O Reformatório Nickel

Turner: This can be a three-day job we play it right. We till the garden and fix up her house, she may even adopt our black asses. Well not you, you got family. I'd yessum her for a chance out of Nickel.

Elwood: That ain't no freedom. I mean you know Director Hardee and his wife ain't supposed to use us like we're slaves.

Turner: Man, all those guys on the school board have us do chores. Sometimes it's favors, sometimes it's for real money.

Elwood: But it's against the law.

Turner: [Turner laughs] Man, the law's one thing. You can march and wave signs around and change a law if you convince enough white people. I saw those college kids in Tampa with their nice shirts and ties sitting at the Woolworth's. I had to work, but they were out protesting. And it happened, they opened that counter. But I didn't have the money to eat there either way. Gotta change the economics of all this, too.

Elwood: My grandma got me that lawyer, man. Make a move there, first.

Turner: The courts play both the white and the black. They just move us around when they're ready.

Elwood: And we have to be like knights. Checkmate.

Turner: How many people you know done that, El? There's four ways out of Nickel. Serve your time -or age out-. Court might intervene -if you believe in miracles-. You could die -they could kill you-. You could run. Only four ways out of Nickel.