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Daniele Watts responded to a request from some local civil rights activists that she apologize to the community and the LAPD.
News of Watts' detention by LAPD spread last weekend when she claimed on her Facebook page that she had been accused of prostitution and put in handcuffs for kissing her white boyfriend in public. The actress, until this point best known for her roles on "Django Unchained" and "Weeds," released a statement through her publicist last night explaining that she has no plans to apologize:
“In response to the ‘demands’ that I should apologize to the LAPD, I say this: When I was forced into handcuffs, the detaining officer cited this as his reason: ‘My supervisor said that you, he ordered you to stay and you left, so that's why we pulled- and that's why you're being detained.’
This is simply not true.
Sgt. Parker did not order me to stay. If you listen carefully to the police audio, you will recognize that I inform the officer that I am walking away, and he has no response.
California does not have a stop and identify statute. As a citizen of this country, under the 4th amendment, it is a constitutional right that we do not have to present ID to any member of law enforcement unless we are being charged with a crime.
There was never an actual charge made against me.
All of this can be confirmed by the police audio.
Audio of the detaining officer [from the New York Daily News].
And from Sgt. Parker [from the LA Times].
All this being said, and despite the overtly racist and sexist remarks that continue to show up on our respective Facebook pages, and all over the internet, I feel blessed and appreciative for the opportunity to have started this clearly topical discussion about our shared constitutional liberties.”
He writes that in one incident, neighbors in Loma Linda called police to report that a suspicious black and white couple were loitering in the area and that there may have been a potential robbery. He said it was just he and Daniele trying to go through storage in his father's garage.
Last night Watts posted a selection from Avenue Q on her Facebook page last night:
