Daniele Watts in tears while being detained by LA police (Picture: Brian Lucas/Facebook)
African-American actress Daniele Watts has spoken about being handcuffed and held in the back of a police car after officers thought she was a prostitute.
Her crime? Seen kissing her husband, Brian James Lucas… in PUBLIC! According to accounts on Facebook by Watts and Lucas, two police officers from Studio City Police Department in Los Angeles approached them and asked Watts for ID.
When she refused, Watts was cuffed and put in the back of their police car while they checked her ID. Watts was released shortly afterwards.
Watts is best known for her role as CoCo in Quentin Tarantino’s slavery film Django Unchained.
Accompanied on her Facebook page by a photo of her crying next to a police officer, Watts wrote:
‘Today I was handcuffed… after refusing to agree that I had done something wrong by showing affection, fully clothed, in a public place.
As I was sitting in the back of the police car, I remembered the countless times my father came home frustrated or humiliated by the cops when he had done nothing wrong. I felt his shame, his anger.
I allowed myself to be honest about my anger, frustration, and rage as tears flowed from my eyes. The tears I cry for a country that calls itself “the land of the free and the home of the brave” and yet detains people for claiming that very right.’
A Los Angeles Police Department public information officer would not comment on Watts’s treatment, telling Variety that there was no record of the incident as Watts was not brought into the station for questioning.
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Posted: at 14-09-2014 10:30 PM (10 years ago) | Addicted Hero
dynasty4all at 14-09-2014 11:07 PM (10 years ago) (m)
SHAME! GOD HAVE MERCY!!! AMERICAN'S WHITE SHOULD KNOW THAT AMERICA BELONG TO RED INDIES
Posted: at 14-09-2014 11:07 PM (10 years ago) | Gistmaniac
olofofoomo at 15-09-2014 04:03 AM (10 years ago) (f)
you know we all take this issues to the phase of racism, but i can tell you outright that is not. The cops are just going by the book. am gonna share an experience i had yesterday. i live in Philadelphia and went to new York to buy a car, got pulled over on my way back, the cop did check my car and found some sketchy thing, the chassis number as being called back home was pilled off from the door and dashboard. i was cuffed and put in the cop car, the cop suspected the car to be stollen but after two hours of investigation, i was allowed to continue with my journey cos it was discovered that the car was stolen at one time but recovered. I understood the situation and the cop apologized and even bought me coffee. So in my thought ,regardless of who or what she is, she should have tendered her ID if she didn't wanna be put through that situation.
Posted: at 15-09-2014 04:03 AM (10 years ago) | Newbie
allwaysyes at 15-09-2014 06:18 AM (10 years ago) (m)
all she had to do was show her ID to the police when asked thats all, Its your right to refuse but you will be held untill they find out who you are. these are bad times we live in so make it easy on your self just show your ID and thats all.
Posted: at 15-09-2014 06:18 AM (10 years ago) | Newbie
SweetDaddy1 at 15-09-2014 06:29 AM (10 years ago) (m)
There is nothing racist in what happened, the police ask for her ID card and she refused to show it. The police were only doing their job, if you are unchained star or chained moon you got to show your ID When demanded by the police or bus conductor. She should have shown her ID with a smile and wouldn't had cried like a baby.
Posted: at 15-09-2014 06:29 AM (10 years ago) | Gistmaniac
Doziefelix at 15-09-2014 07:12 AM (10 years ago) (m)
Whatever! Racism or refusal to identify herself, there are things you do in public and things you do in your privacy. What is public kissing to show affection? Girl please answer the cops. Period.
Posted: at 15-09-2014 07:12 AM (10 years ago) | Upcoming
The police has no right to ask her for ID without probable cause. And also she has the right to decline identifying herself if she has done nothing wrong. Ever heard of the Fourth Amendment right? I guarantee you, if she was white the police would not have detain her.
Posted: at 15-09-2014 08:28 AM (10 years ago) | Newbie
zednaijaman at 15-09-2014 12:31 PM (10 years ago) (m)
What Racism? I bet she just wanted this photo to make waves. She wanted 3 things I think - Attention, attention and attention.Well, she succeeded somehow.
Posted: at 15-09-2014 12:31 PM (10 years ago) | Upcoming
refusing a police man an id is wrong,,let us say the truth,,do you know if they are searching for someone who look like you? and now they want you to identify yourself and have your freedom but you refuse,,my dear respect the police and they will respect you,,never prove stubborn to the police no matter your class,,if she is an actress is it everybody that watch her movies to be able to acknowledge her every time,,
Posted: at 15-09-2014 02:13 PM (10 years ago) | Upcoming
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