02x11 - Chinatown

[bunniefuu]

I serve as an equalizer.

I'm the one you call when
you can't call .

Cuff me now. Do it.

Previously on The Equalizer...

Was it really about the family, Pop?

Or was it just about you?

BENJAMIN: The system was
getting in the way

of us getting justice,

so I did what I needed to do.

You don't have to be so tough, you know.

I'm not scared of nothin'.

Prove it. Because part of being brave

is making hard choices
to change your life.

- I can't do this.
- Excuse me.

Are you Kisha Griffin?

ROBYN: You said you never had someone

who believed in you. Well, now you do.

- F you ever need help, call me.
- I

I'm ready.

_

Don't even think about it.

Danny Min.

Neighbors don't steal.

They give.

Yes?

Now go before I bake you
into an egg tart.

(CHILDREN GIGGLE)

(GROANS SOFTLY)

MAN: Psst.

Leave me alone.

Whoo! Best day of the year right here.

Is that right?

Ah, I can already smell it:

the ragout simmering,

ooh... that duck all crisp and golden.

Damn. Cassoulet day.

I'm so glad that
your memory's sharp, because

that's the only way you're
gonna be experiencing it today.

Wait... Where's Delilah?

I thought she was
supposed to be helping you.

She was. She got a better offer.

What're you talking about?

You two have been planning this
for a week.

And then a friend of hers called,

asked if she wanted to go shopping.

Dee wanted to go, so I let her.

Oh, hell no.

She needs to get her butt back here.

- You don't just bail on family.
- You know the reason

I only make this recipe once
a year is because it is hard.

It takes hours. And the only thing

worse than being stood up
is being stuck in a hot kitchen

all day with a sullen teenager

who can't take her eyes off her phone.

Well, as far as I'm concerned,
she needs to be up in her room

all day without a phone.

Promise me you're not gonna punish her.

I don't want that to be the reason

that she does this with me.

But I...

Robyn, no.

This recipe is special to me.

It's part of our family.

(SIGHS) If Dee wants to
spend the day buying shoes,

then... so be it.

(PHONE RINGS)

Hey.

CHLOE: She called
me her "constant noise."

Never tried to quiet me down,

even though I was a total delinquent.

Ms. Li didn't have any children,

so every kid in Chinatown
became her surrogate child.

Eight Treasure Bakery
was our community center.

Eight Treasure?

Is that the place
with the amazing moon cakes?

This is her second location.

She opened the first in ' ,
at the heart of Chinatown,

right after emigrating to New York City.

The new location was an overnight hit.

Until four days ago, when
someone b*rned it to the ground.

With Ms. Li inside.

Fire department said it was electrical.

Autopsy showed she d*ed
of smoke inhalation.

The cops wrote it off as an accident.

But you don't believe them.

In the last few years,

the att*cks on the Asian community...

You think it was a hate crime?

I'm sure it is.

It started with reviews,
on her Yelp page.

Not just hateful and vile.

Some felt like threats.

A week and a half ago, I found her

scrubbing spray paint off her walls.

Someone had kicked in the door
and vandalized the inside.

She wouldn't tell me much
about it, but...

You think she was targeted.

I started walking Ms. Li to
and from work every single day.

The one night that she
convinced me not to pick her up

because she was working late and alone,

an "accidental" electrical fire
kills her.

It can't be a coincidence.

Look, I have evidence.

I went back to the bakery after
the fire department left.

I found this outside by the back door.

Ms. Li swept up every
single night after closing.

The cops weren't interested.
But I'm hoping you are.

I'll never forgive myself
for abandoning her that night.

And I won't abandon her now.

MEL: Yep, this has
all the greatest hits.

"Go back to your country,"

"stop eating dog," "stick to math."

You'd think they'd have gotten
a little bit more creative

since I was a kid.

Thing is, up until
a couple of months ago,

this was a solid
five-star establishment.

I mean, these reviews didn't
just, like, trickle in.

They hit all at once.

Ms. Li made some enemies.

Yeah, and so did the woman who
was beaten in Times Square.

And the women who was stabbed
at a bus stop in San Francisco.

And the victims of the
Atlanta spa sh**t.

They were innocent.

Didn't do a damn thing to deserve it.

See, this is why I do not
let my grandmother

leave her apartment without me.

It's true. She's like
an octogenarian Rapunzel.

But if Ms. Li was being targeted,

why didn't she open up to Chloe?

Maybe she decided to take it
into her own hands.

Check this out. She recently subscribed

to a security camera system.

Which means there should be
footage from the night of the fire.

Yeah, it's all uploaded to the cloud.

All right, I got it.
This was the last one

recorded the night she d*ed.

Half an hour before the fire started.

(KNOCKING)

Frank. Too good for business hours?

- Must be one of her regulars.
- FRANK: I had to work late tonight.

Thanks for this, Ms. Li.

Please. Always open for you.

How many you want today?

A couple. Midnight snack.

(CAMERA CLICKS)

(PHONE BUTTONS CLICKING)

Here you go.

- (LOUD CRASHING)
- (GASPS)

Wait here.

Wait. What was that?

Sounded like glass breaking.

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

What happened? I don't know.

- The video cut out.
- (PHONE CHIMES)

I just texted a photo of Frank to Chloe.

She recognizes him from the bakery.

Name's Frank Mitchell.

- On it.
- She said he's been

going to Ms. Li's for years.

HARRY: Let me get an address.

Something up?

You remember Kisha?

Yeah, the young woman you met in jail.

Yeah, how's she doing
with the counseling?

It's a process.

As part of her program, she has to speak

at a high school class today
about her experiences.

I promised I'd be there.

But it's not for a few hours.

Which means I got time
to pay Frank Mitchell a visit.

(PAPER RIPS)

HARRY: East Side. Apartment -C.

MAN: Stop! Please!
I don't know anything.

(GLASS SHATTERS)

Please, I told you.
I don't know anything.

Get off me! (GRUNTS)

Hey!

(BOTH GRUNTING)

(GROANS)

Take a breath. Are you hurt?

I'm fine, thanks. Who are you?

A concerned citizen. What did he want?

I don't know. He just att*cked me.

You said you didn't know anything.

About what?

Was it about Ms. Li? The bakery?

I know you were there that night.

How did you know that?

I'm an investigator.

The question is, how'd he know?

What exactly did he want?

He wanted to know if I saw who did it.

God, what if he was there that night?

He knows I'm a witness!

Okay, just calm down. Sit.

What did you witness?

Nothing. Like I told him,

I didn't see anything that night.

I know you saw something.

You heard windows breaking.

You got spooked. So then what?

What happens after the video ended?

Look, I did just save you.

And I might be able to stop
whoever that was

from coming back... but only
if you tell me what you know.

We both heard a window break.

Ms. Li told me to wait
while she went to the back.

But I don't know what
happened next. Because...

Because you didn't wait.

You heard what sounded like a break-in,

and you left her there? Alone?

I was scared, okay?

And I was right to be,
because she ended up dead.

So yeah, I kept my mouth shut

'cause I was worried those guys
were gonna come after me.

And I was right.

Now it's "guys"?

How do you know how many there were?

I heard voices...

- How many?
- Two.

Three, maybe. I couldn't tell.

I just wanted a pork bun.
I didn't do anything wrong.

No. You didn't do anything.

You didn't even call the cops.
And now she's dead.

Hey, hey. W-What happens
if they come back?

Then I guess you'll know
what it was like

for Ms. Li when no one helps you.

MEL: Unbelievable.

This woman was his neighbor,
opened her door to him...

And he just stood there and did nothing?

ROBYN: Yeah, I'm right there with you.

Situations like this,

there's no such thing as
an "innocent bystander."

So if these guys are gunning
for him, we can use that.

Harry, how are you coming
with those reviews?

Seems like, in this little
cesspool of hate,

that the most offensive
and threatening posts

came from the same IP address.

Who owns the address?

A rival bakery: Castelli's,

a few blocks down from Ms. Li.

I know competition can
get nasty, but m*rder?

- That's a whole other level.
- HARRY: Yeah,

but Ms. Li was putting
Castelli's out of business.

I mean, their sales were way down.

They were fighting eviction.

Do you know specifically

- who was writing the reviews?
- HARRY: No.

I could find out though,
but I'd need to go there myself.

Ooh. Field trip to a r*cist bakery.

- Sounds fun.
- Hmm.

Rob, you wanna come with?

Uh, no, I gotta meet up with Dante,

bring him up to speed on everything.

Maybe he can shed some light
on these att*cks in Chinatown.

No problem. We got it.

Sounds good.

(LINE BEEPS)

- Delilah?
- DELILAH: Hey, Mom.

Jess and Carly want to go
to the movies later.

Is it okay if I go with them?

I know you didn't just ask me that.

What's the problem?

You bailed on Aunt Vi this morning,

and now you asking me
if you can stay out longer.

Aunt Vi said it was fine.

You know damn well it wasn't fine.

Aunt Vi's cassoulet
is a very big deal to her.

She was showing you respect and
trust by sharing it with you,

and you took it for granted.

Hello? Are you there? Did I lose you?

No, I'm here.

Do you want me to come home?

(SCOFFS)

No.

You want to go to the movies, go.

I made Auntie a promise,
and unlike you, Delilah Fulton,

I honor my commitments.

(LINE BEEPS)

(SCOFFS)

(CAR ALARM CHIRPS)

What can I get you?

Uh, let's see.
Blueberry scone looks good.

Uh, macchiato.

Um, oh, and some answers about
your neighbor, Li Wong.

You know, the one taking
all your customers,

forcing you out of business.

Crushing you, really,
in every conceivable way.

Yeah, what about her?

Oh, nothing serious...
We're just looking

for the person who wrote r*cist,
threatening reviews on her Yelp

right before she was m*rder*d.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Really? Because according to
this unintelligible tech gack,

which my husband can somehow decipher,

the reviews came from here,

to your password-protected Wi-Fi.

Now, I don't know
what's more upsetting...

the comment
about the "kung flu cupcakes,"

which I'm sure you find hilarious,

or the fact that
you misspelled "foreigner."

Ms. Li was an American, by the way.

All right, this is ridiculous.

I'm gonna have to ask you to leave.

- No one from here wrote those things.
- Wrong.

See, every phone is assigned
a unique code

called a MAC address when
connected to a Wi-Fi network,

so while we can't tell you
exactly which phone

posted those reviews,

I can tell you that it does have

- Phone Finder enabled.
- Which I'm about to activate

right about... now.

(ELECTRONIC DINGING)

MARSHALL: Liam, this was you?

How could you say things like this?

- How could you even think them?
- I don't.

I'm not, like, r*cist.

(SCOFFS) I mean,

you realize that's the kind of
thing that influences people?

I mean, that's the kind of
bile that gets people k*lled.

I was just trying to save the business.

We've been here for years,

and she's been here a year, and what,

now we have to close? How is that fair?

It's not fair. You know why?
'Cause years ago,

this block was part of Chinatown.

It was settled by immigrants
who worked their asses off

to make it a beautiful
neighborhood for themselves

and for their neighbors.

So yeah, it's not fair

that Ms. Li had to be treated
like an outsider

in her own neighborhood.

Look, I know what he did was messed up,

but Liam was working here when Ms.
Li's got vandalized,

and the whole family was upstate
at a wedding when she d*ed.

I know my nephew can be
a complete ass...

...but he's not a k*ller.

What are you thinking?

About how many hate crimes

come across our desk and
how few we ever solve.

Why is that?

Because they're random.

No connection
between the perp and the victim.

Often no witnesses, no real evidence.

That's what makes hate crimes
so insidious.

So unless it's caught on video,
the people that do this

get away with it over and over.

Which means whoever
vandalized Ms. Li's bakery

may have done it before somewhere else.

Can you check for any similar reports

at other Asian businesses in the area?

Sure. But even if we
identified our vandals,

we'd still have no way
of linking them to the fire.

Maybe we do.

It was found outside Ms. Li's bakery

the night of the fire.

It may have the arsonist's
prints and DNA on it.

You always got something
up your sleeve, don't you?

(ENGINE STARTS)

- (YELLS)
- Looking for me?

(GRUNTING)

Took you long enough to make a move.

(YELLS)

You like terrorizing
innocent Asians, huh?

Well, how's that terror feel?

You want to tell me who you are?

- You first.
- I'm the one holding the g*n.

If you were gonna sh**t me,

you would have already.

Not to mention your little rendezvous

out there with that unmarked cop car.

But... you're not a cop yourself,

so what are you?

Some kind of vigilante
out to save our Chinese asses?

Says the Masked Avenger.

Why were you b*ating the hell
out of Frank Mitchell,

and why were you following me?

Ms. Li is a friend.

Someone k*lled her,
and Frank was a witness.

What's your excuse?

Chloe San. She asked me to do the same.

Chloe?

She loved Ms. Li.

Used to be her little shadow,

following her all around the bakery.

(SIGHS)

You know, instead of tripping
over each other,

maybe we should compare notes.

I don't like group projects,

and I don't work with cops.

Anymore, you mean.

I know an ex-cop when I see one.

Colt . Special.

Standard issue.

NYPD?

Until I couldn't take it anymore.

Nearly three decades

hitting dead end after dead end
on cases like this.

T-boned by a r*cist system.

But these are my people.

This is my community.

I'm not gonna let Ms. Li
fall through the cracks.

Neither am I.

Now, we can split up,

keep bumping into each other,

ruin our chances of solving
this case for both Chloe

and Ms. Li.

Or...

you can put your pride aside,

and we can help each other

bring down these monsters.

ROBYN: Mel, Harry...

Ray Lai.

Mel and Harry work with me.

Doing what?

Mixing drinks?

Hmm.

I know they don't look like much...

- Hey.
- No, honey, that's fair.

But they are the best in the biz.

Okay, I forgive you.
Ray, would you like some coffee?

How about something a little stronger?

Chloe was right.

Ms. Li didn't tell her everything.

She didn't want to burden her
with her issues.

But she told me.

When her store was broken
into and vandalized,

what Chloe didn't know was that
Ms. Li chased these men down.

Two of them.

They att*cked her,

and she fought back.

Stabbed one of them in the eye
with her key.

Badass.

Yeah, she was a tough one.

I followed up at ERs,
looking for eye injuries,

but... got nothing.

I think the people who
vandalized her store

and wrote those slurs on her walls

came back and k*lled her.

What did they write on the wall?

I took a photo.

(EXHALES)

Man, the hate some people carry.

She called me instead of the cops.

She'd seen friends go
through the reporting process,

the one where you're told
it's not worth the paperwork.

Or that what happened to
you wasn't a crime.

It's gaslighting. The more it happens,

the less people report.

I convinced her to at least
install a video camera

that I had access to,

and that's how I got to Frank.

And all he heard were voices.

(PHONE VIBRATING)

Hey, Dante.

Ran the cigarette you gave me.

We were only able to get
a partial print.

Not enough to find a match
in the system.

(SIGHS) What about the DNA?

That will take a few days,
but I did get something.

I found another instance of an
Asian-owned business in the area

being broken into and vandalized
a week before Ms. Li's.

Did the vandals leave graffiti
at the scene?

Yeah. Threats and racial slurs.

Can you send me a photo of it?

Texting now.

(PHONE WHOOSHES)

What do you think?

Same slurs, handwriting.

Same guy.

The break-in...

- Were there any witnesses?
- The owner, Mr. Cheung,

was there when it happened.

Did he describe the attackers?

Now, that's the thing.

Responding officers
never got a statement from him.

Language barrier.

They should have followed up,
but they never went back.

A lot of the older generation
in Chinatown

still speak Cantonese.

It can be hard for patrols
to get a translator.

Hey. Do you speak Cantonese?

Heard you used to work Chinatown.

They had this nice place
for red-braised pork

on Hester and Mulberry.

They had this chili sauce
I used to buy jars of.

I put it on everything: steak, pasta...

cereal.

Sunrise Wok.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

That was it.

You spend a lot of time around there?

My dad did.

NYPD was putting in a lot of hours

dealing with the fallout of turf wars

between the Chinatown gangs
back in the day.

Dante.

Was your father Big Ben?

I knew Ben.

He was a good man.

One of the only cops
that tried to help me

when I was hitting brick walls
on hate crime cases.

What?

Just don't hear a lot
of good things about my father.

Well, it was hard being good back then.

Those walls were hard
to get through without smashing.

Protect and serve.

Not a lot of fine print

when it came to people
who looked like us.

Some things haven't changed.

(SPEAKING CANTONESE)

It happened late at night, after close.

(CONTINUES IN CANTONESE)
He'd been cleaning.

Heard something...

like the front door being kicked open.

(CONTINUES IN CANTONESE)

Before he could turn,
something heavy hit him.

When he came to, he was on the ground.

(CONTINUES IN CANTONESE)

He looked up to see

they had defaced a mural
his family painted

back when the shop opened.

(CONTINUES IN CANTONESE)

Cops came, couldn't understand him.

- Never came back.
- Why didn't he follow up?

(RESPONDS IN CANTONESE)

If they're not gonna take
the time to listen to him,

what's the point?

Can he describe the men
who did this to him?

(SPEAKING CANTONESE)

When the attackers fled,
they hung a left

and got in a red van.

All right, pulled the street cam footage

from the time and location
that Mr. Cheung gave us.

I got video footage of the red van.

Can't really make out the guys,
but I did get a license plate.

Who owns the van?

It's not really a "who."

It's the Houston Electrical Supply

near Chinatown. Not a lot in the way

of employee records of any kind.

Probably a lot of money under the table,

- you know what I mean?
- Place like this,

they would know how to fake
an electric fire.

MEL: We know something
else... one of them

should have a hell of a shiner,
courtesy of Ms. Li.

Should we tell Dante?

No, he's gonna need a lot more
to go on than this.

We need to go in there
without raising suspicion,

find something he can move on

without flashing his badge.

If the cops had just gone back
to Mr. Cheung with a translator,

they would have had these guys
two weeks ago.

Ms. Li might still be alive.

They're not gonna get a chance
to ever do this again.

(PHONE CHIMES)

Kisha's event.

I told her I'd be there.

Go. I got the shop.

You sure you want to be messing

with a bunch of murderous racists?

Don't even bother... She was gone

the second we got
the name of the joint. Besides,

she's the one they ought to worry about.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

HARRY (OVER RADIO): Do you see him?

No, not yet. So far everyone here

has two functional eyes.

- Help you with something?
- Yes. Hi.

I just put in a new
electric panel recently,

and you sent a guy to do it...
I can't remember his name,

but he had a red van.

Anyway, he told me that he
could get me a great deal

on some lighting I was thinking about.

- Is he here?
- He's out right now,

but I can help you.
What are you looking for?

HARRY: A r*cist dumpster
fire who drives a red van.

(CHUCKLES) Yeah.

Actually, he had a few great ideas,

so I'm happy to wait for him.

I really don't know when he'll be back.

Maybe if I could get his name?

Okay, well, then I'll just wait.

Suit yourself.

Thanks.

HARRY: Look, if he's not there,
we can come back later.

Yeah, fine.

(DOOR CREAKING)

Harry, I've got the van.

It's in a private lot in the back.

Wait, what do you mean, "private lot"?

Like, restricted-access private?

Like, shouldn't-be-there private?

There are spray paint cans in the van

and cigarettes in the cupholder.
If we can match

the cigarette butts in this van
to the one that Chloe found,

we can link this van and our
two vandals to Ms. Li's m*rder.

Please tell me you're not
about to break into that van.

It'll take two seconds.

Mel, please.

(CLACKING)

What the hell do you think you're doing?

So you're the one
who's looking for me, huh?

I don't recognize you
from any house call.

- Guess I got the wrong guy.
- Yeah, next she's gonna say

she tripped and broke into my van.

Well, maybe you should call the cops.

Maybe I will.

Maybe we'll just take a
ride down to the scrapyard,

have a little date,

just the three of us.

(GRUNTING)

HARRY: Hello.

Hi. Sorry. Sorry, I was looking
for, uh, extension cords,

and, uh, you just had yellow inside,

which sort of clashes with my
whole sort of landscaping vibe.

So, uh, I was just wondering

if you had anything else...
A green would be ideal.

Or maybe something earthy, like a taupe?

Gotcha.

ROBYN: Kisha.

- Why are you not in there?
- I can't do this.

I'm gonna freeze up
in front of all those kids

and make a fool of myself.
I can't do it.

Take a deep breath.

Sit down.

What's this about freezing up?

Because the girl I know
can't stop running her mouth.

When I was in high school,
we had this lady

from Scared Straight come talk to us.

And I still remember
how I felt about her, like...

like she was a loser.

I swore up and down I'd never
make those kind of mistakes.

But I did.

I had potential, you know.

I was an athlete.

- Is that right?
- Yeah.

Everything from boxing

to vaulting and high jump.

I mean, I wasn't technical with it,

but I learned fast.

It made me fearless,

gave me an edge in sports.

And got you in trouble in the streets.

And I'm the loser now.

Those kids are not gonna listen to me.

They're gonna laugh... And they should.

Maybe they will.

You know why?

They haven't lived in the world yet.

They don't know that to
overcome and to be vulnerable,

that's real success.

Now you know what kind
of strength it took that woman

to tell you her story
all those years ago.

Now it's time to pay her
and yourself some respect.

Why'd it have to be me?

All those kids in my class,

they all made it.

They're not here.

Because most of them
probably had a safety net,

family to catch them when they fell.

You didn't.

You had to catch yourself.

I know it's hard.

Yeah, but you didn't say
it was gonna be this hard.

- (CLICKS TONGUE)
- (SCHOOL BELL RINGS)

You got this.

You're fearless. Come on.

I believe in you.

Let's go teach these kids
something about the world.

RAY: That little stunt you pulled
at the electrical shop was ballsy.

She would have liked you.

Ms. Li.

She liked people who didn't back down.

Then I get why she liked you.

I remember I was with my mom once

when I was little, and we
were at the supermarket,

and this guy just walked up to her

and spat at her.

He got so close to us, I
could smell his cologne.

And she did nothing.

She didn't react.

And in that moment,

I realized she had to do that
to survive,

to protect... us.

Because we were alone.

I mean, we were in a room
full of people, but...

nobody did anything.

Nobody stood up for us.
Nobody helped her.

We were alone.

And I decided right there...

I'm never gonna be like
those people in the supermarket.

I'm never gonna be the one
who doesn't say something.

ROBYN: Hey.

Dante's running those cigarettes

you found in Trevor's van.

Now, if they match the one
from Ms. Li's m*rder,

then we have our guys.

Oh, they're our guys.

Check out Trevor and Eric's
social media feeds.

They are like conspiracy theory
influencers.

Scapegoating Chinese Americans

for everything
from disease to the economy.

Egged on by some
of our very own leaders.

How many of my people have suffered

because politicians
needed someone to blame?

And how many of mine
because these morons

can't tell the difference?

Well, if these guys are the K*llers,

then we got to play this smart.

Be patient.

Wait for Dante.

Did you find our K*llers?

- Chloe.
- Chinatown community

has been talking,
saying that you and a cop

interviewed Mr. Cheung and found a lead.

So is it true?

ROBYN: Maybe.

But we need hard evidence
before we can make a move.

And that cigarette you found

might get us there.

(SPEAKS CANTONESE)

She would be very proud of you.

Her constant noise.

(PHONE RINGING)

Dante.

You're on speaker.

Got the results.

The cigarettes from Trevor's van,

the print's not a match

to the one found outside Ms. Li's.

But they did match
to someone else we know.

Who?

Sorry to keep you waiting.

You okay?

Looks like you could use a cigarette.

I'd love to know what I'm doing here.

We're just tying up a few loose
ends in the m*rder of Li Wong.

m*rder?

I-I don't know how I'd be helpful.

We know you were there that night.

Why don't you tell me what happened.

Uh, she let me in after hours
to buy some pastries.

I heard a window break in the back,

and when she went to look, I left.

Did you hear any voices?

Y-Yes, but I didn't recognize them.

I couldn't hear what they were saying.

- I left pretty quickly.
- Got it.

Just one last thing.

Do you recognize any of these men?

Maybe you saw them on your way
in or out of the bakery.

No.

You don't recognize these two men?

(OVER SPEAKER): Surprising, considering
you grew up on the same block.

That was a long time ago.

Fair enough. Thing is,

we dug back into some
old social media...

and found these.

Taken just a few years ago.

Not to mention, we
have your fingerprints

in Trevor's van.

Still don't recognize them?

Didn't recognize their voices
at Ms. Li's that night?

This can't be easy to talk about.

Maybe you'd be more comfortable
talking to someone you know.

Hey, Frank.

Maybe you saw me around the bakery.

I'm a regular at Ms. Li's, too.

She must have liked you.

That's why she let you
in that night, right?

She was doing you a kindness.

You can do the same for her.

Tell us the truth about her death.

DANTE: You didn't know what they'd do.

Maybe you knew
they like to spray-paint walls,

break down a few doors.

Nothing too serious, right?

Trevor tell you she hit him in the face

when they tried to mess with her?

They wanted revenge, right?
How'd they sell it to you?

Maybe they said they would rob
or scare her a little.

They knew you'd make
the perfect lookout.

But you're not built for this.

You don't really have the
stomach for the bloody stuff.

RAY: But... you were someone who
could distract her

while they snuck in the back,

because you were someone she knew,

someone she trusted.

Please, stop.

Come on. You know them.

Easy, Ray.

Did you ever stand up to them?

Did you ever even once try to tell them

that what they were doing was wrong?

What about when you realized
they planned to k*ll her?

When was that?

When they cornered her? Locked the door?

- Was she scared?
- Ray.

She must have tried to fight, run.

Did they have to knock her out?

Frank, look at me! When did you realize

they planned to k*ll my friend,

before or after she was burning alive?

(PANTING):

I-I-I want a lawyer.

I want a lawyer.

I pushed too hard.

He was always gonna lawyer up.

We're not done.

We'll find a path forward.

Path?

Are you kidding me?

There is no path.

miserable years on the NYPD...

My entire life.

Let me run this down for you.

No real evidence.

No witnesses. Everything circumstantial.

What do you think happens next?

The bastards get away with it.

And most likely they'll do it
to someone else next week.

Ray...

No! It's over.

Ms. Li is dead.

And there's nothing we can do about it.

Let him go. He's grieving.

He needs to blow off some steam.

And he's right.

But I'm not ready to give up hope.

I'll keep going at Frank.

There's a next step here. We'll find it.

♪ I know you keep on pushing
against the wind... ♪

ROBYN (SINGSONGY): I know what I smell.

(GASPS) You made the cassoulet!

And I have a feeling
it's gonna be the best one yet.

Aunt Vi, I know you were looking forward

to making it with Delilah.

I'm so sorry you had to make it alone.

Actually, I didn't.

♪ You're not alone... ♪

- She came home.
- Which I'm sure

was entirely her idea.

You think I had something to do with it?

Yes, I do.

The bread was a nice touch.

I told her she could stay out
if she wanted to.

And what do you mean about the bread?
She brought home a loaf

of the rustic bread we
like to eat with it.

You know the one I always forget to buy.

You didn't tell her to bring the bread?

No, she did not tell me.

But she did remind me
of what this means,

to all of us.

And I'm sorry I took it for granted

and went to go hang out with my friends.

(CLICKS TONGUE) Oh...

- I'm comin' in.
- No, please, no.

Aw, group hug. (LAUGHS)

- You are the best.
- Oh...

Just don't you forget
who makes you free food, girl.

- Mm-hmm.
- I won't. I won't.

(LAUGHING)

The bread was a nice touch.

- Why, thank you.
- Hey, Aunt Vi,

you think we have room for
someone else at the table tonight?

Of course. Who do you want to bring?

(PHONE VIBRATING)

Hey. RAY: I just wanted to let you know

they're not gonna get away with it.

Not this time.

Ray, whatever you're thinking
about doing,

don't.

Ray?

Ray?

(DOOR CLOSES)

We're closed.

Hey, he said we're closed,

little man.

Guy's looking for a problem.

No.

I'm looking for you two.

And why is that?

You k*lled my friend.

You couldn't even look her in
the eye to do it, could you?

You left her alone in
a burning building like cowards.

And how do you plan on proving that?

I can't.

But you're gonna pay anyway.

- Ooh...
- Uh-oh.

Are you threatening us?

What's the issue?

English not your first language?
(CHUCKLES)

He thinks he's smart.

Oh, he ain't smart.

Whatever you think you know,

no one else ever will.

(GRUNTING)

(TREVOR YELLS)

(GRUNTING CONTINUES)

(STRAINING)

(GRUNTING)

(GROANS)

(GASPING)

He's here.

Must be inside.

Dante, look.

Why would he leave his g*n
if he was going to k*ll them?

Because he's not.

He's gonna let them k*ll him.
He's wired.

This is a su1c1de mission,

and he's recording everything.

DANTE: Clear.

ROBYN: Clear.

They're gone.

Check the recorder.

Listen.

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

Screw you!

(GRUNTS)

Ray's phone is off.

To trace the transmitter,
we'd have to triangulate the frequency.

We don't have that kind of time.
They're gonna k*ll him.

We need to figure out
where they'd take him.

Somewhere they can dump a body.

Somewhere they'd have ownership of.

The scrapyard. That troll said he wanted

to take me down to the scrapyard

for a date.

And the nearest scrapyard
to the shop is in Greenpoint.

Where you going?

I'm closer.

You're gonna k*ll me anyway.

Just tell me

what you did to her.

I need to know.

What about what you people did to us?

What you've done to our country?

You're the invaders.

We have every right to fight back.

We have a duty.

(LAUGHS WEAKLY)

She ran a bakery.

She was nothing but a good, kind,

hardworking woman.

That bitch almost blinded me.

And you deserve worse.

You're... you're full of crap.

You didn't k*ll Ms. Li
because of principle.

You did it because you were b*at

by a -year-old woman,

didn't you?

I k*lled her
because she doesn't belong here.

(g*n COCKS)

And neither do you.

(g*nshots)

Hands up!

(g*nsh*t)

(SIRENS WAILING)

The recording Ray made should be enough

to charge Trevor and Eric
with the m*rder of Ms. Li.

His own attempted m*rder, too.

You think they'll call it what it is?

Think they'll charge
them with a hate crime?

I do.

This time.

But how much pain does
that verdict have to cost?

You don't have to...

I'm coming with you.

I gotta make sure you
don't do anything stupid.

Apparently, you
can't be trusted on your own.

It was... necessary.

You are more necessary.

(SIREN WAILING)

What is it?

We got them...

but these hate crimes...

People want to pretend they don't exist,

so they act like they don't see it,

but when we look away,

we excuse it.

Well, I know one person
who's gonna make sure

nobody looks away on this one.

Ms. Li Wong was family.

She raised me.

She called me her "constant noise."

Ms. Li opened her doors to us all,

without judgment, without fear.

Welcome, Kisha.

Thank you, Ms. Marsette.

That looks good.

Um...

thank you for this.

I haven't had a home-cooked
meal in so long, so, um...

thank you.

♪ I will stand for you... ♪

From now on, if you need a safety net,

you got one right here.

♪ Everybody ♪

♪ Deserves to be free ♪

She taught us how to be neighbors,

how to be accountable,

how to be committed to one another.

And for those of you who think hate

can drown out kindness like hers,

I am here to tell you

that I will be Li Wong's constant noise.

Okay. (LAUGHS)

- Careful, the pot is hot.
- Mmm!

(EXHALES)

DELILAH: Smells delicious.

- ♪ Everybody ♪
- (WHOOPING, EXCITED CHATTER)

- ♪ Deserves ♪
- The guest first.

♪ To be free ♪

♪ Yeah... ♪

♪ Oh, yes. ♪