- REMEMBER WHEN PEOPLE THOUGHT, LIKE, SHIT WOULD GET BETTER
FOR BLACK PEOPLE BECAUSE OBAMA WAS PRESIDENT?
REMEMBER, THAT'S-- THEY REALLY THOUGHT THAT.
EVEN BLACK PEOPLE FOOLISHLY BUY INTO THE NOTION.
"AWW, YEAH, WE GOT A BLACK PRESIDENT."
[laughs] NAW.
I THINK PEOPLE ARE DETERMINED TO MAKE US PAY FOR THAT.
"OH, YOU WANTED A BLACK PRESIDENT?
GET A JOB, FUCKER. WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES."
YOU KNOW THERE ARE MORE BLACK MEN IN PRISON NOW
THAN WERE EVER SLAVES, MAN?
THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR BLACK PEOPLE--LIKE 20%?
THIS CANNOT BE GOOD, THAT'S ALL.
SO ONE TIME I WAS PLAYING GOLF, MAN,
AND I HIT A BALL THAT WENT
INTO THIS REALLY REEDY, WET, MARSHY AREA,
AND THIS MARSHALL DROVE UP,
AND HE SAID, "THAT AREA'S FOR THE CALIFORNIA SALAMANDER
"AND THAT'S PROTECTED-- ENVIRONMENTALLY PROTECTED.
"SO IF YOU GO IN THERE AND YOU HURT HIS AREA
"OR YOU HURT THE LIZARD ITSELF,
IT'S $50,000 FINE AND A YEAR IN JAIL AUTOMATICALLY."
AND I WENT, "WHOA."
SO WHAT I WAS THINKING IS
"MAN, IF BLACK DUDES WAS A LIZARD--"
[laughter]
AFTER I SAW THAT SALAMANDER, I STARTED THINKING,
WHAT IF THE BLACK MAN REALLY COULD GET
ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST?
IS IT POSSIBLE?
HELL, WHERE WOULD YOU EVEN START?
- I'M NOAH GREENWALD,
ENDANGERED SPECIES DIRECTOR,
CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY.
I WORK TO GET SPECIES PROTECTED
UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT.
- OH, YES.
SEE THAT'S WHAT THE FUCK I'M TALKIN' ABOUT.
- THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT HAS BEEN TREMENDOUSLY EFFECTIVE.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, MOST SPECIES THAT GET THE PROTECTION
OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES HAVE NOT GONE EXTINCT.
- ONCE AN ANIMAL IS ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST,
WHAT KIND OF PROTECTIONS WOULD THEY BE AFFORDED?
- IF YOU KILL AN ENDANGERED SPECIES,
YOU CAN BE FINED AS MUCH AS 50,000
AND GET ONE YEAR IN JAIL.
- LET'S SAY, OKAY, HYPOTHETICALLY,
A SPOTTED OWL DID A DRIVE-BY OF ANOTHER SPOTTED OWL,
BUT THE STRAY BULLET
HIT THE LEG OF A GRANDMOTHER SPOTTED OWL,
AND THEN HER NEPHEW CAME OUT WEARING A RED BANDANA
AND HE ALSO GOT POPPED,
WHAT WOULD THE PENALTY FOR THAT BE?
- IT WOULD STILL BE THAT SAME FINE.
- WHAT IF THE SPOTTED OWL WAS JUST CARRYING
SOME SKITTLES AND WEARING A HOODIE?
- I THINK THAT WOULD STILL COUNT AS A TAKE.
- AND AFTER NOAH DESCRIBED THE CRITERIA TO GET ON THE LIST,
I REALIZED THE BLACK MAN WAS A PERFECT FIT.
HELL, MAYBE THIS AIN'T SUCH A CRAZY IDEA.
I MEAN, WE HAVE TRIED EVERYTHING TO HELP OUR SPECIES.
PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS, UN-PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS,
SIT-INS, MARCHES, HUNGER STRIKES, RIOTS,
A FAKE BLACK PRESIDENT, AND A REAL BLACK PRESIDENT,
AND ALL OF IT AIN'T DONE SHIT.
BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
WE ARE ABOUT TO JOIN THE RICH HISTORY
OF THE BLACK-FOOTED FERRET,
THE AMERICAN BALD EAGLE, AND THE DAMA GAZELLE.
SMART LITTLE MOTHERFUCKER GETTING YOURSELF LISTED, MM.
NOAH, WE 'BOUT TO SAVE THIS SPECIES LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER.
- OKAY.
- DIGGIN' YOUR EXCITEMENT, NOAH.
I SEE IT.
NOW, MY BOY, NOAH, HE HAD INSPIRED ME.
BUT HOW DO WE ACTUALLY GET ON THE LIST?
I HEADED DOWN TO D.C. TO FIND OUT
HOW TO GET THIS SHIT DONE.
AND TO GET ANYTHING DONE IN WASHINGTON,
THERE'S ONE GROUP YOU GOT TO START WITH--
LOBBYISTS.
DAMN.
I'LL TELL YOU WHY I'M HERE.
THIS IS A LITTLE INSANE, BUT IT'S THE REAL THING.
I'M TRYING TO GET THE BLACK MAN
PUT ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST.
[woman clears throat]
- THOUGH IT SOUNDS A LITTLE CRAZY,
IT'S DEFINITELY NOT THE CRAZIEST THING WE'VE WORKED ON.
WE'VE WORKED ON EVERYTHING FROM PROTECTING CHIMPANZEES
AND BABIES WHO'VE FALLEN DOWN STAIRS, TO--
- THERE'S A LOBBY TO PROTECT BABIES FROM FALLING DOWN STAIRS?
- OH, YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT-- - STRONG LOBBY.
- ABSOLUTELY.
STRONG LOBBY.
- [exhales]
SO I'M IN THE RIGHT PLACE?
THEY EXPLAINED THAT IT WOULDN'T BE EASY.
I'D NEED TO TRAVEL THE COUNTRY AND COLLECT SIGNATURES,
GATHER EVIDENCE TO PROVE MY SPECIES IS THREATENED,
AND OUR HABITAT'S AT RISK.
THEN PRESENT MY CASE TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS.
BUT WHAT THIS ALL WORTH IT?
- WHAT THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT DOES IS
IT PROHIBITS ANY PERSON FROM HARASSING A PROTECTED SPECIES.
- SO YOU CAN'T HARASS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?
- EXACTLY, AND SO IF WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE BLACK MAN
LISTED ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT,
ANY PERSON THAT WANTED TO HARASS A BLACK MAN
WOULD NEED TO OBTAIN A PERMIT IN ADVANCE.
- GOD DAMN! HOOD PERMITS?
AW, THIS SHIT IS ON!
TIME TO HIT THE ROAD.
FIRST STOP, NEW YORK CITY.