Diggstown (2019) s01e03 Episode Script

You've ruined my life.
I don't know how I've lived this long without cardamom in my coffee.
I-I-I don't think I could go back to the other thing I was drinking.
Wait until you try his mother's.
It puts Taisir's to shame.
We shall see whose coffee is best when Mother arrives.
Oh, you got her Visa? Big meeting with immigration next week.
Fingers crossed, she'll be in Canada very soon.
That's wonderful news, Taisir.
Our immigration system can seem slow as cold molasses.
The best things in life take time.
After Fatima, Yarah and I immigrated from Lebanon we waited seven years for our citizenship.
Patience rewards.
I love how you always see the positive, Taisir.
That is why I am so confident that we would beat this bogus road rage claim.
Taisir is no "road rager".
That man jumped out of his car and was-was shouting at our daughter for no reason.
I slapped him to snap him out of it, like in that movie with Cher.
Well, try another way next time.
Just need a few signatures from you and then we can close your file.
Ah, that is sweet news to my ears.
Hand to Jesus, Judge Farley Harris never appeared in court without 'em on under his robes.
You gotta a fertile imagination, Reg.
No, I never lost a case when he wore pink, but if he had on his leopard print, well, you better ask for a continuance.
Do I wanna know how you found out what's under Judge Harris' robe? No, you don't.
Doug.
Dammit, he forgot to sign this.
- Hey.
- Iris, the police are entering the building.
Listen up, police are here.
Anyone on a warrant, speak now.
Let my husband go.
What is going on? What are you doing? - Please don't! - Take it easy.
He's not resisting.
Where's your arrest warrant? Listen to me, you need to tell them that I'm your lawyer.
I will meet you at detachment.
Let's go.
Where are you taking him?! Fatima, look at me.
Look at me.
Look at me.
I will take care of this.
Where's your arrest warrant? I'm gonna find out who from HPD signed off on this take down.
This is an ugly, banana republic nonsense.
It's open season on human rights.
This office, this is supposed to be a safe space.
Who recorded this? Reggie remembered the golden rule: When you see police press record.
You recognize those uniforms? According to HPD it's not their guys.
Can you send me a screen grab of these two? Marcie Diggs.
Marcie, it is Taisir.
Taisir, are you okay? Yes, yes, why is this happening? I'm going to find out.
Where are you? I am at the Sackville Detachment.
Okay, I'm coming to get you right now I gotta go.
I am, uh, legal counsel here to see my client, Taisir Ahmed.
What was the client's name again? Taisir, T-A-I-S-I-R.
Ahmed, A-H-M-E-D.
Great! Please have a seat, someone will be with you shortly.
There's a client here looking for Marcie.
She's not here.
Who is it? Some young woman.
What's the issue? A residential tenancies hearing against her slumlord.
Slumlord? I'm in.
This notice says you haven't paid your rent in over four months, is that true? Yes.
Then your landlord is well within their rights to serve you.
If the rent is too expensive, you could apply for a housing subsidy.
I can afford my rent.
I'm just not payin' it.
You can't do that.
You can't just withhold rent, that's not how you fight an eviction.
I'm not payin' 'til they turn my hot water back on.
There is a procedure where you could challenge the landlord for repairs and services, and we could do that.
We could fill out the paperwork but it kinda takes a while.
I don't have nowhere else to go.
What about your parents? I only know my mother and she's not an option.
I don't see any photos here in Marcie's file.
Some photos might help us to paint an overall picture of your living conditions for the arbitrator.
How close is your place? I'm on Dahlia.
Really close.
Okay, let's go.
Okay, so we're playing this game.
No games, just lunch.
I've been waiting for two hours.
If I can't speak to my client, at least confirm that he's here.
Hon, someone should be with you shortly.
Or I'll see you when I get back.
You have to let it run for a few minutes before it clears up.
You can run it for hours and it won't get warm.
Feel.
Oh, like ice.
We're gonna fix this.
I've used them before, they work pretty well the animal responds.
Some people have the wrong idea about them.
But, I'll tell ya, if you use them Hello, I am Prong collars aren't so bad.
These rescue dogs, some of them need something a little more Put down that phone, now.
Good, I have your attention.
I'm not breaking any law.
I'm a lawyer attempting to gain access to her client Taisir Ahmed, so that he can exercise his right to counsel.
Counsellor, I'm gonna give you three seconds to stop recording Or what, Officer? You think I'm playing with you? I will make sure that Why don't we just smile pretty for the camera? Ben, can you have the ambulance chaser's client brought up so she can screw off? His name's Taisir, T-A-I-S-I-R, Ahmed with an H.
There's no Taisir Ahmed at this detachment.
What? I just spoke to him.
Check your log book.
Sorry, I got nothin'.
Mr.
Southwell, hi, Pam MacLean.
Where's Ms.
Diggs? Ms.
Diggs is tied up with an emergency today, so I'll be representing Kim Bond.
Listen, I've got a pretty full day so I asked the arbitrator to give us a moment to talk.
About what, sir? The unbelievable conditions you have tenants like my client living in.
Have you seen the state of these units? Oh, you're right.
It's deplorable.
This is precisely what I wanted to discuss.
The building in question is in need of extensive renovations.
Now, I've notified the Residential Tenancies Board that I've filed for permits from the city to start those renovations immediately.
We bought out a block of rooms at the Four Seasons Motel in Westphal.
We'll be able to start to relocate the tenants there immediately.
And I guarantee you, the water is piping hot.
How about it Ms.
MacLean? Mr.
Southwell, Kim's current monthly rent is $680.
Are you gonna ensure that she has a unit in the new building at that same price? No.
Of course not.
Kim, without rent control, Mr.
Southwell's effectively evicting you.
We'll have to take this up with the arbitrator when he gets back.
Well as you know the subject of today's hearing relates solely to the issue of your client's eviction.
I'm not evicting her.
In fact, I'm relocating her to a new property.
And I'll offer her a spruced up unit when the renovations are complete.
At a spruced up price.
Be happy.
You won.
Hey.
Hey, I need to find one of these guys.
Good luck with that.
Guys, we could cover the detachments in the city in a couple of hours.
Be home by dinner? Ha, couple of hours my ass.
Come on Marcie.
It's after five on a Friday.
Weekend's calling.
I'll cover off two days for each of you.
Any two days you want.
Where's my "Free Taisir" t-shirt? They're clearly trying to hold Taisir for the weekend, without charging him.
Oldest trick in the book.
Pick him up on a Friday, drop him off on a Monday.
Long weekend, two days turns into four.
- Magic.
- It's B.
S.
Well don't it smell good.
Well, I'll see ya on Monday.
You remember a movie called Men In Black? Men In Black was a secret organization that Okay, I know Men In Black and I'm really too tired to talk in code.
CSIS isn't a police force.
They don't have the power to arrest and detain.
But they can ask another agency to pick someone up for them.
But RCMP told me that they didn't pick up Taisir.
Well there's a lot of branches in that tree.
My guess, you're shaking it too low.
You know, a wise and beautiful woman once told me, work is best left at work.
That was before she needed her boyfriend's help.
Her boyfriend, huh? Well that is my new favourite word.
Is there anything your boyfriend can do to help? Okay, don't make me take it back.
The cops grabbed one of my clients from our office this morning.
They just tossed him in back of a van and drove off.
I'd say your client is in trouble.
Oh someone's trying to be cute.
I don't need cute right now.
I need to know how I would track down a couple of cops.
Local or my guys? You tell me.
I don't recognize them.
Bullshit, come on.
Marcie? Marcie Diggs.
A bullet dodged.
I'll be right back.
It's nice to see you, Marcie.
You look amazing.
Hello, Jake.
You still riding those waves in Martinique? We should have dinner some night.
Just two old friends catching up.
Except we're not friends.
Bye Jake.
How are my favourite articling students? - Hey.
- Hey.
What's going on? Now, you're perfect.
Leah, what are you doing, girl? Okay, we agreed no shop talk.
Personal is personal.
Gimme the phone.
I don't know them, but from what you told me and how jacked they look, they could be "Costa's crew".
Who's Costa's crew? They are a special unit way above my pay grade.
Costa's team, they work out at the gym on Kennedy Drive, but they don't let anybody train with them, that's not part of their unit.
They're like a HGH cult.
Hm.
I bet you can't keep up.
Can I help you? Yeah, I'm looking for Costa.
There's no Costa here.
You sure? 'Cause I think he'll want to hear what I have to say.
This gym's closed to the public.
Why don't you have your boss call me or I'm gonna show up here every day.
Come back here and you'll be cited for trespassing.
That operating licence means this gym is a public space.
So try it.
I heard you were looking for me.
And who are you? Sylvia Costa, Director of Operations, National Security Criminal Investigations Unit.
Uh, wait, did you say National Security? Is it all coming together for you now? Your client is being held under Section 83 of the criminal code.
Terrorism? Taisir? No.
No.
- Where's my client being held? - I can't answer that.
He's entitled to a lawyer.
Your client received his phone call.
Taisir Ahmed is not a terrorist.
How would you know, Marcie? Can I call you Marcie? How long have you actually known Mr.
Ahmed? A year at best.
My people, people I trust, tell me he's a bad actor.
He has a history of radical, anti government rhetoric that goes back to his days in Pakistan and Lebanon.
Don't stick your neck out for this guy, you don't know enough.
You know what I know? Grabbing a citizen off the street and taking them god knows where - Here we go.
- Denying them due process, denying them access to legal counsel is wrong.
I'm not the villain here, Marcie.
I'm trying to help you.
Don't embarrass yourself by getting in the way of an ongoing investigation.
You want me to back off? You tell me where my client is.
Don't say you weren't warned.
Have a good day, Marcie.
Why would they do this to us? Fatima, the RCMP think that Taisir may be a terrorist.
Taisir is no terrorist.
He mentioned that he was a teacher back in Lebanon.
Was he political? Taisir was a Macroeconomics professor at BAU.
That's why we went to Lebanon.
We came to this country because Taisir became a target.
Every week he was being arrested or interrogated just for saying words.
I thought that Canada was different.
Please, Yarah! I need to see him, Marcie.
When will I be able to see him? We are checking the court dockets right now but, usually they bring him before a judge within 24 hours of arrest.
But under this terrorism act Taisir has a hearing for his mother's Visa in four days.
He has to be at that hearing or they will reject her application.
I'm trying, Fatima, you have to believe me, I am trying.
Find him, Marcie.
No I can't Kim, I'm sorry, it's not appropriate.
I can give you the number for a moving company you could call and Ugh, dammit.
Hello.
- Hi.
- Good to see ya.
Well I am glad we could finally set a date.
Beginning to think that you were avoiding me.
I know, Dad.
I'm sorry, work's been stupid.
Brought you somethin'.
Bergen's Bagels.
Straight from Brooklyn.
Mm, they're still warm.
I know, they're your favourite huh? Mhm, Sam's too.
Yeah.
Look, I brought a dozen, so feel free to share with your sister, okay? I will.
I'll take them to her apartment later.
Have you seen her new place? Nope, not yet.
So, I'm gonna have traditional English with eggs sunny-side up.
You? Think I'll skip this menu and just devour these later instead.
So how goes the struggle for freedom, justice and equality? I don't know.
I have a client with FASD who's eight months pregnant and being forced to move by her slumlord.
She called me this morning and asked if I could help her move and I said no and now I'm here.
Pam, I keep telling you, forget Legal Aid.
If you wanna make a real difference, I'll give you the reigns of the foundation.
'Cause all the problems in the world can be solved with a cheque, right? - No, that's - Colm! Here comes my slumlord.
Colm, I haven't seen you out at the Highland Links yet, this season.
Oh, we'll have to correct that.
We'll, uh, set a time.
MacLean, ah, that's funny, I didn't make the connection.
I wouldn't have thought your little girl would be working for Legal Aid.
She's quite a fighter.
- Takes after her old man.
- Yeah.
She could probably spend a little more time at this one's knee.
Wow! Just wow.
Okay, Dad, you need to keep better company.
No, no, no, no, Pam.
This woman came to your home? Waiting for me at the end of my driveway like some stalker.
I checked in with a friend of mine who works for justice, he couldn't get off the phone with me fast enough.
What did she want? She told me Taisir's being held under section 83.
Your guy's a terrorist? What is he trying to kill people with all the coffee he's pushing? It's B.
S.
- She's trying to rattle me.
- What if she's right? Look if this guy is radioactive, we're all gonna face blow back.
Maybe we just need to let Costa do what she needs to.
You've got other cases.
You can just focus on them.
What happened to this being a safe space? Look, no one person is gonna put everybody in this office, including yourself, at risk.
I got to agree with Colleen on this.
I mean, I'm not sayin' the cops are right but you don't have the full story.
Are you hearing yourselves? How many times have the cops arrested people without reasonable and probable grounds? Why is this any different? Look, all I'm saying is they know more about Taisir than you do.
Either way, there's nothing more to be done until he's charged and arraigned.
I'm all for a good fight with The Man but you're punching into the darkness.
Marcie, your boy.
Wait, why would Taisir be on the docket in Windsor? Because Windsor is an hour outside of Halifax and the further that Taisir is away from his lawyer the better.
I have a client at noon, Reggie, would you Yeah, yeah, just go.
Go, go, go.
You gotta be kidding me.
As long as I have a clean room and hot water it's fine.
My Mom always use to say, sometimes you gotta make due.
Where is your mom? I know you said staying with her isn't an option but I'm sure she'd wanna help you out.
You don't know Maureen.
No, I'm not comfortable leaving you here.
I know! We can go to Clay's.
Clay, who's Clay? My baby-daddy.
Hello.
What do you mean he's no longer on the Windsor docket.
He was just listed on it an hour ago.
Dammit.
What games are you playing? I thought it would be crystal clear to you by now, I don't play games.
Why would you pull Taisir from the Windsor docket? Because your client has an outstanding warrant in British Columbia for assault.
We're waiting on word if they want us to transport him back there.
They got six days to let us know, so.
Don't do this.
You know that my guy is not a terrorist.
So now you're a mind reader.
Listen, his mother is trying to come here on a Visa.
Her hearing is on Thursday.
And you'd like me to bend the rules when it comes to national security because your terrorist client's mother wants to travel to Canada.
You lawyers.
No, I want you to use your head.
Why would Taisir go through all of the time and effort to get his mother a Visa to come to this country, where he has citizenship, if he was a terrorist? Everything that you're doing to this man and his family that's on you.
You don't get to say that you were just following orders.
Is that all Ms.
Diggs? Avery.
Oh, ah.
- Sorry, I - Hey, no I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your-your lunch.
Your assistant said that it was No it's-it's all good.
I'm just, uh Is there-is there something I could You gotta Did I get it? No, just a little, just There.
Okay, uh, thank you.
Avery, I need help with an outstanding warrant for my client.
You check JEIN? It's a federal warrant, not provincial and I-I don't have access to that.
Marcie, you know I don't like poking around like that.
My ID is timestamped every time I do a search.
My client, Taisir Ahmed, he was-he was arrested on Friday.
I haven't had a lawyer/client meeting with him.
I don't know where he's being held.
Okay, okay, um What did you say his name was? Taisir Ahmed.
Taisir, okay.
All right, I will, uh, shoot you over an email.
Great, I appreciate this.
Leah? Hey, you know, I should introduce you to my old partner, Tessa Cox.
Actually, I've been working a lot with Jake.
I saw you two leave the bar together the other night.
He's been a really great mentor to me.
Jake's "mentored" a lot of young ladies over the years.
I get it.
He's got a reputation but he's been nothing but a sweetheart.
Look, I'm just having fun, it's nothing serious.
I'm not into falling in love with married men.
He told you about his wife? He said that they have an understanding.
I don't know if his wife knows about this understanding.
That's Jake and his wife's issue to sort out, not mine.
Just be careful, okay.
I think it's great that Clay is stepping up, you know.
He's accepting his fatherly responsibilities.
- Clay cares about me.
- Yeah.
Hey.
You can't live here with a child.
I got the house all set up.
- Kim can't stay here.
- Why not? Because I'm getting high just standing here.
No no, I'm gonna keep all the smoke away.
I-I put up a curtain so we got our own room.
Smoke moves through curtains, Clay.
Well a curtain will move, you know, like, uh, a fan.
- It's all good.
- No, let's go.
Honestly, Child and Family Services will be all over you if you move in here with a kid.
I know I'm harping now but your mom My mom doesn't want me.
She kicked me out when I got pregnant.
It'll be a three to six week waitlist for a shelter and near impossible to get a low income landlord to take you because of your action against Silver Lake.
You did that.
All I wanted was hot water.
Well, maybe I can talk to your mom.
I'll try to smooth things over with her.
Yeah, let's do that.
I'll call you later, Clay.
Doug.
Nope, no, no and no again.
I helped you canvas the detachments but I draw the line at covering cases.
And here I thought you were the heart of this place.
What does that mean? You know, Reggie's helping out just to help.
- Reggie? - Mhm.
- Bullshit.
- For real.
I still want my plea days.
I keep my promises.
- Hey.
- It's Iris.
Your 3:30 is in the conference room.
What 3:30? I haven't heard from you, Marcie.
Where is Taisir? Taisir is being detained on an out of province warrant from B.
C.
British Columbia? We've never even been there.
If the police find an outstanding warrant in another province, they are allowed to hold a person for an additional six days before We've never been to British Columbia! Marcie.
We chose to live in a country where our education isn't even recognized.
We chose to live with the Lebanese community because the sounds remind me of our home in Lebanon.
Taisir is a good man.
And-and I feel that about him.
He's put so much energy and time into this Visa application for his mother.
If Taisir misses that hearing I'm doing everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen.
What are you doing, Marcie? Tell me that! You can't even say where my husband is right now.
Fatima, I am-I am just as worried about him as you are.
It's not possible you are as worried as me.
I promise you.
I promise you I will find Taisir.
Yarah! Are you not even concerned about your father? This is what I have to deal with.
She acts like she doesn't care.
But she's very worried.
She feels bad.
Yarah got into a fight with her father the day before all this happened.
A fight over what? Politics, racism, a two-state solution, who knows? Yarah has all the answers.
If that child knew what we have experienced, she would hold her tongue.
Do you mind if I try to talk to Yarah? You're gonna go deaf.
Another problem you can't solve.
Okay, can you just drop the attitude for a minute and talk to me.
No thanks, people that talk to you don't come home.
And by the way, how did they know to find him at your office? You think I did this? I'm not my mother.
You act like you wanna help but you set my dad up.
You're just like that other guy.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
What other guy? I'm not telling you anything.
Mom might trust you but I'll find my dad my own way.
Yarah, the only person that I'm working for is your father, your family.
Forget about my family.
We'll be fine without you.
Oh, this is by far the best crop M&M's had in years.
Mhm.
It's like a runway on the fifth floor.
You see that new Indian chick? Leah.
Pure smoke show.
I had her all lined up until, uh, Jake Turner swooped in.
Asshole.
Can I help you? Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What's going on? What's that all about? What the hell? I need a word, Leah.
Right now.
I'll be up in a minute.
Have you learned nothing? We have to be better than them.
They don't apply the same rules to us, you know this.
Keep your voice down.
What is this all about? This guy Jake is bad news.
Once you start sleeping with married men Seriously Dad, seriously? You have no room to talk about anyone.
These scumbags are talking about you like, like you're some party favour that they pass around here.
This conversation is over.
Look, I just don't want you to get chewed up by some creep twice your age.
I've seen the women you date.
Age ain't nothin' but a number, right? That's so stupid.
We didn't raise you to be stupid.
You didn't raise me at all.
None of these guys are my Taisir.
Look at this.
You are being watched! You are being watched! You are being watched! You are being watched! What is this girl doing? Brown lives matter too.
You are being watched! You are being watched! You are being watched! You are being watched! Thank you.
I admire what you did.
It took guts.
Most people complain about what's unfair and then shrug it off and accept it.
What did your sign mean? "You are being watched.
" I found something.
Is that a camera? I found it in the shop and showed it to my father.
I've never seen him that angry in my life.
He called some guy yelling in Arabic.
What did he say? He kept saying, "I told you no.
" Did you see this man? He came to the shop to try to calm my dad down.
It didn't work.
What is the man saying to your father? He's telling my dad, "If you're a good Canadian then prove it.
" "You're Pakistani," "you don't owe the Lebanese community any loyalty.
" I think he wanted my dad to spy on the Lebanese Social Club across the street.
Can you pause it and-and zoom in on the licence plate? Gotcha.
I know you've had your differences.
Can't put Kim up, okay.
Barely got room for myself.
You've got plenty of room I may I? Okay, we could we could put a partition right here and then that way everybody has their privacy.
I said no.
Look, I know I made my mistakes with Kim, okay.
I'm not gonna fix her now.
Listen.
No matter what mistakes you've made in the past, I can see that you've turned your life around.
Kim is pregnant and alone right now.
Teach her to be resilient, like you.
I can't do it alone.
I'm here to help.
Well she's lucky to have you in her life.
So Kim can stay here? For now.
Okay.
He's CSIS, isn't it? Taisir wouldn't play nice and now they're being spiteful.
Talk to CSIS about that, I don't work for them.
They wouldn't tell you what they were doing.
They just sent in their lapdog.
Taisir Ahmed was arrested based on valid evidence.
No.
My client told CSIS no and now they're using you and your unit to punish him.
I want my client back or I'm gonna get really loud and go to the press and that's not something you want.
Don't make a mistake.
I can make things hard for you.
You got 'til end of day.
Is that my space heater? I guess the positive of having you home is I'll get back everything you ever borrowed from me.
And I use the word borrowed loosely.
That's my favourite scarf.
What'd you do to it? I don't need this shit.
Okay, calm down.
Everyone let's just be civil.
Here, double check my car to if you've left anything.
I'll take the rest of the stuff inside.
I told Kim only two bags, I barely got room for myself.
This is the last of it.
It's gonna be tight, us all living together when that baby comes.
It's only temporary.
You'll make it work.
Kim's welfare's coming here, right? Why are you asking? Power's gonna double.
Groceries ain't cheap.
Kim's not stayin' here without pullin' her weight.
She's pregnant with your grandchild.
Look at that heart.
Bleeding all over the place.
You must think I'm runnin' a charity.
Wanna help? I never said anything about money.
Let her stay with her baby daddy then.
No, wait.
I'm just trying to protect her.
You can't shake a bad reputation.
I'm her father.
I can't just watch my daughter crash and burn.
Doug, Leah is not some deer in headlights that needs to be saved by her daddy.
Marcie Diggs.
Remember, regardless of what you may think, we are the good guys, Marcie.
I could use a drink or three.
Care to join me? I have a date but I will gladly take a rain cheque as long as you're buying.
Hey, um, is Marcie Diggs around? Sorry, she went home for the night.
Ah, thanks.
Hey Marcie's friend, are you up for a drink? Open it.
Now you can make your own.
Here, I'll show you.
Yarah.
See, Yarah, a mistake was made but justice prevailed.
You were racially profiled and discriminated against.
Yes but because of lawyers like Marcie the system worked.
Okay, Dad.