Daniele Watts needn’t apologize for standing up to racial profiling


The ever-heavy topic of racism’s presence in our judicial system is impossible to ignore. Though there might be more laws in place to protect minorities from structural and hypothetical discrimination, it’s all too easy for racism to present itself in practice.

Last week, Django Unchained actress Daniele Watts was arrested in Studio City after a fellow citizen called the police on her and her boyfriend, Brian James Lucas, for engaging in a “sexual act” in a parked vehicle. Watts said they were only kissing and claimed that the officers had accused her of being a prostitute solely because of her skin color. Lucas agreed. According to CNN, Lucas stated in a Facebook post that he believes the police saw “a tatted RAWKer white boy and a hot bootie shorted black girl” who they assumed “were a HO (prostitute) & a TRICK (client).”

In the audio gathered from the scene by TMZ, it is clear that Watts said, “Do you know how many times … the cops have been called just for [me] being black … and he’s white?” After Watts refused to give the police officer her identification, which he claimed he was allowed to demand, the police officer then asked, “Who brought up a race card?” and that he “said nothing about [Watts] being black.” The audio then continued with Watts refusing to cooperate with the police officer, because she felt she had done nothing wrong in simply showing public affection.

Some argue, however, that this case isn’t about racial profiling. According to ABC News, at a meeting last Friday civil rights activists demanded that Watts apologize to the LAPD. They believe the profiling claims were erroneous after reviewing several TMZ photos and audio.

“We took her word that she had been a victim, but now we know it’s not true,” said Najee Ali, president of Project Islamic Hope. “So we feel that she has done a disservice to the community and especially those in the civil rights community who backed her claim initially.” In the same vein, Earl Ofari Hutchinson, president of L.A. Urban Policy Roundtable, said, “We cannot stand for just anyone to just scream and shout ‘racial profiling,’ ‘I have been victimized,’ ‘I have been targeted’ if that’s not the case.”

Though footage released by TMZ doesn’t definitively confirm that this was indeed a case of racial profiling, activists such as Hutchinson and Ali shouldn’t immediately assume the opposite and say, essentially, that she had been lying about being a victim. There’s really no pressing reason to disbelieve Watts’ story. If she felt that she had been racially profiled or victimized, others have no right to force an apology out of her. In an interview with CNN, Watts said that even though the whole incident could have been over within just a few minutes if she had cooperated and given the police officer her ID, she believes she did the right thing in standing up for herself.

It doesn’t take much work to look at the past horrors of incidents such as the Rodney King or Michael Brown cases to know that racial profiling is a serious issue in our country. Watts shouldn’t have to give proof of her victimization to share her side of the story and have people acknowledge it. Some could argue that it was unnecessary for Watts to insist on bickering with the police officer instead of just cooperating, but her actions are a part of a fight to end racial profiling — and she has nothing to apologize for.
Chelsea Hernandez is a senior majoring in English (creative writing). Her column, “Foot in Mouth,” runs Wednesdays.

 

10 replies
  1. Benjamin Roberts
    Benjamin Roberts says:

    As other readers have already indicated, the writer could not be more wrong in her assertion. Ms. Watts most certainly should apologize – profusely. The very fact that racism is so ugly and real when it actually occurs is why we must not tolerate people throwing it around so lightly. The police responded to a call, as they are required to do. The police have every right to request identification when called to a scene, and we the public are required to cooperate in that request… even if you’re black. It seems to me that Watts and her boyfriend should direct their anger or frustration to the morons who phoned the police in the first place. They might have a valid argument against whomever that was… though it is quite possible the person who phoned the police is guilty only of being a prude.

    True racism is ugly, immoral and hateful. Accusing someone of racism without merit is just as bad, and wholly undermines the efforts to combat it.

  2. SomeOtherDude
    SomeOtherDude says:

    Rodney King was racially profiled? As I remember, he was driving drunk at high speed, and led the police on a high speed chase. No doubt they beat the crap out of the guy, but he put himself on their radar.

  3. disqus_f23yWYhDc9
    disqus_f23yWYhDc9 says:

    As a black woman, I feel that Ms. Watts is an embarrassment to all Black people. Have you seen this jezebel’s Facebook page. Filth. She was NOT kissing her white massa of a Bf- she was ridding his shrimp dick a broken down looking MB. Jezebel has zero class. You’re a scumbag for defending her.

  4. John Stenicka
    John Stenicka says:

    You glossed over and more importantly, ignore the fact that the police were summoned to the location as a result of a call from another citizen who obviously saw more than “a public display of affection” going on. Your premise is completely based on false foundation.

  5. maroon5five
    maroon5five says:

    “If she felt that she had been racially profiled or victimized, others have no right to force an apology out of her.”

    You mean other than the fact that it could damage the careers of the officers who did not racially profile her? Just because you thought you were being targeted by race does not mean that you are, and it’s not OK to throw allegations out like that unless there is a real reason for it. The officers were responding to several complaints, so if there was racial profiling going on, it was the people who called in the complaint and not the police officers.

    Did they overstep their bounds in asking for an ID? That is a question worth asking. Were they racially profiled by the officers? Not from what I saw. She should apologize for slandering the cops in the news and on social media, and should only focus on whether they had probable cause to check her ID. If they did not, then it is perfectly acceptable to file a complaint on those grounds.

Comments are closed.