The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 118 Day of Atonement

Dodge Sports Park, the team bus and other vehicles set out on time and headed for the Bhatia Welfare Center in the city.

This is an organization that helps people with disabilities. The Los Angeles NAACP is one of its major donors, so the target population it serves is mainly black people.

In a business car, Hawke took out the intercom and asked, "Manager Ma Dukai, how is the situation over there?"

“Steve got the players excited and they were very motivated,” Madukai said.

Hawke asked on the other side: "Caroline, where are the media you contacted? Let them catch up."

Caroline, sitting in the Sports Picture car, said: "We are following the filming."

The Dodgers motorcade drove out of the sports park and several media vehicles followed. Then some Dodgers supporters spontaneously drove up to follow the motorcade.

A convoy of dozens of vehicles drove towards the north.

In the business car, Hawke took out his cell phone and called Megan Taylor: "I'm leaving here, are you ready?"

At the entrance of the Bhatia Welfare Center, there was a broadcast vehicle from Fox TV, and Megan was sitting in it: "I asked for a time slot, and I can broadcast live at any time, only on Channel 11."

Hawke glanced out the window: "It will take at most ten minutes."

Megan hung up the phone, put on her headset, and shouted, "Prepare for live broadcast!"

Many black and white people came to the entrance of the Bhatia Welfare Center, holding up various banners supporting the Dodgers, waiting for the team to arrive.

In the welfare organization that had been contacted long ago, volunteers pushed some disabled elderly black people out of their houses to make it easier for visitors to express their condolences.

Just in case, Hawke sent Caroline and Edward over yesterday to make the arrangements.

The convoy slowly slowed down, and the team bus stopped in front of the welfare home, with security personnel blocking off a passage.

Hawke held the intercom and said, "Guys, stay alert, pay attention to any emergencies, and report to me immediately if anything happens."

Everyone responded one after another.

The bus door opened and Steve Nutter was the first to get off, waving his arms and responding to the enthusiastic cheers of the crowds on both sides.

The other Dodgers got out of the car one after another and followed Steve toward the welfare center.

Dozens of media reporters followed.

There were also hundreds of social figures prepared in advance by the Association who entered the welfare center together.

Hawke put on headphones and put the walkie-talkie on his waist. After getting out of the car, he mixed in with the media reporters and entered the gate.

Everyone poured into the front yard.

Hawke walked out of the crowd, showed his temporary credentials to the security guard standing by, and entered the room next door.

He walked through the house and down the long corridor to the physiotherapy room near the disabled black people.

Edward, along with several volunteers from the NAACP, is here.

Seeing Hawke, he hurried over and pointed to a large pile of foot basins nearby: "I came here to collect them. The basins are of different styles and in different degrees of newness and oldness, and the quantity is not enough."

Edward has made significant progress in the past few months. Hawke is very satisfied: "Wait for the signal outside."

He asked the volunteers from the Association to bring a vest and put it on.

It was a bit chaotic outside, but the volunteers and security guards sent by the Association maintained basic order.

Hawke came to the window and looked out quietly.

Accompanied by a black teammate with a broken arm, Steve came to a group of disabled black people, hugged them one by one, and stood in front of each of them to chat with them briefly.

The rest of the teammates followed suit.

The media reporters were a little disappointed. They followed along all the way here, and this is what they were shown?

What's so interesting about this? The news value is average!

Many people's eyes fell on Caroline, who was in charge of liaison.

Caroline, wearing a Chanel short trench coat and handmade high heels, raised her small chin slightly, waiting for these ignorant fools to be surprised.

She and Hawke are ready for the main event!
In front, Steve hugged a one-armed black man in slippers and found that there were some oil stains on his legs and feet.

"Aren't you getting enough care?" he asked the one-armed old black man loudly.

The one-armed Lao Hei spoke in a loud voice: "They took good care of me. I had my right arm amputated not long ago. I started eating with my left hand and was not very skilled. I got the drips while I was having lunch."

Steve turned to look at the volunteer who was following him and asked, "Do you have a basin? Please bring a basin of water."

"Yes." The volunteer ran into the therapy room where Hawke and Edward were.

Edward picked up a half-new foot basin, filled it halfway with water, and followed the volunteers out.

Steve took the foot basin, bent down and placed it next to the black man, then had someone bring a chair and asked the one-armed black man to sit down.

"Let me wash your feet." He asked the black man to take off his slippers and put his feet in the basin.

Steve shortened his body, but he did not bend over or squat. Instead, he knelt on one knee in front of the one-armed black man as Hawke said!
Get down on one knee!

Steve washes black people's feet.

At this moment, the media reporters with a keen sense of smell realized that a hot news was happening right before their eyes.

They rushed to raise their cameras to capture the scene of Steve kneeling on one knee and washing the black man's feet.

The other white players of the Dodgers had already been persuaded by the club, and they came to the other disabled black people and asked the staff to move chairs and fetch basins of water.

One by one, half-new foot basins were brought up with water in them.

Some staff also brought chairs for some disabled black people to sit on.

It is even more convenient for those who are in wheelchairs.

The white players of the Dodgers bent down one after another, knelt on one knee, and washed the feet of the disabled black man.

Then, the black players also knelt on one knee and did the same thing.

Several white players who failed to grab a basin simply knelt on one knee on the ground, took out wet wipes from their pockets, and cleaned the hands and feet of the disabled black man.

The media reporters were taking pictures like crazy.

The live broadcast of Fox Channel 11 first gave a close-up of Steve, and then shot a panoramic view.

Megan had already written the copy and announced it in a voice-over on the broadcast vehicle: "This is the glory of humanity, this is the progress of society..."

There was a commotion where the reporters gathered, and Caroline gently poked the female reporter from Sports Picture next to her.

The female reporter asked loudly, "Steve, what are you doing?"

Steve knelt on one knee, scrubbing the black man's feet with both hands, then turned around with a heavy face, "We should be ashamed of the way we treated black people in the past 300 years. All that our ancestors, including us now, enjoy is based on the exploitation of black people. I just want to do my part and take good care of those in need, for my ancestors..."

He cried out: "Atonement!"

After saying that, he turned around and continued to wash his feet.

In the crowd, the white leftists from the NAACP applauded Steve loudly.

"Atonement! That's right! I should atone for the sins of my ancestors!" I don't know who started it, but more than a dozen white people knelt on one knee.

The white leftists who had been distributed in various places in advance followed one after another and knelt down in a large group.

The reporters quickly turned their cameras around.

More and more white people knelt on one knee at the scene. Some of them had said hello in advance, but most of them had not.

But those who can come in today are basically white leftists.

Infected by the emotions around them, or for other purposes, these white people followed suit and knelt on one knee on the ground.

Some radical people even took out tissues or scarves from their pockets and wiped the shoes of nearby black people, making them clean and bright.

Not only these people, the overall direction of the media in California leans to the left, and this trend will affect many people.

The white left reporters felt it was a sin to stand and photograph black people, so they all knelt down on one knee.

Among the standing black people, Dodgers manager Maduke looked solemn, but he was very happy in his heart.

There is no doubt that starting from today, for several consecutive days, from sports news to social news, the front page headlines will be about the Dodgers.

So what if you win the MLB championship?

The heat still depends on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The courtyard of the welfare center suddenly became quiet.

All the black people were standing, a large number of white people were kneeling, and the reporters who were still standing and filming looked a little awkward.

But I held on in the end.

Steve and other Dodgers players finished washing the feet of the disabled black man.

Some white leftists cleaned the shoes of the black people around them.

The reporters captured the hot news they wanted. The show was initially completed, and the Dodgers players and the welfare center staff helped the disabled black men back to their homes.

Megan sent her right-hand woman, Claire, to enter the welfare center from the other side to conduct exclusive interviews with the Dodgers players, including Steve.

There is still some time until 8 o'clock in the evening. The online media will be the first to release reports, which can warm up for the prime time of "Ace News" in the evening.

An office in the welfare center was temporarily requisitioned by the Dodgers.

Hawke used this place as a temporary media center.

Several Dodgers team photographers took videos and photos from multiple angles.

Hawke asked the team's media officer to handle the matter quickly and publish it on the official website as soon as possible.

Caroline came in from outside in a hurry and reported the latest developments to Hawke: "Reporters from Yahoo Sports, Open Air Sports Stand and ESPN have asked for space to edit the news. In ten minutes at most, the relevant news will appear on these portal sports websites."

Hawke said, "Have you finished writing the copy I asked you to prepare?"

Caroline pulled it out of her bag and handed it to Hawke, "The latest version. I wrote it last night and you were not satisfied with it. I just finished it this morning."

Hawke opened the quick view.

"Steve Nutter: America's atonement for black people begins today, starting with you and me."

The long article below the copy made Hawke dizzy. He handed it to the team's media officer and said, "Only use the title, not the content. Pair it with pictures and videos of the team, Steve, and the audience, and upload it to the official website."

The media officer quickly did it.

Caroline said, "The title is still the same as yesterday's. I spent the whole night thinking about and the whole morning writing what you asked me to rewrite, but you didn't use it..."

Hawke raised his hand to interrupt her: "The response was enthusiastic, even many white reporters knelt down. Videos and pictures are enough, there is no need to guide with text."

"You are the boss, you have the final say." Caroline took out a makeup mirror, sat on the sofa, and looked at her dark circles.

Of course, people who get commissions can't rest. Hawke took a laptop and handed it to her: "Follow the network updates."

Caroline then suddenly thought of what Hawke had said about cows and horses.

They eat grass, do heavy work, and are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

This is a reflection of myself.

There was a knock on the door, Edward went to open it, and Megan came in from outside.

Hawke asked, "The interview is over."

"It went very smoothly." Megan rubbed her face lightly and said in an ambiguous tone, "Los Angeles should erect a statue for Steve."

Caroline murmured in her heart that the Lincoln Memorial should be vacated and Steve's statue should be moved in, and the name should be changed to Steve Nutter Memorial.

"We have the hot news you want." Hawke called Megan to the window and whispered, "The Dodgers have already made contact and will hold a charity game with the California Institute of Technology Baseball Club this weekend."

Megan nodded: "Channel 11 can't broadcast live sports events."

Hawke understood this: "I have already discussed it with the team, you still have exclusive internal interview rights."

He specifically emphasized: "Before the game, the Dodgers will communicate with the university team, and when the game starts, both teams will kneel on one knee to call for anti-racial discrimination."

Megan and Hawke knew each other well and guessed his intention immediately: "You intend to make Steve's action a symbol of the equal rights movement."

Hawke said, "I'm a principled person. Steve paid for it."

Megan understood what he meant: "I will reflect this in the news reports. It will be considered as the interest you pay."

She is also very particular: "For news reports, as a middleman, I can get a certain amount of money, but of course it is not as much as exclusive news. For such news, I can still get $5. I have already gone through the TV station's due process for approval, and it may take a few days."

Hawke said: "Steve's whole family was a guest on your Ace News segment after the charity game on Sunday."

Megan grabbed his hand and said, "Thank you."

"I'll be back in Wyoming next week to take care of some personal matters," Hawke said in advance, in case he suddenly received a call: "You'll have to figure out what to do with Ace News later."

Megan nodded gently: "You have helped me to this extent. If I still can't control it, I might as well quit."

Hawke, the shameless one, said, "Since we are so familiar with each other, I won't talk about your commission. Don't violate the principles in the future. Please help me with my affairs."

“As long as it doesn’t violate the principles, there’s no problem.” Megan knew very well that as long as Director Cynthia didn’t interfere, the so-called principles were set by her.

They are essentially the same. Principles should be followed when necessary, but what are principles when they are not necessary?
As time went by, reports about this incident began to appear online.

The report on the Dodgers' official website received a warm response.

California is the stronghold of the left, and fans left messages one after another.

“Steve is a role model for society!”

"The Dodgers are a team with a strong sense of social responsibility!"

"I also want to kneel down and atone for my sins!"

There is no doubt that Steve and the Dodgers are going to be popular again.

Caroline, who was looking through her notebook, said, "The news was posted on Yahoo Sports and the Open Air Sports Stand. There have been over 500 comments and over reposts."

Hawke nodded slightly: "It's about the same as expected."

Caroline looked at Megan, feeling inexplicably annoyed, and said, "The TV station is too slow to react."

Megan casually replied: "The depth of TV reports cannot be compared with the Internet."

Caroline was about to speak when someone knocked on the door again and the team manager Madukai came in from outside.

His dark face was all smiles as he said, "I chatted with friends from the media for a while, and the response was really overwhelming."

After saying this, Madu Kai saw Megan and quickly changed his words: "Excuse me."

Hawke said, "Don't worry, we're one of us."

Megan stepped forward, stood next to Hawke, and said with a smile: "Congratulations, you are once again at the forefront of the times."

Maduke said righteously: "The Dodgers have assumed the responsibility of the times and will continue to be responsible for social values."

Megan glanced at Hawke quickly, suspecting that all these words were made up by Hawke.

This time, the hot news did not happen naturally, but was fabricated by Hawke using Steve Horner, whom he created.

After Megan left, Madukai said to Hawke, "The news was posted online. The university team, which was a little hesitant at first, called me immediately to confirm the charity match this weekend. They will carry out anti-discrimination propaganda in the same way as Steve."

Hawke reminded: "Time is tight, can the game be held on time?"

Maduke may not be as good as Hawk in other aspects, but he is much better in event organization. He said, "Don't worry, the Dodgers have rich experience in hosting events. Three days is enough."

Hawke said: "Start preparing immediately. After the exclusive interview with Ace News tonight, we will release the ticket reservations."

As for how to organize it, he, as an outsider, will not interfere. The Dodgers Club will take care of it.

Maduke left here and contacted the team to fully launch the charity match.

Hawke sat next to Caroline and took the laptop to check the news online.

The immediacy of news on the Internet is much faster than that of traditional paper media.

The reports that tended to be left-leaning were full of praise for Steve.

“We are lucky to have Steve Nutter in this era.”

"Steve is the Martin Luther King of the 21st century."

“Strongly recommend that Los Angeles City Hall establish Steve Nutter Day.”

This last point not only depends on Steve's reputation, but also involves politics. If the NAACP wants to achieve it, it needs to make efforts in many aspects.

The event at Bhatia Welfare Centre concluded successfully and was a great success.

When Hawke and his group left by car, the event organized by the NAACP had not yet ended.

Hundreds of white people imitated Steve's actions and knelt on one knee in front of the door of the Batiya Welfare Center.

It seems that they are using this method to "atone" for their ancestors.

By the evening, the relevant news had spread completely on the Internet and television stations, and of course there was no shortage of abuse and criticism from the audience.

But no media outlet took the initiative to attack Steve's behavior, instead they sang praises for it.

Fox 11's "Trump News," hosted by Megan Taylor, aired a prime-time news segment on the theme of "Atonement and Anti-Discrimination."

Megan reviewed serious incidents of racial discrimination and played exclusive interviews with Steve and Maduke to promote and warm up the charity event this weekend.

At the end of the program, it was said that today would become a day that would go down in history because it was a special "Day of Atonement."

The close-up of Steve Nutter kneeling on one knee began to become an iconic action of the anti-discrimination movement.

The next day, print media followed suit. The most famous left-wing newspaper, the Los Angeles Times, even covered the entire front page with a close-up of Steve Nutter kneeling on one knee!
Steve and the Dodgers also dominated the headlines in other newspapers.

The Los Angeles Dodgers also started pre-sale of tickets for Sunday's charity game, and several major equal rights organizations in Los Angeles alone bought tens of thousands of tickets.

(End of this chapter)