Django Unchained actress Daniele Watts had social media buzzing over the weekend after she was arrested by LAPD for what many believed to be a mere display of public affection .
The star and beau Brian Lucas were approached by LAPD. Watts posted her account of the situation on Facebook:
Today I was handcuffed and detained by 2 police officers from the Studio City Police Department after refusing to agree that I had done something wrong by showing affection, fully clothed, in a public place.
When the officer arrived, I was standing on the sidewalk by a tree. I was talking to my father on my cell phone. I knew that I had done nothing wrong, that I wasn’t harming anyone, so I walked away.
A few minutes later, I was still talking to my dad when 2 different police officers accosted me and forced me into handcuffs.
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, and my own feelings of frustration for existing in a world where I have allowed myself to believe that “authority figures” could control my BEING… my ability to BE!!!!!!!
I was sitting in that back of this cop car, filled with adrenaline, my wrist bleeding in pain, and it occurred to me, that even there, I STILL HAD POWER OVER MY OWN SPIRIT.
Those cops could not stop me from expressing myself. They could not stop the cathartic tears and rage from flowing out of me. They could not force me to feel bad about myself. Yes, they had control over my physical body, but not my emotions. My feelings. My spirit was, and still is FREE.
I will continue to look any “authority figure” in the eye without fear. NO POLICE OFFICER OR GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL IS MORE POWERFUL THAN ME. WE ARE EQUALS. I KNOW THAT I WILL ALWAYS BE FREE BECAUSE THAT IS THE NATURE OF MY SPIRIT.
But cries of racism were quieted after the release of official audio from the incident on Monday. The conversation includes Watts mentioning race while being questioned by the officers who explained they were called about a complaint that was called into their precinct. As it turns out, the officer was not attempting to arrest Watts at all, but was simply questioning the actress.
LAPD states:
On Thursday September 11, 2014, around 3:01 p.m., patrol officers from North Hollywood Division along with a patrol sergeant responded to a radio call of indecent exposure in the 11900 block of Ventura Boulevard. The citizen who called the police to complain told the 9-1-1 operator that a male and a female were involved in indecent exposure inside a Silver Mercedes with the vehicle door open.
The responding sergeant and police officers located two individuals that matched the description of the suspects, and they were briefly detained. Upon further investigation it was determined that no crime had been committed. Ms. Watts and her companion were subsequently released.
An internal complaint investigation has been initiated regarding this matter.
Listen to audio footage of the tense exchange between Watts and the responding sergeant in the segment below and hear Watts explain why she didn’t provide her ID.
Based on the audio, do you think the situation could have been diffused and altogether avoided if Watts had simply handed over her driver’s license?