looking for answers,"
long before Campbell Mathers came along, isn't that right?
Yes.
Officer Abbott, you were on the scene for the shooting.
- Am I right? - Yes, sir.
Can you tell me what this is?
It's the video from my body camera during the rally.
Uh, at this moment in the video,
the timecode is 8:04 p.m.
Just two minutes earlier,
Campbell Mathers wrote the following tweet,
"Speak up for what you care about.
Shout for what you believe in."
See the light! See the light!
See the light! See the...
8:09 p.m.,
"Do not back down. Stand your ground."
8:13 p.m.,
"Let yourselves be heard. Let no one stop you."
"Fight for what you feel. Bleed for what you believe."
"Silence those who threaten your rights
by whatever force necessary."
Nothing further.
Officer Abbott, do you know how many incidents of violence
have taken place at political protests
over the last five years?
- No, ma'am. - 206.
And would it surprise you to know that Campbell Mathers
- didn't tweet during any of those? - No, ma'am.
Do you know how many other Sons of Light rallies
Campbell Mathers did live tweet
since the organization was founded?
- I... I don't know. - 34.
And do you know how many of those resulted in violence?
- I... - Zero.
Nothing further.
No, that's... that's too hard for George.
Jake, you can't ignore what the doctor said.
I'm not ignoring it,
I'm trying to prevent it from happening.
That's why I want him to sue.
But even without a lawsuit,
the state is obligated to make up for his lost wages...
Oh, that's just a couple of hundred grand.
- That's real money. - It's not enough.
It's not enough. He's... he's a social pariah, Della.
He's essentially unemployable,
and he's gonna need a lot of help.
You know he tells me that he wants to go to Rome.
And I...
I just...
I want him to live.
This all started with that Post-it Note.
Now look at me.
How did I end up like this?
Because you care about him.
So just trust that he knows that,
and don't try to spin things or sugarcoat it.
Just speak from your heart.
Look, Maya, when I asked...
You wanted me to support you taking this case.
I gave you that.
And not standing behind you, but right there next to you.
That is who I am.
But you had me removed from the courtroom?
Baby, I love you for supporting me,
and I would never restrict it in any other situation.
- But? - But the protective part
- of me just went off. - I can handle myself.
I know that.
And I do.
I'm sorry, I... I just...
I was just uncomfortable, and I got distracted.
Look, I want you at your best.
And if that means me staying away, okay,
but it also means that you owe me something.
What?
A win.
What is it about seeing old friends
that makes you realize how fast time goes by?
I mean, look at me,
I am divorced, representing an asshole,
while both of my sisters have these lovely, normal lives.
Downside of having a calling.
It demands a lot of you.
You ever wish you didn't have it?
Uh, that's hard to say.
Who would we be?
Well, you know, I think about all the hours I scarified.
The ways that I compartmentalized on the road.
Oh, then you compartmentalize at home.
At least you have a family.
That was all Carolyn.
And how'd she do it?
She, uh, she sat me down one day and she said,
"There's a better man in you than this."
Well, I'm glad she was right.
I just wish I would've figured it out sooner.
I never would've pegged you as a journaler.
Rachel. Hi.
Oh, I keep meaning to say hello, but...
No, no, no. Really.
This whole thing is a circus.
And plus, technically, I am the enemy.
- Yes. - Yeah.
Oh, and these are for, um, a case I'm working on.
This woman passed away, and she didn't have anyone.
Right, a case of the woman we all dread we will become.
Mm-hmm.
Listen if you ever want a change of scenery,
and life on the road
being married to your causes sounds appealing,
just know that my door is always open.
Thank you, Rachel.
Mr. Little.
Something I can help you with?
Your wife coming today?
Or is she at work...
At the community center?
14th and Drexel.
Anthony, we...
We're getting started.
Yeah.
You good?
Because if they got you unnerved, it'll hurt us.
They're not the first racists I've dealt with.
Mr. Bays, why did you shoot Ashley Webster?
Because she was screaming, and I wanted to shut her up.
Did you do it for Campbell Mathers?
Absolutely not.
Thank you. Nothing further.
Uh, Mr. Bays, is it safe to say you dislike black people?
- Yes. - So you dislike me?
May I ask why you dislike a group of people
simply based on the color of their skin?
I don't know. I just do.
Kevin, you didn't...
you didn't have a lot of friends in high school, did you?
That must've been hard.
Did you make you feel different?
- Different? - While other kids were,
you know, hanging out after school?
You had to go to therapy, right?
I imagine that that didn't seem fair.
Did it make you angry?
Objection. Inflammatory.
Overruled.
I apologize for that, Kevin.
I'll ask again.
- Did it make you angry? - I guess.
Because it didn't seem fair, and it hurt, right?
I mean, you were in pain, Kevin.
Great deal of pain,
and Campbell Mathers gave you the medication
that you needed to feel better.
He gave you people to hate.
A target for your anger,
and that anger became your purpose.
Your identity.
"Racial diversity in this country is anathema.
It dilutes the purity of our history and our values."
You wrote this on your Facebook page.
- This is your belief? - Yes.
"Only when we rid our culture of the corrosive agents
"of liberal ideologies will we guarantee
the protection of the white race."
This is also your belief?
- Yes. - No.
For they are word-for-word
from the published writings of Campbell Mathers.
You really did think
these words were your own, didn't you?
Nothing further.
$200,000?
You're gonna need more than that.
More?
Well, how... how would I ever need more?
Please, listen to me, okay? Just... just please sit down.
Money isn't everything, Jake.
No, and I... I want to agree with you.
George. Okay, I do.
I want to agree with you, and I want to tell you
that happiness is all that you're gonna need
and that your life is gonna be just fine from now on.
But the truth...
the truth is, you're not gonna be a teacher anymore
because they took that from you.
They took your family, they took your reputation,
they took your whole life,
and it was not an accident, George.
They did that to you, and they did that to you on purpose.
That's why I wanna get you as much money as I can
to... to try and make up for that,
and not... not because that is gonna fix the past,
but because it is gonna give you a future.
It's gonna give you a real future, George,
and you deserve that.
You deserve a life where you get to fly first-class to Rome
and dance in the Trevi Fountain
and then stay in the most amazing hotels
you've ever seen in your whole life.
Okay?
But to do that,
and to move forward,
that is gonna be hard,
and it is gonna be a long road for you.
But I'm gonna be there with you
every step of the way.
Why?
Because you're my friend.
Your mother really wanted this mural to happen.
It meant so much to her.
A public reminder that anyone can change the world.
Why am I here, Dad?
Campbell Mathers is taking the stand tomorrow.
I wanted to ask you if you still think I'm wrong.
It's a slippery slope.
I mean, you... you win this, and...
from now on, people hesitate before they speak.
Or worse, if they don't then they could be held accountable
in really dangerous ways.
Scary, isn't it?
When, uh, fighting for what's right creates uncertainty.
It's the nature of what we do, though.
One has to believe that humanity
is always gonna bend towards the good.
And when it doesn't,
that we're gonna be there to protect what's right.
I invited you here...
because there's disagreeing,
and then there's you thinking that I'm over the line.
You'd tell me if I was over the line, wouldn't you?
Yes. I would.
Mr. Mathers,
when you were tweeting at that rally,
did you have any intention of inciting violence?
Absolutely not.
I was encouraging people to uphold their right
to stand up for their beliefs.
That was the point of the rally in the first place.
And honestly, the reason why we chose The Liberty Mural
as the place to do it.
That mural is a celebration of individuals who stood up
and fought for their causes.
It's a... it's a...
a monument to the First Amendment.
Those faces on that wall,
they spoke their minds in the face of adversity.
And what they were saying wasn't necessarily popular,
and it may have been met with resistance.
What I'm doing is no different,
but they are considered heroes,
and here I am being made out to be a killer
for embracing my rights as an American citizen.
Talk about an injustice.
Nothing further.
Mr. Strait, cross-examination?
Elijah, if you can't go, I...
Mr. Mathers...
The Liberty Mural.
Did you know that my wife was one of its key supporters?
I think I did know that.
She passed away recently.
I'm sorry for your loss.
She was a spectacular woman, my wife.
You know, Ashley's father once told me
that his daughter loved everyone.
Carolyn was the same way.
She loved everyone.
She went out of her way to...
understand people, to help them.
Her dream was for every single person
to feel cared for, important, and understood.
She sounds like a lovely woman.
The faces of those people were the ones
that she chose to have on that mural,
and the thought that you would compare yourself to them
or use that mural as a representation
of... of your hateful and despicable beliefs
is an outrage!
- Objection, Your Honor. - Mr. Strait.
You comparing yourself
to those brave, iconic figures she loved?
That is beyond the pale.
- Objection. - Mr. Strait.
I should yank you out that box and beat your ass!
Stand down or I will hold you in contempt.
Mr. Strait, you are in contempt.
You are a disgrace to our nation!
Remove him!
I thought you said getting unnerved would hurt us.
I know.
It just happened.
We've lived it, Anthony.
We both know what the hatred of strangers feels like.
I do not like Campbell Mathers.
I hate what he preaches, I hate what he believes in,
and I am angry that Kevin Bays, a man who shares his ideology,
killed an innocent woman.
But as much as I would like to hold Mr. Mathers accountable
for this terrible act, I can't.
We can't because we have laws in this country
that protect our right to free speech.
Those laws protect us from oppression,
and they protect us from ourselves.
I owe this court, the jury,
and Mr. Mathers an apology.
My behavior earlier is inexcusable,
and wrong.
The law says...
that one cannot yell "fire" into a crowded theater
knowing that there is no fire,
for to do so is to willfully incite a riot.
That example, when it was first used, wasn't an abstraction.
It was based on a real fire,
in a real theater in Chicago,
where hundreds of people were trapped together.
Our world is changing,
technology is bringing us together like never before.
And in this new reality,
rallies like this...
See the light! See the light!
... are the new crowded theater.
And posting messages filled with hate, in real time,
to your legion of followers is like shouting "fire."
Campbell Mathers shouted...
"fire."
Campbell Mathers shouted "fire."
Why'd you want to meet here?
Because I found a solution to Della's case.
Marilyn didn't have a connection
to any single person, right?
But she did write most of her journal entries
right here under this tree.
She was connected to this place,
and so now her estate will be directed towards
a beautification fund to maintain this park.
Wow.
Guess that makes us all the beneficiaries.
Mm-hmm.
I keep thinking about her.
How she wasn't close to anyone.
I really don't want to end up like that.
You won't.
You got Dad.
And, um...
And me.
Has the jury reached a verdict?
We have, your honor.
In the matter of "Webster v. Campbell Mathers,"
we the jury find in favor of the plaintiff.
We award the Webster family $20 million
in compensatory damages.
Absurd.
Have we no rights left in this country?
- The court is adjourned. - Thank you, Your Honor.
Thank you.
Mr. and Mrs. Webster, hate stops here.
Maybe just for a moment,
but for today the hate stops here,
and it was all because of your daughter.
God bless you.
The way you treated Bays.
People need to see that, Anthony.
They need to see you.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
There you are.
You did it.
Baby.
Whether you're in the room or not,
there's nothing in this world I do without you.
I wasn't about to do this without you by my side.
Good evening.
This is an emotional win for the Webster family,
and a landmark victory in the battle against mobilized hate.
Argued a hell of a case, Counselor.
I know. I'm surprised I lost.
1998. Jackson, Mississippi.
You represented a woman who slipped on the staircase
in a nursing home,
and I remember a tale of theatrics
where you staged a fall in the courtroom.
So did Mathers really get to you up there
or were you just trying to win?
It was great seeing you again, Elijah.
Likewise.
Rachel.
We're always on the same side.
You know, I'm really glad you won,
but I still don't agree with you.
Not the first time.
It sure as hell won't be the last.
? As I was to you ?
? Oh, tell me ?
Synced & corrected by QueenMaddie www.addic7ed.com