Racestrut: Celebrity Vs. Racial Profiling
Guzzo
8,611 Posts
Been watching this story unravel from what first seemed to be a potential case of racism into a case of two "celebrities" pulling the "Do you know who I am"
Would love to hear the struts opinion on this
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/15/showbiz/django-unchained-actress-detained/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Los Angeles (CNN) -- "Django Unchained" actress Daniele Watts defended her refusal to show her ID to Los Angeles police before they handcuffed her last week.
The African-American actress and her white boyfriend accused police of racism for questioning them in what they said was only a public display of affection.
"I believe in America and what it stands for," Watts said Monday in an interview on CNN's "New Day."
Police responded to a citizen complaint that "a male white and female black were involved in a sexual act inside a Mercedes" outside the gate of CBS Studio Center on Thursday, according to a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Legal experts said the officer had the right to request identification if he suspected illegal behavior, but audio of part of the encounter with police, published by TMZ, revealed that Watts did not believe so.
"Somebody called, which gives me the right to be here," the unidentified Los Angeles police officer is heard saying to Watts. "So It gives me the right to identify you by law."
"Do you know how many times the cops have been called just for being black?" she responded.
"Who brought up the race card?" the officer said.
"I'm bringing it up because I have every right to be here," Watts said.
When the officer again asked for her ID, the actress responded, "You can take me down to the court office, and I can make a scene about it. And you know what? I have a publicist, and I work as an actor in this studio."
The officer, who patrols a neighborhood home to many A-list celebs, including George Clooney and Miley Cyrus, seemed unmoved by the prospect. "I'm mildly interested you have a publicist, but I'm going to get your ID," he told her.
"No, I'm going to say no, and if you'd like my ID you can say that I'm resisting arrest," she said.
"There's no resisting, you're just interfering," he said. "I have probable cause; we received a radio call."
Watts called her father. "I can't make out with my boyfriend in front of my f--king studio?" she is heard yelling to her father. "I don't have to give him my ID because it's my right to sit on the f--king street corner and make out with my boyfriend. That's my right."
"Keep yelling, it really helps," the officer then said.
Watts was eventually handcuffed and placed in a patrol car. She was released a few minutes later when her boyfriend relented and gave the officer her ID.
A Los Angeles police representative told CNN on Sunday that officers from its North Hollywood precinct were responding to a citizen complaint.
"There was an indication on the radio call that a male white and female black were involved in a sexual act inside a Mercedes with the vehicle door open," Officer Sally Madera said. "Two people were briefly detained, but it was revealed no crime had been committed."
Watts' boyfriend -- Brian James Lucas, better known as celebrity chef Cheffy Be*Live -- wrote in a Facebook post that police "saw a tatted RAWKer white boy and a hot bootie shorted black girl and thought we were a HO (prostitute) & a TRICK (client)."
The couple posted a short video clip and several photos showing Watts in handcuffs talking to police. One image shows a cut on her wrist, which she said was caused by the tight handcuffs.
Watts, who acts in the FX show "Partners," said the officers "accosted me and forced me into handcuffs" after she refused "to agree that I had done something wrong by showing affection, fully clothed, in a public place."
Lucas said when an officer asked for their identifications, he showed his that but Watts refused "to give it because they had no right to do so."
"So they handcuffed her and threw her roughly into the back of the cop car until they could figure out who she was," he wrote. "In the process of handcuffing her, they cut her wrist, which was truly NOT COOL!!!"
She was released "quite quickly when they realized we were right outside CBS and that she was a celebrity and I was a celeb chef," Lucas wrote. "Before they figured out who she was they were threatening calling an ambulance and drugging her for being psychologically unstable, SO NOT COOL WHATSOEVER! "
Watts and Lucas said they initially decided to forget about the incident, but then they decided they needed to speak up.
"We still forgive, love and bless them ... just not putting up with this for our own freedom and heart space," Lucas wrote.
The couple has contacted lawyers, the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, he said. "Our publicist has us in contact with media about it, too, and we're supposed to hear back."
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed it is conducting an internal investigation.
Watts, a native of Atlanta, made her feature film debut in 2012 as Coco in the Oscar-nominated "Django Unchained."
Would love to hear the struts opinion on this
http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/15/showbiz/django-unchained-actress-detained/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Los Angeles (CNN) -- "Django Unchained" actress Daniele Watts defended her refusal to show her ID to Los Angeles police before they handcuffed her last week.
The African-American actress and her white boyfriend accused police of racism for questioning them in what they said was only a public display of affection.
"I believe in America and what it stands for," Watts said Monday in an interview on CNN's "New Day."
Police responded to a citizen complaint that "a male white and female black were involved in a sexual act inside a Mercedes" outside the gate of CBS Studio Center on Thursday, according to a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Legal experts said the officer had the right to request identification if he suspected illegal behavior, but audio of part of the encounter with police, published by TMZ, revealed that Watts did not believe so.
"Somebody called, which gives me the right to be here," the unidentified Los Angeles police officer is heard saying to Watts. "So It gives me the right to identify you by law."
"Do you know how many times the cops have been called just for being black?" she responded.
"Who brought up the race card?" the officer said.
"I'm bringing it up because I have every right to be here," Watts said.
When the officer again asked for her ID, the actress responded, "You can take me down to the court office, and I can make a scene about it. And you know what? I have a publicist, and I work as an actor in this studio."
The officer, who patrols a neighborhood home to many A-list celebs, including George Clooney and Miley Cyrus, seemed unmoved by the prospect. "I'm mildly interested you have a publicist, but I'm going to get your ID," he told her.
"No, I'm going to say no, and if you'd like my ID you can say that I'm resisting arrest," she said.
"There's no resisting, you're just interfering," he said. "I have probable cause; we received a radio call."
Watts called her father. "I can't make out with my boyfriend in front of my f--king studio?" she is heard yelling to her father. "I don't have to give him my ID because it's my right to sit on the f--king street corner and make out with my boyfriend. That's my right."
"Keep yelling, it really helps," the officer then said.
Watts was eventually handcuffed and placed in a patrol car. She was released a few minutes later when her boyfriend relented and gave the officer her ID.
A Los Angeles police representative told CNN on Sunday that officers from its North Hollywood precinct were responding to a citizen complaint.
"There was an indication on the radio call that a male white and female black were involved in a sexual act inside a Mercedes with the vehicle door open," Officer Sally Madera said. "Two people were briefly detained, but it was revealed no crime had been committed."
Watts' boyfriend -- Brian James Lucas, better known as celebrity chef Cheffy Be*Live -- wrote in a Facebook post that police "saw a tatted RAWKer white boy and a hot bootie shorted black girl and thought we were a HO (prostitute) & a TRICK (client)."
The couple posted a short video clip and several photos showing Watts in handcuffs talking to police. One image shows a cut on her wrist, which she said was caused by the tight handcuffs.
Watts, who acts in the FX show "Partners," said the officers "accosted me and forced me into handcuffs" after she refused "to agree that I had done something wrong by showing affection, fully clothed, in a public place."
Lucas said when an officer asked for their identifications, he showed his that but Watts refused "to give it because they had no right to do so."
"So they handcuffed her and threw her roughly into the back of the cop car until they could figure out who she was," he wrote. "In the process of handcuffing her, they cut her wrist, which was truly NOT COOL!!!"
She was released "quite quickly when they realized we were right outside CBS and that she was a celebrity and I was a celeb chef," Lucas wrote. "Before they figured out who she was they were threatening calling an ambulance and drugging her for being psychologically unstable, SO NOT COOL WHATSOEVER! "
Watts and Lucas said they initially decided to forget about the incident, but then they decided they needed to speak up.
"We still forgive, love and bless them ... just not putting up with this for our own freedom and heart space," Lucas wrote.
The couple has contacted lawyers, the American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP, he said. "Our publicist has us in contact with media about it, too, and we're supposed to hear back."
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed it is conducting an internal investigation.
Watts, a native of Atlanta, made her feature film debut in 2012 as Coco in the Oscar-nominated "Django Unchained."
Comments
That's kinda funny; I just can't hear a cop saying it tho.
but you can, just check TMZ
I believe he said it; it's just not something I picture coming out of a cop's mouth.
Unless you're operating a motor vehicle...
If someone is breaking the law. Forget asking for ID and just take them off to jail and sort it out there.
Dafuq.
I've never seen dude, but someone along the lines of Brian Austin Green popped in my head. I guess that's not tatted RAWKer though. It sounds like some Married with Children Grandmaster B styles.
How can people type things like RAWKer and not feel dumb.
Over the last 2 years I have worked as a producer for six separate series on the Food Network, I have worked with a fair amount of "celebrity" chefs and I have learned the names of dozens of other "celebrity" chefs and I can say cheffy Be Live has not reached any level of celebrity higher than when he and his girl bullshitted their way into the spotlight this weekend
Girl needs throwing in jail just for this.
That said, I don't really get what the ID thing is all about. Checking she has one ? As a symbolic warning ? Since there's no offense and the police officer could talk to them and see the were ok, why insist on seeing the ID ? Because she refused first and that made her suspicious ?
And that said, it's a good occasion to put up a fuss, cause yeah that's annoying.
As silly as these people appear to be, there doesn't seem to be any good reason that a cop in this situation should have felt the need to accost them.
And in the end, the only thing he accomplished was to put the name Cheffy Be Live on the map. That can't be good for society.
TEH BAD MAN MADE OUCHIE FEELS IN MY HEART SPACE!
All that shit could've been avoided if they confined their 'freaky-deaky' activity to the crib.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
So tired of this snitch culture of ours.
I don't disagree with any thing any one has posted.
This post captures my feeling the best. If I were to take this serious. Which I don't.
I have been told that in Oregon drivers do not need to carry their license, nor show it if stopped.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Playing the 'playing the race card is the idiot card' card
Playing the playing the playing the...
they also provided a link to the full note
http://lapd.com/blog/
I don't think it's anything new, but nothing infuriates me more than this crap. I feel if you have a problem with someone playing loud music, having sex, smoking weed - whatever - then hobble your old joyless ass over to the offending party, show some backbone and say your piece in person, if it affects your meaningless life so much. We already live in an era of constant surveillance, we don't need assholes playing Cherub of Justice in their spare time.
I've been in a situation where it went something along the line of this.
Them - Please provide this information.
Me - I'm sorry, I don't have that information on me. I did not know it was required.
Them - It's not, but if I ask for it. You must show me.
Me - But would that not mean I'm required to have that information on me?
Them - You are not required, but if we ask for it...
etc etc etc.
Now I totally get identifying yourself to police. If I was asked for that information, I would verbally give it. But the showing of ID??? That then tells me, that all citizens must carry with them their papers at all times. And if you don't, you are breaking the law.
Not really. You can't be arrested for not having ID, but you can be detained until they can prove who you are. You may end up in a holding pen either way, but one is preferable to the other.
So make it a law requiring you have ID with you at all times and you must show it on request...
If I'm seriously walking down the street and I have not committed a crime and I'm stop and I don't have ID on me. Why should I be detained?
Debates have been started up here in my country on how records are being kept on people who have never been convicted or even arrested. And these databases are being used against them from anything from travel to getting a job.
Back to the original article. The fact is, if there was a motor vehicle involved (Which I believe there was). Then one of them by law had to produce a drivers licence when asked. Which is what the cop should have used.
http://m.tmz.com/#Article/2014/09/17/django-unchained-actress-racism-lapd-daniele-watts-pictures-photos
"Someone from the office went down and asked Daniele and Brian to stop because everyone in the office could see them but they continued."
Only in America.
http://pagesix.com/2014/09/17/django-actress-public-sex-pictures-leak/?_ga=1.201364882.2097473049.1395954855