Black Voicesdjango unchained actress handcuffeddjango unchaineddaniele watts detained by police

'Django Unchained' Actress Daniele Watts Explains Why She Refused To Give LAPD Her ID (VIDEO)

'Django Unchained' Actress Explains Why She Refused To Give LAPD Her ID
Open Image Modal
By 

Pop Culture Editor, HuffPost

|

As previously reported , last week two Studio City police officers in Los Angeles detained and allegedly mistook "Django Unchained" star Daniele Watts for a prostitute after they saw her -- reportedly fully clothed -- kissing boyfriend and celebrity chef Brian James Lucas in a car.

And following her detailed Facebook account of the situation stating that she was "handcuffed and detained" after refusing to show her ID, the couple appeared on CNN’s “New Day” this morning to provide additional details about their unpleasant experience with authorities.

When asked by “News Day” co-host Michaela Pereira if she had any regrets on refusing to show the officer her ID, Watts remained adamant in her decision and cited being a U.S. citizen and using her "constitutional rights."

“It’s because I believe in America and what it stands for, and I believe in freedom,” she said. “And I think that a country that calls itself ‘The land of the free, and the home of the brave,’ if I’m within my amendment rights, my constitutional rights to say, ‘No, unless you’re charging me with a crime I will not be giving you my ID’ that is a right that I stand up for because of the shoulders that I stand on... because of the people who fought so hard for their rights that came before me. Black, white, all people have been fighting for these rights for freedom. It’s beyond race at this point.”

Lucas added his thoughts as to why he felt the encounter was a result of racial profiling.

“In the beginning [the officer] came up and said, ‘I had a call that there was a black and white couple,’ and he’s the one that actually brought that up,” Lucas explained. “And [Watts] even mentioned it. It became a little bit of a discussion at the beginning when she tried to get him to talk to her dad…he was definitely edging me on a bunch, as well.”

“When he pulled up, he asked me questions… that just made me feel like I was a client and she was a prostitute..." Lucas continued. "And then throughout the whole experience he kept on doing it.”

Check out more of Daniele Watts and Brian James Lucas CNN “New Day” segment in the clip above.

Before You Go

Sheriff Terry Johnson And Other Cases Of Racial Profiling
House Immigration Caucus Hosts Discussion On Crime And Undocumented Immigration(01 of08)
Open Image Modal
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 12: Sheriff Terry Johnson (R), of Alamance County, N.C., participates in a discussion on immigration October 12, 2011 in Washington, DC. The Center for Immigration Studies and the House Immigration Reform Caucus hosted the discussion with law enforcement agencies from local municipalities dealing with crime problems that are direct result from failure to control the border, and from lax enforcement of immigration laws. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
(02 of08)
Open Image Modal
Alamance County Sheriff Terry S. Johnson stands to the side as his attorney, Chuck Kitchens, speaks to reporters Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012, in Graham, N.C. A two-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice has found that Johnson and his deputies routinely discriminated against Latinos by making unwarranted arrests with the intent of maximizing deportations. In a report issued Tuesday, the federal agency said Johnson and his deputies violated the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and legal residents by illegally targeting, stopping, detaining and arresting Latinos without probable cause. Johnson told reporters at a news conference that the report's findings are baseless and that "the Obama administration has decided to wage war on local law enforcement." (AP Photo/Burlington Times-News, Scott Muthersbaugh) (credit:AP)
(03 of08)
Open Image Modal
Chuck Kitchens, attorney for Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson, speaks during a news conference in Graham, N.C. Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012. A two-year investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice has found that Johnson and his deputies routinely discriminated against Latinos by making unwarranted arrests with the intent of maximizing deportations. In a report issued Tuesday, the federal agency said Johnson and his deputies violated the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and legal residents by illegally targeting, stopping, detaining and arresting Latinos without probable cause. Johnson told reporters at a news conference that the report's findings are baseless and that "the Obama administration has decided to wage war on local law enforcement." (AP Photo/Burlington Times-News, Scott Muthersbaugh) (credit:AP)
Joe Arpaio(04 of08)
Open Image Modal
FILE - In this April 3, 2012 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio listens to one of his attorneys during a news conference in Phoenix. Arpaio is expected to take the witness stand Tuesday, July 24, 2012, and face allegations that his trademark immigration sweeps amounted to racial profiling against Hispanics. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File) (credit:AP)
Thomas Perez, Roy Austin(05 of08)
Open Image Modal
United States Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez, left, who heads up the civil rights division at the Department of Justice, is joined by Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Roy Austin, as Perez announces a federal civil lawsuit against Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio during a news conference Thursday, May 10, 2012, in Phoenix. The move came after months of negotiations failed to yield an agreement to settle allegations that his department racially profiled Latinos in his trademark immigration patrols. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) (credit:AP)
Tracy Martin, Sybrina Fulton, Benjamin Crump, Daryl Parks, Rebecca Monroe(06 of08)
Open Image Modal
Daryl Parks, left, president of the National Bar Association, the Martin family lawyer, Benjamin Crump, and Trayvon Martin's parents, Tracy Martin, and Sybrina Fulton, stand during a moment of prayer for Trayvon Martin during a House Judiciary Committee Democrats' briefing on racial profiling and hate crimes on Capitol Hill, in Washington, on Tuesday, March 27, 2012. In front is Rebecca Monroe, with the Department of Justice. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) (credit:AP)
Activists Organize March And Rally Against Police Stop And Frisks(07 of08)
Open Image Modal
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 27: An opponent of the New York Police Department’s controversial 'stop-and-frisk' policy march on January 27, 2012 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The NYPD says the stops assist crime prevention while opponents say they involve racial profiling and civil rights abuses. According to the New York Civil Liberties Union, during the first nine months of 2011 514,461 city residents were stopped by the NYPD. 451,469 were innocent (88 percent), while 54 percent were black, 31 percent Latino and 9 percent white. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
A mass of protesters demonstrate against(08 of08)
Open Image Modal
A mass of protesters demonstrate against Arizona's tough new immigration laws at a large rally in Phoenix on May 29, 2010. Rights groups had already announced plans to file a legal challenge to the law, which makes it a state crime to lack proper immigration papers and requires police to determine whether people were in the country legally. Activists say the law will open the door to racial profiling by police, but supporters point to wording of the bill that expressly forbids law enforcement from stopping someone on the basis of their ethnicity. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has said the law, which has attracted broad support according to recent opinion polls, is needed to help secure the state's porous border, one of the main entry points for illegal immigrants in the US. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)
Suggest a correction
|
Submit a tip