Mariah Dillard quotes from Luke Cage

Mariah

I believe in Harlem. You know, my Harlem is saturated with jazz and good food and the pure genius that permeates the streets. Harlem is rising like a phoenix out of the ashes. I mean, that's what all of my various complexes are about, it's restoring that luster.

Mariah

[motioning for the crowd to quiet down] Yes it does, yes it does. Oh, it warms my heart to see you here this evening. My cousin, Cornell Stokes, was murdered right where you're standing. And it pains me to even be here, but it's necessary. Luke Cage murdered my cousin, and I am not afraid to speak out about it. The man is a liar, he is a menace, and as long as he is running around loose, hiding amongst us, no one is safe. Now, I know what brought us here tonight: the police putting their hands on yet another young black man. It's wrong! It is wrong! [crowd cheers] No doubt about that! But, we can not lose focus here. A cop was killed by this super-powered menace, and our young brother was hurt during their witch hunt. Brothers and sisters, our world has changed. We have new threats, new terrorists. That woman over in Hell's Kitchen snapped a man's neck 'cause he was mind-controlling her. We've got a bullet-proof murderer on the loose in Harlem, with his own twisted sense of justice, putting us all in harm's way. Do I trust the cops? [cries of "no" from the crowd] Not blindly. [crowd cheers] We need protection! From Luke Cage, we need protection from the other powered people like Luke Cage. These are real threats! [crowd cheers and Mariah motions for quiet once more] We need to arm our men and women in blue, so that they can protect us. Truly protect us and never confuse us with those who are the real threat. You stay strong!

Mariah Dillard

You're wasting your gifts, my brother. This gangster life not what our ancestors fought for. Not what our people died for.

Cottonmouth

This is exactly what they died for. Self-determination, control, power.

Shades

The trash bag is for the clothes you're wearing. Every stitch goes in. Jewelry, too. Spurlock will incinerate them. The towels you use, the rugs... they all go in that trash bag. Get dressed from the clothes in the garment bag.

Mariah

I look like I'm in shock. Is that why you're speaking to me as if I'm a child?

Shades

I need you to hear me. I want you to win. Do what I say... and when you get away with this... you can go back to being the sexy, domineering bitch, that we all hate to love. Now go.

Mariah

[sighs and sniffles] That's the last time you will ever call me a bitch.

Can you confirm that it was Luke Cage who killed your cousin? Is Harlem's hero a cold-blooded murderer? Or did he just take out the trash?

Mariah

Who said that?

I did. Frank...

Mariah

My cousin Cornell Stokes was a complex man. Conflicted, but underneath all the bluster was the soul of a musician. He was a true Harlem original. [stammers] But what about this stranger? That's the garbage. But in your media rush to anoint a savior after the explosion at Genghis Connie's, no one asked the crucial question. Who the hell is Luke Cage? You label Cornell Stokes a gangster, a thug. But as many people recently witnessed at Mount Olivet, Cornell was a repentant man dealing with his violent past. Making amends for his wrongs. He had every intention of cooperating with the police. Goddamn vigilantes who call themselves heroes, like Luke Cage, they are dangerous. They are a menace to the safety, the security, and the sanctity of our community. You know what? People have used a lot of words to describe my cousin, but one word they have never used is "coward." And only a coward would hide in the shadows and kill an innocent man. [stutters] That's it.

Diamondback

You wouldn't believe how expensive these things are. Untraceable, alien metal, explosive.

Mariah

You hit Luke Cage with one of these. He's still alive. If it didn't work, what's the big deal?

Diamondback

Well, you don't need to kill God with one shot to sell a weapon. You just need to make Him bleed.

Mariah

YOU KILLED A COP! I know you did it! Now kids are getting jacked up by the police! WHAT are you doing to my city?

Diamondback

It's not yours, never was.

Mariah

Harlem is my birthright. It's mine! City council or not.

Diamondback

"When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, but terror to evil doers."

Mariah

[disgusted] You quote the Bible like you actually believe in God.

Diamondback

And you speak to me as if you're not actually in the presence of death. Your way was taking too long. I killed two birds with one stone by sticking a body on Luke Cage. He's hiding somewhere in the blessed aquarium, so I turned the heat up. [gets up from his chair] Old Carl. He's either going to stand up and defend his name, or he's gonna run and hide like a bitch. Either way, it doesn't matter. I've got the gun to take him out.

Mariah

You're completely out of control.

Diamondback

And you're not a real politician because, if you were, you'd flip this.

Mariah

[Answering her phone] What do you want?

Diamondback

That's no way to speak to a business partner.

Mariah

After what you did to my club, do you really think I'm gonna shuck and jive with you?

Diamondback

You might want to check your attitude. If you're not any use to me, then you're not any use to anyone. Shades would tell you, if he was still alive.

Mariah

What the hell are you talking about?

Diamondback

I had to let him go. So now, I'm giving you the chance to tell me where you stand. I've taken Shades and Damon Boone off the table so you can grow. I'd hate for us to part, too.

Mariah

I wasn't particularly fond of Shades. And the death of Damon Boone, although unnecessary, was appreciated. [stands up] But you need to know this: I'm out of the political game. I'm focusing on Harlem's Paradise; using it for, uh, a power base for community relations. [Diamondback enters the room from behind Mariah]

Diamondback

That's a smart move. But you've made some dumb ones, also. You should never talk about murder on an open line.

Misty

He was smashed by a heavy circular base. The coroner thought it was maybe the heavy wastebasket, but my vote? It was a mic stand. I went through Harlem's Paradise's inventory records with the stage manager and it turns out there was a mic stand that was unaccounted for.

Mariah

I've been around the music business my whole life, equipment goes missing. You can't trust niggas around equipment.

Shades

[hands Mariah the gun he used to shoot Candace] It's old-school, has a nice feel.

Mariah

It belonged to Cornell.

Shades

It suits you.